ROH_Figaro_WebReadyDocument

THE ROYAL OPERA
LE NOZZE
DI FIGARO
BY W.A. MOZART
MUSIC ALEVEL RESOURCE PACK
GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY THE MOHN WESTLAKE
FOUNDATION & PAUL HAMLYN EDUCATION FUND
1

4. INTRODUCTION
6. THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
10. THE MAKING OF AN OPERA
12. THE DIRECTOR’S ROLE
16. FIGARO’S ACT I ARIA
20. MUSIC AS A DRAMATIC CHARACTER
28. A DATE WITH CHERUBINO
32. THE CONDUCTOR’S PERSPECTIVE
36. WHY IS FIGARO SO POPULAR?
40. PERFORMANCE NOTES
2
Ildebrando D’Arcangelo as
Figaro © Bill Cooper
3

Introduction
Mozart
In his short life of 35 years, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote 22 operas
– penning his first at the tender age of 11. But it’s his trilogy of works
with librettos by Lorenzo da Ponte that continue to delight audiences
with their brilliantly absurd plots and sublime music in equal measure:
Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte and Le nozze di Figaro.
www.roh.org.uk/people/wolfgangamadeus-mozart
About The Royal Opera House
This resource features content and learning activities related to the
Royal Opera House’s production of Le nozze di Figaro. The process
of creating an opera is examined through the key roles of director and
conductor, and the music from Act I is explored through cast interviews
and listening, composition and performance learning activities. Students
have the opportunity to consider the confluent storytelling forces at
work in opera, and to reflect on the clever ways the opera serves as a
comment on human nature.
The Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden is home to two of
the world’s great artistic companies, The Royal Opera and The Royal
Ballet, performing with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. From
here live performances are given almost every night of the week with
12 productions each year relayed around the world through ROH Live
Cinema, and with a wide range of activity streamed and shared online
and through social channels.
The Royal Opera, under the artistic direction of Antonio Pappano,
Music Director, and Oliver Mears, Director of Opera, presents a
wide-ranging programme including new commissions such as George
Benjamin’s Written on Skin and Lessons in Love and Violence, Harrison
Birtwistle’s The Minotaur and Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Anna Nicole
and Coraline, as well as revivals and new productions of some of the
key works in the opera repertory.
The Royal Opera House also plays a leading role in the training of
apprentices and emerging professional artistic talent as well as offering
a national online learning and participation programme.
Kishani Jayasinghe As Barbarina
© Bill Cooper
4
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–91)
by Barbara Krafft (1764–1825), 1819
The Royal Opera House auditorium
© Rob Moore/ROH 1998
5

The
Marriage
of Figaro
The Story
Servants Figaro and Susanna plan to get married – but their master
Count Almaviva has designs on Susanna and is determined to stop the
Silhouettes of Francesco
Benucci and Anna Storace,
the first Figaro and Susanna
wedding taking place. Meanwhile the page boy Cherubino’s passion for
the ladies jeopardizes his job, and Countess Almaviva longs to regain
her husband’s love.
Figaro, Susanna and the Countess plot to shame the Count and save
Cherubino from banishment. But their plans don’t run smoothly,
particularly when the elderly Marcellina tries to force Figaro to marry
her. An astonishing revelation prevents this happening, but will the
Count still find a way to thwart the wedding? And can the Countess
win back her husband’s affection?
A glimpse of rehearsals for Le nozze di Figaro
www.youtube.com/watch?v=h00YBvXt4Vs
6
Barbara Frittoli As Countess Almaviva
© Bill Cooper
Le nozze di Figaro/David McVicar © ROH
7

Background
Meet the characters
Le nozze di 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. This play was banned in
Vienna due to its potentially seditious content, and da Ponte had to
excise much of its political content in order to get the opera accepted
for performance. 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.
The score of Le nozze di Figaro is packed full of wonderful arias
Figaro Cherubino Susanna
Count Almaviva’s valet,
Count Almaviva’s page boy
Countess Almaviva’s
engaged to Susanna
maid, engaged to Figaro
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. The opera also contains
remarkable ensembles, such as the closing scene of Act II, in which
Figaro’s plans unravel at breakneck speed. As so often with Mozart,
forgiveness is a key theme, and the Count’s Act IV plea to his wife,
Contessa, perdono, is one of opera’s most moving moments. Stage
director David McVicar sets The Royal Opera’s current production 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
Count Almaviva Countess Almaviva Marcellina
Lord of the Aguas
Rosina, formerly the
Dr Bartolo’s housekeeper
Frescas estate, near Seville
ward of Dr Bartolo
also maintaining Mozart and da Ponte’s humanity and wit.
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Le nozze di Figaro © Bill Cooper
Ildebrando D’Arcangelo As Figaro © Bill Cooper
Renata Pokupic as Cherubino © ROH/Mark Douet 2013
Lucy Crowe as Susanna © ROH/Mark Douet 2013
Christopher Maltman as Count Almaviva © ROH/Mark Douet 2013
Maria Bengtsson as Countess Almaviva © ROH/Mark Douet 2013
Ann Murray as Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, The Royal Opera © 2015 ROH. Photograph by Mark Douet
9

The
Making of
an Opera
Meet the team
Director,
Designer and
Creative Team
Props Staff
Hundreds of people are involved in the process of making an opera.
What kinds of roles are involved? Who takes part in running an opera
rehearsal room?
Music Staff
Conductor, Assistant
Conductor, Pianist, Language
Coach, Music librarians
Orchestra
The rehearsal process for an opera production is long and complex.
In the early rehearsals with the director, performers read through the
language of the text as if it were a play. These reading rehearsals involve
the cast, the director and creative team, the language coach and often
the conductor. The musical elements begin to take shape in the initial
music rehearsal or sitzprobe, a ‘sitting rehearsal’ run by the conductor
and featuring the musicians – the soloists, chorus and orchestra. There
are a number of different rehearsals that occur before and after the ‘sitz’.
Singers work individually and in ensembles with members of the music
department – the conductor, assistant conductor, pianist and language
coach, as well as with other music staff who run rehearsals, coach and
help with the preparation of instrumental parts.
Stage Crew
Management
Set and
Costume Makers
Builders, Craftspeople,
Scenic Artists, Costume
Makers, Makeup, Wigs, etc.
Cast
Soloists and Chorus
Technical
Team
The production gradually becomes more focused on staging, with
staged piano, staged orchestral and dress rehearsals. After the final dress
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rehearsal, the production becomes ‘frozen’ – that is, what was done in the
final dress rehearsal is performed in the same way on the opening night.
Helene Scheiderman as Marcellina © ROH/Mark Douet 2013
David McVicar © KK Dundas/RCS 2012
Transferring markings in the music library © ROH
© Sim Canetty-Clarke/ROH 2012
© Sim Canetty-Clarke/ROH 2012
© Sim Canetty-Clarke/ROH 2012
© Sim Canetty-Clarke/ROH 2012
Le nozze di Figaro © ROH/Mark Douet 2013
© Sim Canetty-Clarke/ROH 2012
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The
Director’s
Role
Find out how a director works by reading this
transcript of a discussion with stage director
Thomas Guthrie, who revives the ROH
production of The Marriage of Figaro in 2019
An opera is delivered by a creative team – this includes the director,
set designer who creates the set and costumes, lighting designer,
choreographer and the conductor. The director plays a key role in the
production of an opera. It is the director who works with the creative
team – performers, production designer, conductor, choreographers
and lighting designers – using all the means at their disposal to be a
storyteller and engage and entertain their audience.
A director works extensively with lead performers to help them inhabit
their roles on stage – to really ‘be’ their character without having
to think or worry too much. The director might ask the performers
detailed questions about their character, both about their backstory
(‘where was I born?’, ‘what did I want to do with my life?’) as well as
more immediate questions (‘what am I wearing today?’, ‘how long have
I got in this scene?’). These nuances are important in understanding and
projecting the depth of the character. For example, the name ‘Figaro’
is a rather unusual one; from where does it originate? The theory is
that the name comes from ‘fils Caron’, which literally means ‘son of
Caron’, and which, when said quickly, does sound a bit like ‘Figaro’.
Beaumarchais, the original play’s author, was indeed the son of one
André-Charles Caron, which implies that the character Figaro is in
fact a version of Beaumarchais himself, and as such, being a member
of the working class, was suspicious of authority. This gives more of a
backstory, and injects more meaning into the role of Figaro, enabling the
Mariusz Kwiecienńin Le nozze di Figaro
© Clive Barda/ROH 2011
performer to inhabit him more fully.
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Backstage © Sim Canetty-Clarke/ROH 2012
Thomas Guthrie © Theresa Pewal
13

Activity 1: Reflection Questions
How does the director bring the opera to life?
What types of decisions do they have to make?
How might the director work with the music? The music often serves to
further the storytelling – how might they work to support this dramatically?
What types of personal skills might a director have to have?
Le nozze di Figaro/David
McVicar © ROH
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Production Image - Le nozze di
Figaro at The Royal Opera House
2015. Photo by Mark Douet
15

Figaro’s
Act 1
Aria
‘Now just how does a plot
get furthered by music? Well
there are a number of ways;
there’s ballet, underscoring,
choral devices and so on, but
certainly the most common
technique for telling your
story musically is the device
known as recitative...’
Leonard Bernstein, Conductor
In The Marriage of Figaro, characters sing both recitatives and arias.
In a recitative, passages of dialogue are performed in a semi-sung,
semi-spoken way using the rhythms and features of ordinary speech.
While represented on the page in traditional musical notation,
performers are free to interpret phrases at will, assisted by skeletal
chordal accompaniment from a keyboard instrument. Recitatives
are often where the action happens – quarrels occur, stories are told,
characters confess secrets – and so their purposes are varied; to further
the storyline, to present conversations between characters or even to
enable a harmonic transition to a new key.
The action and forward momentum generated by recitatives contrast
with the more reflective and lyrical arias with which they are typically
alternated. In these formalised songs, solo characters reflect on their
situation, emotions and motives, often with much repetition of text
and phrasing. Arias give singers the chance to demonstrate the extent
of their vocal capabilities, and are accompanied by the full orchestra.
The nature of operatic story-telling means that characters sing both
recitatives and arias, often in a seamlessly flowing musical progression.
The audience can connect with characters at a more literal, dialoguelevel
while empathising with their emotional situation at significant
points in the storyline.
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Erwin Schrott in Le nozze di Figaro
© 2015 ROH. Photograph by Mark Douet
17

Activity 1: Reactive Interpretation
(Bravo, signor padrone)
On your score, follow Figaro’s recitative
(Scene II, Figaro solo, immediately prior to No. 3 Cavatina).
Notice and mark in the details of Simon’s interpretation of the text
in terms of:
- Rhythmic flexibility
- Accented vocal syllables
- Vocal tone and colour variance
- Any other interesting features
How do these interpretative decisions reflect the character and
moods of Figaro?
Activity 2: Harmonic analysis
(Bravo, signor padrone)
Baritone Simon Shibambu discusses his interpretation of the role of Figaro
www.youtube.com/embed/JnrtskoZ2fo
Analyse the chords and harmonic changes which accompany Figaro’s
brief recitative. Depending on your score, you many need to interpret the
chords by ‘filling in the gaps’ using Figaro’s melody and your aural skills.
How has Mozart used specific chordal changes to convey the meaning
and emotions of the text? To what extent are these affected by
individual singers’ interpretations?
Activity 3: Character Portrayals
Watch the YouTube examples of staged performances of the recitative
Bravo, signor padrone listed later in this resource, and compare with
Simon’s performance in the video. Discuss your observations of different
character portrayals - are they both the same type of Figaro or are there
two different interpretations of his character?
Give reasons to support your answer.
No. 3 Cavatina (Figaro - Se vuol ballare)
Conductor James Hendry discusses Figaro’s aria
www.youtube.com/embed/qJluDkjg9-4
Annotate your score with the points James makes, referring to:
- The horn calls
- The use of pizzicato strings
- The scalic melodic contour embellished in contrasting sections
Activity 4: Analysis and Composition
Explore Mozart’s use of melody, harmony and instrumentation in the
two contrasting themes of Se vuol ballare. Mark your observations on
the score.
Experiment with composing your own two-part Cavatina (‘little song’)
which uses a particular melodic idea linking both sections. You might,
like Mozart, chose to use a scale or experiment with arpeggios, melodic
motifs or intervals. Flesh out your ideas by exploring instrumentation
and textures within a Classical style.
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19

Music as
a Dramatic
Character
‘Opera is the embodiment of
an essential human instinct:
telling stories through music…
Since the principal language
of opera is music, and music
is essentially an abstract
language, it cannot be a
tool for explicit political or
even emotional ideas, but it
does express emotional and
imaginative truths that lie
behind material realities.’
David Poutney, Opera Director
Opera is considered to be the most thrilling of art forms, with its
immersive combination of music, drama, storytelling, dance and design.
At its best, opera is wonderfully powerful and emotionally direct,
offering the audience reflections on what it means, individually and
collectively, to be human.
Music plays an integral role in opera. From the very first moment of
a live performance, it is music that connects us with the characters
and setting, music that moves us, that drives the story forward and
supports our emotional journey as the plot unfolds. In opera, it is the
music that provides the seamless transitions between scenes, between
conversational and reflective moments, and between recitative passages
and arias.
The expressive potential of text set to music is significant. Composers
have a huge degree of control over the emotional flow of the storyline,
and make careful musical decisions in order to move beneath the surface
of what is being expressed lyrically, so deeper emotional terrain is
explored. As the audience follows characters on their various journeys,
the music provides moments of pause, allowing for an exploration of
challenging human emotions – love, despair, jealousy, fear, hope.
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Carlo Lepore as Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro
© Bill Cooper/ROH 2012
Anita Hartig in Le nozze di Figaro
© 2015 ROH. Photograph by Mark Douet
21

The Overture
Activity 3: Composition
James discussing the overture
www.youtube.com/embed/n0lMBlStq-4
Imagine the type of busy household you might set an opera in.
Using Mozart’s overture as inspiration, compose your own opening
which could suggest it musically. You might like to include characters/
themes such as:
Activity 1: Overture Comparison
Listen to the very opening of some of Mozart’s other opera overtures
and compare them with the opening of The Marriage of Figaro.
For example, you might listen to:
- Don Giovanni
- Così fan tutte
- The Magic Flute
- La Clemenza di Tito
- Servants – maids, butlers, cooks, gardeners…
- Lords, ladies and other members of the ruling class
- Children running around - upper or lower class
- Animals
- Guests – visitors, members of the clergy
How can you use musical elements to explore the intertwining lives
of these people?
How are the various musical elements utilised for particular dramatic effect?
Activity 2: Analysis and Interpretation
In James’ interpretation, the opening of the overture could represent the
different social groups in the household – the hustle and bustle of the
busy servants, the more noble, regal airs of the ruling class…
On your score, examine the opening to Mozart’s overture and note the
specific musical features which could reflect these elements. Are there
other interpretations you could draw from the music alone? What might
Mozart’s intentions have been? Be creative!

No. 1 Duettino - Figaro and Susanna
Recitative
(Cinque... dieci... venti)
James dicussing the duet
James discussing recitative
www.youtube.com/embed/ykWDxVzQ75Y
www.youtube.com/embed/9y9APxtVmOA
Annotate your score with the points James refers to.
Are there any other nuances you notice in this musical conversation?
Activity 1: Production Comparison
Although the music and text remain the same, different productions of
The Marriage of Figaro vary in their portrayal of the characterisation
and interactions between Figaro and Susanna. Explore the ways different
directors have depicted the opening dynamic between the two characters.
Here are some YouTube examples, although there are many more:
Alison Hagley as Susanna and Gerald Finley as Figaro (Glyndebourne, 1994)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY9gSwBWj6E
Activity 2: Comparison
As James suggests in the video, compare different performances of a
recitative in terms of accompaniment style. Some questions to consider:
Which instruments are used? Is it a solo keyboard instrument or are
there others also? What roles do they play?
How ornate and busy is the accompaniment? Or does it tend to be
simpler and sparser? Is there a combination of both?
Specifically, what kinds of ornaments and embellishments do you hear?
You might like to compare different accompaniments of the brief
recitative you studied in the last chapter, which appears immediately
before Figaro’s Se vuol ballare. It begins with Bravo, signor padrone!
Some clips that could be used for comparison are:
Marlis Petersen as Susanna and Ildar Abdrazakov as Figaro (Metropolitan Opera, 2014)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPkQP2gwyzM
Bryn Terfel as Figaro from 1:40
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1i0GGnMPaI&feature=youtu.be
Rosemary Joshua as Susanna and Luca Pisaroni as Figaro (Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, 2004)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spt_3Q_gPAs
Ildebrando D’Arcangelo as Figaro from 12:57
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OYtlGpApc0&t=456s
Alison Hagley as Susanna and Bryn Terfel as Figaro (Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, 1993)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew571WMgrdg
Ferruccio Furlanetto as Figaro
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxhjLZnAZj8

Activity 3: Recitative Performance
Experiment with performing Figaro’s brief recitative Bravo, signor
padrone. Suggested steps include:
Listen to performances a number of times while following your score.
You might like to use the text and translation below.
Mark in the expressive nuances you notice (accents, pauses, dynamic
changes, vocal tone changes). What different emotions might Figaro be
experiencing?
Experiment with speaking the text in style – in Italian or English – while
the keyboard accompaniment is played. Focus on storytelling – how
expressive can you be with your use of language, timing and musicality?
Experiment with singing part or all of the text at pitch with keyboard
accompaniment. You might like to choose a couple of phrases and
explore different ways of performing them.
Josephine Veasey and Graziella Sciutti in
the Covent Garden Opera Company 1965
revival of Le nozze di Figaro (1963)
27

A Date
with
Cherubino
‘Cherubino is a page-boy…
more of a teenager and he
helps around the house, he
attends to duties now and
again but the most important
thing to say about Cherubino
is that he’s desperately in
love with the Countess.’
Angela Simkin, Mezzo-Soprano
Cherubino is a charming nuisance. He is the Count’s page boy and,
as a pubescent teenager, is coming to terms with his hormones – he
has crushes on most of the women in the palace, particularly on the
Countess. Cherubino is a trouser role, meaning that his part is sung
and acted by a female mezzo-soprano. Trouser roles are sometimes
Hear Angela discussing the role of Cherubino
www.youtube.com/embed/JJiv5cQvn5c
used in opera when portraying adolescents and very young men,
and historically were of particular fascination to the audience, who
marvelled at women showing their legs in breeches (tight-fitting knee
length trousers).
The character of Cherubino is a particularly energetic, awkward and
endearing character in the story and his presence is frequently the
subject of chaos. As such, a comic character like his contributes to the
twists and turns of the plot significantly.
28
Barbara Frittoli as Countess Almaviva and
Anna Bonitatibus as Cherubino © Bill Cooper
29

Activity 1: Characterisation
How might you introduce a trouser role like Cherubino?
How could you use music to portray aspects of his personality?
Comment under the musical elements’ headings.
- Melody
- Harmony
- Tonality
- Structure
- Sonority (timbre)
- Texture
- Tempo, metre and rhythm
- Dynamics and articulation
You might like to experiment by composing the beginning of your own
piece which introduces Cherubino using your ideas from above.
How many features of Mozart’s style can you incorporate within
your own composition?
No. 6 Cherubino’s Aria - Non so più
Activity 2: Performance anaylsis
Play and/or sing the last nine bars of the aria, focusing especially on
Mozart’s crunchy harmonies. Determine which chords and inversions
are used. Perhaps experiment with using different inversions – how do
they affect the expressiveness of the chord progression?
Activity 3: Comparison essay question
In Cherubino’s first aria Non so più he is energetic, passionate and
tormented. Later in the opera, he is cajoled into singing his song for the
Countess (Voi che sapete) and is timid, embarrassed and slightly flirtatious.
How does Mozart portray these emotional states in terms of musical
elements? Discuss with reference to both arias.
Cherubino’s other aria Voi che sapete
www.roh.org.uk/news/accessible-arias-voi-che-sapete
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Renata Pokupic as Cherubino
© ROH/Mark Douet 2013
31

The
Conductor’s
Perspective
‘A champagne-like evening
full of froth and vigour but
it’s also got the great depth
to really touch the soul.’
Ivor Bolton, Conductor
In shaping the musical elements of an operatic production, no one has
a more influential role than the conductor. After all, it can be said the
story of an opera is invariably expressed more fully in the music than in
the words.
The practicalities during performance mean that the conductor has a
highly directive role by necessity – after all, the orchestra in the pit is
sometimes unable to hear the singers on stage and vice versa. However,
it is during the production process that key musical decisions are made,
interpretations are developed, and where relevant decisions regarding
alternative versions are made. The conductor needs to learn the score
inside-out and develop a concept of what the composer intended. They
Ivor Bolton talks about the power of the music in opera
www.roh.org.uk/news/watch-members-of-thecast-and-creative-teams-on-le-nozze-di-figaro
also need to consider the score as a narrative device for the story being
told, and then communicate their interpretation, inspiring the musicians
while giving them space to perform at their best.
The conductor is responsible for a number of different types of
rehearsals prior to performance. As well as the sitzprobe, or first
music rehearsal featuring the cast and orchestra, conductors run music
rehearsals, in which the sole concern is the singing and music.
They might also coach the soloists in smaller settings.
The assistant conductor is also involved in the production process,
attending and running rehearsals and filling in for the conductor in
32
Christopher Maltman as Count Almaviva
some performances.
33
© ROH/Mark Douet 2013

‘Almost everything is stepwise
motion. Slithering and
chromatic, it conjures up
a world of intrigue. This
overture is exceptional in
its capacity to conjure up
the sense of the drama to
follow, in its precision, its
atmosphere, its brilliance
and virtuosity.’
Ivor Bolton, Conductor
‘What makes this opera so
unique is that we have a series
of what are seemingly stock
characters, but in the hands
of Mozart and da Ponte, the
music and the drama are
intertwined in such a way that
the characters become deeper,
broader and far more human.’
Leah Hausman, Revival Director
34
Guy de Mey as Don Basilio in Le
nozze di Figaro, The Royal Opera
© ROH/Mark Douet 2014
35

Why is
Figaro so
Popular?
‘To see humanity socially, for
Mozart, is to see it comically,
completely shorn of heroic
stature. But it is also to see
it how it is, and not as it
somehow ought to be.’
Gregory Dart, Musicologist
For Gregory Dart, Le nozze di Figaro, his favourite opera, holds special
meaning. The magic of the opera lies in Mozart’s extraordinary ability
to explore the serious through the comic, the profound through the
farcical, as society becomes the lens through which these are examined.
As the opera progresses, the apparently chaotic farce cleverly becomes
profound and moving, as moments of touching emotive truth are
underpinned by exquisite music. And, as Dart explains, it is the music
which drives the audience towards these discoveries, with frequently
contradictory expression between text and music hinting at deeper,
and often more real, moments of character expression. While the text
presents characters as selfish and narrow, the music shows the reserves
of generosity and honour that lie beneath the surface. The story is lifted
out of the bedroom and becomes unexpectedly poignant and telling.
Musicologist Gregory Dart provides
insight in his article Beauty and Truth,
written for the programme book
Alexandra Kurzak as Susanna in Le nozze
de Figaro © Bill Cooper/ROH 2012
© Vibeche Dart
For Dart, it is the ensemble numbers that hold the key to the opera,
as the chaos of Act II begins to reveal the interconnectedness between
the individual and society. This is apparent as the opera explores with
poignancy and tenderness, not just Figaro and Susanna’s marriage,
but also the jealous, suspicious and restless marriage of the Count
and Countess. Cherubino’s presence is also a source of meaning –
simultaneously an annoyance, a challenge and a hope.
Samuel Ramey, Marie McLaughlin and Diana
36
Montague in The Royal Opera 1982 revival
Le nozze di Figaro (1970)
37

Activity 1: Reflection Questions
Do any elements of this interpretation resonate with you? How so?
Are there any inferences and opinions you disagree with?
Can you find any specific moments in the opera which to you hint at
contradictory textual and musical meanings? What is the effect of these
contradictions?
Which character do you relate to most in the opera? Are there moments
when they are presented as a comment on the human condition?
38
Alexandra Kurzak as Susanna in
Le nozze de Figaro © Bill Cooper/ROH 2012
39

Performance
Notes
A history of the performance of Mozart’s
Le nozze di Figaro at the ROH
Ildebrando D’Arcangelo as Figaro
© Bill Cooper
Christopher Maltman as Count Almaviva
© ROH/Mark Douet 2013
The first English performance of Le nozze di Figaro was at the King’s
Theatre in London in 1812, sung in Italian. It was first performed at
Covent Garden (in English) in 1819. Mozart’s music was rearranged and
additional items were composed by Henry Bishop. Performed regularly
at Covent Garden in the 19th and 20th centuries, it was first performed
by The Covent Garden Opera Company (what is now The Royal
Opera) in 1949. Since then, there have been a number of productions
and subsequent revivals with internationally renowned artists.
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41

Activity 1: Research
How did Mozart’s audience and context shape Le nozze di Figaro?
Research the following points:
Audience: What type of audience was Mozart writing for? What might
his purpose have been – to entertain, educate, make money, create
great art…? Where were operas performed in Mozart’s time and how
were they typically received? What might the audience’s response to
Le nozze di Figaro have been?
Time: What were some social/political issues at the time of Mozart’s
writing? How might they have had an impact on the opera’s creation
and performance?
Place: Where was the opera created? What influence might the
place have had on the creation, development and performance of
Mozart’s opera?
Activity 2: Class Discussion
Consider the different production photos.
What changes in interpretation, character and setting do you notice?
What factors might have influenced these changes?
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© Sim Canetty-Clarke/ROH 2012
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SCHOOLS’ RESOURCE PACK
FOR A LEVEL STUDENTS
© ROH, SEPTEMBER 2018
GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY
THE MOHN WESTLAKE FOUNDATION
& PAUL HAMLYN EDUCATION FUND
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