Le Nozze Di Figaro Transmission Transcript
Bullock Show Intro
[MUSIC]
JULIA BULLOCK: Hello, I’m Julia Bullock. I’m delighted to be your host today for Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. The Marriage of Figaro premiered in 1786. And all these years later it still sparkles as a living, breathing work of art, that leaps off the stage and speaks to us in ways that are both funny and profound.
But Le Nozze de Figaro is much more than an upstairs-downstairs comedy about the foibles of the upper class. It’s an opera about planting the seeds of revolution against oppression, and it continues to provide hope and inspiration today.
What makes the Met’s presentation of Figaro so successful is its supreme ensemble class and its dynamic conductor, who together share great chemistry in this classic production, which is set in 1930s Seville, by director Richard Eyre. Bass baritone Michael Sumuel sings the title role of the resourceful valet Figaro, engaged to be married by the savvy maid, Susanna, played by the soprano, Olga Kulchynska.
Standing in the way of their nuptials is baritone, Joshua Hopkins, as Count Almaviva. He is the lord of the manner who plans to abuse his position of power to excuse and exercise is futile sexual rights over those indentured to him.
Soprano Federica Lombardi is his wise, long-suffering wife, the Countess. And the ensemble is rounded out by the mezzosoprano Sun-ly Pierce, as the mischievous teenager Cherubino.
Conductor Joana Mallwitz, making her acclaimed Met debut, is ready to go to the pit and launch the magnificent overture. Here is Le Nozze de Figaro.
STAGE MANAGER: Maestro to the pit, please. Maestro to the pit.
TRANSITION
[APPLAUSE]
JULIA BULLOCK: What a beautiful and effervescent first half. And much of the excitement is thanks to the work of our conductor today, Joana Mallwitz, who is making her Met debut with this run of Le Nozze de Figaro performances. We spoke to the conductor. Mallwitz, about her connection to Mozart’s glittering score.
JOANNA MALLWITZ: The whole opera, the whole Figaro, it’s such a masterpiece, but at the same time it’s just so much fun. It’s fun to conduct. It’s fun to just see all the action on, on stage. And already the overture, it is like a stroke of genius. It’s this little piece of music, full of wit and cheekiness. And it starts completely in pianissimo, so really, really, really soft, um, with this extreme, crazy tempo.
[MUSIC]
Like it’s already foreshadowing all these secrets and games of hide and seek that come later on in the story. And then all the sudden dynamic outbursts, they come so unexpectedly.
[MUSIC]
Pretty much like the story later on with all those surprising twists and new plans and ideas. They always catch you off guard in those sudden accents that really stun you, like the perfect, uh, shot of caffeine.
[MUSIC]
We have the feeling of getting thrown into this action right away from the first note. And this is pretty much the perfect opener to this, uh, opera.
[MUSIC]
The way Mozart uses the voices, and he writes for the voices, that is probably the most genius. So, let’s start with Figaro. [LAUGHS]
[SINGING]
The thing about Figaro is that actually, he is a choleric character. He has such a temperament that sometimes he can control and sometimes it just bursts out, and already you see that in his first aria. We find very drastic contrasts, sudden eruptions of forte, pretty much like the big area of the Conte in the third act. So, to Figaro, there’s always a bit of danger. His aggression just gets the better of him.
[SINGING]
Susanna, she is the motor to the whole action. There’s hardly any number without Susanna. She is singing all the time. The first aria of Susanna doesn’t actually seem like an aria, it seems like a scene. She is dressing up Cherubino. Mozart gives her an aria that no one even recognizes as an aria, because Susanna, she is not a woman who lingers, she is not a woman who waits around, she is not someone who stands still and sings an aria. She’s a woman of action; she just does stuff. And while that happens, an aria happens, and you don’t even notice it.
[SINGING]
And then we have the Contessa.
[SINGING]
The Countess, she is the one who brings dramatic depth to the whole story. It’s actually about the loss of love and the loss of youth, and about facing the world with open eyes.
[SINGING]
And she has an enormous inner, upright strength. We don’t meet her in the whole of the first act. And then the second act opens with this aria in a key that is really, really special for Mozart and also in the context of this opera, which is E flat major. The other person who sings an aria in that key before is Cherubino. And also, the color, which is special, because the clarinets start to play. And Mozart uses the clarinets in this opera just in very distinct places. So, we already see a new color coming into the piece.
[SINGING]
So, I guess this is the wonder of Mozart. The first time I really heard the Figaro was on the job. I started when I was 19 years old at a little theater in Germany, in Heidelberg. And I conducted all my first Figaros there. To now be here and, and conduct it at the Metropolitan Opera, with these amazing singers and this wonderful orchestra, it is such a joy and such a, such an honor also. And at the same time, it also feels little bit like coming home, although I’ve never been here, but we’re here together so, [LAUGHS], we’re home
[MUSIC / APPLAUSE]
INTERVIEW
JULIA BULLOCK: Such a revealing and informative interview. Now I’m going to speak with our count and countess. Hello.
FEDERICA LOMBARDI: Hello.
JULIA BULLOCK: This is Joshua Hopkins and Federica Lombardi.
JOSHUA HOPKINS: Hi.
JULIA BULLOCK: Bravi on your truly wonderful first half. Just thank – oh, the music’s amazing. You all are amazing. Um, you both have sung a lot of Mozart, and this opera in particular, what makes this Figaro a bit different than the other ones you’ve performed?
FEDERICA LOMBARDI: Uh, well, being at the Met is [LAUGHS] is something special, of course. And, uh, also, uh, the production is beautiful and I think we are a great group of colleagues. There, there is a, um, good chemistry between us and it’s very special to me.
JULIA BULLOCK: Yes. Josuha?
JOSHUA HOPKINS: Oh, well, first I want to say, uh, sending my love to, uh, all my friends and family who are watching in Canada.
FEDERICA LOMBARDI: Yes, me too, to Italy. [LAUGHS]
JOSHUA HOPKINS: Yes, yes. Love you mom and dad.
FEDERICA LOMBARDI: Oh …
JOSHUA HOPKINS: Um, and, uh, what’s really amazing about this production is that, uh, on the revolve, we’re able to continue the drama as it, as it goes, um, and so we see all of the different rooms of my estate [LAUGHS] as it were. And I really love that it just has that flow to it. You know, we don’t have to wait for the curtain to come down and a scene to change; it just continues on and it powers through this crazy day that we’re all experience.
JULIA BULLOCK: Yes.
FEDERICA LOMBARDI: And this finale of second act is just crazy, we don’t stop.
JOSHUA HOPKINS: No.
FEDERICA LOMBARDI: We, literally, don’t stop a moment.
JULIA BULLOCK: There is so much quicksilver comedy in the Act II finale, just as you were saying. And honestly, just throughout the whole opera. How do the technical requirements affect you in your comic timing?
JOSHUA HOPKINS: Oh, well I, uh, with comic timing I find, uh, comedy is all born out of truth. And so, if we’re playing the scene truthly, uh, truthfully, which I believe, you know, is so easy with you because you give me such energy and such great eye, uh, contact.
FEDERICA LOMBARDI: You too, you do the same.
JOSHUA HOPKINS: Oh, thanks – that, that we are playing the moment, uh, on stage --
FEDERICA LOMBARDI: Yes.
JOSHUA HOPKINS: -- every performance we’ve got. And so, uh, for me, personally, I find, uh, Act II is probably the Count’s most challenging act.
FEDERICA LOMBARDI: Mmm.
JOSHUA HOPKINS: Um, a lot of the lines are very low for my tessitura, and he tends to be a very angry character, you may have noticed that. Um, [LAUGHS], and so, uh, to not make, to make sure, to preserve the, the voice and to keep the intention of Mozart and the singing and, and vocality of it, have to be careful not to push that too much.
FEDERICA LOMBARDI: Yes, I agree. And also, I feel like every performance, uh, something is different. So, uh, to … mmm, forget what we are, what we know very well because we know very well our, our parts, but to do a little improvisation all, all the time, I think.
JULIA BULLOCK: So, speaking of that, and just the music, your conductor, Joanna Mallwitz is an experienced Mozartian. And think her quick tempi are sort of perfection. But, how do you like them?
FEDERICA LOMBARDI: I, I love them. I, I really think that this quick and fast tempos are, uh, very good for the, for, mmm, the developing of the story, because you know, Le Nozze di Figaro is la folle giornata. [LAUGHING] So, it’s perfect.
JULIA BULLOCK: It is perfect.
JOSHUA HOPKINS: I couldn’t agree more.
JULIA BULLOCK: Well, Federica and Joshua, just thank you so much for speaking with me. I know that you have a second half –
FEDERICA LOMBARDI: Yes.
JULIA BULLOCK: -- to rest up and prepare for. So, again, thank you.
FEDERICA LOMBARDI: Thank you so much.
JOSHUA HOPKINS: Thank you.
JULIA BULLOCK: The Met’s Live in HD series is made possible thanks to its founding sponsor, the Neubauer Family Foundation. Digital support is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Met Live in HD series is supported by Rolex. Today’s performance of Le Nozze di Figaro is also being heard over the Robert K. Johnson Foundation Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network. We’ll be back after a break.
Bullock Throw to tape
WOMAN 1: Three, two…
JULIA BULLOCK: Welcome back. Next month, the Met returns to cinemas with a gripping new production of Strauss’s Salome, conducted by Met conductor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and starring soprano Elza van den Heever in the title role. Here’s the clip of Elza as Salome, attempting to seduce the imprisoned John the Baptist, play by the lenig-- legendary baritone Peter Mattei, from yesterday’s final dress rehearsal.
[SINGING]
INTERVIEW
JULIA BULLOCK: Elza is one of opera’s greatest dramatic sopranos, and I feel so honored she is with me here now. [LAUGHS]. It really is an honor to meet you.
ELZA VAN DEN HEEVER: It’s such an honor to meet you too.
JULIA BULLOCK: We can fan girl on each other later. Elza, that was just a small sample of your intense portrayal. And there, there are just so many ways about how, so many different ways to project the character of Salome. And, would you just tell us a little bit about how you are portraying her in this production by Claus Guth?
ELZA VAN DEN HEEVER: I think, um, it’s not really about how I’m portraying her versus how I’m finding my feet within this world. I think the magic of wigs, makeup, and costume, is very important, especially in a production like this. So – and, as I’m only one – I’m not, I’m not the only Salome on stage, right? There’s, there’s six mini versions of me. So, I’m one of seven. So, I try and find my, my cues and my information by how we’re all dressed and how we communicate with each other on stage.
JULIA BULLOCK: This is a riveting one-act opera that, well, does revolve around the, I guess, may Salomes that are existing in this particular production. Um, what do you do to prepare yourself for such an intense experience?
ELZA VAN DEN HEEVER: You show up prepared. [LAUGHING]. And you just show up with, um, you know, an open mind and, um, I see myself as sort of like a molding putty. So, I’m in the director’s hands and he does with me what he wants. And then I find my feet and I start to experiment and I make sure I’m properly hydrated, properly nourished. Uh, I think for a role like Salome, it’s a tour de force and once you start you don’t stop. So, it’s important to be treating your body like that of an athlete, so that you don’t run out of steam. It’s really, I say, it’s stamina game.
JULIA BULLOCK: I have to say Salome, well, I think it’s my favorite opera. And it was a complete scandal when it was premiered in 1905 in Dresden. Do you think that this opera still has the power to shock us in 2025?
ELZA VAN DEN HEEVER: Yes, 100 percent, especially in this particular production. Because during the dance, we really see – we catch a glimpse of how this girl was groomed, how she, you know, it’s all up for interpretation, but how abuse takes place, and how that affects the mind of, of a vulnerable thing, a person, any entity, and how that leads to a 16-year-old girl asking for the head of a man that she then proceeds to kiss and fantasize about. I mean, it’s all so perverse. But we’re all born innocent. We’re made into monsters – not that she’s a monster, but you know what I mean.
JULIA BULLOCK: Yes.
ELZA VAN DEN HEEVER: So, I think it’s quite shocking.
JULIA BULLOCK: Yes. Well, Elza, I know that Salome is going to be a total thrill and intense experience for everyone in the audience when it’s seen in the movie theater in May –
ELZA VAN DEN HEEVER: Seventeen.
JULIA BULLOCK: -- 17th. And thank you so much for coming to speak with me today.
ELZA VAN DEN HEEVER: Thank you for having me.
JULIA BULLOCK: And I also wish you luck --
ELZA VAN DEN HEEVER: Thank you.
JULIA BULLOCK: -- at your opening premiere on Tuesday.
ELZA VAN DEN HEEVER: And to you for Anthony and Cleopatra [LAUGHS].
JULIA BULLOCK: So, Salome is just one of two remaining movie theater transmissions this season. After that, on May 31st, the Met will present its charming production of Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, with a winning young cast. Baritone Andrey Zhilikhovsky sings the title role of the swaggering Barber of Seville. Tenor Jack Swanson is Count Almaviva, in his Met debut. And mezzosoprano Aigul Akhmetshina returns the Met for the first time since her unforgettable portrayal of Carmen last season. She’ll be singing the role of Rosina for the first time here.
Both the comic hijinks of Il Barbiere di Siviglia and the intense drama of Salome promise to be a cap-, promise to be completely captivating on movie screens next month. But we all must remember that opera is first and foremost a live artistic experience. Nothng compres to the power of a great opera performance in the opera house.
As a singer here, I feel very luck and inspired to come to the Met and hear dear friends and colleagues perform. So, I also invite you to come to the Met, or visit your local opera company.
Today marks the 152nd performance of the Met’s season, with more to come. This is one of the few opera companies in the world capable of presenting so many performances of such a wide range of repertoire and all at such a high artistic level.
But delivering great productions of both the classics and important new work, comes at great expense. Ticket sales cover only a small fraction of the costs. So, the Met relies on opera lovers like you to make up the difference. So, consider making a contribution to the arts. These days, we need the arts more than ever, because it brings us together.
If you are able to make a donation, please visit us a MetOpera.org/donate. You can also text HD Live to 44321, to make a contribution, or call us at 212-362-0068. We all here thank you for your support.
Now, let’s get back to the world of Le Nozze di Figaro. And joining me to talka bout her role as Cherubino is the thrilling and charming mezzosprano Sun-Ly pierce.
SUN-LY PIERCE: Hi, good to see you.
JULIA BULLOCK: Hello. Oh, just congratulations.
SUN-LY PIERCE: Thank you. Thank you so much.
JULIA BULLOCK: Sun-Ly, you made your Met debut last year in a small role in La Rondine, which I also saw –
SUN-LY PIERCE: Yes.
JULIA BULLOCK: And now you’re Cherubino –
SUN-LY PIERCE: Yes.
JULIA BULLOCK: – which is just such a wonderful launching pad for a lot of great mezzosopranos. Um, Figaro was the second opera that I ever learned. And I sang Susanna. And I think that some of my favorite moments on stage were the ones with Cherubino. But I’m curious, what are your favorite moments? Or what do you love about singing this role?
SUN-LY PIERCE: Um, I think what I love about singing this role is the collaboration with my colleagues. I’ve said this before, but something that I love about this piece is that it’s an ensemble piece, and there’s so much shared responsibility and joy in making each scene. I’d have to say, I think some of my favorite scenes are the ones where there’s a lot of people on stage, like the Count, and I’m under the bed, and Basilio comes in, um, those kinds of moments where you feel like you’re relying on the inspiration of your colleagues and of the dramatic moment that presents itself. Those are my, my favorite moments to be on stage.
JULIA BULLOCK: A lot of wonderful interaction between you all. And I must say, you’ve crafted a very convincing and committed character. Um, is there a secret, do you feel, to capturing this kid in all of his teenage glory?
SUN-LY PIERCE: Oh, yeah. I mean, I think, um, any character that has a lot of heart and used to it, it’s just a matter of getting in touch with your inner child and, and allowing that to kind of shine and, and to not judge yourself, just try something that’s exciting and fun and, and think about something that’s, uh, comes from your, your purest impulse and your most primal instincts and finish that thought, yeah.
JULIA BULLOCK: So, and thinking about impulses and primal instincts, we have to talk about your leap. Uh, at the end of Act II, you had to do a pretty high climb up on the stage and then you jump out of a window. Um, how did you navigate that move? And while you answer that also I just want to share with audiences that we’ll be, um, sharing some footage that we captured of your leap from our social media team here at the met. [LAUGHING]
SUN-LY PIERCE: Yeah, well, I guess, uh, like anything, practice makes perfect. So, getting a chance to do it, um, just a couple of times in rehearsal and then through the performances, you know, I think I’ve just figured out a groove for it and what works for me and, um, a way that helps it look, hopefully, just somewhat effortless. [LAUGHTER]. And, uh, and enjoyable.
Does, does it feel nice to land on a full box of foam?
SUN-LY PIERCE: Oh, yeah, there’s [LAUGHING] … it is really exciting to be done with it. [LAUGHING]
JULIA BULLOCK: To be done with it.
SUN-LY PIERCE: Yeah.
JULIA BULLOCK: Beyond the jump. This is a very physical show and you’re so adept at all of that physicality, including embodying the, embodying a boy who’s also then pretending to be a girl. How do you, um, become, well, how did you become so versatile on stage?
SUN-LY PIERCE: Um, gosh, I don’t want to give the same answer, but I think it’s a, a lot of practice. I mean, there’s no greater teacher than the stage. And so, getting opportunities to perform and try things that work and try things that don’t work, you know, trial and error and giving yourself the grace and freedom to make mistakes and just try something and, and see what happens.
JULIA BULLOCK: Wonderful.
SUN-LY PIERCE: I’d say that’s the best teacher.
JULIA BULLOCK: Well, Sun-ly, it’s just been – this is, this is a great role for you, truly.
SUN-LY PIERCE: Thank you.
JULIA BULLOCK: And I have just had a pleasure speaking with you, so thank you.
SUN-LY PIERCE: Thank you. Thank you so much.
JULIA BULLOCK: And finally, our title character and his betrothed, bass baritone, Michael Sumuel, and soprano Olga Kulchynska. Hello.
MICHAEL SUMUEL: Hi.
JULIA BULLOCK: Oh, my goodness. It seems like the two of you are really in sync, both dramatically and musically. Um, did this come to you naturally, as a team?
OLGA KULCHYNSKA: Um, partly. You know, like we still rehearsed.
JULIA BULLOCK: Yes.
OLGA KULCHYNSKA: But I should say, yeah, something came, like we just felt each other, um, during the first rehearsal, just observed a bit how we work, uh, the, the physicality, the psychophysics. And then, uh, yeah, it just, it didn’t take so much time, actually.
MICHAEL SUMUEL: Yeah.
JULIA BULLOCK: Olga, it feels like Susanna just never leaves the stage. As our conductor told us before, the role of, um, the … the role is sort of infamous for how much singing that you have to do. Where do you get the energy? [LAUGHTER]
OLGA KULCHYNSKA: I don’t know. I guess, um, it comes with, with practicing, you know. Like, uh, it’s not my first production of Le Nozze, but, uh, yeah, I did it many, many times. And also, I practiced it for a long time. And you just, you just know how to do that. And, of course, you have to, um, yeah, have to balance everything.
JULIA BULLOCK: Absolutely. Michael, I, I know that your repertoire is so wide in its range, from baroque to romantic to contemporary work. However, Mozart also seems like a really perfect fit for you. Do you also feel that way?
MICHAEL SUMUEL: Yeah, absolutely. This is the, this role, even though it was in English, is the first role I ever learned, um. And so, Mozart, for me, is sort of the center of my repertoire where I in-, where it informs the romantic stuff, the baroque stuff, um, and really, I always say it’s humanity on sheet paper. He’s just so detailed. Um, and so learning this role helped me learn how to examine a character, break down a character, and build a character, um, from the information that’s in the score is, of course, the source materials that are available. But, um, yeah, Mozart for me is certainly a home.
JULIA BULLOCK: Mmm. We singers often talk a lot about how healthy Mozart and all of his music is for us to sing. But it’s also tricky. Um, what do, what do you feel that the challenges are in this particular opera?
OLGA KULCHYNSKA: Uh, for Susanna challenges are, again, as I said, to balance recits, balance this huge amount of text, band, mmm, acting, and also to remember that actually you have to sing legato and, you know, you have to really sing in the end of the, uh, opera. So, it’s about balancing, I think.
JULIA BULLOCK: Well, uh, Michael and Olga, it really is just time for you to get back out on stage. I hear them tuning.
MICHAEL SUMUEL: Thank you.
OLGA KULCHYNSKA: Thank you.
JULIA BULLOCK: So many thanks to you both.
MICHAEL SUMUEL: Thank you.
OLGA KULCHYNSKA: Thank you.
JULIA BULLOCK: And I hope that you have a wonderful second half. Thank you.
JULIA BULLOCK: In this seesaw battle of wits between the Count and his subjects, it seems uncertain who will ultimately gain the upper hand. Mozart and his librettist, Lorenzo Da Ponte, were ingenious at building comic suspense. And as you will observe, they want to keep us guessing.
Here now are the concluding two acts of Le Nozze di Figaro.