The work: --------- Le Nozze di Figaro ossia la folle giornata (KV 492) Dramma giocoso in quattro atti (Burgtheater Vienna, 1-May-1786) (The Marriage of Figaro) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (*27-Jan-1756 Salzburg, +5-Dec-1791 Vienna) Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte (Emanuele Conegliano) (*10-Mar-1749 Ceneda, +17-Aug-1838 New York) based on the comedy "Le mariage de Figaro" (Paris, 1784) by Beaumarchais (Pierre Augustin Caron) (*24-Jan-1732 Paris, +19-May-1799 Paris) Transcribed from G. Ricordi & C. Editori, Milano 1985 by Michael Bednarek http://mcmbednarek.tripod.com/ Background: ----------- The score I used is much more than a piano excerpt; in fact, I'm convinced that some parts are unplayable: it really is a condensed orchestral score. I transcribed these pieces for the pleasure of seeing W.A. Mozart at work and, my own practical instrumental skills being limited, making the sounds come to live. I'm grateful to the author of MOZART, a notation program like no other in its very pleasing method of using the computer keyboard economically to enter a musical score. The piece: ---------- Sinfonia (Overture) It has been said often enough and is not original in any way: the overture to Figaro is not, as overtures often are, a pot-pourri or medley of the opera itself but an independent piece of music which sets the scene for two and a half hours of intrigue, irreverence, humour and humanity. I'd like to make some remarks here about the opera as a whole. The cast seems unbalanced in its fachs(?). The stereotypical opera has a tenor and soprano as its protagonists and low voices as antagonists. Not so in Figaro: the epo- nymous main character and his foil are basses, the main four females are so- pranos, there's no alto - not even in the choir, only a single short aria for mezzosoprano - the slightly underdeveloped character of Barbarina. Tenors feature only in minor roles (Basilio, Curzio). While the work's balance between arias, recitativos and ensemble pieces is remarkable, two characters have only one aria (Barbarina No.23, Basilio No.25), and of these Basilio's is in many performances omitted. On the other hand, there is a wonderful symmetry in the work's tonality: Overture and Finale are in D, and (thanks to http://www.artswire.org/~mrd/nozze/ta.html) the keys of the second, third and fourth finale are perfectly symmetrical: 2nd: Eb Bb G C F Bb Eb, 3rd: C a C, 4th: D G Eb Bb G D. And those finales are extraordinary: the 2nd is almost 1000 bars; the 4th with over 500 bars is not short either; and not only does the whole cast (except Barbarina) appear in it, they sing together: ten voices. And both Finales push the plot along considerably, and that distinguishes Mozart's operas from say, his contemporaries Cimarosa and Paisiello (who also wrote a Barber of Seville) or even Rossini. Also: Mozart was quite a stirrer: the play didn't get the censor's approval when Schikaneder tried to put it on stage in 1785, only one year before the opera's premiere. But through judicious cuts and slight alterations he succeeded and even Kaiser Joseph II attended its performance. But there is enough irony and covert criticism left to make it a remarkable work for its time. The first run in Vienna was an enormous success, with da capos for almost every number on opening night. It then faded until it was revived in Prague. Six German versions were produced while Mozart was still alive. (partly based on accompanying notes by Arthur Scherle, 1989, EMI CMS 7699282, Suitner) For a Vienna revival production in 1789, W.A. Mozart replaced both arias of Susanna with new compositions, better suited to the then singer of Susanna, Adriana Ferrarese del Bene. For No.12 "Venite inginocchiatevi" he wrote in August 1789 "Un moto di gioia" (K. 579), and for No.27 "Deh vieni" he wrote in July 1789 the concert aria "Al desio di chi t'adora" (K. 577). Cecilia Bartoli sang in some performances of the 1998 MET production, including the one that was telecast, those two alternative arias for Susanna; both substitutions seem to me wholly unjustified. No.12 is much more stage effective than Bartoli's version ("Un moto di gioia"), and her substitution for No.27 ("Al desio") robs the audience of one of the jewels in Figaro, No.27 "Deh vieni". It is, at this time of the performance, way too long, and is just one of those soprano show pieces -including coloratura and a short cadenza- that Mozart's dramaturgical sense sought to eliminate from the opera as a species. What's more, Bartoli's voice didn't even pull the bravura parts off: she is a lively actor and has an expressive voice, but she is no prima donna (in the positive sense). The director of that production at the MET, Jonathan Miller, seemed not happy with Bartoli's choice, either. I am grateful for notification of any mistakes I may have made, or just for a brief email from anyone who used this file. April 2003: As MOZART 7 introduced tremolo notation, I rewrote this piece, saving two pages in the process.