Difference between revisions of "The Marriage of Figaro"
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The original story for Mozart's opera came from a 1784 [[French language|French]] play by Pierre Beaumarchais. Due to its mockery of the aristocracy, the play's performance was forbidden in Vienna, but according to biographers Mozart and da Ponte snatched up a printed copy before they were banned as well. When the opera version had been commissioned, Emperor Joseph II approved the libretto, and ''Figaro'' enjoyed a modest success in its first performances. However, during period of [[Metternich]]'s reforms in the early 19th century, the opera's performance was banned as well. | The original story for Mozart's opera came from a 1784 [[French language|French]] play by Pierre Beaumarchais. Due to its mockery of the aristocracy, the play's performance was forbidden in Vienna, but according to biographers Mozart and da Ponte snatched up a printed copy before they were banned as well. When the opera version had been commissioned, Emperor Joseph II approved the libretto, and ''Figaro'' enjoyed a modest success in its first performances. However, during period of [[Metternich]]'s reforms in the early 19th century, the opera's performance was banned as well. | ||
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==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
Revision as of 00:03, December 23, 2009
The Marriage of Figaro, or the Day of Madness (It. Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata, K. 492) is an opera composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1785-1786 to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. First perfomed in Vienna's Burgtheater on May 1, 1786, it ranks as one of Mozart's crowning operatic achievements. Figaro (a beloved operatic character who appears also in Rossini's Barber of Seville) is attempting to cleverly thwart the machinations of Count Almaviva, who wishes to seduce Figaro's fiancée Susanna before their wedding night.
The original story for Mozart's opera came from a 1784 French play by Pierre Beaumarchais. Due to its mockery of the aristocracy, the play's performance was forbidden in Vienna, but according to biographers Mozart and da Ponte snatched up a printed copy before they were banned as well. When the opera version had been commissioned, Emperor Joseph II approved the libretto, and Figaro enjoyed a modest success in its first performances. However, during period of Metternich's reforms in the early 19th century, the opera's performance was banned as well.
External Links
- Side-by-side Italian/English libretto
- Full score from the Neue Mozart Ausgabe