I love this opera.
Mozart produces one stunning song after another out of his hat. It sings along so well that I have never seen or heard a production which wasn’t enjoyable.
One difficulty is the overture.
This is a superb piece but, to be sat down before the closed curtains of a stage, for about 15 minutes, when one is in anticipation of the visual treat of a Figaro always seems to be a bit hard on the audience.

Last Saturday afternoon BBC 2, in the guise of David McVicars production resolved this dilemma beautifully.

When Sile and I were suddenly trapped in London in February we tried to see this production but couldn’t get in so it was a delight to see it hitting the screen so soon.
We taped it and watched it last night.

What Mc Vicars did for the overture was to open the curtains on the operas setting of the interior of a large Spanish manor house.
Then he gave us a wonderfully atmospheric pageant of the servants preparation for the day, the cleaning, delivery of food, and various bits of business between the servants including the totally appropriate debagging of Figaro on his wedding eve.
Just as the overture doesn’t contain any of the music of the opera, it just works to get one in the mood, so did this scene.

The whole production was also excellent, and would have been electric on a live stage.

I must confess I still can’t understand what is happening exactly in the last act but I feel sure that most people can’t.
The amount of bluffs and double and counter bluffs make the mind boggle.
This never interferes with my enjoyment in the least.