LE NOZZE DI FIGARO

… such a work is a study in the disguising of eros in human behaviour, as well as a question about society that has been merely asked, and not resolved.

Yves Bonnefoy, « Mozart en son point du monde » (1992)

In The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart embraces all social situations and all ages of life, and delivers a vibrant appeal for the right to love, to be shared by all. But have our views on love and on the relationship between a man and a woman become irreconcilable today? In an inventive and burlesque staging that resonates with contemporary issues, Lotte de Beer depicts sex- and power-based relationships through the perceptions and experiences of the characters. What for some is a tremendous playground is for others a space of relentless struggle. Will the next generation be able to invent a more egalitarian world? Thomas Hengelbrock, who galvanises the Balthasar Neumann Ensemble and the sensational troupe of actors-singers, is the driving force behind this marvellous “training opera,” in which every character learns about life over the course of a single, madcap day.