Minnesota Opera's The Marriage of Figaro Program

Contents The Minnesota Opera Staff and Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Notes from the Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Marriage of Figaro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Background Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The Artists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 The Minnesota Opera Chorus and Orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Education at the Opera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Opera at the Ordway Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 The Minnesota Opera Annual Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Young Professionals Group Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 2007-2008 Season Announcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

TBD

The Minnesota Opera President & CEO Artistic Director Chair, Board of Directors

Kevin Smith Dale Johnson J. A. Blanchard, III

The Minnesota Opera, 620 North First Street Minneapolis, MN 55401 (612) 333-2700 www.mnopera.org The Minnesota Opera is a member of OPERA America.

This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature. This project is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

May 2007

The Minnesota Opera Program

Corporate Administrator/Publisher Assoc. Publisher/Director of Production Account Executives Creative Designer Graphic Designers

Todd Hyde Marsha Kitchel Liesl Hyde, Amy Newton Stacy Hawkins Sue Sentyrz Klapmeier, Robert Ochsner

Large-print and Braille programs are available at the Patron Services Office

| THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

is published by

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MINNESOTA OPERA

Staff

President & CEO Kevin Smith Artistic Director Dale Johnson Welcome to today’s production of The Marriage of Figaro. For more than four decades, The Minnesota Opera has enriched the cultural life of our community by producing outstanding and innovative operas that inspire and entertain.

U.S. Bank is honored to sponsor the 2006 – 2007 season. We are proud of our 20+ year relationship with The Minnesota Opera and the spectacular Ordway in St. Paul.

At U.S. Bank, we support great dreams, great art and great arts organizations. They enrich the community with vibrancy, creativity and excellence. As the sixth largest bank in America today, U.S. Bank is the only major bank headquartered in Minnesota, and we’re deeply committed to giving back to this community.

Thank you for coming and enjoy the performance!

Rod Boren, Senior Vice President, Personal Trust Regional Manager, U.S. Bank Private Client Group Jose Peris, Senior Vice President, Private Banking Regional Manager, U.S. Bank Private Client Group and Minnesota Opera Board Member

Artistic

Scenery cont.

Artistic Administrator . . . .Roxanne Stou∂er Cruz Artistic Associate . . . . . . . . Floyd Anderson Community Education Director . . . . . . . . . . .

Jamie Andrews Dramaturg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Sander Conductor-in-residence . . . . . .Robert Wood Resident Artists . . . . . . . . . .Kyle Albertson, Alison Bates, Andrea Coleman, Jamie-Rose Guarrine, Bryan Lemke, Kelly Markgraf, Cortez Mitchell, Bill Murray, Nili Riemer, Eric Schnobrick, Hugo Vera RAP Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nancy Boler, Carlotta Dradi-Bower, Doug Scholz-Carlson, Barbara Kierig, Peter Robinson Master Coach . . . . . . . . .Mary Jo Gothmann Librarian . . . . . . . . . . . .Griffin Woodworth Teaching Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lisa Butcher Project Opera Apprentices . . . . .Setara Barukzoy, Celeste Johnson, Siri Jorstad, Kaitlin Very Project Opera Music Director . . . Dale Kruse Project Opera Accompanist . . .Kathy Kraulik Education Intern . . . . . . . . . . .Nick Nolte

Properties Master . . Stanley Dean Hawthorne Properties Assistant . . . . . . . . . Mike Long Production Carpenter . . . . . . . . . JC Amel Scene Shop Foreman . . . . . . . . . . Rod Aird Master Carpenter . . . . . . . . . .Steven Rovie Carpenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eric Veldey Charge Painter . . . . . . . . Kevin Noteboom

Production Production Director . . . . . . . Kevin Ramach Production Stage Manager . . . . . Alex Farino Assistant Stage Managers . . . . .Justin Hossle, Megan Traina Production Admin Asst. . Katherine Cattrysse

Costumes Costume Shop Manager . . . .Erica M. Burds Assistant Costume Shop Manager . .Beth Sanders Drapers . . . . . . . . .Chris Bur, Yancey Thrift, Angela Yarbrough Costume Technicians . . . .Helen Ammann, Jennifer Dawson, Mary Farrell, Rose Ryan Wig/Makeup Designer . . . . . . Tom Watson Wig/Makeup Assistants . . . . . . Mary Farrell, Emily Rosenmeier, Nina Stewart

Scenery Technical Director . . . . . Mike McQuiston Asst. Technical Director/ Lighting Coordinator. . . . . Marc D. Johnson

Designers Set & Costume Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Carl Friedrich Oberle Lighting Designer . . . . . . . . Marcus Dilliard

Administration Finance Director . . . . . . . . . . . . Je∂ Couture Operations/Systems Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Mittelholtz HR/Accounting Manager . . . . Jennifer Thill Executive Assistant . . . . . . . Theresa Murray Finance Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Libby Jones IT Applications Specialist . . . . . .Jessica Wright

Institutional Advancement Vice President of Institutional Advancement . . . . . . . . . . .Patrick Dewane Institutional Advancement Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kelly Clemens

Development Director of the Annual Fund . . . .Dawn Loven Institutional Gifts Associate/Gala Coordinator Emily Skoblik Individual Gifts Associate . . . .Megan Stevenson

Marketing/Communications Marketing and Communications Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lani Willis Audience Development Associate . . Jamie Nieman Ticket O∑ce Manager . . . Katherine Castille Ticketing and Communications Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Schmidt Ticket O∑ce Assistants . . . . .Kendra Ramthun, Brianne Whitcraft, Alexandrea Kouame, Max Wirsing, Leah Mathes

TOGMC MINNESOTA OPERA

Volunteers

| THE MINNESOTA OPERA www.mnopera.org

The following volunteers contribute their time and talent in support of key activities of The Minnesota Opera.

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Catherine Ahern Ann Albertson Gerald Benson Jim Brownback* Sue Brownback Sarah Burman Christine Buss Jerry Cassidy Diane Choih Joann Cierniak Susan Cogger Caroline Coopersmith Beverly Dailey* Denis Dailey Jeanette Daun Timothy Davis Lee Drawert Judith Duncan Sally Economon Svea Forsberg Christopher Foster Hazel Francois Li-Jun Fu Jane Fuller Joan Gacki* Alex Garay

Christine A. Garner* Juhi Gupta-Gulati Mark Gustin Mary E. Hagen Mark Hahn Lucinda Hallet Merle J. Hanson John Harris* Cari Beth Head Anne Hesselroth Heather Huber Alisandra Johnson Karen Johnson Nancy Johnson Steve Johnson Jeannie Johnston Kristen Johnston Robin Keck Dawn Klassen Shannon Klonecki Eleanore Kolar Lucinda Lamont Shirley Larson Mathilda Lien Jerry Lillquist Joyce Lillquist

Maura LoMonico Abby Marier Margery Martin Joan Masuck Yasuko Matsumoto Mary McDiarmid* Beth McGuire Verne Melberg Jeanette Middleton Irma Monson Barbara Moore Doug Myhra Denise Nichols Pam Nielsen David Nifoussi Candyce Osterkamp Dan Panshin Pat Panshin Megan Pelka Holly Peterson Bill Phillips Sydney Phillips Julia Porter Carol Purvis Kathleen Riley Shannon Robinson

Leigh Roethke John Rosse Emma Rotilie Enrique Rotstein John Sauer Lynette Saucier Michael Silhavy Wendy Silhavy Angie Solomon Wendi Sott Naomi St. Gregory Karen St. John Katie Steerman Harry Swepston Dave Terwilliger Emily Thompson Doris Unger Stacey Vonderhear Carolyn Wahtera Mary Weitz Barbara Willis* Elizabeth Cutter Wilson Kathie Wojtkiewicz Eve Yang *Lead volunteer

NOTES FROM THE

Directors

Artistic Director

Welcome to today’s performance of The Marriage of Figaro!

The genius of Mozart is more than evident in the clever plot, unforgettable characters and delightful comedy. It’s no wonder that it remains a hit more than 200 years after its premiere, and there’s no better way to end a terrific opera season than on this high note.

You will only need to wait a few short months for the 2007-2008 opera season, which begins on September 22 with the company premiere of Verdi’s A Masked Ball.

The rest of the lineup of world-class opera experiences includes Rossini’s madcap comedy The Italian Girl in

FROM THE

BOARD OF

Algiers, our Bel Canto offering; the world’s most famous love story, Romeo and Juliet, sensuously composed by Gounod; the American premiere of The Fortunes of King Croesus, a 297-year-old German Baroque masterpiece by a contemporary of Handel and our first staging in 20 years of Rusalka, which is the Little Mermaid story (without the Disney ending) by Dvorak, the composer of the New World Symphony. You won’t want to miss any of them, so please visit our kiosk in the lobby and purchase your season tickets today! Thank you for being here today, and I hope you enjoy The Marriage of Figaro.

Dale Johnson, Artistic Director

President

We’re glad you’re here to see The Marriage of Figaro.

Many of you may be new to the Opera, and I’d like to give you a special welcome!

Whether this is your first time at the Opera or your hundredth, we invite you to subscribe to the exciting 20072008 season Dale describes above. It’s not as hard as you might think …

In a recent survey, we learned from newcomers to opera that it is perceived as expensive. So we lowered many of our prices, and now offer a $20 ticket. We also learned that newcomers wish we had more options for subscription packages, so we created them – we now offer 3- and 4opera packages. We learned that everyone values flexibility, so we liberalized our exchange policies for subscribers. We hope we have removed any barriers you had to subscribing,

and if we have not, we hope you let us know what barriers remain.

A national study by OPERA America indicates that people come to the opera most often when invited by others. If you enjoy your experience today at the Opera, please introduce us to your friends and invite them to join you next season as a subscriber.

I’d also like to extend a special welcome and thank you to all of our Opera at the Ordway contributors (listed on page 24 of this program). This campaign, designed to transform the company through new productions, expanded education programs and an expanded season, is near completion, thanks to their generous support.

Officers J. A. Blanchard III, Chair Jane M. Confer, Vice Chair Ruth S. Huss, Secretary Denver Gilliand, Treasurer Kevin Smith, President & CEO Directors Martha Goldberg Aronson Susan S. Boren Kathleen Callahan Nicky B. Carpenter Richard P. Carroll Rachelle D. Chase Susan J. Crockett Mary A. Dearing Sara Donaldson Chip Emery Thomas Foley Steve Fox Sharon Hawkins Karen L. Himle Heinz F. Hutter Philip Isaacson

Lucy Rosenberry Jones Michael F. Kelly, Jr. B. John Lindahl Lynne E. Looney Diana E. Murphy Brian E. Palmer Debra Paterson Jose Peris Mary Ingebrand Pohlad Stephanie J. Prem Elizabeth Redleaf Connie Remele Stephanie Simon Mitchell Stover Virginia Stringer H. Bernt von Ohlen

Directors Emeriti Karen Bachman Burton Cohen Julia W. Dayton Mary W. Vaughan Honorary Directors Dominick Argento Philip Brunelle Elizabeth Close Dolly Fiterman Charles C. Fullmer Norton M. Hintz Liz Kochiras Patricia H. Sheppard

Enjoy the performance.

Kevin Smith, President and CEO

Legal Counsel James A. Rubenstein, Moss & Barnett

| THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

FROM THE

Leadership

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BQQFBSJOH TPPO AT ORDWAY CENTER

MAY Thurs, May 17, 8pm; Fri, May 18, 8pm; Sat, May 19, 8pm The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra presents Joshua Bell and Carnival of the Animals Joshua Bell, director & violin Stephen Prutsman, piano Layton James, piano Ruggero Allifranchini, narrator Sat, May 19, 10:30am The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra presents Family Concert Series: Joshua Bell and Carnival of the Animals Fri, May 25, 10:30am, 8pm; Sat, May 26, 8pm The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra presents Joshua Bell Plays Bruch Violin Concerto Joshua Bell, director & violin Kathryn Greenbank, oboe

You are Invited to a Grand Evening of Fun – an Exclusive After-Hours Playdate for Grandparents and Grandchildren.

Complimentary valet parking, dinner, special activities, and live entertainment.

Minnesota Children’s Museum | THE MINNESOTA OPERA www.mnopera.org

Saturday, May 19, 6:00-8:30 p.m.

Presented by RBC Dain Rauscher

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Tickets: $25/Grandparents, $10/Grandchildren For information or reservations, call 651.225.6039.

JUNE Sat, June 2 – Sun, June 3 Ordway Center presents Flint Hills International Children’s Festival Bringing the best international performing artists to our youngest audience members and their families.

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Rice Park, & Landmark Plaza JULY/AUGUST July 10 - 15 Ordway Center presents CHICAGO (performance times vary) It’s Broadway’s most popular musical!

The razzle-dazzle tale of sin and celebrity is back by popular demand.

July 24 – Aug. 12 Ordway Center presents Monty Python’s Spamalot (performance times vary) Winner of the 2005 Tony Award® for Best Musical, Monty Python’s Spamalot is the outrageous musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic “Monty Python and The Holy Grail”

ordway.org

Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte Based on Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais’ La folle journée, ou Le mariage de Figaro (1784) World premiere at the Burgtheater, Vienna May 1, 1786 May 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13, 2007 Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Sung in Italian with English translations Conductor ..................................................Robert Wood Stage Director ..........................................Kevin Newbury Production................................................Göran Järvefelt Set and Costume Designer ....................Carl Friedrich Oberle Lighting Designer ......................................Marcus Dilliard Wig Master and Makeup..................Tom Watson & Associates Assistant Director............................................Bill Murray Continuo ..................................Robert Wood, Jim Jacobson Production Stage Manager ........................Alexander Farino English Captions ........................................Jonathan Dean

THE CAST Figaro, valet to Count Almaviva........................Denis Sedov* ......................................................Andrew Wilkowske** Susanna, maid to Countess Almaviva..........Christine Brandes* ....................................................Jamie-Rose Guarrine** Count Almaviva ......................................Carlos Archuleta* ............................................................Kelly Markgraf** Countess Almaviva ............................................Erin Wall* ..............................................................Christina Pier** Cherubino, page to Count Almaviva ............Lauren McNeese* ............................................................Cortez Mitchell** Bartolo, a doctor from Seville ........................Kyle Albertson Marcellina, the housekeeper ......................Andrea Coleman Don Basilio, a music teacher ..............................Hugo Vera Don Curzio, a local magistrate......................Robert Schmidt Antonio, a gardener, uncle to Susanna ..........Jeffrey Madison Barbarina, daughter of Antonio ..........................Nili Riemer Two peasant girls ..............Katherine Haugen, Michelle Hayes

BACKGROUND

Notes

by David Sander

W

hen we last left the mischievous dealings of The Barber of Seville, Count Almaviva had stolen Rosina from the clutches of Dr. Bartolo with the aid of the town jack-of-all-trades, Figaro. In the second installment of Beaumarchais’ trilogy, three years have passed, the setting has been moved out of town to Almaviva’s castle of Aguas Frescas, the character list has expanded (with some conveniently re-employed as servants to the Count’s household) and the content of the drama has become more politically

Villagers, peasants, servants Setting: Aguas Frescas near Seville during the 18th century *

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**

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performs May 5, 8, 10, 12 performs May 6, 9, 11, 13

The Marriage of Figaro is sponsored by The Marriage of Figaro is a production of Houston Grand Opera Association.

Le nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; edited for the New Mozart Edition (Neue Mozart-Ausgabe) by Ludwig Finscher; by arrangement with Bärenreiter, publisher and copyright owner.

English captions by Jonathan Dean © Seattle Opera 1997 The appearances of Christina Pier, grand finals winner, Alison Bates, Erin Wall and Andrew Wilkowske, regional finalists; and Kyle Albertson, Jamie-Rose Guarrine, Jeffrey Madison, Nili Riemer, district finalists of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, are made possible through a Minnesota Opera Endowment Fund established for Artist Enhancement by Barbara White Bemis.

Performances of The Marriage of Figaro are being taped for delayed broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio, KSJN 99.5 in the Twin Cities.

The 2006–2007 Season Preview Recording is made possible, in part, with the assistance of Universal Music, featuring The Marriage of Figaro on its London/Decca label (catalogue no. 2lh3410150 conducted by Sir Georg Solti).

The Minnesota Opera season is sponsored by FAF Advisors and U.S. Bank.

The appearances of the 2006–2007 season conductors are underwritten by SpencerStuart.

Opera Insights is sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation.

Camerata Dinners and Meet the Artist Program sponsored by Lowry Hill Private Wealth Management.

City of St. Paul’s Cultural Start Program is the sponsor of the Subscription Initiative.

volatile. In fact, at first Beaumarchais was prevented from staging his original play La folle journée, ou Le mariage de Figaro in France by King Louis XVI himself, who prophetically extolled: “We should have to destroy the Bastille if a performance of this play was not to be a dangerous blunder. This man mocks everything that must be respected in a government.”

But Beaumarchais was not a man to be put down and had a few favors to call in, not the least of which was owed to him by the French government – his role as arms supplier to the American Revolution and the subsequent embarrassment of England was the only triumph the French king was to experience during his accursed reign.

Folding under the pressure of influential court players (including the king’s own brother, the Count of Artois), Louis relented. Le mariage de Figaro premiered in 1784 and was an unprecedented success – for the first time in the history of French drama, a play actually made its author a sizable profit. Both the Empress of Russia and the British government begged for the play to be produced in their respective countries, but in Austria, Joseph II (whose sister Marie-Antoinette just happened to be the French queen at the time) forbade any performances of the play, although he allowed it to be printed. This put a serious kink in impresario (and soon to be Mozart-collaborator) Emanuel Schikaneder’s plans to produce the play in German at Vienna’s Kärntnertortheater.

That edict could hardly frustrate a young upstart like Mozart. With the German singspiel The Abduction from the Seraglio firmly behind him, and the emperor’s German opera troupe officially disbanded, the composer was looking to make a name for himself in Italian opera. Several false starts in the confectionary Viennese vein yielded the incomplete L’oca del Cairo and Lo sposo deluso. After considering “hundreds” of similarly tried-and-true scenarios, he and librettist Lorenzo da Ponte were drawn to Beaumarchais’ play in part because of the notoriety associated with it. Mozart also was hoping to ride the coattails of a recent operatic adaptation of the first drama in the Figaro series, Il barbiere di Siviglia, by Giovanni Paisiello (Rossini’s more famous opera by the same title came many years later in 1816). Premiering in St. Petersburg in 1782, Paisiello’s Barber reached Vienna the following year and was a triumph. Mozart was certain he could achieve the same level of success with a sequel.

Getting around the As long as I don’t print anything censors took a bit of regarding government, religion, ethics, the ruling class or people of finessing and da Ponte influence, opera, theater, or about claims they prepared the anyone connected with anything, I can opera in secret, to be publish whatever I want subject to the shown to Joseph in its approval of one or two censors. completed state, and when – Figaro, Le mariage de Figaro, V.iii the moment of unveiling came, he managed to convince the emperor that the more serious political affronts and sharp-tongued satire had been expunged from the libretto. In fact, Figaro’s tirade against “the system,” which occurs in Act V of the play, was

Notes

transformed into a rage about the unfaithfulness of women in his Act IV aria “Aprite un po’ quelgl’ occhi,” a subject which would appeal to Joseph’s overall misogynist character. Another aspect of the libretto toned down for the emperor was its inherent feminist nature. In the play, Bartholo is more reluctant to wed Marceline once they discover Figaro’s true identity, and she rejects a proposal of marriage proffered by Don Bazile. She emerges from invisible spinsterhood to become an emancipated woman, proclaiming her independence from men in another heated monologue. In the opera, her spirited persona is downplayed to a mere dispenser of motherly advice (though she’s given an opportunity to speak her mind in an Act IV aria – sadly it is usually cut in performance). For his part, Mozart’s attraction to the play was not the politics, but its complex plot and comic situations, which he felt could be done justice with his music. That argument being made, the Count’s philandering antics were overlooked by the imperial authorities. It is also believed Figaro secretly served as propaganda for Joseph’s private politics – in his eyes nobles should be held to the same moral standards as the common people.

Still, the condensation of Beaumarchais’ five-act play into a still sizeable opera was an arduous task. Several characters were removed, others were given new names, and a number of scenes were shifted or deleted. Eighteenthcentury custom required each character to have at least one aria, several had two, and the action was fleshed out in duets, trios and finales. As da Ponte noted, “In spite of every effort, and of all the diligence and care taken by the composer and by myself to be brief, the opera will not be one of the shortest to have appeared on our stage.” The resulting four-act format was new to audiences accustomed to a two- or three-act comedy, and the complex plot had a bit more bite than the usual fluff akin to Viennese opera buffa. Its reception was mixed, and the opera initially received only nine performances. The heightened expectations of the public may have sealed the new work’s demise – their excitement over the musical adaptation of a scandalous play must have dissipated once they discovered much of the objectionable material had been removed.

Another part of the problem was due to prejudice and circumstance. Mozart, as a Germanic composer, was considered an outsider in an industry dominated and defined

by Italian musicians. Besides Paisiello (whose Il re Teodoro followed in 1784, as well as continued revivals of Barber), Giuseppe Sarti’s Fra i due litiganti il terzo gode gained headway in Vienna as did Vincente Martín y Soler’s hugely popular Una cosa rara (though born in Spain, Martín is generally considered of the Italian school by training and style). And, of course, there was the city’s composer-inresidence, Antonio Salieri, whose powerful position ensured his operas were frequently staged. Adding to the general intrigue and jealousy of Mozart’s natural talent was the popularity of these aforementioned composers’ works, eclipsing many of the major achievements of the latter.

Opera, in those days, was a tough business. ➤ BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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BACKGROUND

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BACKGROUND

Notes

BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

Interestingly, the Prague premiere of The Marriage of Figaro was greeted with wild enthusiasm, according to the composer’s letter of January 15, 1787. Mozart was hailed a genius, and not surprisingly, chose Prague for the premiere of his next opera, Don Giovanni, later that year.

When Don Giovanni made it to Vienna one year later, it too had a modest run, but Figaro was revived in 1789 and generated a far more prestigious 29 performances. Since its release to opera houses around the world, The Marriage of Figaro has enjoyed the noble distinction of being the first opera that has always been in repertory (though it was not Mozart’s most popular opera until the 20th century; Don Giovanni’s supernatural elements had greater appeal to the 19th-century Romantics).

Beaumarchais and Figaro

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he diverse career of Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732–1799) went far beyond that of the average playwright, a factotum-like existence that has led many to conclude he is the source of his own character Figaro. One commentator has gone as far to suggest the very name is a conflation of fils (“son” in French, but in those days pronounced “fi” without the aspirated “s”) and “Caron.” Beaumarchais indeed followed Caron père, at first in the family watchmaking tradition, and his first notable accomplishment brought him to the attention of the king himself – a tiny escapement that vastly improved on the accuracy of time (an invention from which we benefit to this day). To his good fortune, Beaumarchais was also musical, and in addition to making watches for the king, he instructed the royal daughters on the finer points of the harp.

Louis XV must have seen potential in the young Beaumarchais (who obtained his noble name by

marrying a penniless widow). He was sent to Spain to negotiate a deal with Charles III over the leasehold of Louisiana (which had passed into Spain’s hands as a result of the War of the Spanish Succession). Beaumarchais was unsuccessful in his pursuit but still became the darling of Madrid. It was his first exposure to Spain, later the setting of his first two Figaro plays.

The budding playwright produced two early works (Eugénie in 1767 and Les deux amis in 1770), but things were about to go sour. As the result of some questionable business transactions, he found himself accused of forgery, and in the process of bungling a bribe to the court magistrate (a customary practice of the day), Beaumarchais received a sentence just short of the death penalty. The intervention of influential friends saved him from long-term imprisonment but not from the loss of his civil rights. The bitter experience empowered him to write his most enduring works, Le barbier de Séville (1775) and the more politically subversive Le mariage de Figaro (completed in 1778).

During his legal troubles, the royal household remained strangely aloof. But with the ascension of a new monarch, Louis XVI, Beaumarchais found himself once again in its employ. He was directed to covertly suppress several slanderous pamphlets about to be published concerning the royal family and was sent to England, the Netherlands and Austria. Successful in these endeavors, Beaumarchais was further engaged to provide covert assistance to the New World in its efforts toward American independence.

Handsomely compensated by both the French and American governments, Beaumarchais underwrote several interesting entrepreneurial escapades including hot-air balloons (a marvel in France at the time) and a canal system that supplied water to Parisian homes. He also

WOLFGANG AMADEUS

Mozart

b Salzburg, January 27, 1756; d Vienna, December 5, 1791

C

dabbled in opera, engaging Antonio Salieri to set his libretto for Tarare (1787) to music. A final installment to the Figaro series, La mère coupable (1792), failed to achieve the tenor or success of its two predecessors (it was finally set to music in the 20th century by Darius Milhaud).

Following the French Revolution, Beaumarchais’ role in the ancien régime was scrutinized by the new government. In 1794, while he was abroad, his family was placed under arrest and he himself was designated a criminal émigré. He spent his final years clearing his name.

The Figaro plays are indebted not only to Beaumarchais’ eclectic lifetime activities but also to the rich theatrical traditions of commedia dell’arte. Of Italian origin, commedia dell’arte evolved during the 16th century from improvisatory scenes played at county fairs and marketplaces into a somewhat codified art form involving stock characters with predictable behavior and costume. The use of masks (derived in part from the custom of more frequent commedia dell’arte performances during Carnival) further obscures the identity of the actual person and reinforces the character “type.” First brought to ➤

“Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the Piano” (1789) Joseph Lange (1751-1831) Photo credit : Alinari / Art Resource, NY

the emperor was too ill to attend the opening and died soon after.

Crisis hit in 1791. Constanze’s medical treatments at Baden and the birth of a second child pushed their finances to a critical point.

Composition of The Magic Flute began that summer but had to be halted when two generous commissions came his way: a requiem for an anonymous patron and an opera seria to celebrate the new emperor’s coronation as King of Bohemia.

La clemenza di Tito premiered September 6, and The Magic Flute was completed in time to open September 30. The Requiem, however, remained unfinished, and as Mozart’s health began to fail, the composer feared he was writing his own death mass. In December Mozart died at the age of 35 and was given a simple funeral by his impoverished widow, then buried in an unmarked grave on the outskirts of Vienna.

| THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

Photo courtesy of Houston Grand Opera

hild wonder, virtuoso performer and prolific creative artist, Mozart is the first composer whose operas have never been out of repertory. His prodigious talents were apparent very early in his life; by the age of four he could reproduce on the keyboard a melody played to him, at five he could play the violin with perfect intonation and at six he composed his first minuet.

Wolfgang’s father, Leopold, immediately saw the potential of his son’s talents, and embarked on a series of concert tours showing off the child’s extraordinary gifts. As Mozart grew older, his concert tours turned into a search for permanent employment, but this proved exceedingly difficult for a German musician in a market dominated by Italian composers. Although many of his early operas were commissioned

by Milanese and Munich nobles, he could not rise beyond Konzertmeister of the Salzburg archbishopric. With the appointment of a new archbishop, Mozart found the Salzburg musical scene even more stifling.

Things came to a head in 1781 immediately following the successful premiere of Mozart’s first mature work, Idomeneo. After several heated discussions, the composer was relieved of his Salzburg duties. In Vienna, completely on his own for the first time, Mozart embarked on several happy years. He married Constanze Weber and premiered a new work, The Abduction from the Seraglio, at the Burgtheater. A small commission came his way from the emperor for a one-act comedy, The Impresario, but his first true masterpiece for the Imperial court was The Marriage of Figaro, premiered in 1786. His next opera, Don Giovanni, premiered in Prague in 1787 to great acclaim, but its Vienna premiere in 1788 was coolly received.

Joseph II commissioned another opera, Così fan tutte, which was unveiled on January 26, 1790, but

13 BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Synopsis

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ACT I

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An unfinished room Figaro is measuring the floor, while Susanna puts the finishing touches on her bridal attire.

They are to be married that very day, and as a wedding gift, Count Almaviva is giving them a bed and a new room to share. Figaro observes the room’s strategic location to both the Count and Countess’s apartments, but when Susanna realizes this now will be their lodgings, she is apprehensive. It is a little too convenient for the Count, who has made it clear through Don Basilio his romantic intentions toward her. Figaro counters that the master has relinquished the antiquated droit du seigneur, but Susanna discloses his offering of a handsome dowry if she submits. Susanna leaves to answer the Countess’s page, and Figaro angrily plans to teach the Count a lesson.

Elsewhere, Marcellina enlists the help of her former employer, Dr. Bartolo. She intends to frustrate the wedding day by executing a contract made between her and Figaro – he has failed to repay a debt, and therefore must marry her (in spite of the great difference in their ages). She hopes to frighten Susanna into rejecting the Count’s advances, thereby using his irritation to her benefit. Bartolo heartily agrees to the plan, for he has his own score to settle – three years ago his marriage plans to Rosina (now the Countess) were upset by Figaro, that meddling barber of Seville.

Marcellina encounters Susanna, and they exchange courteously veiled sniping remarks. Marcellina exits in a fury, and in comes the page boy, Cherubino. He is distraught – the Count caught him in Barbarina’s room and now he is to be dismissed. No more will he behold his true love, the Countess. About to leave the room he eyes the Count approaching and hides behind an armchair. The Count immediately begins to press his advances on Susanna. Basilio is seen nearby, and the Count, not wanting to be compromised, takes cover behind the armchair. Cherubino slips into the chair, and Susanna cleverly conceals

him. Entering the room, Basilio begins to make slanderous innuendoes about Cherubino’s love escapades, implicating Susanna and even the Countess. This draws the Count out of hiding. He angrily orders the page be found at once but soon discovers Cherubino is already in the room and has heard every word, including his romantic overtures to Susanna.

Figaro enters with staff and peasants. They offer a chorus of thanks to the Count for renouncing the abhorrent droit du seigneur with a clever reminder that Figaro and Susanna are the first wedded couple to benefit from the repeal. Susanna and Figaro make a further entreaty – Cherubino must be pardoned for his amorous indiscretions so he may join the wedding festivities.

But the Count does more than that, offering the young man an honorable position in his regiment. His departure will be immediate. Figaro bids a comic farewell, detailing the great glories Cherubino is about to face.

ACT II

A bedroom In her boudoir, the Countess laments the loss of her husband’s affection. Susanna attends to her lady and confesses the Count’s illicit proposition. Figaro enters and tells them the Count is taking up Marcellina’s cause in the disputed contract. He hopes to confuse the situation by inflaming the Count’s jealousy – he has sent an anonymous

letter, via Basilio, informing his master of a future assignation between the Countess and an unnamed lover. At the same time, Susanna is to let the Count know she is willing to submit to his wishes in the garden. But when the Count arrives, he will find in her place Cherubino disguised as a woman.

Figaro departs, and Cherubino arrives moments later. As a parting gesture, Susanna instructs him to sing a song he wrote in honor of the Countess. While sizing him up for the charade to be performed that evening, the Countess notices his commission, hastily unsealed. As they prepare Cherubino’s disguise, Susanna leaves for a moment and a knock is heard. It is the Count, and the mortified Cherubino scurries into the Countess’s wardrobe. Once allowed entry, the Count is immediately suspicious – the door was locked (it almost never is), and he heard voices. He shows his wife the letter, but the confrontation is interrupted by a loud noise coming from the closet. The Countess says it’s Susanna in a state of undress and orders her to be silent – the Countess’ integrity is in question, and she refuses to dignify these accusations by opening the closet. The Count leaves to get some tools and takes the Countess with him, locking all the doors so no one can escape.

Having quietly slipped into the room, Susanna has secretly observed the entire situation. She takes Cherubino’s place, and left with no other option of escape, Cherubino jumps out the

Synopsis

window. The Count and Countess return – she now prepares her husband for what he might find inside and begs for his understanding, but when Susanna emerges instead of Cherubino, both are dumfounded. Figaro arrives presently, and once the issue of the letter is settled (merely a joke to tease the Count), he announces the hour has arrived for the wedding ceremony. The Count tarries – Marcellina is due to arrive any minute to present her claim.

Instead, Antonio the gardener comes in, fussing over flowers damaged by a falling man. Again suspicions are raised, but the three conspirators allude to the old man’s habitual drunkenness, and Figaro admits it was he who jumped to escape the Count’s wrath – he had been in the adjoining room waiting for Susanna. Antonio produces a document dropped by the escapee; the Count grabs it and demands Figaro to tell him what it is. The Countess whispers to Susanna – it is the page’s military commission – and Susanna in turn whispers to Figaro.

Figaro suddenly remembers and adds that he was bringing it to the Count because it lacked the official seal.

Marcellina, Bartolo and Basilio belatedly arrive and make their case – Figaro is obligated to marry Marcellina if he can’t pay off the debt.

– INTERMISSION – ACT III

A state room prepared for a wedding feast The Count reviews the complex events

of the day and eyes Susanna and the Countess discussing details of their covert plan. Confronting Susanna alone, he insists Marcellina shall marry Figaro.

Susanna retorts that the debt will be repaid by the dowry promised by her employer. The Count denies making any such promise, but Susanna coyly reveals that her protests have been feigned – she is willing to meet the Count in the garden as he desires (the Countess having persuaded her to do so). She encounters Figaro as she leaves the room and whispers that there is no longer need for a lawyer. The Count overhears this remark and is enraged.

Barbarina masks Cherubino in woman’s clothes to conceal his supposed departure. Alone, the Countess rues the humiliation she suffers as the result of her unfaithful husband and recalls happier days.

Don Curzio’s judgment enforces the terms of the contract – Figaro will have to marry Marcellina. Figaro argues he cannot marry without the consent of his noble parents, whose birthright was indicated by the jewels and linens thieves found nearby when he was kidnapped as a small child. Marcellina and Bartolo recognize a distinguishing mark on his arm and realize that Figaro is their long-lost son.

Susanna enters, and seeing Figaro embrace Marcellina, momentarily becomes jealous. When all is explained, Bartolo decides to do the right thing and announces there will be a double wedding ceremony. Marcellina

ACT IV

The garden Barbarina searches for the lost pin she was entrusted to return to Susanna as confirmation of the rendezvous. Figaro happens upon the scene and pretends to play along; privately he discloses to Marcellina his despair over what he believes to be Susanna’s infidelity. His mother advises him not to be rash, and after he leaves, she goes to warn Susanna, whom she believes to be innocent.

Susanna and the Countess wait in the darkness. Marcellina has clued them in, and knowing Figaro can hear her voice, Susanna sings of her happy anticipation of a lovers’ tryst. Looking for Barbarina, Cherubino happens upon the Countess, and thinking it is Susanna, makes his approach. The Count arrives, and the game of mistaken identities ensues. Figaro and Susanna are eventually reconciled, and the Count, who has had a chance to woo “Susanna” (the Countess), is caught when he threatens to expose the unknown man (Figaro) he believes is seducing “the Countess” (Susanna).

All is forgiven as the day of folly draws to a close.

| THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

Photo courtesy of Housten Grand Opera

discharges the debt as a wedding present to the young couple.

Antonio informs the Count of Cherubino’s sighting on the premises dressed as a young girl. The Countess dictates a letter to Susanna confirming the clandestine meeting with the Count and seals the note with a pin. It is agreed they will exchange cloaks so the Countess, disguised as Susanna, can catch her husband red-handed.

Peasant girls (Cherubino among them) present flowers to the Countess.

Antonio arrives and exposes the page’s deception to the Count. Barbarina intercedes as the Count is about to release his wrath – he once promised to do anything she asked in exchange for her kisses. She begs for permission to marry Cherubino. Figaro invites all to dance as the wedding ceremony begins.

As the couples prepare for the fandango, Susanna slips the letter into the Count’s hand.

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THE

Artists

For more biographical information about these artists, visit our website at www.mnopera.org Kyle Albertson

Bartolo Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently Lakmé; Tales of Hoffmann; La donna del lago, Minn. Opera Il matrimonio segreto, Merola Opera Program Nixon in China; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Le nozze di Figaro; Finding Yolanda, Chicago Opera Theater Giasone; The Cunning Little Vixen; Rigoletto, Aspen Opera Theater Center Upcoming Un ballo in maschera, The Minnesota Opera Carmen, Aspen Music Festival

Christine Brandes Susanna Minnesota Opera Debut Recently Giulio Cesare, Seattle Opera Hänsel und Gretel; L’incoronazione di Poppea, Los Angeles Opera The Turn of the Screw, Lyric Opera of Kansas City Le nozze di Figaro, Opera Company of Philadelphia L'incoronazione di Poppea, Central City Opera Upcoming The Saint of Bleecker Street, Central City Opera A View from the Bridge, Washington National Opera

Jamie-Rose Guarrine Susanna Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently San Francisco Opera Merola Program The Elephant Man; Don Giovanni, The Minnesota Opera Paul Bunyan; Face on the Barroom Floor; Madame Butterfly, Central City Opera Hansel and Gretel, Opera for the Young Carmen, Madison Opera; Dr. Miracle, Florentine Opera Upcoming Croesus, The Minnesota Opera Hotel Casablanca, San Francisco Opera Merola Program

Kelly Markgraf Count Almaviva Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently Tales of Hoffmann; Grapes of Wrath; Lakmé, Minn. Opera Street Scene, Opera Theatre of St. Louis Carmen; Barbiere; Madama Butterfly, Pensacola Opera Die Fledermaus, Rimrock Opera Così fan tutte; The Memory Game; The Village Singer, Univ. of Cincinnati – College Conservatory of Music Des Moines Metro Opera Apprentice Artist Upcoming Roméo et Juliette, The Minnesota Opera

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Cortez Mitchell

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Cherubino Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently Bach Cantata #147; Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, Dayton Philharmonic Done Made My Vow; The Ordering of Moses, African Portraits, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Monteverdi Vespers, Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra Rachmaninov Vespers, St. Petersburg All Rise, Lincoln Jazz Ensemble; Paris Orchestra Upcoming Chanticleer 2007–2008 season

Nili Riemer Barbarina Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently Lakmé; The Tales of Hoffmann, The Minnesota Opera Suor Angelica; Le nozze di Figaro, Chautauqua Opera Die Zauberflöte; Lucia di Lammermoor; The Medium; Hansel and Gretel; La fille du régiment, Tri-Cities Opera The Tales of Hoffmann, Des Moines Metro Opera L’enfant et les sortilèges, Lowell House Opera The Impresario, International Vocal Arts Institute (Israel) Upcoming Un ballo in maschera, Minnesota Opera

Carlos Archuleta Count Almaviva Minnesota Opera Debut Lucia di Lammermoor, 2001 Recently Carmen, Tulsa Opera; Madame Butterfly, Boston Lyric Opera Le nozze di Figaro, New Orleans Opera Elisir; Luisa Fernanda; Il trovatore, Washington Opera Nixon in China; The Magic Flute; others, Minnesota Opera La fanciulla del West; The Magic Flute, Utah Opera Upcoming Carmen, New York City Opera Croesus, The Minnesota Opera

Andrea Coleman Marcellina Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently The Tales of Hoffmann; Lakmé, The Minnesota Opera Glimmerglass Opera Young American Artist Così fan tutte; Little Women; Cendrillon; The Turn of the Screw; The Magic Flute, New England Conservatory The Gondoliers, Harvard-Radcliffe G & S Players The Magic Flute; The Mikado; The Pirates of Penzance, University of Kansas Upcoming L’italiana in Algeri, The Minnesota Opera

Jeffrey Madison Antonio Minnesota Opera Debut Recently Tosca, Fargo-Moorhead Opera Iolanthe, North Star Opera La donna del lago; Joseph Merrick dit Elephant Man; Tosca (ensemble), The Minnesota Opera Street Scene; Le nozze di Figaro; Don Giovanni; Gianni Schicchi; Albert Herring, University of Minnesota Upcoming Werther; Carmen, Chautauqua Opera

Lauren McNeese Cherubino Minnesota Opera Debut Don Giovanni, 2006 Recently Don Carlo; Manon, Los Angeles Opera; Le Comte Ory, Wolf Trap Così fan tutte; Die Zauberflöte; The Cunning Little Vixen; The Ring Cycle; others, Lyric Opera of Chicago Upcoming Roméo et Juliette, Michigan Opera Theatre Don Giovanni; Jenufa; Der Zwerg; Der Zerbrochene Krug, Los Angeles Opera Il barbiere di Siviglia, PORTOpera

Christina Pier Countess Almaviva Minnesota Opera Debut Recently Beethoven Symphony No. 9, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Iphigénie en Tauride; Così fan tutte (cover), Lyric Opera of Chicago Don Giovanni, Santa Fe Opera Carmen; The Magic Flute; La traviata; Szulamit, Florida Grand Opera Upcoming Carmen, Princeton Festival

Robert Schmidt Don Curzio Minnesota Opera Debut Cinderella (tour), 1997 Recently Grapes of Wrath; Lakmé; Carmina burana; Tosca (1998); Transatlantic; Aida (roles); La Cenerentola; Otello; Macbeth; Semiramide; Le nozze di Figaro; Turandot; I Capuleti ed i Montecchi; Il barbiere di Siviglia; La clemenza di Tito; La bohème; Don Carlos; Norma; Flying Dutchman; Handmaid’s Tale; Rigoletto; Passion; Madame Butterfly; Carmen; Nixon in China; Don Giovanni; Orazi, Elephant Man; Tales of Hoffmann (ensemble), Minnesota Opera

For more biographical information about these artists, visit our website at www.mnopera.org

THE

Denis Sedov

Artists

Hugo Vera

Figaro Minnesota Opera Debut Semiramide, 2000 Recently Don Giovanni, Teatro Real di Santiago Mazeppa; Don Giovanni (tour), Metropolitan Opera Il viaggio a Reims, Théâtre de la Monnaie (Brussels) Ariodante, Gran Teatre del Liceu (Barcelona) Upcoming Faust, Cincinnati Opera; I puritani, Seattle Opera La bohème (recording), Atlanta Symphony Les pêcheurs de perles, Washington Opera

Don Basilio Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently The Tales of Hoffmann, The Minnesota Opera Il trovatore; Tosca; The Gondoliers; La traviata, Opera North The Magic Flute, Wichita Grand Opera Of Mice and Men; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Roméo et Juliette; Salome, Lyric Opera of Kansas City Renard; L’heure espagnole; Tanglewood Music Festival The Glass Blowers, New York City Opera Upcoming Carmen, Aspen Music Festival

Erin Wall

Andrew Wilkowske

Countess Almaviva Minnesota Opera Debut Don Giovanni, 2006 Recently Così fan tutte, Theater an der Wien Opéra National de Paris; Aix-en-Provence Fest.

Così fan tutte; Die Zauberflöte; Don Giovanni; Faust, Lyric Opera of Chicago Dido and Aeneas, Théâtre du Châtelet; Faust, Vancouver Opera Upcoming Daphne, Santa Fe Opera; Don Giovanni, Washington Opera Cold Sassy Tree, Atlanta Opera; La traviata, Arizona Opera

Figaro Minnesota Opera Debut Transatlantic, 1998 Recently Richard Tucker Gala, Avery Fisher Hall Madame Butterfly; Tosca, Los Angeles Opera Hansel and Gretel, Skylight Opera Theatre The Grapes of Wrath; Nixon in China; others, Minn. Opera Upcoming Dona Nobis Pacem; Requiem da Camera, Ashville Choral Society Die Zauberflöte; Madame Butterfly, Eugene Opera L’italiana in Algeri, The Minnesota Opera

Marcus Dilliard

Bill Murray

Lighting Designer Minnesota Opera Debut Turandot, 1995 Recently Don Juan Giovanni; Figaro; Tartuffe; The Miser, Jeune Lune Songs of Innocence and Experience, VocalEssence Handel and Gretel; Minnesota Orchestra; Susannah, Theater Latté Da; Wellstone!, The History Theater Upcoming Private Lives, Guthrie Theater; The Deception, La Jolla Playhouse Awards 2005 Ivey Award; 2006 and 1998 McKnight Fellowships

Assistant Director Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently Rigoletto; Carmen (roles); La donna del lago; Elephant Man; Orazi; others (ensemble), Minnesota Opera Ariadne auf Naxos; The Merry Wives of Windsor, University of Minnesota Opera Theatre Le nozze di Figaro, La Musica Lyrica 2002 La Musica Lirica Festival (Urbania, Italy) 1998 Tanglewood Music Festival Upcoming Un ballo in maschera; Roméo et Juliette (ad), Minn. Opera

| THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

Wells Fargo

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THE

Artists

For more biographical information about these artists, visit our website at www.mnopera.org Kevin Newbury

Stage Director Minnesota Opera Debut Nixon in China, 2005 Recently The Magic Flute, Opera Colorado Nixon in China, Portland Opera; Chicago Opera Theater Candy and Dorothy, NYC; Cape Cod; Kiss and Cry, NYC Il viaggio a Reims, New York City Opera Upcoming The Magic Flute, Houston Grand Opera Nixon in China, Cincinnati Opera; The Second Tosca, NYC Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Scenes

Robert Wood Conductor Minnesota Opera Debut La donna del lago, 2006 Recently The Nutcracker, San Francisco Ballet Le Comte Ory, Wolf Trap Opera Company L’italiana in Algeri; La traviata, San Francisco Opera Tosca; Faust; Manon; Carmen; L’elisir d’amore; Rigoletto; La bohème, Opera San José Upcoming L’italiana in Algeri, Vancouver Opera The Magic Flute, Wolf Trap Opera Company

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BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

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France by Catherine de’ Medici during the reign of her son, Charles IX, commedia dell’arte underwent a revival in 18th-century France. The characters in the Figaro plays are derived from these stock characters: the prima donna in love (Isabella – Rosine (the Countess); her smart and virtuous maid, who is also a confidante (Columbina – Suzanne); the crafty valet, left as a foundling but thinks he is the son of a noble (Arlecchino – Figaro); the enamored young man in pursuit of the prima donna (Lindoro, the Count’s assumed name in The Barber of Seville, and in a lustful, younger incarnation of himself, Chérubin); the doddering, stingy older man in search of a young bride (Il dottore – Dr. Bartholo as he was in Barber); the slanderwielding, shifty go-between (Brighella/Scapino – Don Basile); the gossipy old maid (La Vecchia – Marceline).

Even Don Gusman’s stammering can be found in the tradition of the stuttering Tartaglia. Equally important is the pace of the action. The slapstick comedy of characters hiding behind chairs and inside closets, jumping out windows and receiving blows meant for others are all descended from the commedia dell’arte, present in Beaumarchais’ play and accentuated in this production.

Le mariage de Figaro was originally cast in five acts (Beaumarchais originally had intended to produce an opera), which da Ponte cut to four by reducing several scenes and combining Acts III and IV. A large section of the play’s central act involves processing Marceline’s contract – by devoting so much time to this detail, the playwright satisfies a personal vendetta. Beaumarchais’ judge, Don Gusman Brid’oison (Don Curzio in the opera) bears resemblance to a certain Judge Goëzman, who caused the author’s ruin and imprisonment. The playful stutter adds a further gibe as does the inclusion of the greedy-fingered clerk “Double-Main,” who is all too ready to process any bribe.

Other deletions include Bazile’s unsuccessful courting of Marceline, Antonio’s disgust over his niece marrying beneath her station and a vaguely Oedipal scene during which the Countess showing more than polite interest in her godson Chérubin’s advances (in fact, she eventually submits – by the time of the third installment of the trilogy, La mère coupable, they have begotten an illegitimate child). In fact, the Countess is by far the one character who goes through the greatest transformation from play to

“Harlequin and Colombina”. Edgar Degas (1834-1917) Photo credit : Nimatallah / Art Resource, NY

opera. Her plight is given more depth and intensity of feeling – indeed she is the one serious character in the entire drama who endures many sacrifices to win back the love of her husband. Her two solo arias yield solemn moments of great introspection amidst the scurry, vivacity and comedy of the otherwise “crazy day.”

The character of Figaro No, Monsieur Count, you will not have changes as well. In Le her ... you will not have her ... Just barbier de Séville, his quick because you are a powerful lord, you believe yourself to possess great genius! solutions and sense of ... Nobility, fortune, rank, situation; all adventure solve many a that makes you proud. What have you problem with relative done to earn such rewards? You were ease, but by Le mariage de simply born to it, and nothing more!

Figaro his answers are not Otherwise you are an ordinary man!

While me, zounds! lost in obscurity as readily available (as among the populace, it’s been necessary evidenced by the second to deploy more cunning and calculation to subsist on my own, more than it's act finale), and he must taken to rule Spain for the last 100 be aided by his nimbleminded fiancée, Susanna, years; and you want to match wits ...

– Figaro, Le mariage de Figaro, V.iii who soon becomes the real brains of the operation (it is, after all, her and the Countess’ plan that ultimately brings success). Also, by Mariage, Figaro is demeaned in his new position as household servant and has acquired a bit more attitude, at times sassy, even insolent to his boss, Count Almaviva, in a constant battle of wits and surprises. Figaro’s growing bitterness reflects Beaumarchais’ own issues with royal ➤ BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED ON PAGE 28