The two Figaro

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The two Figaro (in the original: Les deux Figaro ou le Sujet de comédie ) is the title of a five-act play by Honoré Antoine Richaud-Martelly from 1789. It is an independent continuation of Beaumarchais ' plays " The Barber of Seville " and " Figaro's wedding ”. It became a libretto template for various settings.

action

The action begins 13 years after "Figaro's wedding".

1st act

Count Almaviva lives with his valet Figaro at Aguas Frescas Castle. Both are separated from their wives, Raisin and Suzanne. Figaro wants to couple Ines, Almaviva's daughter, with his childhood friend Don Torribio Alvar and share the dowry with him. Ines is in love with Cherubin, which only the Countess and Suzanne know about. The theater writer Pedro is also present at the castle, who is inspired to a new comedy by Figaro's reports on the events and plans at the castle.

2nd act

The Countess, Ines and Suzanne are ordered to the castle by the Count and only find out about the planned wedding there. Suzanne suspects Figaro behind this plan and tries to prevent it from succeeding, but inadvertently gives herself away. Figaro is now also pretending to be against the planned wedding. Meanwhile, Chérubin is looking for a job as a servant at the castle under the code name Figaro in order to prevent the wedding himself. He is not recognized by either the Count or Figaro.

3rd act

The Countess, Ines and Suzanne have found out about Chérubin's plans and join forces with him. Figaro tries to revive the old love between himself and his wife. After a conversation with Pedro, Figaro believes that Cherubin is Ines' lover and lets Suzanne see this, but does not manage to tell the count about it. Suzanne fakes an affair with Chérubin to divert attention from the love affair between Chérubin and Ines.

4th act

Almaviva is convinced of an affair between Cherubin and Suzanne, but Figaro tells him about his own discovery; the count can convince himself of this through a ruse. He expels the cherub, who he still does not recognize, from the castle; the countess is only allowed to stay for the scheduled wedding.

5th act

The notary necessary for the wedding, but not personally known to all parties involved, appears and meets Pedro, who considers him to be a competing author and is in turn mistaken for a competing notary by the notary. The notary leaves the room furious. The count who has arrived has the notary sent again. But another notary, instructed by Chérubin, appears who prepares the wedding papers. Cherubin himself appears shortly before the marriage and reveals all plans and entanglements. He and Ines are married, Figaro and Torribio are chased away by Almaviva.

Translations, adaptations, settings

Germany

Martelly's play was translated into German by Johann Friedrich Jünger around 1794/1797 , and in 1838 Georg Friedrich Treitschke reworked it into a two-act libretto that formed the basis for Conradin Kreutzer's composition in 1839; the first performance of this opera took place in Braunschweig in 1840.

Italy

Felice Romani also reworked Martelly's play into a two-act libretto, written by Pamphile Aimon (year of composition and premier not known), Michele Carafa ( premier 1820 and French 1827), Dionisio Bogrioldi ( premier 1825), Giacomo Panizza ( premier 1826), Saverio Mercadante (premier 1835) and Giovanni Speranza (premier 1839).

Bibliography

  • [Dr.] Andreas Wilhelm: Figaro by the Dozen: Insight into an unknown motif on the French stage in the 18th century . Haag and Herchen, Frankfurt am Main 2007

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Albert Gier: Socially critical (undertones)? On the meaning content and change in meaning of the Figaro libretti . In: Isolde Schmid-Reiter (ed.): Beaumarchais' Figaro trilogy as operatic material . Conbrio, Vienna 2019, p. 17-56; here p. 28 .