[Met Performance] CID:331108
Le Nozze di Figaro {369} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/3/1998.
Metropolitan Opera House
November 3, 1998
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO {369}
Mozart-Da Ponte
Figaro..................Bryn Terfel
Susanna.................Cecilia Bartoli
Count Almaviva..........Dwayne Croft
Countess Almaviva.......Renée Fleming
Cherubino...............Susanne Mentzer
Dr. Bartolo.............Paul Plishka
Marcellina..............Wendy White
Don Basilio.............Heinz Zednik
Antonio.................Thomas Hammons
Barbarina...............Danielle de Niese
Don Curzio..............Anthony Laciura
Bridesmaid..............Jennifer Welch-Babidge
Bridesmaid..............Andrea Trebnik
Conductor...............James Levine
Production..............Jonathan Miller
Set designer............Peter J. Davison
Costume designer........James Acheson
Lighting designer.......Mark McCullough
Choreographer...........Terry John Bates
Alternate Arias for Susanna
For the performances of Le Nozze di Figaro on November 3, 7 and 11, Cecilia Bartoli sang different arias from those usually assigned to Susanna. Mozart's opera premiered in Vienna at the Burgtheater on May 1, 1786, with the English soprano Nancy Storace as Susanna, and included two arias for her, "Venite inginocchiatevi" in Act II, and "Deh vieni non tardar" in Act IV. These are the arias that Miss Bartoli sang at the October 29 premiere of the Met's new production of Le Nozze di Figaro and at the performances of November 14 matinee, 18, 21, and 24.
For the Vienna revival of Le Nozze di Figaro in 1789, Mozart wrote two new arias for Adriana Ferrarese del Bene, who took the role of Susanna in those performances and replaced the original arias with the new ones. Ferrarese del Bene was a virtuoso singer with a wide range, who would later become the first Fiordiligi in Così Fan Tutte. It was at this revival that Le Nozze di Figaro became a real success in Vienna, playing for 26 performances. The strophic arietta "Un moto di gioia" took the place of the original Act II aria, and "Al desio," a rondo, replaced Susanna's Act IV aria. These are the arias that Miss Bartoli sang in the Met performances on November 3, 7, and 11.
This production of Le Nozze di Figaro was the first opportunity for Met audiences to hear the alternate arias for Susanna in the context of a full performance of the opera.
[The performances of 11/03/98, 11/7/98 and 11/11/98 were taped.]