Revolution is in the air in David McVicar’s production of Mozart’s glorious comic opera. Available to watch via ROH Stream from 7pm on Friday 5 March: [ Ссылка ].
Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) was Mozart's first collaboration with Lorenzo da Ponte, who also wrote the librettos for Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte. The opera is based on Pierre Caron de Beaumarchais' controversial play Le Mariage de Figaro, which was banned in Vienna for its potentially provocative content. David McVicar sets the action in a château in 1830 on the eve of France's second revolution, exploring the political and class conflicts at the core of Beaumarchais' play, but also maintaining Mozart and Da Ponte's humanity and wit.
The score of Le nozze di Figaro is packed full of wonderful arias covering a huge range of emotions, from the humour of Figaro's ironic farewell to Cherubino ('Non più andrai') to the poignancy of 'Dove sono', as the Countess remembers past happiness. Figaro was a success in Vienna, and even more so in Prague, where Mozart reported 'nothing but Figaro!' was heard. It has remained one of the composer's best-loved works ever since.
