Mozart Opera The Marriage of Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro)

Opera Milestone: May 1

Mozart's Opera Marriage of Figaro Premieres

This day, May 1 (1786), Mozart's opera buffa Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) is first performed, in Burgtheater, Vienna.

The Marriage of Figaro is one of the most popular operas of Mozart and most frequently performed worldwide. Le nozze di Figaro (English: The Marriage of Figaro), K. 492 is a comic (buffa) opera in four acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1786. The Italian libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journee, ou le Mariage de Figaro (English: "The Mad Day, or The Marriage of Figaro"), which was first performed in 1784.  

 

Synopsis of Le Nozze di Figaro: 

 

The Marriage of Figaro continues the plot of The Barber of Seville several years later. It recounts a single "day of madness" in the palace of Count Almaviva near Seville, Spain. Rosina is now the countess. Dr. Bartolo is seeking revenge against Figaro for thwarting his plans to marry Rosina himself, and Count Almaviva has degenerated from the romantic youth of Barber, (a tenor in Giovanni Paisiello's 1782 opera), into a bullying, scheming, skirt-chasing baritone. Having given Figaro a job as head of his servant-staff, the count persistently tries to exercise his right to bed a servant girl on her wedding night. The bride-to-be of Figaro is Susanna, who is the countess's maid. The count keeps finding excuses to delay the civil part of the wedding of his two servants, now arranged. Figaro, Susanna, and the countess conspire to embarrass the count and expose his scheme. He retaliates by trying to compel Figaro legally to marry a woman old enough to be his mother, but it turns out at the last minute that she really is his mother. Through the clever manipulations of Susanna and the countess, Figaro and Susanna are finally able to marry. 

 

Videos:

1.  A performance from Le Nozze di Figaro, a beautiful Susanna-Contessa duet 'Canzonetta sull'aria' performed by Lucia Popp and Gundula Janowitz.  Conducted by Georg Solti at Paris Opera Garnier in 1980.  Stage production by Giorgio Strelher. Cast: Jose Van Dam (Figaro), Lucia Popp (Susanna), Gundula Janowitz (Contessa Almaviva), Gabriel Bacquier (Almaviva), Federica Von Stade (Cherubino), Jane Berbié (Marcellina).

 

2.The Marriage of Figaro - Overture (Mozart; Orchestra of The Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano). YouTube, uploaded by Royal Opera House. Accessed May 2, 2016. 

 

Trivia: 

 

Five Facts to know about Mozart and Da Ponte’s The Marriage of Figaro. Opera Sense. Published by Trevor Gillis, December 3, 2016.


Video Credit: 

 

Lucia Popp and Gundula Janowitz: "Sul' aria". YouTube, uploaded by muezzab. Accessed May 1, 2016.

Resources:

Cairns, David (2007).  Mozart and His Operas.  Penguin Publishers.

The Marriage of Figaro. en.wikipedia.org.  

(I originally published at Suite101.com, 2007, posted here with changes May 1, 2016. / Tel)

(c) May 2016. Update July 10, 2018. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.