The Marriage of Figaro that received its premiere on 26 February 1975 in the Komische Oper Berlin was Walter Felsenstein’s last production and in many respects can be regarded as representing his legacy. Having just returned from directing a guest production at Vienna’s Burgtheater, Felsenstein had been working on Figaro since early February 1974. He had already directed three productions of the work – in 1934 in Cologne, in 1942 at the Salzburg Festival and in 1950 at the Komische Oper.
Directed by Walter Felsenstein in 1969, this production of Giuseppe Verdi's classic opera chronicles the tragic tale of Othello, a Moorish general whose inability to control his feelings of mistrust and jealousy lead to his dramatic downfall. The Berlin Komische Oper Chorus and Orchestra provide musical accompaniment throughout the live performance, which stars Hanns Nocker, Christa Noack and Vladimir Bauer.
This is released as part of Art Haus' Walter Felsenstein edition. Felsenstein, a contemporary of Bertold Brecht, ran the East German Komische Oper from just after World War II to his death. Felstenstein was famous for his ensemble productions and for the enormous amount of rehearsal time that went into his productions.
