NOZZE DI FIGARO, LE

Conductor Joana Mallwitz makes her Met debut leading an extraordinary cast in Mozart’s comic masterpiece

LE NOZZE DI FIGARO is a remarkable marriage of Mozart’s music at the height of his genius and one of the best libretti ever set. In adapting a play that caused a scandal with its revolutionary take on 18th-century society, librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte focused less on the original topical references and more on the timeless issues of class, gender and power dynamics. Mozart’s operatic gem, packed not only with sharp social commentary, but also with hilarious hijinks, and glorious melody, is performed by an extraordinary ensemble cast. Bass-baritone Michael Sumuel is the clever valet Figaro, opposite soprano Olga Kulchynska as the betrothed, the wily maid Susanna. Baritone Joshua Hopkins is the philandering Count, with soprano Federica Lombardi as the anguished wife and mezzo-soprano Sun-Ly Pierce as the adolescent page Cherubino. One of today’s most in-demand young conductors, Joana Mallwitz makes her Met debut on the podium, leading an energetic staging by Richard Eyre.

"Topflight teamwork makes for a marvelous Met Mozart" (Observer)