CHAN 3113 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 11:24 am Page 2 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) The Marriage of Figaro Lebrecht Collection Lebrecht Opera buffa in four acts Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, English translation by Jeremy Sams Count Almaviva.....................................................................................William Dazeley baritone Countess Almaviva.....................................................................................Yvonne Kenny soprano Susanna, her maid, betrothed to Figaro ......................................................Rebecca Evans soprano Figaro, valet to Count Almaviva ........................................................Christopher Purves baritone Cherubino, the Count’s page ......................................................Diana Montague mezzo-soprano Bartolo, a doctor from Seville.............................................................Jonathan Veira bass-baritone Marcellina, Bartolo’s housekeeper ...........................................Frances McCafferty mezzo-soprano Don Basilio, music master .....................................................................John Graham-Hall tenor Don Curzio, notary ...........................................................................................Stuart Kale tenor Antonio, gardener, Susanna’s uncle ................................................................Graeme Danby bass Barbarina, Antonio’s daughter .......................................................................Sarah Tynan soprano Girls.......................................................................................................... Yvette Bonner soprano { Victoria Joyce soprano Geoffrey Mitchell Choir Philharmonia Orchestra Gareth Hancock assistant conductor Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart David Parry 2 3 CHAN 3113 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 11:24 am Page 4 COMPACT DISC ONE Time Page Time Page 1 Overture 3:54 [p. 118] 16 ‘It’s outrageous! Search the castle’ 4:20 [p. 126] Count, Basilio, Susanna Act I (41:16) 17 ‘Basilio, run and tell Figaro to come here’ 1:01 [p. 128] 2 ‘Fifteen, sixteen, twenty, thirty’ 2:44 [p. 118] Count, Susanna, Cherubino, Basilio Figaro, Susanna 18 ‘Praise and adore him’ 1:09 [p. 129] 3 ‘What on earth are you measuring’ 0:50 [p. 118] Chorus 4 ‘Supposing one evening the Countess’ 2:35 [p. 119] 19 ‘So what is all this nonsense?’ 1:36 [p. 129] 5 ‘All right, shut up and listen’ 1:52 [p. 119] Count, Figaro, Susanna Susanna, Figaro 20 ‘Praise and adore him’ 1:01 [p. 130] 6 ‘Bravo, my lord and master!’ 0:54 [p. 120] Chorus 7 ‘So, little master, you’re dressed to go dancing’ 2:35 [p. 121] 21 ‘God bless you!’ 1:11 [p. 130] Figaro Figaro, Susanna, Basilio, Cherubino 8 ‘But why did you wait till the day of the wedding’ 1:05 [p. 121] 22 ‘Here’s and end to your life as a rover’ 3:51 [p. 131] Bartolo, Marcellina Figaro 9 ‘Now for vengeance, glorious vengeance!’ 2:59 [p. 121] TT 45:14 Bartolo COMPACT DISC TWO 10 ‘So all is not lost’ 0:47 [p. 122] 11 ‘I bow to your grace’ 2:10 [p. 122] Act II (46:21) Marcellina, Susanna 1 ‘Hear my prayer, humbly I beg you’ 3:40 [p. 131] 12 ‘Good riddance, you old spinster’ 2:09 [p. 123] Countess Susanna, Cherubino 2 ‘Come here, dear Susanna, and finish your story’ 3:06 [p. 131] 13 ‘I don’t know what it is that I’m feeling’ 2:54 [p. 124] Countess, Susanna, Figaro Cherubino 3 ‘How it grieves me, Susanna’ 1:22 [p. 133] 14 ‘Now I’m done for!’ 1:30 [p. 124] Countess, Susanna, Cherubino Cherubino, Susanna, Count, Basilio 4 ‘Tell me what love is’ 2:41 [p. 134] 15 ‘Susanna, heaven bless you!’ 2:03 [p. 125] Cherubino Basilio, Susanna, Count 5 ‘Bravo, your voice is lovely!’ 1:08 [p. 134] Countess, Susanna, Cherubino 4 5 CHAN 3113 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 11:24 am Page 6 Time Page COMPACT DISC THREE Time Page 6 ‘Kneel down and let me look at you’ 2:54 [p. 135] Act III (40:29) Susanna 1 ‘This is very perplexing!’ 0:58 [p. 152] 7 ‘Enough of this nonsense!’ 3:00 [p. 135] Count Countess, Susanna, Cherubino, Count 2 ‘Don’t be afraid!’ 1:40 [p. 152] 8 ‘What does this mean?’ 1:25 [p. 137] Countess, Count, Susanna Count, Countess 3 ‘How could you be so cruel’ 2:29 [p. 153] 9 ‘Come out of there, Susanna!’ 3:00 [p. 138] 4 ‘But I don’t understand’ 0:39 [p. 154] Count, Countess, Susanna Count, Susanna 10 ‘So you’re proposing not to open it?’ 1:00 [p. 139] 5 ‘Hey, Susanna, how’s it going?’ 0:10 [p. 154] Count, Countess Figaro, Susanna 11 ‘Don’t worry, Cherubino’ 1:02 [p. 140] 6 ‘“You’ve won the case already”’ 1:28 [p. 154] Susanna, Cherubino 7 ‘Must I be made to suffer’ 3:11 [p. 155] 12 ‘Look at the little devil!’ 0:21 [p. 141] Count Susanna 8 ‘Come on, come on, Cherubino’ 0:43 [p. 155] 13 ‘Everything as I left it’ 1:24 [p. 141] Count, Countess Barbarina, Cherubino 9 14 ‘Out you come, you vile seducer’ 2:54 [p. 141] ‘And Susanna’s not here’ 1:53 [p. 155] Count, Countess 10 ‘I remember his love so tender’ 4:32 [p. 156] 15 ‘You called, sir?’ 1:21 [p. 143] Countess Susanna, Count, Countess 11 ‘The case is decided’ 2:04 [p. 156] 16 ‘I cannot believe it’ 3:31 [p. 143] Curzio, Marcellina, Figaro, Count, Bartolo Countess, Susanna, Count 12 ‘Darling boy, let me embrace you’ 4:49 [p. 157] 17 ‘The wedding procession is ready and waiting’ 3:13 [p. 145] Marcellina, Figaro, Bartolo, Curzio, Count, Susanna Figaro, Count, Susanna, Countess 13 ‘This is our little baby’ 1:18 [p. 160] 18 ‘Oh, my lord! My lord!’ 5:34 [p. 147] Marcellina, Bartolo, Susanna, Figaro Antonio, Count, Countess, Susanna, Figaro 14 ‘I must warn you, my lord’ 0:29 [p. 160] 19 ‘Noble lord, we come for justice’ 3:41 [p. 151] Antonio, Count Marcellina, Basilio, Bartolo, Count, Countess, Figaro, Susanna TT 46:21 6 7 CHAN 3113 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 11:24 am Page 8 Time Page Time Page 15 ‘That’s amazing!’ 0:41 [p. 161] 28 ‘That’s Barbarina! Who goes there?’ 0:36 [p. 167] Countess, Susanna Figaro, Basilio, Bartolo 16 ‘…the breezes…’ 2:35 [p. 161] 29 ‘Everything’s ready; the hour of reckoning is at hand’ 1:28 [p. 168] 17 ‘That should do the trick!’ 0:26 [p. 161] 30 ‘You foolish slaves of Cupid’ 2:47 [p. 168] Susanna, Countess Figaro 18 ‘Gentle lady, may these presents’ 1:13 [p. 162] 31 ‘My lady, Marcellina says Figaro will be here’ 0:18 [p. 168] Girls Susanna, Marcellina 19 ‘Madam, with your permission’ 0:47 [p. 162] 32 ‘My lady, you are trembling’ 0:38 [p. 168] Barbarina, Countess, Susanna Susanna, Countess, Figaro 20 ‘Hey, what did I tell you!’ 1:07 [p. 162] 33 ‘At last, the moment I’ve longed for’ 1:21 [p. 169] Antonio, Countess, Susanna, Count, Cherubino 34 ‘Come quickly my beloved, I implore you’ 3:34 [p. 169] 21 ‘My lord, if you detain these lovely girls’ 1:13 [p. 163] Susanna Figaro, Count, Countess, Susanna, Antonio 35 ‘Treachery! Now I see how she has deceived me!’ 0:36 [p. 169] 22 ‘Now I can hear them’ 1:57 [p. 164] Figaro, Countess, Cherubino Figaro, Susanna, Count, Countess, Serving girls, Chorus 36 ‘I’ll approach her, oh so softly’ 1:11 [p. 170] 23 ‘As true-hearted lovers’ 4:07 [p. 165] Cherubino, Countess Chorus 37 ‘Here she is, my dear Susanna’ 1:48 [p. 170] Count, Susanna, Figaro, Cherubino, Countess Act IV (31:43) 38 ‘Now we’re alone together’ 2:38 [p. 171] 24 ‘I have lost it, I’m so stupid’ 1:32 [p. 165] Count, Countess, Figaro, Susanna Barbarina 39 ‘Night shrouds the world in mystery’ 3:43 [p. 172] 25 ‘Barbarina, what’s happened?’ 1:14 [p. 166] Figaro, Susanna Figaro, Barbarina, Marcellina 40 ‘I surrender, my love’ 1:57 [p. 173] 26 ‘Mother!’ 0:50 [p. 166] Figaro, Susanna, Count Figaro, Marcellina 41 ‘Quickly, bring your weapons!’ 4:52 [p. 174] 27 ‘The pavilion on the right’ 0:41 [p. 167] Count, Figaro, Basilio, Curzio, Antonio, Bartolo, Susanna, Barbarina Cherubino, Barbarina, Marcellina TT 72:22 8 9 CHAN 3113 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 11:24 am Page 10 Christopher Purves as Figaro With this recording of The Marriage of Figaro with Scottish Opera BillCooper we have been able to fill an important gap in Bill Cooper/PMFBill the Opera in English catalogue. I hope that the wit and wisdom of Mozart’s masterpiece, sung in English by a spirited cast, will bring fresh pleasures to all listeners – whether you are encountering Figaro for the first time, or re-visiting well-loved territory. I hope it will encourage you to dip further into our Opera in English catalogue – with over thirty-five recordings (and more in the pipeline) there is plenty to explore in what is now the world’s largest collection of operas recorded in English translation. August 2004 10 11 CHAN 3113 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 11:24 am Page 12 Too much can be made of the pre- determination in Act III and is the catalyst for Figaro’s Marriage revolutionary aspects of The Marriage of the drama in Act IV. The resolution brought Figaro. Figaro’s Act I cavatina ‘Se vuol ballare, about by the Countess’s forgiveness of her Figaro should be aged about thirty, if we are to through the ‘convenience’ of the room they signor contino’ (‘So, little master, you’re errant husband (‘I’m far more forgiving, and believe his inventor Caron de Beaumarchais. have been allotted and Count Almaviva’s plan dressed to go dancing’ in Jeremy Sams’s so I say yes’) and their, at least temporary, Mozart was also thirty in 1786, when the to take them with him on his embassy to translation) may seem like the tocsin for reconciliation form the emotional climax of opera was first performed. It is not too fanciful London. She reacts quickly enough to cover battle, and his confrontation with the Count the opera.