The Marriage of Figaro

Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte

saturday, June 13, 2015, 7:30 PMsunday, June 21, 2015, 3:00 PMsunday June 28, 2014, 3:00 PM

Audience Guide

PO Box 2063, Princeton, NJ 08543 609.759.0379 princetonfestival.org

General & Artistic Director Richard Tang Yuk BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Chair Costa Papastephanou Vice Chair Marcia Atcheson Treasurer Helene Kulsrud Secretary Thomas V. Lento Marcia Bossart Pamela Bristol David H. Brown Anastasia Marty Debbie Modzelewski Markell Shriver Gabriel Stelian Elizabeth Sweetser Richard Tang Yuk ADVISORY COUNCIL

Joseph Flummerfelt Graham Lustig Marion O'Connor George Pitcher Nigel Redden Laura Brooks Rice Mark Steinberg Carol Vaness

June 2015

Dear Le Nozze di Figaro Audience, Welcome to The Princeton Festival 2015 season celebrating the performing arts in Central New Jersey. Each June, for the past 11 years, The Princeton Festival has presented a variety of productions featuring outstanding professional artists and upcoming young stars. The Festival strives for artistic discovery, adventure, innovation and artistic excellence. The mix varies each year among orchestral and chamber music, recitals, jazz concerts, student competitions and opera. This year we are introducing Country Music and Indian Dance. We have also brought back by popular demand a musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Le Nozze di Figaro or The Marriage of Figaro was composed in 1785-86 and it is considered by many to be Mozart’s greatest opera and the most perfect opera ever written. The story is based on a play by Beaumarchais which was banned as subversive in France in 1784. The opera combines breathtaking arias and ensembles with a strong, highly entertaining plot. If this is your first encounter with this opera, you are in for a treat. If you have already seen it or heard it before, you will be enthralled with director Steve LaCosse’s production. It is also the aim of the Festival to educate audiences and artists of all ages. This Audience Guide is designed to provide some information that will hopefully contribute to your understanding and appreciation of this wonderful opera. I hope you enjoy the performance! Costa Papastephanou Chair of the Board of Trustees The Princeton Festival

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Synopsis………………………………………………………...…1 Cast of Characters……… ………………………........................3 Q & A with Artistic Director Richard Tang Yuk……………..4 Director’s Point of View………………………………………...6 Literary and Historical Background…………………………..7 Pants Role……………………………………………………….9 Biographical Snapshot of Mozart…………………….………10 Historical Perspective………………………………………….....13

What to Listen For……………………………………...……….….14

The MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

Synopsis

Place: Count Almaviva’s estate outside Seville Spain in the late 18th century

Act I

It is the wedding day of the servants Figaro and Susanna. Susanna is wary of their chamber’s proximity to the Count’s rooms; she believes the Count wants her. Figaro swears to outsmart the Count. Marcellina and Bartolo reveal that Figaro owes Marcellina money and must marry her if he cannot repay. The pageboy Cherubino laments that he is to be sent away because the Count caught him with the gardener’s daughter, Barbarina. Cherubino adores all the palace women, especially the Countess. Hearing the Count approach, he hides and overhears the Count woo Susanna. The Count hides when music master Basilio approaches. As the chamber occupants are revealed, chaos ensues. Figaro enters reminding the Count that he vowed to abolish the tradition of the master’s right to sleep with peasant girls on their wedding night. The Count declares that Cherubino is to be sent to the army.

Act II

The Countess mourns her husband’s fading affections. Figaro and Susanna explain their plan to trick the Count into believing that the Countess has a lover and to disguise Cherubino so he can stay at the palace. Susanna disguises Cherubino as a girl. The Count arrives and Cherubino hides in the dressing room. Sure that his wife is concealing a lover, the Count leaves with her to find tools to open the door. Susanna frees Cherubino, who flees. The Count and Countess return to find only Susanna. Figaro joins them; Antonio the gardener enters, furious that someone trampled the flowers. Figaro pretends that it was he, but Antonio produces a paper he found: Cherubino’s army commission. Figaro asserts that he brought the document back to have it sealed. Marcellina, Bartolo, and Don Basilio burst in with the marriage contract for Marcellina and Figaro; Figaro’s plans are thrown into confusion.

Act III

Susanna declares to the Count that she will submit to him in return for a dowry to pay Figaro’s debt so they can marry. Realizing the trickery, the Count becomes angry. The Count summons the lawyer Don Curzio, hoping to force Figaro to marry Marcellina. It is suddenly revealed that Figaro is Marcellina and Bartolo’s long-lost son. All except the Count are delighted. The Countess has Susanna write a note to the Count, suggesting they meet in the garden. A group of peasant girls come to pay tribute to the

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Countess; a familiar face is with them: Cherubino, still disguised as a girl. He is unmasked and Barbarina asks the Count for permission to marry Cherubino. Wedding festivities commence and the note is passed to the Count.

Act IV

Figaro finds Barbarina in the garden worrying about losing the pin the Count asked her to return to Susanna as a sign that he understands her note. Figaro hides. Susanna and the Countess enter, disguised as each other. Knowing that Figaro is there, Susanna sings of anticipating love, causing Figaro to wonder. Cherubino arrives and flirts with the woman he believes is Susanna. Not recognizing his wife, the Count breaks it up and leads the supposed Susanna away. Figaro realizes the trick and pretends to pledge his love to the supposed Countess. Susanna is shocked, but learns of the prank and forgives him. Continuing the charade, they allow the Count to find them and he becomes angry. The Countess reveals herself. Realizing his mistake, the Count begs forgiveness, and all rejoice.

- Steven LaCosse

The Libretto was written by Lorenzo da Ponte. A copy of the Libretto can be accessed from a link on The Princeton Festival’s website.

The Opera will be performed in Italian with English supertitles.

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Cast of Characters (in order of vocal appearance)

Figaro, valet to the Count..............................................................Bass Baritone

Susanna, maid to the Countess...............................................................Soprano

Bartolo, a doctor from Seville......................................................................Bass

Marcellina, housekeeper to Bartolo ...........................................Mezzo Soprano

Cherubino, the Count’s page.....................................................Mezzo-Soprano

Count Almaviva....................................................................................Baritone

Don Basilio, the music master..................................................................Tenor

Countess Almaviva..............................................................................Soprano

Antonio, the gardener, Susanna’s uncle....................................................Bass

Don Curzio, a magistrate .....................................................................Tenor

Barbarina, daughter of Antonio.........................................................Soprano

Chorus of Peasants, Villagers and Servants

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Questions and Answers

with Artistic Director

Richard Tang Yuk

1. Why did the Princeton Festival decide to produce The Marriage of Figaro?

We wanted to present something entirely different from what we had done last year, which was Porgy & Bess. We had also never produced a Mozart opera and the time seemed right. Of all his operas, this one is so engaging, funny, and interesting: with its political statements and observations on the 18th century European class structure. It also provides deep insight into the human existence, its follies, aspirations for social justice and equality, and by extension, the rights of the citizen. 2. The Marriage of Figaro is considered by many to be the most perfect of Mozart’s operas. Why is this so? It is a credible story based on the play by Pierre Beaumarchais of the same title. It possesses a brilliant libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, which is witty, funny and at times very serious, all performed to a glorious score by Mozart. While words or music alone can generate a particular affect in a scene, both together can generate contrasting emotions simultaneously. It is a wonderful ‘marriage’ of text and music, and is so perfectly constructed. 3. What are some of the challenges of producing this particular opera? The recitatives, which advance the opera plot, make up a large portion of the score. Since they are all in Italian, it takes a considerable amount of rehearsal (for non-native speakers) to get the right rhythm, intonation and pacing of the language working in sync with the dramatic needs of the scene. Some of the recitatives are accompanied by the

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orchestra, which are always a challenge as they do not move in a specific or regular tempo, even from one performance to the next.

4. How long does it take for TPF to prepare and rehearse an opera like The Marriage of Figaro? Once the opera is selected, a process of production design unfolds through multiple meetings and discussions with the production team. This typically happens almost a year before the curtain goes up. The casting of the principal roles happens in the previous Fall; the hiring of chorus and orchestra about four months prior to opening night. Everyone in the cast, chorus and orchestra prepares in advance of the first rehearsal. Each component, (principals, chorus, orchestra) rehearses separately on different schedules. For this opera, the cast will rehearse for three weeks in a rehearsal space, scene by scene, not necessarily in order, and then for a week of technical rehearsals in the theatre. It is during that final week that all the components come together. 5. What does it cost to produce something like The Marriage of Figaro? This particular opera will cost something on the order of $325,000. There are so many professional artists and staff working behind the scenes to bring the opera to the stage, so there are a lot of expenses. Ticket sales only cover roughly 30% of the cost; the rest is made up by contributions from generous philanthropists. So in a sense, someone subsidizes the price of your seat.

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From the Director’s Point of View

by Steven LaCosse

A Masterpiece There are many reasons a work of art is considered a masterpiece. Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro from 1787 has certainly had countless performances over the years, so why revisit it in 2015? We revisit it because, like a great work of art, there is always more to discover.

The wedding day of a happy couple, the roving eye of a bored husband, the mischievous teenager experience adolescence and all of the complications that come with it are universal and appeal to people of every generation. At its premiere the scandal was the rise of the lower class against the aristocracy. While that still exists in our world today, it is less scandalous than it was in 1787.

The subtitle of the opera is The Follies of a Day, and what a day it will turn out to be! The plot of is so full of twists and turns it appears that it may never be unraveled. Da Ponte’s libretto and Mozart’s score keep the story moving along at break neck pace that are sure to entertain audiences of all ages.

I first encountered this opera in 1978, and each time I return to it I find new meaning in the story and the music. As you watch this masterpiece, whether it is your first or 20th time, watch, listen and see what the story and the music have to say to you.

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Historical and Literary Background

Premiere: May 1, 1786, at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria.

During the 1780s, the French playwright Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais wrote three plays about a charming rascal named Figaro, an intelligent and enterprising barber who constantly outwitted his aristocratic employers. When Beaumarchais wrote this witty series of plays, the beginnings of revolution were stirring in France. The rigid class system was a focus of discontent. Though set in Spain rather than France, Beaumarchais' plays about Figaro were frowned upon by government censors because their hero was a somewhat rebellious servant who was far cleverer than his noble master. The Marriage of Figaro underwent censorship six times before Beaumarchais could have it performed publicly. King Louis XVI remarked that it was "detestable and unplayable," but artists and intellectuals could see its wit and charm. Another controversial factor was Beaumarchais' portrayal of women as the mental and moral superiors of men. The lovely and intelligent Countess in The Marriage of Figaro eventually outsmarts her husband, who is a philandering scoundrel.

Beaumarchais is best known for his plays about Figaro, but he had additional accomplishments in his life that make him as amazing and varied a character as any of those in his plays. He was an excellent musician, a watch-maker, a secret agent for the French government, an architect, an inventor, and an arms dealer, among other professions. He was the harp instructor to the daughters of King Louis XV and maintained a private fleet that helped supply the American rebels in the War of Independence. Beaumarchais was not unlike his famous creation, Figaro, and it is felt that he drew upon his own experiences to produce this wonderful character.

Beaumarchais' Marriage of Figaro is remembered today as an important milestone in the run-up to the French Revolution. It is the opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his brilliant librettist, Lorenzo da Ponte, which has enshrined The Marriage of Figaro as the masterpiece even more exciting, humorous, and true to life than Beaumarchais’ original play. Stage director David Farrar once remarked that Figaro is sometimes likened to Dante’s Divine Comedy, revealing the highest and lowest elements of human behavior, its characters emerging from adversity and deception variously wiser and enlightened.

Mozart met the adventurous Da Ponte at the Viennese court where he became a successful writer of poems and opera librettos for a variety of composers, including Mozart. When collaborating with Mozart on Figaro, Da Ponte wisely toned down the political passages of the play and, instead, focused on the human elements of the story. The main theme of the opera became love and forgiveness, rather than revolution. The characters became more sympathetic and realistic; some of the aristocrats turned out to be charming and kind, others bumbling and stupid. The same was true of the servants. To complement Da Ponte’s

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words, Mozart wrote music that characterized Figaro and his friends to perfection. For example, the Countess sings two arias that not only express her inner thoughts, but because of their formal structure and musical style, give her an importance that she lacks in the play. At its premiere in 1786, The Marriage of Figaro was highly successful. Unfortunately, the Austrian emperor was ill at ease with the story's liberal overtones. Rival composers encouraged criticism of the work. There were a total of nine performances in Vienna. Its performance in Prague proved to be more pivotal. In December 1786, Mozart’s great comic opera The Marriage of Figaro was rapturously received in Prague. This was his first opera with the librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. The two of them wrote a total of three operas together - a collaboration that gave the world perhaps the finest operas in the repertoire: Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni (1787), and Co fan tutte (So do they all, 1790). In January 1787, Mozart was invited to Prague to conduct The Marriage of Figaro. On his arrival Mozart wrote gleefully to his friend Emilian Gottfried von Jacquin, about the welcome the opera was receiving: I watched with greatest pleasure how everyone was hopping about with sheer delight to the music of my “Figaro,” which had been transformed into Contredanses and German dances. Here they talk of nothing but Figaro. Nothing but Figaro is played, trumpeted, sung, whistled. No opera is seen as much as Figaro; again and again it is Figaro. It’s all a great honor for me. The truly great success of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro did not begin until long after the composer's death when his work became more fully appreciated. Today, Figaro is considered by many to be the most perfect of Mozart’s operas. The fineness of his musical characterizations and the ingenuity of the ensembles confirm his talent as a musical dramatist. He is considered one of the world's greatest musical geniuses not just because of his operas but because was the master of all musical forms including opera, symphony, concerto, chamber music, solo vocal and instrumental music and choral works, creating some of the most glorious music known to man. Though he lived barely thirty-six years and his adult life was filled with frustration and poverty, he left the world a legacy that still astounds, excites and fulfills the senses.

Virginia Opera and Pacific Opera Victoria

Marriage of Figaro Study Guides

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PANTS ROLE

Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro features Cherubino, one of most famous pants roles in opera. In opera parlance, a pants role, sometimes called a trousers role, is a young male character sung by a woman, usually a mezzo- soprano, meant to imitate the sound of a boy whose voice has not yet changed.

Cross-dressing in the theater has a long history, going back at least as far as the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that allowing women to perform publicly would be too dangerous so men were used to portray females.

The modern pants role has evolved from a mixed history in church music and in the theater from the middle of the 1500s. In both church and on stage, the use of male voices in soprano, mezzo soprano and alto roles came about because of a ban on women performing in public. In the 17th century, female singers began to appear in a new form of musical theater called opera. Christian authorities were not happy with the new development. Pope Clement XI said, "A woman who sings on stage and keeps her chastity is like a man who leaps into the Tiber and keeps his feet dry."

In 17th and 18th century Italian opera, adolescent boys and young men were often played by castrati. The practice of castrati developed in response to the demand for high voices and the problem of training young boys, only to lose them when their voices changed. Boys with promising voices were selected and castrated prior to puberty in order to preserve their voices. The last known castrato, Alessandro Moreschi (1858-1922), was a member of the Sistine Chapel Choir. As the castrati disappeared in the 19th century, operas continued to be performed with the castrato role sung by women with low voices who were dressed as men. Some of these roles had originally been played by male singers, young boys, falsetti singers or castrati.

Pants roles continue to be cast in modern productions, even though the reasons are largely historical. In a role originally played by a castrato, the options are to cast a woman dressed in male costume, use a counter tenor, or to drop the pitch of the role by an octave and cast a male tenor. However, using a male singer changes the dynamic and color of the role, while using a woman offers a more authentic sound that is closest to the castrati. A second practice dates to the mid-1800s, when it was common to write leading male roles for high voices. This was after the decline of the castrati in the early 1800s, so it is thought that these parts were always intended as pants roles.

The other common tradition, which continues into contemporary operatic composition, is casting women as children and young adolescents, so again these parts were always intended to be played by women.

Although pants roles are something of an anachronism, they are a wonderful challenge for modern singers. When women are cast in these roles, they give audiences a glimpse of how the original operas, with their castrati singers, may have sounded. Roles always intended as women’s parts continue to offer singers an extraordinary opportunity to stretch their acting capacity to achieve the shift of gender.

Skylight Theater Audience Guide

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Biographical Snapshot

of

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, January 27, 1756 into a musical family; his father, Leopold was a successful composer, violinist, and assistant concertmaster at the Salzburg court. Mozart was a child prodigy, who started playing the keyboard at the age of three, composed little piano pieces at age five, symphonies at nine, and complete operas at age twelve. When he was 6, Mozart and his older sister, Maria Anna, performed a series of concerts for Europe's courts and major cities. Both children played the keyboard, but Wolfgang became a violin virtuoso as well. Throughout the 1760s, the Mozart children played at courts in Vienna, Germany, Paris, at court in Versailles, and London, where Wolfgang wrote his first symphonies and began a friendship with Johann Christian Bach, who became a great musical influence on Wolfgang). In 1764 in Paris, the young Mozart published his first works, four sonatas for clavier with accompanying violin. In 1768, he composed his first opera, La Finta Semplice, which had its premiere in Salzburg. In 1769-70, Wolfgang and his father Leopold undertook a tour through Italy, culminating in another opera Mitridate, re di Ponto and, during two more Italian journeys, wrote two more operas, Ascanio in 1771 and Lucio Silla in 1772. In 1772, Archbishop von Colloredo of Salzburg retained Wolfgang as concertmaster at a token salary. In this capacity, Mozart composed a large number of sacred and secula

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works. Wishing to secure a better position outside Salzburg, he obtained permission to undertake another journey in 1777. Travelling with his mother to France, Mozart composed the Paris Symphony (1778) but he was unable to find a permanent position. His mother died in Paris. When Wolfgang returned to Salzburg in 1779, he was given the position of court organist and produced a splendid series of church works, including the famous Coronation Mass. He was commissioned to compose a new opera for Munich, Idomeneo (1781), which proved he was a consummate master of opera seria. Mozart was summoned by von Colloredo to Vienna in 1781, but was dismissed after a series of arguments. Mozart's career in Vienna began promisingly, and he was soon commissioned to write The Abduction from the Seraglio (1782). His concerts were a great success, and the emperor, Joseph II, later engaged him as court composer. In 1782, the now-popular Mozart married Constanze Weber from Germany, much to his father's dismay. The young pair visited Salzburg in 1783. There, the Kyrie and Gloria of Mozart's great Mass in C Minor, composed in Vienna and never finished, were performed. Mozart's greatest success was Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) (1786), composed for the Vienna Opera. The great piano concertos and the string quartets dedicated to his "dear friend" Josef Haydn were also composed during this period. Mozart's fame began to disappear after Figaro. The nobility and court grew increasingly nervous about his revolutionary ideas as seen in Figaro. He sank into debt and was assisted by a brother Freemason, Michael Puchberg. (Mozart had joined the Masons in 1784 and remained an outspoken member until his death). His greatest operatic success after Figaro was Don Giovanni (1787), composed for Prague, where Mozart's art was especially appreciated. This was followed in 1790 by Cosi fan tutte, the third and final libretto providedby the Italian poet Lorenzo Da Ponte, and in 1791 by Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute), produced by a suburban theatre in Vienna. During this period of financial strain, Mozart composed his last three symphonies (E flat, G minor, and the Jupiter in C) in less than 7 weeks in the summer of 1788. In 1791, Mozart was commissioned to write a requiem (unfinished). He was at the time quite ill--he had never known very good health -- and imagined that the work was for himself, which it proved to be. His death, on December 5, 1791, is thought to have resulted from rheumatic fever, a disease which he had suffered from repeatedly throughout his life. After an inexpensive funeral at Saint Stephen's Cathedral, he was buried in an unmarked grave at the cemetery of Saint Marx, a Viennese suburb. Much has been made of this, but at that time such burial was legally required for all Viennese except those of noble or aristocratic birth. Mozart excelled in every form in which he composed. His contemporaries found the restless ambivalence and complicated emotional content of his music difficult to understand. Accustomed to the light, superficial style of rococo music, his aristocratic audiences could not accept the music's complexity and depth. Yet, with Josef Haydn, Mozart perfected the grand forms of symphony, opera, string quartet, and concerto that

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marked the classical period in music. In his operas, Mozart's uncanny psychological insight is unique in musical history. His music informed the work of the later Haydn and of the next generation of composers, most notably Beethoven. The brilliance of his work continued until the end, although darker themes of poignancy and isolation grew more marked in his last years. His compositions continue to exert a particular fascination for musicians and music lovers. Manitoba Opera Study Guide for Marriage of Figaro Adapted from the Arizona Opera and the Metropolitan Opera

Mozart’s Music Mozart’s music is an example of true classical style, as is the music of Gluck, Haydn and early Beethoven. The classical period extended from 1750 to 1820 and was noted for clarity, balance, expressive qualities achieved through tension and release, and the prominence of melody. And yet Mozart’s legacy as a composer also includes the creation of complex and sophisticated textures that look forward to the turbulence and passion of romanticism. Besides operas he also wrote piano concertos, piano sonatas, dances, symphonies, string quartets and religious music such as masses - all this at a time when music was written out by hand, by man who died at 35! Every music specialist has an opinion of Mozart the man. But it is Mozart’s music which endures. More than 200 years after his death, we are still fascinated by this musical genius, and we hear his music in movies, advertisements, and on television. Mozart had to market his craft, and, like his contemporaries, wrote music that would appeal to its intended audience. He also challenged his public to move beyond its comfort zone and was sometimes criticized for writing music that was just too difficult for the listeners. The Marriage of Figaro is perhaps the most popular of all the Mozart operas – it has never dropped out of the standard repertoire since its first performance. Just as Mozart’s music reached back to Handel, Bach and the high Baroque, it also reached forward to Beethoven and the age of romanticism. In this opera we can hear that full spectrum of musical achievement. Mozart is the greatest composer of all. Beethoven created his music, but the music of Mozart is of such purity and beauty that one feels he merely found it—that it has always existed as part of the inner beauty of the universe waiting to be revealed. – Albert Einstein

Opera Lyra Ottawa Study Guide Series: The Marriage of Figaro

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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

The second half of the 18th century was a time of great political and intellectual upheaval. It was the Age of Enlightenment, when the first encyclopedias were published, new planets were discovered, and academies formed to advance science and philosophy. From this period stemmed ideas about democracy and self-governance that would fuel revolutions in the American colonies and France, and that are traceable in the characters of Figaro and Susanna.

1756 – Mozart is born. France and Austria sign the Treaty of Versailles forming a military alliance. The previous year, the French and Indian War began in America, and Samuel Johnson published the Dictionary of the English Language.

1760 – George III becomes the King of England. Catherine the Great becomes ruler of Russia.

1762 – Mozart performs at the Imperial court in Vienna at age 6. Rousseau publishes The Social Contract, putting forth the theory of popular sovereignty, or direct rule by the people.

1765 – Joseph II becomes Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria. He is considered an enlightened monarch, and later commissions Mozart.

1770 – King Louis XVI of France marries Marie Antoinette.

1775 – The American Revolution begins.

1776 – Declaration of Independence is signed.

1783 – Paris Peace Treaty ends the American Revolution.

1784 – Pierre Beaumarchais‘s play Le Mariage de Figaro premieres in Paris. In an already volatile political climate, it creates a stir by portraying witty servants plotting against their master.

1786 – Mozart‘s operatic version of The Marriage of Figaro premieres in Vienna.

1787 – United States Constitution is signed. Herschel discovers the planet Uranus.

1788 – The British begin sending convicts to recently discovered Australia.

1789 – George Washington is elected first president of the United States. The French Revolution begins.

1791 – Thomas Paine publishes the Rights of Man, arguing that political revolution is necessary when a government does not protect the natural rights of the people Mozart dies.

Madison Opera

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WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

Mozart’s music came to define the Classical period of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Characteristics of the Classical style include generally light and clear textures, with melodies moving above chordal accompaniment (this is known as homophony). Short, distinct phrases, frequent changes of mood, and variety among keys, melodies, rhythms, and dynamics are also typical of the Classical style that Mozart practiced. His operas also feature variation between arias (songs), ensembles, and recitative (partly spoken, partly sung dialogue). The following are some of the important musical moments in The Marriage of Figaro:

The Overture This famed operatic overture and concert hall favorite, begins with a brief conspiratorial melody that quickly segues into a joyous romp. Rapid, bubbly and filled with a joie de vie, the overture melodically conveys the flavor and fervor of the story to come. Yet, while the music portrays frantic farce, comedic interludes, and romantic asides, underneath them is sound that portends this will be a very human comedy about a crazy day with both sunny and serious sides.

ex.

Act I, 1: “Cinque, dieci, venti” (Five, ten, twenty) In a short, delightful duet, Figaro is taking measurements to fit a bed in their room. Susanna, however, attempts to get Figaro’s attention to herself, if not the hat she has created. In a typical male manner, Figaro absent-mindedly offers her compliments while he paces the room, continuing his measurements.

ex. Act I, 3: “Se vuol ballare, Signor Contino” (If, my dear Count, you feel like dancing)

Alone but now angry about the Count‘s interest in Susanna, Figaro, in a cavatina (short simple song that lacks the fire and drama of an aria) set forth in measured

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declarations, concocts his own battle-plan to best the boss. He exits, declaiming melodically, “All your plots I’ll overthrow.” This piece contains the oft-quoted line, “If, my dear Count you feel like dancing, it is I who’ll call the tune.” This thought is the one that made the royals nervous: A servant plotting against his master was unheard of and quite unacceptable!

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Act I , 4: “La Vendetta” (Revenge) In an aria, Bartolo in his best courtroom declamatory style, outlines his approach to vengeance: through some dubious but diligent, legal research he’ll find an obstacle and―Figaro will lose the day!

ex. . Act I, 9: “Non piu andrai ” (No more) In this well-known aria, Figaro offers fatherly-counsel to Cherubino after he is cast-off to the army. The piece has a spritely military beat throughout that Figaro usually plays to the hilt. Cherubino is suddenly going to have a very severe change in life style. No longer perfumed boudoirs etc., but military campaigns with their cannons, mud and marching. He is sent off with the final line, - Cherubino, on to victory, on to military glory! All exit the scene in great mock military precision.

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Act II, 10: “Porgi amor” (O love, give me some remedy!) In a sad but well-known cavatina, the Countess laments her loss of the Count’s love. It ends on her prayer for love to be given back or let her die!

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Act II, 11: “Voiche sapete” (You ladies who know what love is) In this wonderful, languidly lyrical and well-known piece, Cherubino outlines his confusion about love. He ends his ruminations with a question to the ladies, “Is love what I have in my heart?”

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Act II, 14: “ Aprite, presto aprite!” ( Open, quickly open !) In a spritely duet, Susanna gets Cherubino out of his hiding place. The vocal line is quiet, staccato, and full of breathy patter. Cherubino decides the only way to protect the Countess is to jump from the window into the garden below. He does!

ex.

Act II, Finale An 18th century finale was less a finish than a spot for the singers to show off and the composer to create a melodious mélange, the plot be damned! Summarizing the previous played plot and/or reprising popular pieces already performed is a modern conceit, not a Mozartian one. In this melodious 18th century wrap-up of the Act, Mozart and da Ponte are at their most creative. There is some recitative, but most of the music is in ensemble form with various numbers of participants. Lengthy, but quite lovely and frequently lively!

Act III, 17: “Vedro, mentr’io sospiro” (Shall I live to see?) In his musically angry declaration, the Count cruelly recounts all his concerns with class. He resents those less royal than he, delightedly and deliberately discomforting him. That is not nice! His feelings are not free to be flagrantly flung and flummoxed by fellows (and their female friends) from the lower-lived levels of his lordly lands. His revenge on these rogues will give him reams of riotous rejoicing.

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ex. Act III, 19: “Dove Sono?” (Where?) This entrance aria of the Countess is probably one of the loveliest in the operatic repertoire. In the piece she expresses great sorrow for the failure of their marriage and the Count’s infidelity. She also expresses regret that his behavior has forced her to seek help from Susanna, a person of the lower class. (That class thing again!). Despite all that, she retains hope of changing his ungrateful heart.

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Act III, 20: “Canzonett a sull’aria” (A little tune on the breeze) In an exceptionally lyrical duet, the Countess dictates a note for Susanna to write to the Count. The girl echoes the dictation lines. The message appropriately promises romance for the evening.

ex. Act IV, 26: “Aprite un po’quegli occhi ” (Open your eyes for a moment ) In this very angry aria, Figaro riles against women in the worst way. He ends his diatribe by declaring, “Open your eyes for a moment.”

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Act IV, “Deh vieni ” (Come here) Knowing Figaro is nearby and can hear her, Susanna sings a lovely aria to love and the beauty of nature in the garden. Despite her disguise, Figaro knows it is his wife warbling. Susanna knows Figaro thinks she will have a canoodling encounter with the Count and, that her song of love is being sent to the master. However, Susanna is a clever double agent and dedicates the musical message to her mixed-up man, not the callous Count.

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Act IV, Finale All is resolved in the Finale, with the entire ensemble converging as all secrets are revealed and peace is mended. Figaro sings “Tutto e tranquillo e placid,” or “‘everything is peaceful.”

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Madison Opera

Figaro Guide 2010

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