Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro

In the mid-2010s, Yannick Nézet-Séguin became the opera conductor of the moment and was signed to record a series of live Mozart opera performances by Deutsche Grammophon. This reading of Le Nozze di Figaro, recorded in Baden-Baden in 2015, generally delivers on its high-powered promises. You can sample from the beginning for a general idea of the whole: Nézet-Séguin takes the overture at a very brisk clip, and the players of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe are with him every step of the way. But the performance never falls into the trap of becoming an overly conductor-driven interpretation: Nézet-Séguin gives room to his all-star performers, including an age-inappropriate, but intriguing, Marcellina from Anne-Sofie von Otter and a confident turn in the lead role from Luca Pisaroni. To an extent, this is a Figaro for the busy 2010s: it's fast, unfailingly competent, and attention-grabbing. There might be other singers who have relaxed into the deeper reasons this opera was such a shock for so long, but it's hard to fault what's done here.