Le nozze di Figaro, 2005 Photo: J. Reeder

Le nozze di Figaro

By W.A. Mozart

Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on the comedy by Beaumarchais

Time: 18th century
Place: Near Seville

Act I

As Count Almaviva’s servants Figaro and Susanna prepare for their wedding, Figaro finds their new quarters, between the Count and Countess’ rooms, convenient.  Susanna fears they might be too convenient, allowing the Count to continue making advances toward her.  Figaro vows to foil the Count’s plans. 

Dr. Bartolo plots against Figaro for having helped the Count win the hand of his former ward and fiancée, Rosina, now the Countess.  He is abetted by his housekeeper Marcellina, who hopes to force Figaro to marry her in acquittal of a loan he cannot repay.  Susanna returns and trades insults with Marcellina, who finally storms out.

The adolescent page Cherubino confides his infatuation with the Countess to Susanna.  When he hears the Count approaching, he hides.  The Count begins to flirt with Susanna, but when Don Basilio, the Countess’ music master, arrives, the Count also hides.  When the Count hears Basilio gossiping about Cherubino’s passion for the Countess, he angrily springs up.  After Cherubino is discovered hiding, Figaro leads the peasants in a song praising the Count for relinquishing his feudal rights over his female servants.  The Count decides to postpone Figaro’s wedding and assign Cherubino to a distant military post.  Figaro and Susanna warn Cherubino of the travails of a soldier’s life.

Act II

The Countess laments the sorry state of her once-happy marriage.  Figaro helps the Countess and Susanna hatch a plan to catch the Count philandering.  They will have him discover an anonymous note arranging a rendezvous between the Countess and a mysterious lover.  They plan to send Susanna, dressed as the Countess, to the rendezvous spot, and Cherubino, dressed as Susanna, to meet the Count when he summons her for a tryst.  This, they hope, will embarrass the Count into mending his ways.

Susanna and the Countess fit him for his feminine disguise.  Suddenly the Count knocks at the door and demands entry, so Cherubino hides in the closet.  The jealous Count, hearing a commotion in the closet, demands that the Countess open the closet door, but she refuses, claiming that Susanna is in there dressing. When he leaves to fetch a tool to open the closet door, Susanna takes Cherubino’s place in the closet and Cherubino escapes.  The Count returns and opens the closet door, but finding Susanna there, apologizes to the Countess for his suspiciousness.

When Figaro arrives to take Susanna to their wedding, the Count confronts him with the anonymous letter, but Figaro denies any knowledge of it.  Antonio, the drunken gardener, enters to complain that someone has just jumped from the Countess’
window and ruined his geraniums.  Figaro insists that it was he who jumped.  Antonio counters that Figaro will then want the papers he dropped while jumping.  Prompted by Susanna and the Countess, Figaro identifies these papers as Cherubino’s military commission, which was in Figaro’s possession in order to get the Count’s seal imprinted upon it.  Just as the Count fears he is losing the battle, Marcellina, Bartolo, and Basilio arrive demanding that Figaro fulfill his marriage contract with Marcellina.

Act III

The Count is delighted that Susanna has promised to rendezvous with him in the garden, but, after overhearing her whispering to Figaro about it, he suspects it might be a trap.  Figaro is confronted by Marcellina, Bartolo, the magistrate Don Curzio, and the Count, who insist he must either pay his debt or marry Marcellina.  Figaro declares that since he is of noble birth, he must gain the consent of his parents before marrying, even though he doesn’t know who his parents are.  When Figaro describes the circumstances of his birth, it becomes evident that he is the long-lost son of Marcellina and Bartolo.  Figaro and, ultimately, Susanna, are as relieved as the Count is vexed.

Susanna and the Countess write a note inviting the Count to meet Susanna in the garden, and Susanna seals the note with a pin.  A group of peasant girls arrives to present flowers to the Countess, with Cherubino, dressed as a girl, hiding among them.  He is discovered by Antonio and the Count.  During the ensuing wedding festivities, Susanna passes her note to the Count, who pricks his finger on the pin which seals it.  Figaro is secretly amused at the Count’s injury and laughs about his master’s infidelities.

Act IV

That same night, Barbarina, Antonio’s niece, searches in vain for the pin the Count has asked her to return to Susanna to confirm their tryst.  When Figaro learns what Barbarina is up to, he voices his outrage at being betrayed on his wedding night.  Figaro hides in the garden to spy on Susanna.  When Susanna privately rhapsodizes about the joys of love, Figaro does not realize she is thinking of him rather than the Count.  Cherubino enters and sees the Countess, disguised as Susanna.  The Count arrives just in time to see Cherubino try to kiss “Susanna”.  After Cherubino flees, Figaro chases off the Count and a disguised Susanna.  Recognizing Susanna’s voice despite her disguise, Figaro pretends to court the “Countess.”  Figaro finally admits he recognizes Susanna, and the two make peace.  Figaro then pretends to woo the “Countess” in order to provoke the Count.  Witnessing this, the Count summons his entire court to witness his betrayal.  He is deaf to pleas for mercy until the real Countess appears, revealing her identity and the Count’s mistake.  The Count begs forgiveness, the Countess grants it, and all rejoice.

• Synopsis courtesy of New York City Opera

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