The Marriage of Figaro
Boston
Handel & Haydn Society
11/17/22
The essence of Mozart.
That was the intent of the Handel & Haydn Society’s semi-staged Marriage of Figaro, realized Nov. 17 and 18 in Boston’s Symphony Hall.
The orchestra was onstage, with the chorus and soloists. Sight gags, stagecraft and extraneous action were limited. This was simply Mozart’s music, the glorious intricacies laid bare, like examining the insides of a Swiss watch.
French conductor Raphaël Pichon, whose Bordeaux-based Ensemble Pygmalion specializes in period-music explorations, led this unadorned but absorbing production. This marked the first performance of the complete Figaro in H&H’s 208–year history.
Pichon worked previously with many of the soloists, including soprano Ying Fang, an in-demand Susanna, who would have stolen the spotlight with any other cast. Among equals in this well-blended group, Fang sang with lustrous ease, her solo arias (“Deh vieni, non tardar,” as one example) lyrical moments, her ensemble singing anchored in musicianship.
Soprano Jacquelyn Stucker gave Countess Almaviva a stunning portrayal. Her act 2 entrance was magical, singing “Porgi amor” from the back corner of the stage with measured radiance. She seemed to have some physical problems during “Dove sono i bei momenti” in Act 3 (nosebleed?), but stayed focused throughout, recovering immediately afterward for her duet “Canzonetta sull’aria” with Susanna.
Bass Krzysztof Baczyk, a commanding physical and vocal presence, nearly overwhelmed as Figaro. A natural actor, his gestural shifts aptly—and at times hilariously—captured Figaro’s own shifting calculations. He was at his forceful best with “Non più andrai, farfallone amoroso,” teasing Cherubino about his pending conscription.
Mezzo Paula Murrihy sang Cherubino with impetuous flair. Some inelegant wardrobe developments marred her dressing scene—a misbegotten attempt at humor. Cherubino’s centerpiece love song, “Voi che sapete,” was at turns self-consciously nervous, and lyrically compelling.
Bass Cody Quattlebaum sang a sturdy Count, and mezzo MaryAnn McCormick sang and acted Marcellina with purpose. Tenor Zachary Wilder and bass Scott Conner ably filled multiple roles, and soprano Maya Kherani made notable brief appearances as Barbarina.
James Darrah directed, with restraint: the music came first. In an era of re-imaginings, new interpretations, and contemporary overhauls, this subtle approach proved refreshing.
The action was seamlessly but casually blocked; the singers moved easily, and sang from strong positions. The orchestra was situated toward the back and center of the stage, giving soloists ample space to maneuver. The singers were off-book, and some recit lines got missed (and stage directions muffed). The stage doors were too far from the action for elegant entrances and exits. But mostly, the playing had an uncluttered, natural feel.
Sight gags were few: concertmaster Christiana Day Martinson unearths a copy of Cherubino’s love song from her stand, and the chorus high-fives Figaro at one point. Props were limited to a pair of stuffed chairs, stage right, and some instrument cases near the wings for characters to conceal themselves.
Costumes (Molly Irelan) were period, and unremarkable. Gentle lighting was used to create moods, taking advantage of the reflective organ pipe–façade at the back of the Symphony Hall stage.
Pichon—a rare left-handed conductor—was overtly demonstrative on the podium, shaping and completing each phrase. At times the instruments overwhelmed the balance with the singers in recit, but that seemed intentional, to emphasize the ensemble sound. Pichon’s unmistakable focus was to make the singers and instruments sound as unified as possible.—Keith Powers