C. Watson & R. Grist "Canzoneta sull'aria" from Nozze

Claire Watson as Contessa, Reri Grist as Susanna. Salburg Festival. Karl Bohm conductor. August 1th, 1966

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Opera
• Mozart
• Le
• nozze
• di
• Figaro
• Contessa
• Claire
• Watson
• Susanna
• Reri
• Grist

[Lassann]

This is the best one on Youtube. I've listened to them all.

[jdpcpunta]

y pensar que hay personas a las que no les gusta la opera, para mi este es unos de los duetos más bonitos de la musica clasica. y Mozart inconfundible... se me ponen los vellos de punta

[pianowithludmila]

Re. the slow tempo:

The voices here are allowed to ring out so clear and fresh.

We can be sure Karl Bohm knew exactly what he was doing; the consumare interpreter of Mozart's orchestral music, with his ability to bring out the sweetness and graciousness of the melody and perfection of the form, if sometimes a bit on the grand, stately and predictable side.

NB. I recall the true urgency of the G minor first movement's opening phrases under his baton (a DG recording; some 35y ago).

[DonAlfonso63]

Maybe a bit slow, but fantastic voices and feeling !

Thank you !

[AgnesRegina]

Lovely... the Susanna's voice is so clear and sweet, and the Countess' so warm! And the tempo doesn't compromise the voices; the way I see it, if they can keep the line moving and the tone spinning the way they do, there's no problem with singing it slower. I agree with masettoallegro and AmericanEvita... it looked like a prank, but it must have been pretty stressful for Susanna and the Countess, considering that the Count could have punished them both severely if it didn't work out...

[AmericanEvita]

@masettoallegro Outwardly it appears like they are pulling a prank on the Count, but it's purpose was very serious and had a lot of meaning for the Countess. She wants her husband back plain and simple. He has been cheating on her with other women - mainly the country peasant women - and now he is after Susanna, the Countess' personal maid, and Figaro's bride. The Countess, Susanna and Figaro each play a trick on the Count in order to basically save both their respective marriages!

[masettoallegro]

@bernsp You're wrong. They are not playing a joke at all. This is very painful for the countess and it's not funny at all. 

[mistmink]

i agree, the best one out of all of them. there's so many too!

[ElliePearl]

This duet really does sound great at all tempos.

[fatbutjustfat]

Fantastic, first heard it on shawshank redemption. Beautiful aria

[bernsp]

what a shame such a lovely duet and two such stunning voices were compromised by such a slow tempo. this duet should have a lilting easy movement to it - the countess and susanna are playing a joke ... not singing a dirge

[simplesimplicius]

Definitively not