Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro.(Video Recording Review)

Watson, Grist, Mathis, Bence, Aselford; Berry, Wixell, Kelemen, Thaw, Hirte, Pfeifle; Vienna Philharmonic and Vienna State Opera Chorus, Bohm. TDK DVD ORF DVUS-CLOPNDF1-2 (Naxos, dist.), black and white, subtitled, 180 mins.

Fleming, Hagley, Todorovitch, Hillhouse, Gritton; Finley, Schmidt, Rohrl, Tear, Adams; Graham-Hall; London Philharmonic, Glyndebourne Chorus, Haitink. Kultur DVD D2039, color, subtitled, 190 mins.

These two fine productions of Le Nozze di Figaro, both relatively conventional, both wonderfully conducted, are souvenirs of historic occasions at festivals that used to specialize in Mozart.

The first set documents the good old days when Salzburg still valued tradition over innovation. By August 11, 1966, the Festpiele no longer represented a gala summer extension of the Wiener Staatsoper season. The glorious heyday of Schwarzkopf, Seefried, Jurinac, Kunz et al. had waned. Still, the elegant spirit survived, with Karl Bohm enforcing affectionate savoir-faire in the pit and a cast of international stars performing enlightened rituals within Rudolf Heinrich's quasi-realistic sets. Significantly, the stage in use here was not the Cinerama-proportioned monstrosity that Karajan built. Gunther Rennert untangled the narrative knots of this Figaro within the intimate confines of the Kleines Festspielhaus.

Less glamorous but equally vital, and still agreeably modest in scope, is the Figaro production that opened the new opera-house at Glyndebourne in 1994 (taped May 28). The pioneering days of Fritz Busch and Carl Ebert were, of course, long past, but their memory lingered on as the festival commemorated its sixtieth anniversary. With Bernard Haitink conducting and Stephen Medcalf providing a modestly modernized staging scheme within John Gunter's semiabstract decors, this Figaro provided a gutsy alternative to the exquisite Salzburg model. It was cast with talented young singing-actors more notable, perhaps, for eagerness than for finesse. And, not incidentally, the forces of Lewes, East Sussex, opened cuts long sanctioned in Salzburg (and virtually everywhere else). For once, for better or worse, both Marcellina and Basilio got to sing their fancy-detour arias in the last act.

The Salzburg Figaro, salvaged from the archives in grainy black-and-white, represents a valuable memento of stylistic reverence. Bohm savors polish and poise, though never at the expense of humanity or momentum. Rennert focuses narrative motivation with ease, yet he never--well, hardly ever--stoops to cliche. The authorities do allow one ...