Mozart's Marriage of Figaro: A Short Guide to a Great Opera

By Michael Steen

Although the story of Figaro's success in preventing the Count of Almaviva's seduction of his fiancée Susanna was politically explosive, it was tolerated in the court of the relatively enlightened Habsburg Emperor Joseph II. Mozart's opera, Le Nozze di Figaro, uses a libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, and was premièred in Vienna in 1786.  It was based on a famous play by the Frenchman Beaumarchais, a sequel to The Barber of Seville. Characters including Figaro, the Countess,  Cherubino the page, Doctor Bartolo and Barberina the gardener's daughter sing a succession of famous arias – such as Se vuol ballare, Non più andrai, Dove sono, Porgi amor and Voi, che sapete, to mention but a few – in which Mozart's musical characterisation is legendary. Written by Michael Steen, author of the acclaimed The Lives and Times of the Great Composers, 'Short Guides to Great Operas' are concise, entertaining and easy to read books about opera. Each is an opera guide packed with useful information and informed opinion, helping to make you a truly knowledgeable opera-goer, and so maximising your enjoyment of a great musical experience. Other 'Short Guides to Great Operas' that you may enjoy include Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni and The Barber of Seville.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Icon Books
• Release date: May 31, 2012
• ISBN: 9781848314597

Book preview

Front coverTitle artwork

Published in the UK in 2012 by Icon Books Ltd,

Omnibus Business Centre, 29–41 North Road, London N7 9DP

email: [e-mail]

www.iconbooks.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-84831-459-7 (ePub format)

ISBN: 978-1-84831-474-0 (Adobe ebook format)

Text copyright © 2012 Michael Steen

The author has asserted his moral rights.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Typesetting by Marie Doherty

CONTENTS

Title page

Copyright

PREFACE

USING THIS EBOOK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MOZART’S THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

THE OPERA AND ITS COMPOSER

WHO’S WHO AND WHAT’S WHAT

THE INTERVAL: TALKING POINTS

Characterisation

Cherubino

Political aspects

Length

Success?

Some actual tomfoolery

ACT BY ACT

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 4

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Sources of quotes

Other sources

NOTES

Short Guides to Great Operas

PREFACE

This guide is aimed at the ordinary opera-goer and opera-lover, usually a busy person who wants to know the essentials of the opera but has little time to grasp them.

It provides key background information to The Marriage of Figaro, told engagingly by someone who knows the opera intimately.

It is light, easy to read, and entertaining. Relevant information has been carefully selected to enhance your appreciation of Mozart’s work.

It is authoritative, but not dense or academic. It is unburdened with the clutter that can easily be obtained elsewhere. It concentrates on information that it will help you to know in advance.

Read quickly before going to the opera or listening to it at home, you will get the very best out of the performance and have a truly enjoyable experience.

Opera can be a great social occasion. Being knowledgeable and well-informed, you’ll appreciate this magical art-form much more if you read this first.

I hope you enjoy the opera!

Michael Steen

USING THIS EBOOK

A very quick grasp of the opera can be gained by reading the opening section on ‘The opera and its composer’ and the ensuing ‘Who’s who and what’s what’. Further elaboration may be found in the sections entitled ‘The interval: talking points’ and ‘Act by act’.

The footnotes and boxes are an integral part of the information. The reader is encouraged to go to these by clicking on the links.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Steen OBE studied at the Royal College of Music, was organ scholar at Oriel College, Oxford, and has been chairman of both the RCM Society and the Friends of the