Overture to Le Nozze di Figaro
MOZART 1756-1791
When Mozart moved to Vienna in 1781 to live out what would be the last ten years of his life, he had every reason to believe that fame and fortune would certainly come his way. Vienna was, after all, the musical capital of Europe. One could expect to find there the most discriminating and intelligent of audiences. Unfortunately for Mozart, they were also fickle audiences, sensitive for the most part only to the politically influenced preferences of the court. He found it difficult to gain the respect of the powerful men who surrounded Emperor Joseph II and, thus, languished over four years as a composer of brilliant, but largely neglected, works.
Dramatic stage music, the genre in which Mozart had the greatest potential to excel, was the most difficult to conquer without the aid of those in charge of the official court theater. Fortunately for Mozart—and the world of music to follow—opportunities began to present themselves in the latter part of 1785. At this time, both Mozart and the court composer Salieri were each commissioned to write a short one-act opera to be performed in the Orangery of the Schönbrunn Palace. The result was Der Schauspieldirektor (The Impressario), a brilliant parody of theatrical life that reawakened Mozart’s interest in writing for the stage.
Earlier in 1785, Mozart had been approached by court poet Lorenzo da Ponte, who suggested that the two collaborate on an opera based upon Beaumarchais’ Le Mariage de Figaro. There were many reasons not to proceed with Figaro. Most important was the fact that the Emperor Joseph II had banned the play, because of its strong anti-royalist overtones. Additionally, Mozart felt sure that Salieri and his other rivals would block the staging of the work if the commission were to go to him. The wily da Ponte was able to gain the Emperor’s approval by censoring the political message of the play and to see that the project was offered to Mozart. Buoyed by the success of Der Schauspieldirektor, and intrigued by da Ponte’s excellent libretto, Mozart eagerly began the composition of Le Nozze di Figaro in January, 1786.
Mozart worked on the opera sporadically between the composition of three great piano concertos: KV. 482 in E flat, KV. 488 in A, and KV. 491 in c minor. The opera was finished in April, 1786 and first performed on May 1. It was Mozart’s greatest operatic success. The audience responded with cries of “Viva, viva, grande Mozart!” and virtually every number had to be repeated. The matchless overture, hurriedly written only days before the premiere, perfectly captures the wit, delicacy, and liveliness of the work that would follow.
by Jim Keays
Concert Performance
Orchestration
2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, Timpani, strings