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CD Feature/ Peter Maag: "Mozart - Le Nozze di Figaro"

  Tobias

There are not that many things that never grow old. One of them is “Le Nozze di Figaro” by Mozart. It is absolutely amazing, if you think about it – a piece which catered to the demands of an audience 200 years ago and, at the time, was as “pop” as any piece of contemporary popular culture could ever be, has retained its magic until the present day and is still winning over young audiences worldwide. Another one is this interpretation by German conductor Peter Maag, captured at the dawn of his career in Napels 1959.

Back then, Maag was only just getting started, but he already carried the banner of a new and fresh generation of “maestros”. His learning years with Furtwängler had handed him a nice part of the legend and an early stamina most of his colleagues could only dream of. But he neither rested on his laurels, nor did he regard progress as an enemy. His “Figaro” was certainly perceived as “modern” at the end of the 50s: He abstained from catering to expectations, read the score as if he were exposed to it for the first time, did away with unnecessary luggage and presented Mozart’s seminal opera as a lean, luscious and explosive coctail of melodies, melodies and yet more melodies. With this approach, he managed to win over both the the hearts of the general public (to whom the latter had always been the key to the composer) and the educated in-crowd (who were getting tired of the sluggish and complacent interpretations common at their local concer hall). And really, on many occasions one has the sensation of a slightly pimped up chamber orchestra edging its way through the remorselessly catchy and relentlessly creative arias and concise interludes. Of course, Maag would not have been able to win this battle on his own: The Orchestra “Alessandro Scarlatti” di Napli (courtesy of the Italian national TV RAI, which back then did not yet feel Berlusconis foul breath) and a cast of mainly great Italian singers were second to none and managed to never sound affected or pompous – in fact, they even sound great in their spoken word contributions!

Of course, with three discs clocking in at a total of almost three hours, it may seem tempting to choose a single disc alternative, but seriously – there are almost only highlights here. I listened to this on a long train trip and the hours flew by just as quickly as the landscape outside. It sounds cheesy, I know, but this could well be one of the albums that never grow old.