I'd heard about this performance for years, and am so glad I got to hear it. There are many well sung Figaros available on disk, but this is notable for the vivid characterizations. As a Frederica von Stade fan, this is a particular treasure!

This performance was available years ago on the Phoenix label that went out-of-print very quickly. I had a copy, but allowed someone to purchase it from me and have not been able to locate an affordable copy since (if you can find it on Amazon, the price is usually ridiculously high!). Opera Depot's copy is pitched correctly (unlike another one I heard that was pitched at least a half-step low) and the basic sound is good enough. There are some unfortunate moments at the beginnings of the second and third acts where some radio interference gets briefly in the way and occasionally one can hear what sounds like a worn tape squealing in the background.None of this should prevent Figaro lovers from hearing this performance. Everybody sings beautifully and is fully invested in their characters. The recitatives are done very naturally and almost sound like dialogue at times. Janowitz's "Dove sono" gets the biggest hand of the evening and deservedly so - she sounds like an angel. Freni and Van Dam have definite chemistry, Bacquier is a dangerous, yet alluring Count, and a young mezzo named Van Stade nearly steals the show as Cherubino. Both Marcellina and Basilio get their arias, allowing us to enjoy Berbie and Senechal that much longer. The orchestra plays superbly for Solti who leads a fleet, dramatic performance, more lively than his excellent studio recording of 7-8 years later.Someday another label might release this in even better sound, but this will do until then.

One of the best performances I have ever heard. Great communication from all the principals; they are not just singing but acting their roles to the hilt! In his aria, Bacquier -despite an ill-judged "demon-King" laugh at the end- is really chilling and emphasises the sheer, selfish nastiness of the Count.In the main I agree with Andy's summary but do not find Janowitz in any way 'cold'; perhaps that's in Mozart's writing, laying open to scrutiny the Countess's feelings of rejection and mistrust. Solti I find very satisfying; unlike in his starry but too-fast commercial recording, here he varies his tempi. He knows exactly when to speed up but still allows the music to breathe - exquisite!By the way, the rest of the cast comprises:Curzio: Jacques LoreauBarbarina: Danielle PerriersAntonio: Carl Schultz.