United Kingdom Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro): Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera / Kerem Hasan (conductor). Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, 6.2.2025. (LJ)
In ‘A Defence of Farce’ (1901), the writer G. K. Chesterton stated that ‘the literature of joy is infinitely more difficult, more rare, and more triumphant than the black and white literature of pain.’ Following Chesterton’s logic, staging a comedy, and doing it well, can be a more daunting task than staging a tragedy. In the premiere of one of the most well-known and frequently performed comic operas (or opera buffa), The Marriage of Figaro (1786), the Welsh National Opera delivered Mozart’s adored commedia per musica very well indeed. The performance (which will run in Cardiff’s Wales Millenium Centre and then on tour until 6 June) is a revival of the WNO’s 2016 production. Its original director was Tobias Richter, and the revival director is Max Hoehn.
On this occasion, Kerem Hasan took up the baton, conducting at an impressive pace. For the most part, this worked well by keeping the comedy moving. It did, however, risk getting too quick, especially in the finale of Act II where more controlled pacing from the conductor would have avoided what Mozart called ‘herabhudeln’ (‘scrambling through’) compositions like ‘Voi Signor, che giusto siete’ with ‘Übertreibung der Schnelligkeit’ (‘excessively fast tempi’). But this is a minor critique that can be easily addressed in subsequent performances when there is longer any first night nervousness to contend with.
In fact, the WNO needed the first act to settle into the music for their three-and-a-half hour (or thereabouts) performance. Act IV, therefore, stood out as particularly accomplished. Highlights included Eiry Price’s (Barbarina) arresting performance of ‘L’ho perduta, me meschina’ followed by Michael Mofidian’s (Figaro) humorous performance of ‘Tutto è disposto … Aprite un po’ quelgi occi’ at the opening of the final act. In F minor, Barbarina’s cavatina is one of the only minor mode numbers in the entire opera (other sections in the minor key include the duet between the Count and Susanna at the beginning of Act III and at the end of the same act when the Count pricks his finger with a pin). For this cavatina, Price was accompanied by the WNO orchestra’s string section only, marking this number as pensive and separate from the more jocund major mode of the rest of the opera. The staging reflected this as Price sat alone downstage in front of a sheer curtain as if performing solo, outside of the set. Da Ponte’s libretto here (itself a revision of Beaumarchais’s original play, La folle journée ou Le marriage de Figaro first performed in 1784) belies a double meaning. Though Barbarina sings of losing a pin, or ‘spilla’, the feminine object in the original Italian has more ominous connotations with a metaphorical sense of losing innocenza, verginità, or giovinezza.
Another standout performance was Christina Gansch’s (Susanna) rendition of one of Mozart’s most beautiful and playful love songs ‘Deh vieni, non tardar, o gioia bella’. The tempo for this aria (marked più andante) worked well with the slightly faster pace at which Kerem Hasan conducted. The WNO orchestra’s accompaniment, especially the bassoon, oboe, flute, and pizzicato strings was nicely balanced against Gansch’s clear and expressive voice. Gansch’s vocal timbre also paired nicely with Mofidian’s earthy bass-baritone.
In 2025, the set design by Ralph Koltai appears a little tired. Koltai worked on the original 2016 production when he was in his early 90s. His use of reflective panels on the walls of the set engaged the audience in the movement of each cast member and gestured towards the performative themes of the opera which often involve swapping or hiding identities. This said, for a set design that had more minimalist than decorative tendencies, there was a surprising amount of clutter, especially for the Countess’s bedroom in Act II. Moreover, the set for Act I included an ironing board and for Act III there were approximately 26 chairs that were largely unused! The costumes, designed by Sue Blane were nicely colour coded so that couples were easily identifiable (Figaro and Susanna wore black and red; the Count and Countess wore gold; and Marcellina and Doctor Bartolo wore navy). The gardener’s costume and ruddy cheeks reflected his occupation and propensity for a tipple, but it was the hole in his left sock with his big toe visible that indicated Blane’s attention to detail.
Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts’s costume for Don Basilio was particularly charismatic and memorable with music prints galore. Indeed, his performance as well as that of the supporting cast (not forgetting Monika Sawa as Marcellina and Wyn Pencarreg as Doctor Bartolo) and formidable WNO Chorus were excellent. Harriet Eyley as Cherubino was pleasing and expressive if not entirely compelling. As a soprano, Eyley lacked the depth and expressive range of a mezzo-soprano playing this genderbending role. This said, she displayed good vocal agility required of singing Mozart. Lastly, Giorgio Caoduro and Chen Reiss as Count and Countess Almaviva were convincing in their roles and their voices worked well together.
The only part of last Thursday’s performance that I would rather not have witnessed is the moment when performers showed that they were, in fact, singing for their supper. Sadly, placards and t-shirts saying #SaveOurWNO are becoming commonplace at the end of performances. Where is the generous count to keep our Welsh National Opera alive? The WNO will be returning to Swansea for the first time in 15 years on 27 February with Associate Artist Erin Rossington as Countess Almaviva. By this point in the performance’s run, audiences should expect a composite and entertaining rendition of The Marriage of Figaro.
Cast:
Figaro – Michael Mofidian
Susanna – Christina Gansch
Count Almaviva – Giorgio Caoduro
Countess Almaviva – Chen Reiss
Cherubino – Harriet Eyley
Barbarina – Eiry Price
Doctor Bartolo – Wyn Pencarreg
Don Basilio / Don Curzio – Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts
Marcellina – Monika Sawa
Antonio – Julian Boyce
First Bridesmaid – Angharad Morgan
Second Bridesmaid – Francesca Saracino
Production:
Director – Tobias Richter
Revival Director – Max Hoehn
Set designer – Ralph Koltai
Costume designer – Sue Blane
Lighting designer – Linus Fellbom
Choreographer – Denni Sayers
Chorus master – Frederick Brown
I may be biased as Harriet Eyley’s General Manager, but please remember that Mozart wrote the role of Cherubino for a soprano (the voice category mezzo-soprano is a later nineteenth-century development). If you listen to recordings of this role by singers such as Suzanne Danco, Sena Jurinac, Edith Mathis, and, more recently, Christine Schäfer, you can hear how much better the role suits the higher voice.