An introduction to The Marriage of Figaro (The Royal Opera)

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A glimpse of rehearsals at Covent Garden for David McVicar's The Marriage of Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro).
Le nozze di Figaro was the first fruit of Mozart’s partnership with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte; they would go on to create Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte. For Figaro, Da Ponte adapted (perhaps at Mozart’s suggestion) Pierre Beaumarchais’ controversial play Le Mariage de Figaro, which at the time was banned in Vienna due to its seditious content. The opera was well received in Vienna but had only nine performances; its revival soon after in Prague was a tremendous success, and led to the commission of Don Giovanni. Figaro quickly entered the international repertory and has rarely been out of it since, admired as one of Mozart’s finest works.
David McVicar’s acclaimed production sets the action in a French château in 1830 on the eve of revolution, amplifying the opera’s undercurrents of class tension. The entire household is drawn into the notoriously complex plot, which covers all shades of human emotion: from spirited playfulness (such as ‘Non più andrai’, when Figaro cheerfully sends Cherubino off to war), to deep despair (such as the Countess’s grief at her husband’s infidelity in ‘Dove sono i bei momenti’). But affection and fidelity prevail in this most warm-hearted of operas: the Count’s plea for forgiveness in the final act, ‘Contessa, perdono’, is an especially moving moment.

[@barbaralemere5183]

The marriage of Figaro is such a fun opera to watch and listen to. The music is sublime, the characters are fun and the human emotions are so tangible.

[@onechopbuddy3849]

I can't wait for this to come around again at the ROH

[@PhilipChou]

Kate Lindsey plays an awesome Cherubino. Love her!

[@TruthSeekingElf]

Mozart was a god among men...

[@herveblaisebelomoongolo8601]

I love the ROH

[@marie-armelle458]

stephane Degout magisral.belle distribution

[@jenniferriley327]

Never thought of it this way before: "Cherubino is a young Count in the making."

[@Hosenrolle1]

+Jennifer Riley He isn´t. In the sequel he dies on the battlefield.

[@clivegoodman16]

HR1. On the other hand the son of the Countess is the son of Cherubino.

[@TeachUBusiness]

Is this coming out on DVD?

[@megapriceful]

It must!

[@jameshoyle8950]

Beaumarchais was the first genius here!

[@clivegoodman16]

Why does nobody mention Beaumarchais, who wrote the original play?

[@izchicago4524]

Exactly. The play is really deep and great.

[@jasonmartin9251]

Interesting that someone as dark and intimidating as Schrott is playing Figaro. Wish I could be in London for a night.

[@kathrynplunkett5584]

He's definitely not dark and intimidating.

[@controlcontrol1829]

Wedding Proposal

[@sitcomchristian6886]

Psalm 13:3-4 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him," lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

[@Hosenrolle1]

This is horrible! Nozze di Figaro is NOT a funny opera, it´s quite tragic, like the original Figaro-trilogy by Beaumarchaise. For example, in the sequel of "Nozze di Figaro" Cherubino is in the war, and he writes a letter but the words are blurred due to his tears. Then he dies. And: the countess is NOT in love with Cherubino! That´s just a stupid idea from directors who wanted to make everything sexual. The countess is interested in her own husband, and if you read the libretto, he says nice things to her and she only says something like "Stop that now".

[@Jaaassaa]

HR1 Mozart intended it to be a comedy

[@clivegoodman16]

HR1. Beaumarchais described The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro as comedies but NOT The Guilty Mother which is the sequel to The Marriage of Figaro. Actually I got the impression that although Rosine was originally in love with the count, she eventually came to love Chérubin. I seem to remember she kept his final letter in a special box. What must be remembered is that her relationship with Chérubin was illicit. She was still married to the count.

[@clivegoodman16]

In my previous comment I was using the names of the characters as they appear in the original plays which were in French. The opera on the other hand is Italian. In it the character 'Rosine' is called 'Rosina' and is married to Count Almaviva. The page boy 'Chérubin' is called 'Cherubino'. In both cases each name has been Italianised.