The latest offering from the enterprising minimalist opera company OperaUpClose to be seen in Oxford, was a new English-language version of Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro. Reduced in running time from two hours fifty minutes to two hours and with seven singers playing the eleven roles (excluding Susanna’s bridesmaids) and accompanied by clarinet, viola and piano, this condensed version nevertheless fully represented the spirit of the original and provided an utterly delightful evening’s entertainment. The new orchestration was by Musical Director Alex Beetschen and the new English libretto, replacing Da Ponte’s, by Artistic Director Robin Norton-Hale. Whatever the intention, what came over was a fresh and refreshing look at Beaumarchais.

The reduction was mainly achieved by severely cutting the recitatives, incorporating much essential material into the arias. A major misjudgement was to omit the part of Barbarina, thus spoiling the symmetry of four interacting couples, each in a different relationship, of Count-Countess, Figaro-Susanna, Bartolo-Marcellina, Cherubino-Barbarina, which makes the opera so great.

During the overture, the cast entered in everyday clothes to set up the scene and adopt their costumes. The line-up was as follows (from the alternative casts given in the programme): Figaro, Richard Immerglück; Susanna, Sarah Minns; Count, Thomas Stoddart; Cherubino, Felicity Buckland; Bartolo (also Don Basilio, Don Curzio, Antonio the gardener), Henry Grant Kerswell; Marcellina, Mary-Jane de Havas. The musicians, occupying a corner of the stage on the occasion were Alex Beetschen (piano), Sarah Douglas (clarinet), and Frances Higgs (viola). It was strange to hear the overture played by the instrumentation of the Kegelstatt Trio, but it worked well and one soon adjusted.

The first Act followed the original script quite closely but with the absence of the recitativo secco and continuo to which we are used these days. As we have noted of previous productions, the singing of this company is adequate but has the enormous virtue of clarity of the words in the absence of surtitles, though some were better than others. The singers were all young, barely emerging from student days with experience only of minor roles in minor companies. This was an interesting interpretation in which Figaro and Susanna seemed to be carried along by the tide of events, rather than controlling them. Instead it was the commanding figure of Kerswell as Bartolo and his other roles who seemed to pull things along. Marcellina was well-performed and her spats with Susanna convincing. The Count of Stoddart maintained his dignity and authority despite all. Cherubino managed to get in everyone’s way. The staging of the complexities of Act 2 was extremely well managed but we missed the complications of Barbarina and the pin in the last two Acts. However, the exceptional performance in a higher class was that of Louisa Tee as the Countess, with a beautiful voice and serene manner. Her rendering of the two set piece arias, Love is cruel sung to the tune of Porgi amor and He adored me…to that of Dove sono… was very touching.

At the end the cast removed their costumes, packed them away and took away the stage props, leaving the audience thoroughly delighted, having been offered new insights into this great opera.

OperaUpClose’s production of The Marriage of Figaro was performed in Oxford on 13th and 14th February 2015, and will tour to Guildford, Margate, Salisbury and Colchester later in the year.