Le nozze di Figaro

One never tires of Le nozze di Figaro, so brimming is the work with the genius of Mozart and Da Ponte.

Le nozze: five characters torn between desire and duty. The entire work is driven by this portrayal of love and social conventions. There is thus much of Mozart the man in the piece. One can read between the lines his personal experience – his dealings with an autocratic employer, Archbishop Colloredo in Salzburg – and his audacity in taking a dig at the aristocracy and highlighting the intelligence of ordinary people.

And always, and perhaps here even more so, there is the virtuosity of Mozart’s vocal writing, whether in recitatives, arias or ensembles. Mozart is as unique as he is universal in offering a masterclass in recitare, the art of ‘theatrical performance’.