THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

OPERA

One of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s most famous operatic works, also bearing the subtitle “A Mad Day,” returns to the Ruse stage. Lorenzo Da Ponte’s libretto for The Marriage of Figaro is based on Beaumarchais’s play of the same title. This opera preceded Mozart’s triumph with his next work, Don Giovanni.

After its premiere in Prague, The Marriage of Figaro became so popular among the citizens that its melodies could be heard in the streets, in gardens, in taverns, and in homes. These were the happiest hours of Mozart’s life. From Prague he wrote: “Today everyone is talking only about ‘Figaro.’ Everyone is playing, singing, and whistling melodies from ‘Figaro.’ No one goes to any other opera except ‘Figaro.’”

The Marriage of Figaro is in four acts and reveals the anxieties of Count Almaviva, who is in love with Susanna, the chambermaid of his wife, Countess Rosina. Driven by his passion, he intends to take advantage of his right to the first wedding night (“jus primae noctis”) and turn Susanna into his permanent mistress.

The story unfolds dynamically over the course of a single day. The audience witnesses a truly mad intertwining of plot lines, in which women and men are set against one another, yet all are subject to the irresistible laws of love. The plot is rich in both dramatic and comic situations. It is often said that The Marriage of Figaro contains everything from human life. And that is true, because the whole story can be understood as a metaphor for the different stages of love. The very young Cherubino and Barbarina burn in the fever of immature, passionate love; the love of Susanna and Figaro has blossomed at the most delightful point of its fulfillment; the love of the Count and the Countess bears the marks of time, which has extinguished its passion but given it depth; and in the pair of Marcellina and Dr. Bartolo we see the manifestations of mature love, which, as surprisingly revealed during the action, has already borne its fruit.

Conductor: Viliana Vylcheva Director: Plamen Beikov Chorus Master: Stelyana Dimitrova-Hernani

Cast and performers: Count Almaviva - Ventseslav Anastasov Rosina - Teodora Chukurska Figaro - Momchil Milanov Susanna - Daniela Karaivanova Cherubino - Petya Tsoneva Dr. Bartolo - Oleksandr Dmytriiev Marcellina - Andreana Nikolova Don Basilio - Aleksandar Baranov Don Curzio - Ivan Penchev Antonio - Stoyan Stoyandzhov Barbarina - Anna Chulkova

Chorus and Orchestra of the State Opera - Ruse