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Synopsis The
Marriage of Figaro
is
a sequel to The Barber of
Seville, and recounts a single "mad" day in the palace
of the Count Almaviva. Rosina is now the Countess; her husband, the Count
is seeking the favors of Susanna who is to be wed to her love, Figaro, the
Count's valet. When the Count detects the interest of the young page,
Cherubino, in the Countess, he tries to get rid of Cherubino by giving him
an officer's commission in his own regiment. Figaro, Susanna, and the
Countess conspire to embarrass the count and expose his infidelity.
Meanwhile Figaro is caught up in a dispute with Bartolo and Marcellina,
which ends when he is revealed to be their son. At night, all find
themselves on the palace grounds, where a comic series of cases of
mistaken identity results in the Count's humiliation and then forgiveness
by the Countess. Act I Figaro
is happily measuring the space where the bridal bed will fit. Susanna is
trying on her wedding bonnet in front of the mirror. In the present day, a
more traditional French floral wreath or a modern veil are often
substituted. (Duet: Five, ten, twenty, thirty.") Figaro is quite
pleased with their new room, but Susanna is less so. She is bothered by
its proximity to the Count's chambers: it seems he has been making
advances toward her and plans on exercising his "droit de
seigneur", the feudal right of a lord to bed a servant girl on her
wedding night before her husband can sleep with her. (The Count abolished
the right when he married Rosina and now desires to resurrect it.) Figaro
is livid and plans revenge on the Count (aria: "If you want to dance,
sir count"). Figaro
departs, and Dr. Bartolo arrives with Marcellina, his old housekeeper.
Bartolo has been hired as counsel for Marcellina: Figaro had promised to
marry her in exchange for the cancellation of a debt, and she intends to
make him keep his promise. Bartolo, still irked at Figaro for having
facilitated the union of the Count and Rosina (in The
Barber of Seville), promises to help Marcellina (aria:
"Taking Vengeance"). Bartolo
departs, Susanna returns, and Marcellina and Susanna share an exchange of
polite insults (duet: "After you, Madame"). The older woman
departs. The teenaged page, Cherubino then arrives and, after describing
his love for women, particularly the Countess (aria: I don't know
anymore what I am"), asks Susanna's aid with the Count. It seems the
Count is unhappy with Cherubino's amorous ways, having discovered
Cherubino with the gardener's daughter, Barbarina, and plans to punish
him. Cherubino wants Susanna to ask the Countess to intercede on his
behalf. When the Count appears, Cherubino hides behind a chair, not
wanting to be seen alone with Susanna. The Count uses the opportunity of
finding Susanna by herself to personally step up his demands for favors
from Susanna, including offering Susanna financial inducements to sell
herself to him. Then Basilio, the slimy music teacher, arrives. The Count,
also not wanting to be caught alone with Susanna, hides behind the chair.
Cherubino leaves that hiding place just in time and jumps onto the chair,
and Susanna covers him with a dress. So now the Count is behind the chair,
and Cherubino is on the chair covered by a dress. When
Basilio starts to gossip about Cherubino's obvious attraction to the
Countess, the Count leaps from his hiding place in anger. The Count lifts
the dress from the chair to illustrate how he found Cherubino under a
table in Barberina's room and again finds Cherubino! Cherubino is only
saved from punishment by the entrance of the peasants an early attempt
by Figaro to commit the Count to a formal gesture symbolizing the promise
of Susanna's entering into the marriage unsullied. The Count evades
Figaro's plan by postponing the gesture. Cherubino is compelled to depart
to the army in Act II The
Countess laments her husband's infidelity. (aria: "Grant, love, some
comfort"). Susanna comes into the room to prepare the Countess for
the day. Susanna has evidently updated the Countess on the latest with
regard to the Count's overtures to her, since she answers the Countess's
question about the update with the response that the Countess is now fully
informed, but adding that the Count is not trying to seduce her (he
wouldn't lower himself to seduce such as her he intended it to be a
cash transaction). Figaro then arrives and hatches a plan to trick the
Count: Susanna will give him a note indicating she wants to meet him that
night in the garden; Cherubino will be waiting there, dressed as a woman;
and the Countess will arrive and catch him red-handed. Furthermore, Figaro
has already sent a letter to the Count (via Basilio) that indicates the
Countess has a rendezvous that evening of her own. Susanna
lets Cherubino into the room and locks the door, because the Countess is
worried about the jealous Count's reaction if he found Cherubino in the
room. Susanna urges him to sing the song he wrote in honor of the Countess
(aria: "You ladies who know what love is "). After the song,
they proceed to attire him in women's clothes (aria of Susanna:
"Come, kneel down before me"). During this time, the Countess
sees Cherubino's commission, and notes that the Count was obviously in
such a hurry that he forgot to seal it with his signet ring (which was
necessary to make it an official document). Susanna returns to her room
for some clothing in which to dress Cherubino. While the Countess and
Cherubino are waiting for Susanna's return, they suddenly hear the Count
arriving, so Cherubino flees into the next room a closet. The Count
demands entrance into the room, and, when Cherubino is hidden, the
Countess unlocks the door. When the Count enters, angry at the information
in the note that he has received, he hears noise from said room and tries
to open it. It is locked. The Countess pretends it is only Susanna, trying
on a wedding dress. During this time, Susanna re-enters the Countess's
bedroom with the clothing, unobserved by either the Count and Countess,
and conceals herself after she realizes what is wrong (Susanna knows that
to reveal herself to the Count will only result in the worst possible
consequences to the Countess). The Count, furious and suspicious, leaves
with the Countess to find a way to get the door open. He locks all the
bedroom doors as he leaves, so that the intruder cannot escape. Susanna
emerges from her hiding place, and frees Cherubino, who jumps down from
the window. Susanna then takes his place in the closet. (duet: "Open
the door, quickly!"). The
Count and Countess return. The Countess finally admits it is Cherubino
hidden in the closet, but when the closet is opened, they both find to
their astonishment only Susanna. The Countess claims that she told the
Count that Cherubino was in the closet to test the Count. Shamed by his
jealousy, the Count begs for forgiveness. When the Count presses about the
letter accusing the Countess of infidelity, Susanna and the Countess
reveal that the letter was written by Figaro, and then delivered through
Basilio. Figaro then arrives and tries to commence the wedding
festivities. The Count stops him and asks who wrote the anonymous note
given to him by Basilio. Figaro manages to evade the question, only to
have Antonio, the gardener, arrive, complaining about a man jumping out of
the window into Antonio's plants. Antonio is also carrying a letter which,
he says, has been dropped by a man who escaped through the window. Figaro
claims it was he who jumped out the window; the document, however, is
Cherubino's appointment to the military. Figaro gets out of this scrape by
saying Cherubino gave it to him because it still needed the Count's seal
(the Countess and Susanna having been able to pass the information on to
Figaro in secret). Marcellina, Bartolo and Basilio now appear, and the
former brings her charge against Figaro. The Count secretly rejoices at
their arrival. The wedding is postponed in order that the Count may
investigate. Intermission Act III At
the wedding hall, the Count mulls over the situation, confused by the
preceding occurrences. At the urging of the Countess, Susanna enters and
agrees to meet him later that night (duet: "Cruel girl, why until now
have you allowed me to languish") it is the intention of the
Countess to meet the Count in Susanna's place, disguised as Susanna. As
Susanna departs, she is overheard saying to Figaro that he has already won
the case. The Count, overhearing this, realizes he is being tricked (aria:
"You've already won the case?"). He is determined to make Figaro
pay by forcing him to marry Marcellina. Figaro's
trial follows, and the judgment is that Figaro must marry Marcellina.
Figaro appeals to the Count, but the Count supports the judgment. When
Figaro declares himself of noble birth, and that he was stolen from his
parents when he was a baby, the subsequent discussion reveals that Figaro
is the long-lost illegitimate son of Bartolo and Marcellina. A touching
scene of reconciliation occurs. Because a mother cannot marry her son,
Figaro is let off the hook. During the celebrations, Susanna enters with a
payment to release Figaro from his debt to Marcellina. Seeing Figaro and
Marcellina in celebration, Susanna mistakenly believes that Figaro is
happily reconciled to marriage with Marcellina. With some difficulty,
Susanna is convinced of the truth of the situation, and joins the
celebration. Bartolo, overcome with emotion, agrees to marry Marcellina
that evening in a double wedding (sextet: "Recognize a mother in this
hug"). All
leave, and the next scene sees the Countess, alone, pondering what
happened to her happiness (aria: "Where are they, the beautiful
moments"). Susanna enters and updates her regarding the plan to trap
the Count. The Countess dictates a love letter for Susanna to give to the
Count, which suggests that he meet her that night, "under the
pines." The Count is instructed to return the pin which fastens the
letter. (duet: "What a gentle breeze"). A
chorus of young peasants, among them Cherubino disguised as a girl,
arrives to serenade the Countess. The Count arrives with Antonio, and,
discovering the page, is enraged. His anger is quickly diffused by
Barbarina (a peasant girl, Antonio's daughter), who reminds him of a
promise he made to her: "Barbarina, if you will love me, I will give
you anything you want." What she wants, it seems, is Cherubino's hand
in marriage. Thoroughly embarrassed, The Count allows Cherubino to stay.
The act closes with the double wedding, during the course of which Susanna
delivers her letter to the Count. Figaro sees the note with the pin in it,
assumes it is from another of the Count's trysts, and laughs to himself.
As the curtain drops, the two newlywed couples rejoice. Act IV Following
the directions in the letter, the Count has sent the pin back to Susanna,
giving it to Barbarina. Unfortunately, Barbarina has lost it (aria:
"I lost it, poor me"). Figaro and Marcellina see Barbarina and
Figaro asks her what she is doing. When he hears the pin is Susanna's, he
is overcome with jealousy, especially as he recognizes the pin as being
the one that fastened the letter which the Count received. Thinking that
Susanna is meeting the Count behind his back, Figaro complains to his
mother, and swears to be avenged on the Count and Susanna. Marcellina
urges caution, but Figaro will not listen. Figaro rushes off, and
Marcellina resolves to inform Susanna of Figaro's intentions. Actuated
by jealousy, Figaro tells Bartolo and Basilio to come to his aid when he
gives the signal. After commenting on the situation, they depart, and,
left alone, Figaro muses on the inconstancy of women (aria: "Open
your eyes"). Susanna and the Countess arrive, dressed in each other's
clothes. Marcellina is with them, having informed Susanna of Figaro's
suspicions and plans. After they discuss the plan, Marcellina and the
Countess leave, and Susanna deliberately sings a love song to her beloved
within Figaro's hearing (aria: "Oh come, don't delay"). Figaro
is hiding behind a bush and, thinking the song is for the Count, becomes
increasingly jealous (which was Susanna's intention). The
Countess arrives in Susanna's dress. Unfortunately Cherubino has also
arrived, and, thinking the Countess to be Susanna, tries to kiss the
supposed Susanna, but is prevented by the interference of the Count. The
Count is pursuing the supposed Susanna (really the Countess), who eludes
him; they both run off when they detect Figaro nearby. Then the real
Susanna arrives in the Countess' clothes. Figaro starts to tell her of the
Count's intentions, but suddenly recognizes his bride. He plays along with
the joke by paying deference to her as the Countess; Susanna, not knowing
that Figaro knows it is she, becomes jealous: she thinks Figaro is making
a pass at the Countess and promptly rewards him with slaps. Figaro finally
lets on that he recognized Susanna's voice, and they make peace. When
the Count appears, Figaro, playacting, declares his love for the supposed
Countess and sinks on his knees at her feet. The enraged Count calls for
his people and for arms: his servant is seducing his wife. Bartolo,
Basilio and Antonio arrive with torches, as the Count drags out, one by
one, Cherubino, Barbarina, Marcellina and the "Countess" from
behind the pavilion. During the Count's tirade, as he refuses to forgive
Figaro and the supposed Countess, the real Countess shows up and reveals
her true identity; the Count realizes he has been trapped (the supposed
Susanna he was trying to seduce was actually his wife), and he simply
kneels and asks for forgiveness ("Countess, forgive me"). The
Countess, more kind than he ("I am more kind"), forgives her
husband and all are contented. They celebrate as the curtain falls.
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