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Vincent Pontet / OnP

Opera

Le nozze di Figaro

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Palais Garnier

from 23 November to 28 December 2022

3h25 with 1 interval

Le nozze di Figaro

Palais Garnier - from 23 November to 28 December 2022

Synopsis

Le Nozze di Figaro is one of the repertoire's most emblematic works. Brahms spoke of it as a “miracle” and the Countess’s lament resounds even today as one of the most heart‑breaking passages in musical history. It was in taking up Beaumarchais’ comedy, a play that sparked off a scandal in Parisian society, that Mozart and his librettist, da Ponte, began their collaboration, although the play had already been forbidden by the Emperor Joseph II at the Vienna theatre in 1785. Was this because it exposed all too publicly the contradictions of an already tottering regime, soon to be swept away by the French Revolution? Neita Jones’s new production conserves the essence of Beaumarchais’s play, questioning human relationships with mischievous humour in a production that confuses reality and fiction to such an extent that, like the Count, we wonder, “Are we acting out a play?”

Duration : 3h25 with 1 interval

Language : Italian

Surtitle : French / English

  • Opening

  • First part 95 min

  • Intermission 35 min

  • Second part 75 min

  • End

Show acts and characters

CHARACTERS

The Count: Seducer of Susanna and jealous husband

The Countess: The Count’s wife, tormented by her husband’s deceptions
Susanna: The Countess’s chambermaid, Figaro’s fiancée, Cherubino’s accomplice
Figaro: The Count’s valet, engaged to Susanna
Cherubino: The Count’s page, ingenuous young man in love with the Countess
Marcellina: Housekeeper
Bartolo: Doctor from Seville
Don Basilio: Master of music
Don Curzio: Judge
Barbarina: The gardener’s daughter and Susanna’s cousin
Antonio: The Count’s gardener and Susanna’s uncle

Act I
In the Palazzo Aguas Frescas. Figaro, valet to Count Almaviva, is about to marry Susanna, the Countess’s maid. But while the celebrations are being prepared, obstacles arise and plots are woven. The Count, a fickle husband, attempts to seduce Susanna and dreams of reestablishing the “droit du seigneur”over young brides; he is aided in his plotting by unscrupulous Basilio, the music master. There is also Marcellina, “housekeeper at the castle”, who has lent money to Figaro in return for a promise of marriage; with the support of the doctor Bartolo, who bears an old grudge against Figaro, she intends to assert her rights. Cherubino, the vivacious and mischievous page, is in love with all women and especially the Countess, his “beautiful godmother”. He is chased from the castle by the Count, who has surprised him with Barbarina, the gardener’s daughter. He comes to beg Susanna to intercede for him with the Countess, but the Count arrives hoping to obtain an assignation with Susanna. On his approach, the page hides behind an armchair. The arrival of Basilio obliges Almaviva to hide in his turn, but he leaps out when he hears Basilio refer to Cherubino’s passion for the Countess. The page is soon discovered; the Count gives him a commission and orders him to join his regiment without delay.

Act II
The Countess, abandoned by her husband, is ready to assist Figaro and Susanna in their plan to marry as soon as possible thereby thwarting Almaviva. They intend to send an anonymous letter causing the Count to worry about his wife’s conduct; then to send the page disguised as a girl to the assignation he has made with the maid. In the Countess’ bedchamber, Cherubino dresses in woman’s clothing and sings his “romance”. The banter is interrupted by the arrival of the Count, who, alerted by the note, is jealous. The page escapes via the window. The Count, mad with rage, enters his wife’s chamber to discover not a man but Susanna. Everything would be all right if it were not for Antonio, the gardener, who has seen Cherubino jump from the window onto his flower beds. The Count feels he has been tricked. Marcellina arrives with Bartolo and Basilio giving him the opportunity to avenge himself; he promises to see that the contract is honoured: Figaro will marry Marcellina.

Act III
Susanna pretends to accept the Count’s assignation, but manifests her joy at deceiving him too loudly. He hears her and his wounded pride makes him swear more than ever to defend Marcellina’s cause. The judge Don Curzio arrives and condemns Figaro to marry Marcellina if he cannot pay his debt. But there is a turn of events when it is discovered that Figaro is none other than the son of Marcellina and Bartolo. Meanwhile, the Countess, awaiting Susanna’s return, is consumed with melancholy. Susanna returns. She writes a letter to the Count, dictated by the Countess, giving the time and place of the assignation: it is the Countess who will be there dressed in her maid’s clothes. Cherubino, in disguise, mingles with the young girls who have come to offer flowers to the Countess. He is unmasked. But the Count stifles his anger as the joyful bridal procession arrives for the ceremony. During the festivities, Susanna hands the Count the note dictated by the Countess.

Act IV
Barbarina informs Figaro, who is unaware of the deception, of the meeting between the Count and Susanna. Worried, he hides upon the arrival of the Countess and Susanna (who have exchanged clothes). He observes and listens. The disguises and the darkness create a series of misunderstandings. Remarks, slaps and kisses are all bestowed on the wrong people. Cherubino takes the Countess for Susanna; then it is the turn of the Count to make his long awaited declaration to the woman he takes for the maid, while Figaro throws himself at the feet of the so-called Countess. Figaro and Susanna are spotted by the Count, who believes he is being cuckolded and in a fury summons his men. To his great confusion, he discovers that it is to his wife that he has been addressing his passionate declarations of love. Everyone’s true identity is revealed and the pardon granted by the true Countess puts an end to the turmoil and emotion of this “mad day”.

Artists

Opera in four acts
After Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais Le Mariage de Figaro

Creative team

Cast

Orchestre et Choeurs de l’Opéra national de Paris

Media

  • The intendant, the singer, the dresser

    The intendant, the singer, the dresser

    Watch the video

  • Podcast Les Noces de Figaro

    Podcast Les Noces de Figaro

    Listen the podcast

  • “I think I very much am Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro”

    “I think I very much am Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro”

    Watch the video

  • Draw-me Les Nozze di Figaro

    Draw-me Les Nozze di Figaro

    Watch the video

  • The Theatre within the Theatre

    The Theatre within the Theatre

    Watch the video

  • The Magic of Mozart

    The Magic of Mozart

    Watch the video

© Charles Duprat / OnP

The intendant, the singer, the dresser

Watch the video

Interview with Gerald Finley about the Count of Le nozze di Figaro

9:53 min

The intendant, the singer, the dresser

By Marion Mirande

In 2003, in the Giorgio Strehler's production of Le nozze di Figaro, the Canadian bass-baritone played the title role and, for a single performance, Count Almaviva. It is the latter costume that he puts on today in this folle journée whose theatrical and proto-feminist essence is underlined by Netia Jones' direction.

© Vincent Pontet / OnP

Podcast Les Noces de Figaro

Listen the podcast

"Dance! Sing! 7 minutes at the Paris Opera" - by France Musique

Podcast Les Noces de Figaro

By Charlotte Landru-Chandès

"Dance! Sing! 7 minutes at the Paris Opera" offers original incursions into the season thanks to broadcasts produced by France Musique and the Paris Opera. For each opera or ballet production, Charlotte Landru-Chandès (opera) and Jean-Baptiste Urbain (dance), present the works and artists you are going to discover when you attend performances in our theatres.

“I think I very much am Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro”

Watch the video

Interview with Jeanine De Bique

01 min

“I think I very much am Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro”

By Isabelle Stibbe

For her first Susanna at the Paris Opera in Le Nozze di Figaro, soprano Jeanine De Bique discusses her role and Netia Jones’ staging.  

Draw-me Les Nozze di Figaro

Watch the video

Understand the plot in 1 minute

1:45 min

Draw-me Les Nozze di Figaro

By Octave

The Marriage of Figaro is one of the repertoire’s most iconic works. Brahms spoke of it as a “miracle” and the Countess’s lament remains one of the most heart-rending musical pages of all time. By taking up Beaumarchais’ comedy, which had caused a scandal to shake Parisian society, Mozart and Da Ponte’s success was secured. The play had even been banned by Joseph II in 1785 at Theatre of Vienna. Did it shine too much light on the contradictions of an already faltering regime, ready to collapse with the French Revolution? Netia Jones’ new production retains the very essence of Beaumarchais’ play as she humorously yet mischievously explores human relationships in a universe that confuses reality and fiction to the point of asking, like the Count: “Are we playing in a comedy?”

© Vincent Pontet / OnP

The Theatre within the Theatre

Watch the video

Netia Jones and Alexander Neef discuss The Marriage of Figaro

6:27 min

The Theatre within the Theatre

By Coline Delreux

In 2022, invited for the first time to the Paris Opera, stage director Netia Jones proposed a new production of The Marriage of Figaro. Alexander Neef and Netia Jones discuss the director's choice to transpose the action of one of the most popular operas of the repertoire in a theater, to the present day. A way of holding up a mirror to us and examining, among other things, women's status and the social and hierarchical structures at play in Beaumarchais' play and which survive to this day.  

The Magic of Mozart

Watch the video

Interview with Gustavo Dudamel

5:34 min

The Magic of Mozart

By Marion Mirande

Invited for the first time to the Paris Opera, Netia Jones presents a new production of Le Nozze du Figaro, for which she has also created the sets, costumes and videos. Beaumarchais' play lies at the heart of this masterpiece by Mozart and Da Ponte. Between a perfectly constructed theatrical plot and profoundly contemporary situations and characters, the director explores the fine line between reality and fiction, and reminds us of our own questions and aspirations.    

Playlist

  • [EXTRAIT] LE NOZZE DI FIGARO - Cinque… Dieci… Venti… (Luca Pisaroni, Jeanine De Bique)
  • [EXTRAIT] LE NOZZE DI FIGARO - Voi che sapete (Rachel Frenkel)
  • [EXTRAIT] LE NOZZE DI FIGARO - Dove sono i bei momenti (Miah Persson)
  • [INTERVIEW] Netia Jones and Alexander Neef about THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
  • Les Noces de Figaro (saison 22/23)- Ilanah Lobel-Torres

  • Les Noces de Figaro (saison 22/23) - James Creswell

  • Les Noces de Figaro (saison 22/23) - Jeanine De Bique

  • Les Noces de Figaro (saison 22/23)- Luca Pisaroni

  • Les Noces de Figaro (saison 22/23)- Miah Persson

  • Les Noces de Figaro (saison 22/23)- Miah Persson

  • Les Noces de Figaro (saison 22/23)- Luca Pisaroni, Jeanine De Bique

  • Les Noces de Figaro (saison 22/23) - Gerald Finley, Jeanine De Bique

  • Les Noces de Figaro (saison 22/23) - Gerald Finley, Miah Persson

Access and services

Palais Garnier

Place de l'Opéra

75009 Paris

Public transport

Underground Opéra (lignes 3, 7 et 8), Chaussée d’Antin (lignes 7 et 9), Madeleine (lignes 8 et 14), Auber (RER A)

Bus 20, 21, 27, 29, 32, 45, 52, 66, 68, 95, N15, N16

Calculate my route
Car park

Q-Park Edouard VII16 16, rue Bruno Coquatrix 75009 Paris

Book your parking spot
  • Cloakrooms

    Free cloakrooms are at your disposal. The comprehensive list of prohibited items is available here.

  • Bars

    Reservation of drinks and light refreshments for the intervals is possible online up to 24 hours prior to your visit, or at the bars before each performance.

  • Restaurant

    CoCo is open every day from 12:00 pm to 2:00 am. More information on coco-paris.com or at +33 1 42 68 86 80 (reservations).

  • Boutiques

    A selection of works and items are available on our various boutiques: Online store and the Palais Garnier Shop.

    LEARN MORE.

  • Last-minute tickets

    €10 for seats with a limited view of the stage and special reduced rates are available. 

    LEARN MORE.

  • Parking

    You can park your car at the Q-Park Edouard VII. It is located at Rue Bruno Coquatrix 75009 Paris (in front of 23 Rue de Caumartin).

    BOOK YOUR PARKING PLACE.

At the Palais Garnier, buy €10 tickets for seats in the 6th category (very limited visibility, two tickets maximum per person) on the day of the performance at the Box offices.

In both our venues, discounted tickets are sold at the box offices from 30 minutes before the show:

  • €35 tickets for under-28s, unemployed people (with documentary proof less than 3 months old) and senior citizens over 65 with non-taxable income (proof of tax exemption for the current year required)
  • €70 tickets for senior citizens over 65

Get samples of the operas and ballets at the Paris Opera gift shops: programmes, books, recordings, and also stationery, jewellery, shirts, homeware and honey from Paris Opera.

Palais Garnier
  • Every day from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and until performances end
  • Get in from Place de l’Opéra or from within the theatre’s public areas
  • For more information: +33 1 53 43 03 97

Palais Garnier

Place de l'Opéra

75009 Paris

Public transport

Underground Opéra (lignes 3, 7 et 8), Chaussée d’Antin (lignes 7 et 9), Madeleine (lignes 8 et 14), Auber (RER A)

Bus 20, 21, 27, 29, 32, 45, 52, 66, 68, 95, N15, N16

Calculate my route
Car park

Q-Park Edouard VII16 16, rue Bruno Coquatrix 75009 Paris

Book your parking spot
  • Cloakrooms

    Free cloakrooms are at your disposal. The comprehensive list of prohibited items is available here.

  • Bars

    Reservation of drinks and light refreshments for the intervals is possible online up to 24 hours prior to your visit, or at the bars before each performance.

  • Restaurant

    CoCo is open every day from 12:00 pm to 2:00 am. More information on coco-paris.com or at +33 1 42 68 86 80 (reservations).

  • Boutiques

    A selection of works and items are available on our various boutiques: Online store and the Palais Garnier Shop.

    LEARN MORE.

  • Last-minute tickets

    €10 for seats with a limited view of the stage and special reduced rates are available. 

    LEARN MORE.

  • Parking

    You can park your car at the Q-Park Edouard VII. It is located at Rue Bruno Coquatrix 75009 Paris (in front of 23 Rue de Caumartin).

    BOOK YOUR PARKING PLACE.

At the Palais Garnier, buy €10 tickets for seats in the 6th category (very limited visibility, two tickets maximum per person) on the day of the performance at the Box offices.

In both our venues, discounted tickets are sold at the box offices from 30 minutes before the show:

  • €35 tickets for under-28s, unemployed people (with documentary proof less than 3 months old) and senior citizens over 65 with non-taxable income (proof of tax exemption for the current year required)
  • €70 tickets for senior citizens over 65

Get samples of the operas and ballets at the Paris Opera gift shops: programmes, books, recordings, and also stationery, jewellery, shirts, homeware and honey from Paris Opera.

Palais Garnier
  • Every day from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and until performances end
  • Get in from Place de l’Opéra or from within the theatre’s public areas
  • For more information: +33 1 53 43 03 97

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