Le Nozze di Figaro

Le Nozze di Figaro
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Will Figaro and Susanna tie the knot? Will the Count return to his Countess? Will Cherubino be drafted? Mozart’s masterpiece comes to the stage in a classical production performed by the Lithuanian National Opera.

New Production – Tour of the Lithuanian National Opera | Sung in Italian | Duration: 3 hours and 15 minutes

The soloists, chorus and orchestra of the Lithuanian National Opera

English & Hebrew Surtitles
Translation: Israel Ouval

*PREMIÈRE - THU, 5.11.15, 20:00
The performance is donated by Sara & Prof. Michael Sela   

Ticket Price 

Act I

A room in the castle.
On the day of his wedding Figaro measures the room which Count Almaviva has given him, while Susanna, the Countess’ maid tries her wedding veil. To Figaro’s surprise, Susanna refuses to live in their new room, explaining that its proximity to the Count’s apartment will encourage his desires to seduce her.

Alone Figaro decides to avenge himself on his employer. Marcellina, Dr. Bartolo’s former housekeeper, once lent Figaro a sum of money in exchange for a promise of marriage. In view of Figaro’s planned marriage, she has now decided to demand her repayment. Dr. Bartolo agrees to help her, delighted finally to be able to take revenge on Figaro for helping the Count to abduct his ward Rosina (now the Countess Almaviva). Susanna and Marcellina mockingly exchange polite greetings.

The young Cherubino rushes in to announce to Susanna that the Count has banished him from the castle after having caught him with Barbarina, the gardener’s daughter. He begs Susanna to ask the Countess to intercede on his behalf. Suddenly the count arrives. Terrified, Cherubino hides behind an armchair. The Count starts to make love to Susanna but when the music teacher Don Basilio suddenly arrives, the Count hides behind the armchair as well. As he does so Cherubino slips under a chair which Susanna quickly covers with a sheet. However the Count quickly springs out in a fury when Don Basilio alludes Cherubino’s infatuation to the Countess. The Count orders that Cherubino be banished from the castle and tells Susanna and Don Basilio that he caught Cherubino with Barbarina the night before. While reenacting the episode, he lifts the sheet from the armchair and discovers the boy yet again!
His ensuing fit of anger is interrupted by the arrival of his servants, led by Figaro who have come to thank their master for having abolished the old custom of the “droit de Seignuer”. The Count agrees to celebrate the marriage of Figaro and Susanna, but cunningly insists on a brief delay. In order to be rid of Cherubino he gives him a commission in his regiment, with immediate instructions to depart. Figaro ironically praises the delights of military life to the dismayed boy.

Act II 

The Countess’s bedroom. The following morning.
Alone the Countess sadly reflects on her husband’s infidelity. Susanna tells her of the Count’s attempts at seducing her. Figaro arrives to tell them both of the trap he has invented to punish the Count: he has sent him a letter which tells of a supposed rendez-vous between the Countess and her supposed lover. At the same time Susanna is to pretend to agree to a secret meeting with the Count that evening in the garden. But it will be Cherubino (who has not yet left  the castle) who will go in her place dressed in women’s clothes. It will only remain for the Countess to confront her husband for the truth in order for his humiliation to be complete.

Cherubino arrives. Susanna tells him to sing the song that he has written for the Countess, and then the two women lock the door and dress the young boy up as a girl. The Countess notices that there is a seal missing in Cherubino’s military commission, and then further discovers one of her ribbons bandaging a small cut on his arm. When Susanna leaves the room to look for a dress for Cherubino the Count is heard knocking on the door. In panic the Countess quickly locks Cherubino into her dressing room, before opening the door for her husband. As the Count demands an explanation to the anonymous letter he suddenly hears a noise in the dressing room. The Countess assures him that it is only Susanna who cannot come out because she is trying on her wedding dress. Susanna in fact has just come in the room (unseen by both the Count and the Countess) and quickly hides. Faced with the Countess’s refusal to open the locked dressing room, the Count insists that she will accompany him while he goes in search of tools to force open the door. As he leaves, he locks the bedroom behind him.

Cherubino comes out of hiding but finding all the doors locked jumps out of the window as Susanna takes his place in the dressing room. The Countess, now completely terrified by her husband’s furious jealousy, reluctantly admits in fact that it is Cherubino who is hiding in the dressing room. The Count forces her to give him the key, opens the door and discovers Susanna! Utterly astonished he begs the Countess to forgive him. The farce of the anonymous letter is also revealed and pardon is granted all around. Figaro arrives to prepare for his marriage. The Count tries to clarify the affair of the letter. Figaro gets out of a tight corner and profits from the occasion by trying to speed up the moment of his wedding ceremony. Suddenly the gardener, Antonio arrives, furious because someone has jumped from the Countess’ bedroom window damaging the flowers below. Figaro first of all accuses Antonio of drunken imaginings, but, then admits that he was the one who jumped, even limping in order to prove it.

The gardener then shows the Count a piece of paper which he retrieved. Helped by the Countess and Susanna, Figaro once again manages to save the situation: it is the military commission which Cherubino gave him in order to attach a missing seal. It is at this moment that Marcellina, her lawyer Bartolo, and her chief witness Don Basilio arrive; since Figaro has not been able to repay his debt, he is to be forced by trial to marry Marcellina. The two groups meet each other head on, the one triumphant, the other in despair.

Act III 

A room in the castle, the afternoon
The Count, still confused by the afternoon’s events, is determined to make Figaro marry Marcellina. Susanna arrives in order to develop further Figaro’s plot against the Count: pretending to respond to the Count’s advances, she agrees to meet him in the garden later that evening. As she leaves, she meets Figaro and predicts the success of their plot. But the Count overhears them and in a fury decides to take revenge. Barbarina suggests to Cherubino that he should dress up as a young girl and join the maid servants who are about to present flowers to the Countess. The Countess is worried about Figaro’s plot. She recalls her husband’s former love and resolves to win it back again. The protagonists of Figaro’s trial arrive. Don Curzio, a judge, declares that Figaro must either pay Marcellina or marry her. The valet declares that he is unable to do so without the consent of his “noble parents”, from whom he was stolen when he was a child. When Figaro shows everyone the birthmark on his right arm, Marcellina and Bartolo recognize him as their son! In the midst of newly found family joy Susanna arrives. Seeing Figaro in Marcellina’s arms she believes he has betrayed her. The misunderstanding is quickly cleared up. When the Count leaves the room in fury, a double wedding is decided, since Bartolo agrees to make official his relationship with Marcellina. Antonio tells the Count that Cherubino has been disguised as a girl and has definitely not left for Seville. The Countess, delighted by the surprising turn of events in Figaro’s family matters, dictates a letter to Susanna which will give the Count instructions for his secret rendez-vous later that night. She seals the letter with a pin which the Count is to return to Susanna as a sign that he will keep the assignation. The maid servants arrive. As they present their flowers Antonio arrives with the Count and unmasks Cherubino. Barbarina pleads his case to the Count, embarrassing him by publicly reminding him of certain indiscretions. Figaro returns. He evades the questions put to him by the Count, and having gained the upper hand calls for the wedding to begin. At the moment when the Count ceremonially places Susanna’s wedding veil on her head, she manages to slip him the letter of assignation. To Figaro’s great amusement the Count pricks himself with the pin. The Count interrupts the general rejoicing and invites the assembled group to party later that night.

Act IV 

In the park of the castle, that night
Barbarina has lost the pin that the Count has given her to return to Susanna. Figaro arrives with Marcellina, questions Barbarina, and learns about Susanna’s assignation. Overwhelmed by the betrayal, he swears vengeance. Marcellina believes Susanna to be innocent and decides to warn her. Figaro expresses his bitterness of being a cuckold. Warned by Marcellina of Figaro’s jealousy, Susanna decides to punish him by singing a love song which he will assume she intends for the Count. The Countess and Susanna have now switched clothes. Cherubino mistakes the disguised Countess for Susanna and tries to steel a kiss from her, when the Count arrives and receives Cherubino’s kiss instead. The blow he aims at Cherubino hits Figaro instead.

At last believing himself alone with Susanna, the Count makes love to the Countess and even offers her a diamond ring. When they are frightened by a noise, the Countess runs away. Figaro mistakes the disguised Susanna for the Countess and tells her that the Count has succeeded in seducing his wife. But when he recognizes Susanna’s voice he decides to punish her by pretending to seduce the “Countess”. Furious, Susanna starts hitting him before they are finally reconciled in each other’s arms. Meanwhile the Count has been trying to find “Susanna”. Seeing the Count arrive, Figaro throws himself at the feet of the “Countess” and declares his love. Outraged at this proof of his wife’s infidelity, the Count seizes Figaro and shouts for help while the “Countess” runs to hide. The Count tries to prevent her, dragging out one after another, Cherubino, Barbarina, Marcellina and Susanna from the same hiding place! The latter, still in disguise, pleads for the Count’s pardon. He violently refuses when suddenly the real Countess appears. Once again, the Count is dumbfounded. He implores his wife’s forgiveness, which she grants. The “mad day” ends with a general rejoicing.

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Opera Talkback
The curtain has just descended on the final scene of the opera. The hour is late. Nut the experience was riveting. This is the time to meet several of the performers. Come to listen and to speak. Ask questions. Meet the artists. A once in a lifetime opportunity to meet the artists who have just excited you on the stage. Opera Talkbacks takes place on the second level of the Opera House foyer and last around 30 minutes. Admission free. Opera Talkback takes place on several evenings in each production. Details can be found at the Israeli opera’s website.  

*PREMIÈRE - THU, 5.11.15, 20:00