The Marriage of Figaro at Den Norske Opera & Ballett

The Marriage of Figaro has entertained audiences for well over 200 years. Mozart's melodic inventiveness is limitless, the comedy is excellent and the strong emotions in the opera are still painfully recognisable. From the energetic overture to the gripping finale, The Marriage of Figaro draws a broad picture of human desire: from Cherubino's naive enthusiasm via Count Almaviva's raw lust to the Countess's painful resignation and forgiveness.

Figaro is the same character as the one we meet in Rossini's The Barber of Seville (first performed 30 years after The Marriage of Figaro). Both are based on the plays by Pierre Beaumarchais. In Mozart's opera, the cunning barber has fallen in love with Susanna and wants to marry her. But like everything else in Figaro's life, the situation is fraught with complications. When Count Almaviva invokes his right to spend a last night with the young and beautiful bride, the bridegroom sees an opportunity to teach his master a lesson. The result is a bewildering assortment of complications, dangers, seductions and disguises.

Thaddeus Strassberger's production was a success with both audiences and critics when it premiered in January 2010, and again in 2013. The action and costumes are set against the backdrop of an 18th century Spanish estate, with bustling, fairytale sets.

Once again we present an extremely strong cast, including Nicole Heaston, who charmed audiences in Alcina in spring 2014. "When she sings, the energy swirls around her and is flung out again across the audience in waves of sensuality and sorrow," wrote the Morgenbladet critic at the time. As the heartsick Countess, she meets Audun Iversen in the role of the Count. We will also hear from Kari Ulfsnes Kleiven, Yngve Søberg and Ingeborg Gillebo.



Voice of the revolution

The Marriage of Figaro was composed just two years after the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789. The relationship between master and servant in the opera was political dynamite at the time. The 1784 Pierre Beaumarchais drama La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro, on which the opera is based, was initially banned in Vienna. Placing nobleman and servant on an equal footing – even suggesting that a servant might be better than his master – was interpreted as a sharp criticism of the aristocracy. Lorenzo da Ponte, who wrote the libretto, thus had to dampen the political overtones. For example, Figaro's lengthy monologue criticising the hereditary rights of the upper class became a story about unfaithful women. This tension between master and servant is made plain in Strassberger's production. The revolution and revolt are coming.