Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro – Diana Damrau

   in Choir & Organ (Jan, 2018)
Le nozze di Figaro from La Scala is a mixed affair. Frederic Wake-Walker’s production tries hard to be interesting and the cast works hard, but ultimately it is a bit of a damp squib. Using the old stage-within-the-stage cliché doesn’t really perk things up and is at times clumsy, from Figaro scampering on during the overture and beckoning us to watch, to the Count’s heavy prompting. It’s generally attractive but ultimately soulless and at times a visual mess, the Act II finale descending into chaos. Franz Welser-Möst’s conducting tends to the correct. Markus Werba’s Figaro is a jolly chap and Golda Schultz’s Susanna strangely charmless, though her tone is stunning. Carlos …