Cheryl Studer & Marie McLaughlin “Canzonetta sull’aria … che soave zeffiretto” ~ LE NOZZE DI FIGARO

Duettino from Act 3 of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
La Contessa Almaviva : Cheryl Studer
Susanna : Marie McLaughlin
Theater an der Wien, 1991
Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper, Claudio Abbado
From the now classic (and tasteful) Jonathan Miller production, filmed during its world premiere run in Vienna. When the production travelled to the Metropolitan Opera several years later you'd never know, from the hyper publicity, that it had been seen and heard elsewhere first and with a vastly superior team, too.

[@wewper]

Interesting interpretive choices from both. Studer's Contessa is almost giddy at the possibility of entrapping the count, not like so many other Contessas (like the one in the Met/Miller transfer LOL) who insist on being mopey and/or stately and therefore boring. On the other hand, McLaughlin's Susanna, always the shrewd one, almost looks like she's trying to temper the Contessa's excitement. (She's holding the quill, after all!) So much more meaningful than the Met/Miller Susanna's pitiful collection stock reactions-a sigh here, a shrug there LOLOL. Lovely clip. Thanks.

[@doGreatartistsgrowontrees]

My thoughts exactly and thank you for articulating it so well.