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1995
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With the opera "Le nozze di Figaro" commenced the remarkably successful cooperation between Mozart and his librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. The first night of "Figaro", presumably Mozart's most perfect musical comedy, was held in Vienna on May 1st, 1786. It is based on Beumarchais' "scandalous" comedy "La Folle Journée ou Le Mariage de Figaro" which, after its first staging in the pre-revolutionary Paris of 1784, soon became a huge success throughout Europe. For the opera, the revolutionary content of the intricate comedy of love and conspiracy against the background of noble capriciousness was actually toned down but not completely abandoned. The extensive ensemble scenes, the treatment of the orchestra and the delicately nuanced musical profiles of the characters hit the target and, looking back, proved to be pioneering for following generations of musicians.
Directed by Wolf-Dieter Ludwig

Peter Ustinov
NarratorGiuseppe Taddei
Figaro
Anna Moffo
SusannaEberhard Wächter
Il Conte d'AlmavivaElisabeth Schwarzkopf
La Contessa d'Almaviva
Fiorenza Cossotto
CherubinoIvo Vinco
BartoloDora Gatta
MarcellinaRenato Ercolani
Don Basilio / Don CurzioElisabetta Fusco
Barbarina
Piero Cappuccilli
AntonioGillian Spencer
RagazzoDiana Gillingham
RagazzoStatus
Released
Release date
January 1, 1995
Budget
—
Revenue
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Language
English, Italian