Figaro's Wedding (Le nozze di Figaro)

One of Mozart’s later operas, Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) premiered in Vienna on 1 May 1786, and became one of the composer’s most successful works. The Overture is especially famous and is frequently played as a concert piece in its own right. The opera was the first of three collaborations between Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Da Ponte; their later collaborations were Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte. SYNOPSIS: The action of The Marriage of Figaro is a continuation of the plot of The Barber of Seville, and recounts a single day of madness (la folle giornata) in the palace of the 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 into a scheming, bullying, skirt-chasing baritone. Having gratefully given Figaro a job as head of his servant-staff, he is now persistently trying to obtain the favors of Figaro’s bride-to-be, Susanna. He keeps finding excuses to delay the civil part of the wedding of his two servants, which is arranged for this very day. Figaro, Susanna, and the Countess conspire to embarrass the Count and expose his scheming. He responds by trying to legally compel Figaro 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 Figaro’s and Susanna’s clever manipulations, the Count’s love for his Countess is finally restored.

Format
V/S Lib

Publisher
JW