• by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

• In Italian with projected English translations

• Running Time: 3 hours, 39 minutes

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Sublime music, wry comedy, and penetrating reflections on life and love — Mozart gets everything right in one of Western civilization's greatest artistic achievements. And it's fun too!

Figaro, the count's whip-smart valet, is set to marry Susanna, the Countess's comely maid. But the Count wants Susanna for himself! Enter Figaro with a scheme that cuts him off at the pass and teaches everyone a lesson!

Kyle Ketelsen is "an unforgettable Figaro with just the right mix of bravado and charm."
Opera News 

Danielle de Niese "can carry a show with sheer charisma." The Independent, London

Nicole Cabell’s Countess is "elegant...effortless...her deeply felt 'Dove sono' was showstopping." Cincinnati Enquirer 

Mariusz Kwiecien: "Terrific...his Count is deliciously depraved and irresistibly attractive."
Opera News

Joyce DiDonato: Her Cherubino is "frisky and emotionally true...an artist at the top of her game."
Opera News

The Marriage of Figaro

The Dr. and Mrs. Edwin J. DeCosta and the Walter E. Heller Foundation production.

Revival made possible by Mr. & Mrs. Dietrich M. Gross.

TIME: Late eighteenth century (some time after the action of Il barbiere di Siviglia)

PLACE: “Aguas Frescas,” Count Almaviva’s castle near Seville

ACT ONE
A sparsely furnished room

ACT TWO
The Countess’s boudoir                       

ACT THREE
Great hall of the castle

ACT FOUR
The garden

ACT ONE

It is the wedding day of  Figaro, Count Almaviva’s valet, and Susanna, the Countess’s maid.  Figaro’s satisfaction with their future quarters becomes apprehension upon hearing from Susanna that the Count has offered them the apartment next to his own, making it easier to press his unwelcome attentions on Susanna (Duettino: Se a caso madama). If the Count wants to dance, he, Figaro, will call the tune (Cavatina: Se vuol ballare).

Marcellina and Bartolo plot to prevent Figaro’s marriage. Eager to marry Figaro herself, Marcellina hopes to enforce the terms of an unpaid loan she had made to him. Bartolo joins her cause, longing for revenge for Figaro’s past offenses (Aria: La vendetta). Susanna and Marcellina exchange insults (Duettino: Via resti servita).

Cherubino, the Count’s page, is miserable because the Count dismissed him after catching him in a tête-à-tête with Barbarina, the gardener’s daughter. He confesses to Susanna that he trembles at the sight of any woman (Aria: Non so più cosa son).  

When the Count approaches, Cherubino hides and overhears him wooing Susanna. Upon hearing Basilio approach, the Count also hides. Basilio has been acting on the Count’s behalf in his pursuit of Susanna. When Basilio hints that Cherubino is pursuing the Countess, the Count reveals himself and demands that the page be dismissed (Trio: Cosa sento?). As he tells how he caught Cherubino hiding at Barbarina’s house, the Count inadvertently uncovers him from yet another hiding place. Immediate reprisals are avoided by Figaro’s appearance with a group of peasants (Chorus: Giovani liete). To save face, the Count awards Cherubino a commission in his own regiment. Figaro sings the praises of military life to a dejected Cherubino (Aria: Non più andrai).

ACT TWO

The Countess laments the loss of her husband’s love (Cavatina: Porgi amor). She and Susanna are discussing the morning’s events when Figaro arrives with a plan: They will confuse the Count by sending him an anonymous letter alleging that the Countess is receiving a lover, but meanwhile Susanna will agree to meet the Count in the garden. Attending in Susanna’s place will be Cherubino, disguised as a girl. The Countess will interrupt the tryst and force the Count to withdraw all opposition to Figaro’s marriage.

Cherubino sings a ballad to the Countess and Susanna (Canzonetta: Voi che sapete). Susanna dresses him for his role in the plot (Aria: Venite, inginocchiatevi). When the Count knocks on the locked door, Cherubino hides in the closet. The Count is confronting his wife with the letter when a noise issues from the closet. The Countess claims that it is Susanna, but refuses to unlock the door (Trio: Susanna, or via sortite). Accompanied by his reluctant wife, the Count leaves to fetch tools to force the closet door open, locking the boudoir door on his way out. Once the two have left, Cherubino jumps out the window and Susanna takes his place in the closet.

When the closet door opens (Finale: Esci ormai, garzon malnato) Susanna steps out, to the Almavivas’ astonishment. The Count’s suspicions are nearly assuaged, excepting the anonymous letter. The ladies reply that this was Figaro’s little joke, but Figaro arrives and denies any knowledge of it. The Count becomes doubly suspicious when Antonio, the gardener, reports that he saw a man jump out the window, leaving behind a military commission as evidence. Assisted by Basilio and Bartolo, Marcellina attempts to present her case before the Count.

ACT THREE

Now with a plan of her own, the Countess orders Susanna to lure the Count to a rendezvous, to be kept by the Countess in disguise. Susanna carries out her mission (Duet: Crudel, perchè finora). Upon overhearing Susanna whisper to Figaro that they have won their case, the Count vows to punish them both (Aria: Vedrò, mentr’io sospiro). While awaiting Susanna’s reply, the Countess is saddened to be reduced to these intrigues. Recalling happier days (Aria: Dove sono), she vows to change the Count’s heart. 

With their lawyer Don Curzio, Marcellina and Bartolo entreat the Count for justice, but Figaro insists that he cannot marry without his parents’ consent. Unfortunately, since he was kidnapped in infancy, their identity remains a mystery to him. A birthmark reveals that Marcellina and Bartolo are the parents (Sextet: Riconosci in questo amplesso). Arriving with money to pay Figaro’s debt, Susanna discovers him embracing Marcellina. Fury turns to joy when Susanna learns the truth – now there will be a double wedding.

The Count learns from Antonio that Cherubino is still in the vicinity. A letter, dictated by the Countess to Susanna (Duettino: Sull’aria), is sealed with a pin. Susanna will deliver it to the Count, who will return the pin to her as a sign that the rendezvous will be kept.

When the disguised Cherubino appears with some village girls, Antonio detects his identity. Barbarina saves the day by claiming Cherubino as her promised reward for a kiss she had given the Count. Figaro notices the Count prick his finger while reading the letter, and surmises that a love intrigue is involved.

ACT FOUR

Later that night, Barbarina searches for the pin, having dropped it in the garden (Cavatina: L’ho perduta). She explains to Figaro and Marcellina that the Count asked her to deliver the pin to Susanna “as the seal to the pine grove,” thus informing Figaro of the location of the tryst and the identity of the lady. Figaro rushes off to avenge all husbands, while Marcellina resolves to warn Susanna (Aria: Il capro e la capretta).

Returning with Basilio, Bartolo, and a group of workmen, Figaro instructs them to hide until he gives the signal to surprise the Count and Susanna. Figaro rails against  womankind (Aria: Aprite un po’ quegli occhi). Basilio explains to Bartolo how he has remained impervious to such antics (Aria: In quegli anni).  Marcellina informs Susanna that Figaro is waiting in ambush. Susanna exaggeratedly longs for her beloved — fully aware that Figaro is listening (Aria: Deh! vieni, non tardar).

Disguised as Susanna, the Countess is visited first by Cherubino (Finale: Pian pianin le andrò più presso), then by her own husband, who offers a ring as a token of his love for “Susanna.” At the sound of Figaro’s arrival, the Countess flees. Disguised as the Countess, Susanna meets Figaro, and once he recognizes her voice, they reconcile their differences. The Count interrupts, thinking he has caught his wife with Figaro. Everyone emerges from hiding, and when the real Countess appears, the Count realizes that it is his own infidelities that have been revealed. The Countess forgives him, and Figaro’s wedding celebration commences, finally unencumbered.

IT’S NEARLY A TRAGEDY, THIS CRAZY, GLORIOUS ROMP OF AN OPERA

A tangled web of lechery, jealousy, vanity, suspicion, deceit, and class conflict threatens to destroy the lives of Count and Countess Almaviva and their newlywed servants, Figaro and Susanna – all in a single day! The women’s guiles, wiles, and wisdom, however, save face and restore faith, and the night ends in joyful reconciliation and celebration.

Mozart’s sublimely human comedy is widely considered the perfect opera. The success of The Marriage of Figaro in performance depends on artists who understand exactly how to relate to each other in detail as singers and as actors. This season’s closing production presents five spectacularly gifted principals, each with special insights into Mozart’s timeless masterpiece.

KYLE KETELSEN

(Figaro)

A Figaro I did recently was set in the 1930s. With any opera where a class struggle is involved, it’s tough for me to remove it from its original time – in this case pre-French Revolution – and especially when it’s put into the 20th century. The master-servant roles are still there, but still….They were paid employees, yet the class differences were more stark and severe during that pre-Revolutionary period. I don’t think it’s as powerful if it’s outside the period; the threats that Figaro and Susanna face, and the consequences, aren’t as severe.

Figaro as a character is not the comedy, in my opinion – the Count has far funnier things to do! In Figaro you have youthful enthusiasm, terrible jealousy, rivalry with the Count. In the finale to Act Two, when Figaro jumps out the window and sprains his ankle, there’s a tendency to buffo that up, but I try to make it believable. Figaro has a dark side, as we all do – in talking about having revenge on the Count, and in his self-pity when he thinks Susanna is cheating on him and he’s ready to kill her. As with Méphistophélès in Faust, he has the appearance of being jovial, but there are opportunities to insert darker feelings, which add to the character.

You’re always learning new things in the Mozart/da Ponte pieces. I’ve sung professionally for ten years, and I studied for eight before that. After undergraduate school I thought, “I’m ready to go.” But when I look back, I want to bang my head against the wall! In Covent Garden’s Don Giovanni, for example, the conductor, Sir Charles Mackerras, would say something that would make me think, “THAT’s what I should have been doing! This is the eighth time I’ve sung Leporello, and no one ever said anything to me about this before.” You’re always learning, especially in Mozart. There’s so much in these operas, and so many ways to do every line.

DANIELLE DE NIESE

(Susanna)

Susanna is incredibly intelligent, and that’s the thing people recognize in her, but at the same time underestimate in her, because she’s an incredibly kind person. For me, Susanna is one of those magnetic creatures in opera who is in every way a gravitational force – everyone in Figaro seems to pull towards Susanna. The purity that remains in her through the opera, even with her smarts and wit, creates a perfect balance that you don’t find in a lot of characters. She’s worldly, connected to the earth, and intrinsically connected to people. Her greatest asset is her ability to see them for who they are.

She’s like the pillar of this story – the person who’s there all the time. Susanna sees what’s happening between the Count and the Countess; she understands the breakdown of their marriage because of the Count making advances to her, and she also understands what the Countess is losing in the marriage because she’s her friend. But she’s a part of the lower class, too, so she knows about all the goings on in the hierarchy of the mansion with Cherubino, Barbarina – all those little side stories.

This is an incredibly long role, and the big aria comes at the end! “Deh vieni” isn’t like the Count’s “Hai già vinta” or the Countess’s “Dove sono”; it doesn’t have an initial passage before moving into a cabaletta-type section. The key is trying to contain it, keeping it in that pure, jewel like place. You understand a lot about a singer when you hear her sing Susanna, but it’s not just about singing beautifully: it’s also about telling her story in the midst of a hundred situations.

I can sing the whole Act-Two finale in my head – every part. Each character needs to have the most pristine timing. The audience is laughing over and over as they see how each person registers everything that’s said. Everyone’s listening and reacting. It’s wonderful!

MARIUSZ KWIECIEN

(Count Almaviva)

In the Count’s character there is a similarity to Don Giovanni, although on a much smaller scale. He’s trying to have fun in his life, and he’s a seducer. The story has so many different plots, and one can play it so many different ways. In serious Verdi or Puccini you have to do exactly what is written. Here, it’s much more fun – the music is lighter, and everything changes every five minutes with duets, arias, ensembles.

With the story of Nozze (Marriage), we have this kind of situation all over, all the time – people always gossip and make intrigues. That’s why it’s so fresh and interesting to do. In Mozart’s time and ours there’s the same kind of behavior, with people who think they’re more aristocratic than others, or who can do certain things because they’re better or richer than others. But the conclusion is that you are born, you live, and you die like all the rest. For your bad behavior you will sooner or later be punished – but it doesn’t mean you will change!

As the Count I have a beautiful aria where I can really show my voice and technique. There is also a beautiful duet with Susanna, and the whole second act is a masterpiece of ensemble writing. Someone who came to a Figaro performance told me, “I’m not often at the opera, but what’s amazing is that you have eight people onstage singing completely different lines and sounding so completely together making this beautiful music. What kind of genius brain could create this kind of independent music sounding so great together?”

When you have a good production, you have the most fun in the world – no stress, only fun. With Wagner or Verdi, oh God, it’s huge pressure! I love Mozart, I enjoy it, and I hope the audience does, too.

ANNE SCHWANEWILMS

(Countess Almaviva)

The quality in the Countess that most attracts me is female instinct. Initially she’s acting passively, but later she’s arranging things. She wants to solve the problems, but in a very diplomatic way. She reacts defensively, but behind the scenes she’s already working. The Count will change his mind, but she doesn’t want him to lose face. This is the reason why she acts as she does onstage – because when he loses face, so does she.

The Countess has two sides – the official and the private. She’s similar to the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier: she’s dreaming of a private life – she has none. She also dreams about being in love; whatever love she feels is nearly dead, so she builds up her dreams, to feel alive. Going through the music with those images and ideas, you can find some nice changes in your emotions, which you can then show onstage. For instance, in the recitative before [her third-act aria] “Dove sono” she’s changing her mind, changing her feelings, from one minute to the other.

The secret of singing “Dove sono” well is good technique, otherwise you get killed! It’s as if you’re spreading butter on a big piece of bread. Singing it takes all your energy. Often singers say, “If you sing Mozart, you’ll realize how good or bad your technique is.” In this case, I think it’s completely true.

I would like the audience to leave the theater thinking that having humor not just in their relationships, but in their lives, will make things easier. What we’re all saying in the last scene is, “Don’t take it all too seriously – money, public position, love, sadness.” At the end, you don’t know if the Count and the Countess will still be together. Feelings are very important for Mozart, but the day ends at night, the next day starts with morning, and you don’t know what the following day will bring. That’s the final message of this opera – it leaves things open.

JOYCE DIDONATO

(Cherubino)

As you get older, what you look for in a role – and what you have to offer as an artist – changes. My appetite grows, so I’m looking for more complex roles – Cherubino is an adolescent! I like to explore characters with a richer palette. If I had to choose between Sesto [La clemenza di Tito] and another Cherubino, I’d do Sesto – but, if this is my last Cherubino, I will miss him tremendously!

The opera has taught me something about the frailty of relationships (Figaro is awfully close to blowing it with Susanna, and they’ve only been married an hour!), and about suspicion: when you’re quick to doubt, you can throw things into a spin. The wonderful thing I come away with is the power of the feminine – the power women have over men. The piece is written by men, but they realize, “God, we’re a stupid bunch!” The women love their men, but they also recognize the nature of men and are patient with it. Nozze says a lot about the comprehension the women have – it’s where their strength lies.

The ensemble is one of the joys of Nozze. The key is to be clean and pure with the line without being sterile. It demands a purity of musicianship and vocalism, as well as of acting – purity of intention and emotion. You need to let it come to life with a freedom as well, and that’s a hard balance to find.

Nozze is a work of genius – inspired, divine genius. No matter how many times I’ve done it, I can never go back to my dressing room in Act Two after Cherubino jumps out the window. I always stay in the wings during the Act-Two finale. I always hear something different, and it never fails to lift me. Every night I feel there’s something bigger than ourselves. You can find something spiritual in this earthy story – that’s Mozart. Heaven!