Figaro #75

Conductor:  James Levine
Production:  Sir Richard Eyre
Host:  Renée Fleming

CAST
Figaro:  Ildar Abdrazakov (bass)
Susanna:  Marlis Petersen (soprano)
Doctor Bartolo:  John Del Carlo (bass)
Marcellina:  Susanne Mentzer (soprano)
Cherubino:  Isabel Leonard (soprano)
Count Almaviva:  Peter Mattei (bass)
Don Basilio:  Greg Fedderly (tenor)
Countess Almaviva:  Amanda Majeski (soprano)
Antonio:  Philip Cokorinos (bass)
Barbarina:  Ying Fang (soprano)

Today was James Levine's 75th time conducting Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro at the Metropolitan Opera.  There aren't enough superlatives to describe this.

This was also the best staged Figaro I've seen.  The countess stays in her disguise until the end, and for me this works much better than when she changes back into the countess before surprising her husband.

Thank the opera gods for allowing Isabel Leonard to get over her cold so we could see her marvelous Cherubino.  How many mezzos can do pushups?  She was the best Cherubino I've seen.  They have her take a leak on the stage.  Hmmm. 

Here is a surprise for me:  both Isabel Leonard and Amanda Majeski were in Griselda in Santa Fe.