Act 3 -5: Le nozze di Figaro (Met'99) Act3 finale

[Petroskeyful1]

Surely one of the best "Figaros" ever with a superb cast under Levine's direction. I particularly love this intricate scene with marching, dancing music from the great Mozart.

[temperanceluv81]

whos playing cherubino?



[AnatoleBelge]

@temperanceluv81 Susanne Mentzer

[AmericanEvita]

This was televised on LA's channel 28 KCET PBS in 1999. I was about 20 at the time. I remember watching it and loving this production especially Cecilia Bartoli as Susanna. Renee Fleming was in even better voice, clean, perfect and untainted with her later over-embellishments. Her Mozart repertoire in the 90's was her all time best. She had even studied to sing Mozart under Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. The lavish sets and authentic costumes - wow. This was one of the great Figaro productions.

[mrskinoti]

Hey, is it just me or isn't this clip the same one as Act 3 -4?

[dht23]

@mrskinoti You're right

[comic4relief]

One can sense the wedding march coming up. It's always satisfying. How did he do it?

[comic4relief]

I love how Danielle DeNeise plays the girlish boy in lieu of the original castrato, then plays a boy dressing up as a girl, at one point showing embarrassment furtively only in front of Susanna and the Countess, while still passing as a girl in front of the Count and other pertinent characters, all the while the audience knowing the whole thing. Clever. You tend to forget she's actually a woman. It's pretty funny, in a good way.

[comic4relief]

Oops, me very bad: Of course I mean Susanne Mentzer.

[dan144556]

And the fact that the role of Cherubino was always meant for a woman. Castrati were before Mozart's time.

[AnatoleBelge]

You're right that Cherubino was always meant for a woman soprano, though there were still castrati singing in Mozart's time (his final opera, La clemenza di Tito designates Sesto to a soprano castrato).

I think Rossini was the last composer to write a castrato part in his opera.

[comic4relief]

in the prequel?

[Loismustdie26]

yes,

there was a Figaro trilogy written by the French playwright Pierre Beaumarchais from 1765 to 1770. The Barber of Seville was the first in the series, and Marriage of Figaro was the second. Mozart wrote The Marriage of Figaro in 1786, but Rossini didn't write its prequel (Barber) until 30 later.

The third play in the trilogy, La Mère coupable (the Guilty Mother) was also made into an opera in 1966 by Darius Milhaud, but it is relatively unknown today.

[JGoncaloNogueira]

@Loismustdie26 Actually Giovanni Paisiello wrote "Il barbiere di Siviglia" before Mozart. His attempt is, of course, not as well known as Rossini's. However, it was tremendously popular in Mozart's time and that's why he wrote "Le nozze di Figaro".

[Loismustdie26]

Rossini first opera was about 20 years after Mozart died. I think it was Handel who was the last one who wrote for castrati

[SDCmorg]

AnatoleB is right, I think. Mozart did write 7 castrato roles that I know of: Ramiro in La finta giardiniera, Ascanio, Aminta in Il re pastore, Farnace, Cecilio, Idamante & Sesto.

Rossini did write one of the last castrato roles - Arsace in his Aureliano in Palmira (1818). Though I think the last role written for a castrato was Armando in Meyerbeer's Il Crociato in Egitto (1824). Both role were written for and premiered by Giovanni Velutti. :o)

[Loismustdie26]

I stand corrected, thanks for the information.