Opera Review: Couples get it together in Mozart’s ‘Marriage of Figaro’

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“The Marriage of Figaro” by Mozart is often called the perfect opera. At the Music Center, the Los Angeles Opera is presenting the masterpiece with a perfect cast. Although the singers lack name recognition, they are young and fresh and capture both the pathos and the humor of the story based on a Beaumarchais play. Placido Domingo himself is conducting the Los Angeles Orchestra, finding time away from his other duties as a singer and manager. As with everything else he does, he is successful. The orchestra captures the essence of the music and never upstages the singers.

Although “Marriage” can be categorized as a farce, with characters coming in and out like in a Marx Brothers movie, there is an underlying pathos in the marvelous score [libretto?]. Count Almaviva is now married to the young woman he courted in “The Barber of Seville.” However, he is also tomcatting about shamelessly. The neglected Countess bemoans her lost love in two achingly beautiful arias, sung wistfully by Martina Serafin.

In his time, Mozart was playing with fire by making the Count a buffoon who is outwitted by his servant, the clever Figaro. It was not considered wise to demean the aristocracy. In a wild series of events, the Count is thwarted in his desire to use his feudal right to make love to Figaro’s intended bride, Susanna. Thrown into the mix is young Cherubino, a teenager with awakening desires for love.

The cast members are delightful. The Count [as] is played by Bo Skovhus, completely bewildered by the plot machinations. Figaro is masterful in the capable hands of Daniel Okulitch. A special pleasure was the performance by Renata Pokupic in the trouser role of Cherubino. Others who threw themselves into the proceedings were Marlis Petersen, a pert Susanna; Ronnita Nicole Miller, as Marcellina; Alessandro Guerzoni, Doctor Bartolo; Christopher Gillett, Don Basilio; Daniel Montenegro, Don Curzio; Philip Cokorinos, Antonio and Valentina Fleer, Barbarina.

Although the set by Tim Goodchild has been used before, it is still serviceable if not exactly brilliant. Ian Judge, with his deft hand, directs the production so that it moves smoothly. The ending, with voices joined lustily, brings together the Count and Countess and promises wedding bells for three other couples. Best of all, the music and the libretto are a wonderful match.