Name: The Marriage of Figaro
Start: 2020-03-14T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2020-04-18T00:00:00.000Z
Location: London Coliseum

Organization

Set designer

Johannes Schütz

Costume designer

Astria Klein

Lighting designer

Bernd Velder

Choreographer

Jenny Ogilvie

Stage director

Joe Hill-Gibbins

Conductor

Kevin John Edusei

James Henshaw

Bass

Božidar Smiljanić

Figaro

Soprano

Louise Alder

Susanna

Baritone

Johnathan McCullough

The Count of Almaviva

Sophie Bevan

The Countess of Almaviva

Mezzo-soprano

Hanna Hipp

Cherubino

Andrew Shore

Bartolo

Rowan Pierce

Barbarina

Tenor

Colin Judson

Basilio

Susan Bickley

Marcelline

Don Curzio

Clive Bayley

Yvonne Howard

Elizabeth Watts

Nardus Williams

English National Opera

English

The Marriage of Figaro

London

United Kingdom

London Coliseum

Le nozze di Figaro Mozart

Public

Approved

Mozart’s comedy opera, also known as Le nozze di Figaro, is a whirlwind of mistaken identities and twists and turns, taking place on a single crazy day – the...

Here’s everything you need to know about ENO’s latest staging of The Marriage of Figaro.

It’s an opera by Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart…
Composed just five-and-a-half years before his untimely death, The Marriage of Figaro (in Italian Le Nozze di Figaro) premiered at the height of Mozart’s 35-year career. Mozart based the opera on the highly controversial play, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro by Pierre Beaumarchais, which had been allowed its first public appearance only two years earlier. For this opera, Mozart enlisted the help of librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. He also worked with Da Ponte on other well-known operas, Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutte.

The opera itself shares characters with its prequel, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (written 30 years later). Surprisingly, at the time of its Viennese premiere in 1786, The Marriage of Figaro, was only moderately successful. Although, by the third performance the encores had almost doubled its performance time.

The somewhat complex story follows the schemes of Figaro and his master, the Count, on Figaro’s wedding day. A tale of love and deception, Figaro and his wife Susanna plot against the count and his adultering ways, so that everyone can live happily ever after!

You’ve probably heard it before…
As with any opera by Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro is bursting with recognisable music. You’re probably familiar with Cherbuino’s Aria ‘Tell me what love is’ (‘voi che sapete) and the incredibly catchy ‘Here’s an end to your life as a rover’ as sung by Figaro.

Nevertheless, the most famous piece of music from the opera is the Overture. Don’t recognise it by name? You’ll recognise it from this scene in The King’s Speech as Bertie recites Hamlet’s ‘to be or not to be’ without a single stutter. Or perhaps you remember Willy Wonka opening the doors to the chocolate factory by playing a short snippet from the Overture on his mini keyboard?

The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart, Sat 14 Mar 2020, From (2020/2020), Directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins,, Conductor Kevin John Edusei, James Henshaw, London Coliseum, London, United Kingdom

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Programme, About & Synopsis

Reviews

Videos

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Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues