Le Nozze di Figaro, Mozart – Opera – Live

Actor and director Sven-Eric Bechtolf, who has been head of drama at the Salzburg Festival since 2012, stages one of Mozart's best-known operas, Le Nozze di Figaro. He offers a brave adaptation of the original piece. The Wiener Philharmoniker plays under the baton of the Israeli conductor Dan Ettinger, and on stage, the title-roles are very exciting: Luca Pisaroni (a Mozart specialist), Anett Fritsch, Martina Janková, Adam Plachetka and Ann Murray are all gathered on stage to give life to this incredible story. The opera is based on Beaumarchais's play La Folle Journée, ou Le Mariage de Figaro, which dates back to 1778. This opera buffa italiana is the first of three collaborations between Mozart and Lorenzo da Ponte, the two others being Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte.

Story

In the Count Almaviva's palace, near Seville, Susanna and Figaro, domestic servants, are preparing their wedding. But the Count, who is determined to enjoy his right as a lord to take the virginity of his servants, decides to seduce the bride-to-be. With the help of the Countess, who has been neglected by her husband for too long, Figaro and Susanna use their imagination to avoid Almaviva's plans and Marcellina, Bartolo and Basilio's traps. The story is punctuated by series of improbable and comical events. Masks fall one by one, revealing the true nature of the characters.

Photo: © Salzburger Festspiele / Ruth Walz.