The Marriage of Figaro

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The good-natured Figaro, a servant to Count Almaviva, and his playful bride-to-be Susanna, herself a servant to the Countess, eagerly anticipate their upcoming marriage. However, Susanna is uneasy because the Count is pursuing her, intending to invoke the old feudal droight de seigneur by sleeping with a servant’s new wife. Aiding the Count in his extramarital scheme are Bartolo, Marcellina, and Basilio, who are motivated to prevent Figaro and Susanna’s union by revenge, jealousy, and a simple love of meddling, respectively. Figaro and Susanna hatch a plan to trap the Count.

Meanwhile, the Countess Rosina, who despairs over her husband’s philandering, is not without her own admirers. The young page Cherubino, is enamored with the Countess (and, frankly, with all women he encounters) and is also aware of the Count’s pursuit of Susanna. To solve his Cherubino problem, the Count intends to send him to the military. Susanna and the Countess involve Cherubino in their scheme to thwart the Count’s plans. The Count’s double standard is apparent when he nearly catches Cherubino in the Countess’s room, explodes with jealousy, and is forced into an abashed and unwilling apology – an encounter that reveals the deep hurt in their marriage. To complicate matters, Bartolo, Marcellina, and Basilio, with the Count’s obvious support, throw an administrative wrench into Figaro and Susanna’s nuptials.

Susanna and the Countess modify the original plan to expose the Count: Susanna will feign interest in him, then the two women will switch places that evening for a scheduled rendezvous – thus, the Countess can expose her cheating husband directly. In the dark gardens, even Figaro and Susanna’s relationship seems momentarily threatened by mistrust, but ultimately their deep love, and the sweet and noble forgiveness offered to the Count by the Countess, affirm that now, all will be well.

The crown jewel of Mozart’s comic operas, Le nozze di Figaro is his first of three highly successful collaborations with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. The original Beaumarchais source material was initially banned in many royal courts due to its depictions of servants outwitting their masters.

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