LA Opera Presents “Le Nozze di Figaro”

Following the world premiere of Il Postino, LA Opera will conclude the 25th Anniversary Season Opening Celebration with one of the Company’s most popular productions, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles.

LA Opera’s beautiful and highly creative staging of The Marriage of Figaro, previously presented by the Company in 2004 and 2006, has been hailed as one of the most delightful productions of recent seasons. A universally beloved comedy by one of the greatest of all composers, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro turns convention upside down when the wily Figaro outwits his master Count Almaviva, whose wandering eye has landed on Figaro’s bride-to-be, Susanna. Plots are hatched, secrets are revealed, and virtue wins out in the end. From the opening notes of the overture to the final curtain, The Marriage of Figaro delights with its lovable characters, deeply felt emotions and the powerfully moving eloquence of its glorious music. Although it has been one of the most frequently performed operas in the repertoire since its premiere, the play it was based upon, Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais’ La folle journée, ou Le marriage de Figaro, was not produced onstage until long after it had been published. Beaumarchais’ 1778 play had been banned by Louis XVI as “profoundly immoral” for its criticism of the aristocracy, which foreshadowed the class conflicts of the French revolution to come. Mozart’s opera, like the play, places the servants in the lead roles and it is the noble master who is ultimately duped and must beg for clemency. The opera was first performed on May 1, 1786, in Vienna, at a time when Beaumarchais’ play was still banned in both Paris and Vienna.

Bass-baritone Daniel Okulich, who will perform the role of Figaro, returns to LA Opera for the first time since his Company debut in the leading role of Seth Brundle in The Fly. Four performances of The Marriage of Figaro will feature the Susanna of soprano Rebekah Camm, whose previous LA Opera appearances include Marzelline in Fidelio and Nella in Gianni Schicchi. The cast also includes several important singers making their Company debuts. German coloratura soprano Marlis Petersen, who will appear as Susanna for the first three performances of the production’s run, has performed her signature role of Lulu in Vienna, Hamburg, Chicago and, earlier this year, at the Metropolitan Opera, where she was also seen as Ophelie in Hamlet in the live HD international screenings. Danish baritone Bo Skovhus, who will appear in the role of Count Almaviva, is well known for his appearances in the world’s major opera houses and is also regarded as one of the premiere Lieder interpreters of his generation. He appears frequently at the Vienna State Opera and was honored with the title of Austrian “Kammersänger” in 1997. Soprano Martina Serafin, a native of Vienna who makes her first LA Opera appearance as the Countess, will perform Tosca at La Scala and at Covent Garden during the 2010/11 season. Recent appearances include the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier in San Francisco, Vienna, Barcelona, Berlin and Toulouse.

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