Judging by its title, one would think the key protagonist in Mozart’s opera is Figaro, but for all his machinations, it’s really the women, the Countess Almaviva and her maid, Susanna, that drive the narrative and deliver the emotional punch of The Marriage of Figaro.
Mozart and his librettist Da Ponte saw potential in adapting Beaumarchais’ controversial and banned 1784 French play, but to ensure any opera could be performed without censorship, Da Ponte had to carefully revise and tone down the more revolutionary elements of the script, without losing the social tension, comic elements and sharp satirical edge. This resulted in an opera more focussed on the characters’ personal issues, emotions and conflicts. As well as poking fun at aristocratic privilege and behaviour, the opera also mocks the power dynamics between servant and master and especially between men and women. Susanna and the Countess, though women stifled in a patriarchal society, are portrayed as intelligent and assertive, actively working together to subvert the Count. By endorsing a more egalitarian relationship between men and women, The Marriage of Figarowas groundbreaking and progressive.
The opera exemplifies not only the genius of Mozart as a composer, but also as a dramatist, deftly merging humour, pathos and intricate human emotions through music. The score is the perfect blend of music and drama. His ability to express character and emotion through music at this level was brilliant and unprecedented. Mozart uses contrasting musical forms to delineate the different social classes and genders, with aristocratic characters often given more elegant, formal music, and the servants matched by simpler and brighter melodies. An example is the beautiful duet Canzonetta sull’aria between the Countess and Susanna which creates a delicate interplay and moment of intimacy and subtle tension. The music suggests a real bond between the women.
Susanna, Figaro’s fiancée and target of the Count’s inappropriate attention, is perhaps the most musically versatile character in the opera. Her music is full of lightness, elegance and intelligence, reflecting her central role in the narrative and the subtlety and grace of her emotions.
The Countess, a character marked by dignity and emotional depth, is given some of the opera’s most beautiful and poignant music. Her arias, Porgi, amor and Dove sono are imbued with a sense of sadness, loss and longing as she deals with her husband’s infidelity. Yet, through her music we also see her strength and resilience, particularly in the opera’s final scene, when she is determined to forgive the Count.
The ensemble music in the opera is astonishing, intricately weaving together multiple voices, yet allowing each character to express their thoughts and feelings. The Act II finale is a masterclass in operatic structure, as confusion builds, emotions rise, plots thicken, and multiple characters interact in a cascade of sublime music and dramatic tension.
The women in The Marriage of Figaro are so much wiser, shrewder and more civilised than the men. When Susanna sings: Aprite un po’ quegli occhi, uomini incauti e sciocchi! (Open those eyes a little, you careless, foolish men!) she is playfully mocking the men in her life. Susanna is spirited and assertive, while the Countess is often more melancholic and reflective, conveying deeper emotional struggles. Together, they show two dramatic and musical sides: Susanna’s resilience and wit, and the Countess’s grace and yearning. Essentially, the women are the heart and soul of the opera.
WNO’s much-loved production of Mozart’s masterpiece The Marriage of Figaro is touring from 6 February in Cardiff and to Swansea, Southampton, Birmingham, Milton Keynes and Plymouth from 27 February to 6 June.
