Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro

Opéra-bouffe en four acts with Lorenzo da Ponte's libretto, inspired by Les Noces de Figaro by Beaumarchais, created in Vienna in 1786.

It was Mozart who suggested to Da Ponte that he should adapt Beaumarchais's 1784 Paris production of The Marriage of Figaro, which Emperor Joseph II had banned in Vienna. By removing the political texts from the libretto, the original scintillating comedy, translated into Italian, could be performed without any censorship problems (even if everyone knew the context well...) In 1786, the Nozze di Figaro was created: the love imbroglio set in Seville, where the Countess and Susanna play cat-and-mouse with the gentlemen, mostly to avoid the Count's designs on his servants.... Figaro sets out to bring all this to a head in order to confound his Master while preserving the Countess's affair with Cherubino.  Here is an infernal machine launched at full speed, allowing Mozart to create arias of great beauty, a Figaro of exceptional determination, and reversals of situation which are the focus of great brilliant ensemble numbers at the end of each act. Jubilant!

If director James Gray became a Hollywood star with epic, high-profile films (The Immigrant, The Lost City of Z, Ad Astra - with Brad Pitt as his recurring hero), he chose the Nozze di Figaro as his first opera production, and positioned himself miles from his film aesthetic: here are extraordinarily rich 'period' sets and costumes, taking us into a universe that places Seville in the sumptuous era of Beaumarchais and Marie-Antoinette! The Royal Opera Orchestra is conducted by the young and energetic Gaétan Jarry, with a sumptuous cast: diva Nafornita as the Countess and piquant Florie Valiquette as Susanna join forces with Robert Gleadow's atomic Figaro to make this evening a wild one!

Coproduction Opéra Royal / Château de Versailles Spectacles, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Los Angeles Opera, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Opéra National de Lorraine, Opéra de Lausanne

This new production of Mozart's Noces de Figaro is made possible thanks to the exceptional support of Madame Aline Foriel-Destezet.

Saturday November 27th share "15 minutes with" Gaétan Jarry at 18h30 at the Royal Foyer. Upon presentation of your ticket for that evening and within the limits of available seats.