The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro)

I have been involved with and seen a number of productions of Figaro, and this was one of the best. It started well with a brisk overture with lots of light and shade. On a number of occasions during the opera the orchestra stopped for dramatic effect, and this was always meaningful. A couple of lapses of ensemble were quickly rectified.

As we have come to expect with Opera Australia, the sets were lavish and used well. There was a corridor at the side of the stage for the first act, which allowed for characters to eavesdrop and be seen prior to entrances. The full depth of the stage was used in the third, which attracted applause from the audience.

The singing was uniformly impressive. I remembered Andrew Jones singing the Count for Eastern Metropolitan Opera, so I was surprised to find him singing Figaro, but his voice has developed a lovely richness which was appropriate for this more earthy character, and his cheeky grin suited Figaro.

Taryn Fiebig sang beautifully as Susanna, though her voice is a little heavier than one would expect in this role. Her characterization was excellent. Jane Ede also sang well as the Countess and their Letter Duet was lovely. Her arias were heartfelt, but as she was considerably taller than Taryn this made it harder to believe them impersonating each other in the last act.

However, her height meant that she was a more appropriate partner for the towering Shane Lowrencev as the Count. Sian Pendry was in excellent voice as Cherubino and Roxane Hislop and Richard Alexander took their moments to shine as Marcellina and Bartolo.

But when one has seen so many Figaros, one looks for points of difference. I particularly enjoyed Cherubino coming on drunk in the last act, and Susanna and Marcellina coming to blows in the finale of Act 2. However, having other members of the cast coming on during the Count’s big act three aria was a mistake.

An opera to be highly recommended.

Graham Ford

Images: Taryn Fiebig (Susanna) and Sian Pendry (Cherubino), & Taryn Fiebig (Susanna), Andrew Jones (Figaro) and Shane Lowrencev (Count) along with the Opera Australia Chorus in Opera Australia's The Marriage of Figaro. Photographer: Jeff Busby.