THE STORY BEHIND: Mozart's Overture to "The Marriage of Figaro"

Title: The Marriage of Figaro: Overture

Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Last time performed by the Rhode Island Philharmonic: Last performed March 11, 1995 with Zuohuang Chen conducting. This piece is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings.

The Story: When Mozart conspired with his librettist Lorenzo da Ponte to make an opera out of Beaumarchais’ racy and irreverent play The Marriage of Figaro, the two had to work furiously over a six-week period to have it ready for opening night on May 1, 1786. The overture, in fact, was completed only two days prior.

That same sense of urgency is reflected in the overture’s opening notes. Frenetic (and famously difficult) melodic figures seem to scurry this way and that in the strings and bassoons until, somehow, they come together to create a playful and boisterous theme which romps happily throughout the overture. The original title to Beaumarchais’ play, “La Folle Journée” (“the crazy day”), is a perfect description of the music here. Moods shift like quicksilver, a comedic helter-skelter atmosphere prevails, and there is no rest. At one point, Mozart had considered adding a contrasting slow tune for oboe but deleted the idea, preferring instead a seemingly unstructured outpouring of nervous energy. Listen for the prominence and independence of the winds, a particularly unusual compositional choice for the late  18^th century, as the overture races to a rollicking finish.

Program Notes by Jamie Allen © 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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