Tonight: excerpts from "The Marriage of Figaro" by Mozart.

Cast in order of singing:
BBC Opera Chorus
BBC Opera Orchestra
Conducted by Leo Wurmser
Introduced by Stephen Williams
Produced by Harold Neden

The Marriage of Figaro
Mozart's Figaro has more than one affinity with Rossini's Barber. In the first place it is, of course, a setting of Beaumarchais' sequel to The Barber -of Seville. In the second place, just as the first performance of Rossini's opera was wrecked by supporters of Paisiello, so the success of the early performances of Mozart's opera was jeopardised by the activities of his rival Salieri whose forty operas are now completely forgotten by the world at large. It is ironical that his very name is remembered only because he intrigued against Mozart and for many years was believed to have poisoned him in a passion of jealousy. It was largely due to Salieri's machinations that The Marriage of Figaro had only a few performances when it was first produced in Vienna in 1786. So it would seem that if one cannot be a great man oneself one can at least achieve immortality by injuring a great man! Salieri and Ringhini both had operas ready for performance at the time, but the Emperor Joseph II of Austria decided in favour of Figaro. Time has shown that the Emperor was right. Many people consider this Mozart's most felicitous and satisfying work. A comedy opera? Yes; but it is comedy that has its roots in the vagaries of the human heart, and our laughter is never far removed from tears. Stephen Williams