Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro [The Marriage of Figaro] (Highlights)

Salzburg's 2006 mega-event: a superlative Figaro on CD and DVD featuring Anna Netrebko.

Anna Netrebko - 'the Russian-Austrian darling of the Salzburg Festival' Tagesspiegel - has once again triumphed at these festivities. With her 'unstinting and sensuous vocalism' (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), Anna delivered a winning portrayal of Susanna in Claus Guth's new production of Le nozze di Figaro , which reopened the newly renovated Kleines Festspielhaus (now the House for Mozart) on July 26, 2006.

Anna Netrebko was part of a cast that 'ensured musical splendour and radiance' (Zeit online) led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt with the Wiener Philharmoniker. Critical acclaim for Anna's performance was rhapsodic: 'The Russian pearl with the servant's apron is part of the whole, flying along as if weightless, as light as a wisp of smoke, wholly individual,' reported Die Welt. 'As a character she is pure delight, her vocal style simply bowls you over.'

'Guth and Harnoncourt have opened up a new perspective on an opera that is normally staged as a lightweight, turbulent farce', wrote the Zeit online, while Die Welt described Harnoncourt as 'a sorcerer able to conjure up magical sounds.' Bloomberg echoed the positive accolades: 'This Marriage of Figaro should go down in history as departing director Peter Ruzicka's greatest Salzburg achievement . . . four hours of perfection.'

Le nozze di Figaro audio recording was captured from various performances to highest artistic and sound quality standards.

To tie in with the Salzburg Festival 2007, the Figaro DVD - already released as part of the Mozart 22 box-set in 2006 - will be released individually in June. It also includes an extensive documentary offering great insights into the making of this historic production.