Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jean-Claude Malgoire, La Grande Écurie et la Chambre du Roy :: Mozart (Le nozze di Figaro · Così fan tutte · Don Giovanni) / Malgoire

Enthusiastic, Youthful, Dramatically Apt Da Ponte/Mozart Tri

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 01/18/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"These three operas - Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte - were originally issued in the mid-1990s separately and then as a boxed set on the Astrée label at full price. Here they are again but at a very tempting budget price. And the performances have their definite attractions. The cast of all three operas comprises mostly the same singers. Most of them were young and fairly unknown. The only singer previously known to me was Véronique Gens who is a marvelous Donna Elvira. With the exception of the singer portraying Don Alfonso in 'Così' and both Masetto and the Commendatore in 'Don Giovanni', all are more than acceptable. And some are outstanding: Nicolas Rivenq as the Figaro Count, as Don Giovanni, and the Così Guglielmo certainly is. So are the main women in all three operas. Simon Edwards as Ferrando in 'Così' and Don Ottavio in 'Giovanni' is also excellent.



The orchestra here is Jean-Claude Malgoire's La Grande Écurie et Chambre du Roy, an original instruments outfit whose sound seems tilted toward the woodwinds, which actually is pretty enjoyable here. Aside from some occasionally awkward transitions, Malgoire's direction is fine.



What sets this set off, though, is the enthusiasm and sense of theater one experiences when listening to all three operas. I will admit that I have never heard or seen a bad performance of any of these operas (including a 'Così' set on a space ship!); there seems to be something about the Mozart/da Ponte operas that brings out the best in musicians. But this set seems to have more than its share of joie de vivre and immediacy that leaps out of the speakers at the listener. It does not have the cool perfection of some big-name performances, but makes up for it with its élan.



A couple of oddities: Two of the scenes in 'Figaro' are reversed, restoring the original order of Beaumarchais' play. And, this one is bothersome for me, the final scene of 'Don Giovanni,' the epilogue where the cast lines up and points the moral of the story, is omitted. It is true that this scene was mostly omitted as being frivolous in performances throughout the nineteenth century but frankly, aside from its being so familiar and satisfying musically, it helps end the 'dramma giocoso' on a lighter note after the penultimate scene where Giovanni is dragged off to the eternal fires of Hell to the accompaniment of scary trombone chords. But this is a minor quibble when compared to the overall satisfaction of these performances.



An only slightly qualified recommendation.



8 CDs; TT:8h28m



Scott Morrison"

Fair Bargain

M. Kelly | Hopetown, USA | 04/06/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This compilation is a fair bargain, especially for somebody perhaps looking for some period-instrument performances to supplement more traditional versions. However, if you are looking for a library version, these recordings don't really stand up to the competition of Gardiner, Jacobs, or most especially Oestman. Oestman's recordings of the Da Ponte trilogy, as well as "Der Zauberfloete" are available in a Decca "Collector's Edition" box and are a lot more generally competitive than these."