Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with a younger solid on excellent kind

Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro – Huw Montague Rendall, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment – Glyndebourne on the BBC Proms (Picture: Chris Christodoulou/ BBC)

Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro: Tommaso Barea, Johann Wallroth, Huw Montague Rendall, Louise Alder, Adèle Charvet, director: Mariame Clément/Talia Stern, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, conductor: Riccardo Minasi, Glyndebourne Competition Opera; BBC Proms on the Royal Albert Corridor
Reviewed 27 August 2025

A cheap staging combined comedy, tragedy and politics that allowed a solid mixing youth and expertise to create probably the most satisfying performances of the opera I’ve seen in a very long time

Mariame Clément‘s manufacturing of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro debuted this summer season at Glyndebourne and following a profitable two month run, the performers got here to relaxation on the Royal Albert Corridor for the Glyndebourne Competition’s annual go to to the BBC Proms. On 27 August 2025, Riccardo Minasi carried out the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment with the Glyndebourne Refrain. Tommaso Barea was Figaro, Johanna Wallroth was Susanna, Huw Montague Rendall was the Depend, Louise Alder was the Countess, Alessandro Corbelli was Bartolo, Madeleine Shaw was Marcellina, and Adèle Charvet was Cherubino. The semi-staging was directed by Talia Stern primarily based on Mariame Clément’s manufacturing at Glyndebourne.

The Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment was pressed in direction of the rear of the stage, making in depth use of the risers which created a considerable performing space, although as is common with these Glyndebourne Proms, there was little alternative for eye contact between conductor Riccardo Minasi and his solid.

The set, such because it was, consisted of two doorways which had been made in depth use of, plus sundry parts of set dressing moved round by stage crew – chairs, tables, a display for the Countess to alter behind in Act Two and the tub for the Depend in Act Three.

Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro – Louise Alder, Pippa Barton – Glyndebourne on the BBC Proms (Picture: Chris Christodoulou/ BBC)

Clément’s manufacturing used a conventional, 18th century setting which meant that costumes (designer Julia Hansen) and motion all gave a transparent presentation of the hierarchy within the palace. In contrast to the pageant’s earlier Nineteen Sixties-set manufacturing directed by Michael Grandage, the notion of droit de Seigneur was a transparent and current hazard right here, forming a powerful political thread all through the motion. Stern’s boiling down of the unique manufacturing used the restricted sources (two doorways, a chair, a sheet, a display) to most impact in order that the farcical parts had been wittily completed with out an excessive amount of suspension of disbelief.

I loved the way in which the night combined comedy, tragedy and politics in method which it will appear Mozart and Da Ponte meant. Clément clearly has a properly operative humorous bone, and her comedian touches enlivened the night with out ever seeming over completed. Having the Depend revealed in his bathtub on the opening of Act Three was a pleasant contact, and the antics within the backyard in Act 4 had a neat aspect of the ridiculous to them. And every time Marcellina was required to provide paperwork, she did so by lifting her skirts and digging in her garters, a gag that in Madeleine Shaw’s palms by no means grew outdated.

However this was mixed with the sense of very actual hazard from Huw Montague Rendall’s Depend, and the sense of loneliness of Louise Alder’s Countess who’s compelled to change between private anguish and public service. And when it got here to Tommaso Barea’s Figaro, there was a creating feeling of the character’s sturdy political beliefs. Da Ponte might need lower Figaro’s in depth political speechifying however Barea made the character’s view clear, but he was humorous too. It was that form of manufacturing that balanced issues neatly.

Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro – Louise Alder, Tommaso Barea, Johanna Wallroth – Glyndebourne on the BBC Proms (Picture: Chris Christodoulou/ BBC)

The casting was such that the younger folks had been younger and the older folks had been outdated. There was a definite divide right here, and I loved the way in which the motion performed up the youth of Figaro, Susanna, the Depend and the Countess. Although these latter two had been clearly not that younger, as that they had a younger daughter (Pippa Barton). However the secondary characters had been all depicted as older and doddery.

Minasi’s speeds had fairly a way of zip to them and the dialogue was comparatively fleet (however understandable within the Corridor), however what actually counted was the way in which Clément’s constructing of the most important set items labored to maintain you on the sting of your seat. And within the Act Three sextet, the bodily motion of the singers on stage neatly echoed the construction of the piece.

Tommaso Barea (who had sung within the last two performances of the manufacturing on the Glyndebourne Competition) was a Figaro who mixed positive singing with a powerful bodily sense. This was a compelling and charismatic character, whose anger at his employer grew to become palpable but there was tenderness for Johanna Wallroth’s Susanna. Frankly, Wallroth was barely light-voiced for this venue, however she sang with such fashion and attraction that it didn’t matter. This was not a Susanna who might have simply sung the Countess, as typically occurs these days. as a substitute Wallroth introduced fashion and wonder to the vocal line together with a stunning perky attraction and a slight naivety. She was undoubtedly one in every of Mozart’s managing girls, however this was solely a part of the character.

Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro – Alessandro Corbelli, Madeleiine Shaw, Robert Forrest – Glyndebourne on the BBC Proms (Picture: Chris Christodoulou/ BBC)

Huw Montague Rendall’s Depend was undoubtedly a nasty piece of labor, but all through Montague Rendall sang the position finely. He was ever the aristocrat and no matter he was doing, he sounded it. There was anger and bluster, creating into actual viciousness when he was cornered, however alongside this was a suave attraction which made you realise he was a practised seducer. Montague Rendall made you perceive the way in which these traits combined, he wasn’t merely an out and out horror. Add into this a pleasant vein of comedy what with the tub scene in Act Three and the excessive seductions in Act 4 and also you had a masterly portrayal.

Louse Alder’s Countess was on the identical excessive stage, her character unfolded in the way in which Alder introduced the non-public anguish in her two huge arias, each finely sung certainly, but the depth altering in public. Alder and Wallroth had developed a pleasant rapport which prolonged to Barea in order that the Act Two scenes labored nicely. In Act 4, Alder confirmed a transparent vein of comedy (and I bear in mind her admirably complicated Susanna at ENO in 2020, see my overview), then on the finish although she forgave the Depend with grace and poise, it was clear that their relationship had foundered irretrievably.

This was an ending that revered Mozart’s music however fairly clearly might result in Beaumarchais’ third play, La Mère coupable the place the Countess has born a toddler by Cherubino. On this efficiency, Alder and Adèle Charvet as Cherubino made their relations simmer, by no means fairly going there however leaving the likelihood.

Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro – Robert Forrest, Huw Montague Rendall, Adèle Charvet, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment – Glyndebourne on the BBC Proms (Picture: Chris Christodoulou/ BBC)

Adèle Charvet (whom we final noticed on the Proms in 2023 as Ascagne in Berlioz’ Les Troyens) was an admirable Cherubino. Tall and with a present for bodily comedy, Charvet made a extremely plausible younger man, but didn’t mug throughout the comedian bits. Finely sung all through, she managed to carry a way of youthful impulse to her arias while holding Cherubino on the proper aspect of partaking. Elisabeth Boudreault was an attractive Barbarina, singing her aria with fashion and that means (it is not a pin that she’s truly misplaced) and a pleasant physicality to the comedy. I beloved the way in which she climbed up Huw Montague Rendall’s Depend when she appealed to him in Act Three.

There was no doubling, so we had a luxuriously massive solid. Alessandro Corelli, who has appeared often at Glyndebourne since 1985, was on positive kind as Bartolo, delivering his aria with relish and making each syllable of recitative rely whether or not being bitter or humorous. He was ably partnered by Madeleine Shaw’s Marcellina, an actual heat character for as soon as but additionally very humorous. Robert Forrest’s Don Basilo was portrayed as extremely decrepit, fairly annoyingly so, while Vincent Ordonneau’s Don Curzio was one thing of a cipher. Alexander Vassiliev had nice enjoyable because the one-armed, drunken Antonio. The 2 bridesmaids had been Sophie Sparrow and Biquin Zhang.

We didn’t get the Act 4 arias for Bartolo and Marcellina. This makes a variety of dramaturgical sense; audiences these days like the ultimate act to focus on resolving the plot. However absolutely pageant performances are occasions when experiments might be made fairly than slavishly following the ‘conventional’ cuts.

Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro – Riccardo Minasi, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment – Glyndebourne on the BBC Proms (Picture: Chris Christodoulou/ BBC)

Riccardo Minasi and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment started the overture as they meant to go on and it zipped and bustled magnificently. Even on the Corridor, Minasi’s relish of the completely different timbres and textures that the devices introduced was palpable. Typically the speeds had been a contact quick for the Corridor, however this was a go to by an present manufacturing and we couldn’t count on anything. Minasi constructed the nice set items admirably, crafting lengthy, lengthy stretches of drama from Mozart’s constructing blocks. However within the slower music he appeared to provide himself the freedom to tug the music round. This utilized to many of the accompanied recitatives, however it was most noticeable within the Countess’ two arias, which felt nearly romantically self indulgent at occasions.

Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro carried out within the Royal Albert Corridor is rarely going to be excellent, however due to the power and intelligence of the solid this was maybe probably the most satisfying performances I’ve seen in a very long time and I fairly regretted lacking it on the Glyndebourne Competition.