This Salzburg Festival production gathers a strong cast with one of the period’s most respected conductors, and the result is a sharp, well-rehearsed performance. The recording quality is excellent, and the Weiner Philharmoniker provides luscious sound: silvery strings, perky horns, and lacy commentary by the woodwind instruments Mozart loved. Elisabeth Harwood is in especially fine form as the Countess, receiving the night’s strongest ovation for “Dove sono.” Tom Krause, the Count, is nearly as good, shifting easily from schemer to jealous husband to sly seducer. He likewise does a fine job in his big aria, solid in voice from top to bottom and agile in the final little bit of coloratura.Berry and Stratas bring experience to Figaro and Suzanna. One could wish for more buffo strength to Berry’s baritone, but he inhabits the role well. Stratas is well suited to her role, but one wishes that she could make her vocal intonation more distinct from that of the Countess. They blend well in “Sull’aria,” but when they take each others’ identities in the final act, the plot depends on being able to tell the two voices apart. (And each soprano’s ability to impersonate the other is itself a crucial element in the comedy.) The rest of the cast is fine, Teresa Berganza especially lovely as Cherubino. Jean Berbie makes duck soup of Marcellina; one wishes that Karajan had let the Rossini specialist sing the character’s usually omitted showcase aria “Il capro e la capretta.” Zoltan Kéléman also gets a lot of individual character into the bit part of Antonio. (He was Alberich in Karajan’s Ring Cycle.) My only cavil is that Karajan’s sense of control makes the big moments shine, but also zips over the many funny bits along the way. Normally laugh-out-loud moments breeze past as incidental music. One wishes Karajan had loosened his reins at such moments and let the experienced cast savor these hilarious moments. Nevertheless, there is much to enjoy in this performance.

Le Nozze di Figaro was another one of the operas like Fidelio, Der Rosenkavalier, and Otello of which Karajan made a specialty. The 1974 broadcast of this production was made available on the Opera D'Oro label several decades ago. The cast had several different singers including Van Dam, Freni, and Von Stade. This performance is from a year or so earlier and has a number of the same singers. Everyone is in top shape. Stratas' rather hooded tone blends beautifully with Harwood's brighter voice; their Letter duet in Act 3 is a moment suspended in time. Her "Deh, vieni non tardar" is another highlight, so sensuous and inviting. In the 1974 performance Harwood had some minor difficulties sustaining Karajan's slow tempo for "Dove sono". Here she has no problems and earns an ovation from the audience. Her forgiveness of her errant spouse at the end brought tears to my eyes.Berry is superb as Figaro, playing very well off of Stratas, and Krause is just as good as the Count; it was so easy to take the two of them for granted. Berganza is a delight as Cherubino (the audience adores her), Berbie, Senechal, and Montarsolo bring their oily characters to life, and Mandac is a gorgeous Barbarina. The chorus and orchestra all live up to Karajan's high standards. The sound is excellent stereo for the era.If you love this opera, you'll love this recording.

The first night of Ponelle/Karajan Figaro in very good sound. Karajan delivers a swift performance without any sloppiness and with very good singer-actors. The cast seems to be a deliberate alternative to Viennese style, some singers on the acting (Stratas, Montarsolo), some on the vocal side (Berganza, Herwood). There might be a more idiomatic Italian than Berry gave, but his Figaro is, however, the self-confident male center of the performance.