Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K. 492

In 1786,  the successful and long-time collaboration between Mozart and Lorenzo da Ponte was born with The Marriage of Figaro. It was Mozart who decided to adapt Beaumarchais’ comedy, once famous throughout Europe. Da Ponte, as a precaution, suppressed the most political and controversial aspects of the plot, making it even more comical. The first production had such resounding success that Emperor Joseph II had to outlaw unauthorized theater companies’ representations! The Marriage’s themes of love and morality are the focus of the main characters, who embody the social tensions of the era: aristocracy clinging to the past and the Third Estate swiftly rising to power. Psychologically, da Ponte’s characters are vividly examined and transmitted by Mozart’s splendid art. What a perfect fusion of language and music, a simple yet vivid glimpse of life; Cherubino’s shyness, Countess’ disillusionment, Count’s snobbery and Figaro’s impudent nonchalance. The Marriage of Figaro is an atemporal masterpiece, where Mozart’s elegant musical sensibility matches perfectly with the popular and comical accent of the plot.