Premiere in the Volksoper: Mozart's Figaro breaks with traditions!

Premiere in the Volksoper: Mozart's Figaro breaks with traditions!

On May 25, 2025, Volksoper Vienna celebrated the premiere of Lotte de Beer's new staging by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's famous opera "Le Nozze di Figaro". The production, which was originally designed for the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in 2021, came into focus in advance. With its four acts, the staging addresses the complex dynamics of sex and turns from the perspectives of different figures such as the count, Susanna, the countess, Barbarina and Marcellina. These different perspectives give the performance a modern note that captivates the audience. According to Kleine Zeitung , the staging was already performed in Aix-en-Provence in 2022.

The first act, from the count's perspective, reminds of American sitcoms of the 1970s and introduces the viewer into the world of the nobility, while the second act is dominated by Susanna, in which slapstick -like elements come into play. In the strange scene with Cherubino, which ends up in a washing machine, the lightness and humor of the staging becomes clear. The emotions increase in the third act, in which the countess suffers from the breaking of her marriage, implemented in a minimalist setting. The fourth act brings psychedelic elements and reminds of "Lucy in the Sky", which makes the performance a visually impressive experience.

musical management and actor

The musical direction has taken over Omer Meir Wellber, who conducts the performance with a quick pace and improvisatory elements. His approach is particularly noteworthy to integrate various musical allusions into recitative, so that the performance is perceived both exciting and as a kind of musical experiment. Volksoper Vienna describes the occupation of the main roles that is impressive: Michael Arivony plays Figaro, Lauren Urquhart shines as Susanna and Matilda Sterby embodies the countess. Daniel Schmutzhard takes on the role of the count.

The opera, which was premiered on May 1, 1786 in the Burgtheater in Vienna, has been performed in a long tradition and has been performed at the Volksoper 365 times since 1905. The topic of gender roles in the opera is not new; Eva Rieger, a Bremen musicologist, said in a lecture that women could play strong roles in the Baroque period, while they were often pushed back in later epochs. In Mozart's work, women like Susanna show strength, but they often suffer from a poor musical foundation. This representation is contrasting in the painful fate that many female characters have to go through in operas, which clearly emphasizes Rieger in their analysis. taz emphasizes that the division of gender roles into "good" and "evil" The reality of life of women in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In summary, it can be said that the premiere of "Le Nozze di Figaro" at Volksoper Vienna is a fascinating interplay of tradition and modern theater. The work analysis, directing and musical interpretation create a moving experience for the audience and at the same time ask relevant questions about gender roles and power relationships in our society.