{"id":1395,"date":"2022-06-26T13:15:20","date_gmt":"2022-06-26T13:15:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.david-todd.co.uk\/?p=1395"},"modified":"2022-06-26T13:15:56","modified_gmt":"2022-06-26T13:15:56","slug":"riding-the-rollercoaster-the-act-2-finale-from-le-nozze-di-figaro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.david-todd.co.uk\/?p=1395","title":{"rendered":"Riding the Rollercoaster \u2013 The Act 2 Finale from Le Nozze di Figaro"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article is one of a series called ‘The Elton John Act’, which aim to demystify the process of becoming an operatic r\u00e9p\u00e9titeur and assist anyone wishing to audition as one in the German-speaking operatic system. Here we explore Mozart’s masterpiece, the finale of the second act of his opera Le Nozze di Figaro.

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Many experienced musicians argue that finale of Act 2 is some of Mozart\u2019s best music, and it\u2019s not hard to see why.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Opera:<\/td>Le Nozze di Figaro  <\/td><\/tr>
Composer:<\/td>Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart<\/td><\/tr>
Length of Scene to learn: <\/td>Entire finale No. 16. Sometimes you will only be asked to play from Antonio\u2019s entrance (bar 467-605) and then from the Allegro Assai to the end  (bars 697-end).<\/td><\/tr>
Edition Used: <\/td>B\u00e4renreiter in consultation with Peters (see below).<\/td><\/tr>
Recordings I listened to: <\/td>Ren\u00e9 Jacobs, 2004 (Harmonia Mundi), Georg Solti, 1982 (Decca), Carlo Maria Giulini, 1961 (Warner Classics), various versions on Youtube. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When I first thought I had an interest in opera, a friend of mine recommended I take part in an opera summer course in Weimar, Germany. The piece to perform was Mozart\u2019s \u2018Le Nozze di Figaro\u2019. Having dutifully prepared the piano reduction to the best of my ability, I will never forget the first day of rehearsals, where we ran the finale of the second act. It was not unlike a rollercoaster, and though I fell off more than once, I realised I was hooked, and sat in awe watching my more experienced r\u00e9p\u00e9titeur colleagues navigate their way through the piece over the next few weeks. Having grown up knowing Mozart from his piano and choral music, it was like I had discovered a new and unexpected side to a well-loved friend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Many experienced musicians argue that finale of Act 2 is some of Mozart\u2019s best music, and it\u2019s not hard to see why. Of all the excerpts that must usually be presented for r\u00e9p\u00e9titeur auditions, the characters here are the most well-defined, and due to the length of the extract, there is the greatest opportunity to show the maximum variety of colours and textures, as well as to demonstrate your interpretation and understanding of the style. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Like many pieces by well-known composers, you will find some people have very strict ideas that they like to preach, while other musicians place themselves on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Compared to the other extracts, I would say that the Mozart benefits the most from listening to a sample of recordings, firstly because many of the tempi are limited by what is possible for an orchestra to play, and secondly because it is so important to have an understanding of Mozart\u2019s style. Too much pedal or too heavy a bass line can immediately obscure the phrasing or space in the texture that Mozart requires, and if you have limited knowledge of playing Mozart in other contexts, this can be difficult to get a sense of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The excerpt is also so long, that listening to recordings will help you to begin to understand how every section links together. Watching a film version (there are many available on Youtube) will also help you to understand the many events taking place, and will help you to come to your own interpretation of the piece. Like many pieces by well-known composers, you will find some people have very strict ideas that they like to preach, while other musicians place themselves on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. I remember once hearing one person argue that the pulse should stay exactly the same throughout the whole finale, while in his book The Composer\u2019s Advocate,<\/em> conductor Erich Leinsdorf includes a very detailed analysis of the finale and argues for a much more subtle interpretation of interlinking tempi. 

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‘How on earth do we begin to learn this colossal piece of music?’<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


I used a similar technique when learning this excerpt as with Elektra, which is that I created a version of the accompaniment that I could play basically, as a guide to enable me to learn the vocal parts over the top. I then refined my playing in conjunction with my singing. As the only excerpt in Italian, it is crucial that your Italian is clear, and expressive, so as with Carmen, I would suggest studying with someone at the beginning of the learning process, and then getting them to listen to you singing at the end of your study too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A word of warning for the piano part \u2013 it can be tempting to think that large swathes of the piano part are easy to play, and therefore to spend more of your time on Strauss for example, leaving Mozart to worry about later. While at first glance I would agree that the Mozart is easier to quickly get on its feet, in my opinion there is always much more work needed later on to refine my playing, and I always feel the most naked with this piece in an audition situation. Do not underestimate it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For editions, there are two popular options. The Peters edition tends to be much easier to play, and has been written to fit a pianist\u2019s hands better, whereas the B\u00e4renreiter version as many areas that are un-pianistic, with lines that have to be excluded or rewritten in order to be playable. However, in my opinion the B\u00e4renreiter retains more aspects of the orchestral writing, which I find more useful. Therefore I like to play from the B\u00e4renreiter and consult the Peters for solutions wherever I run into a passage that I find unplayable or badly arranged for a pianist. Never be afraid to reallocate certain passages to a different hand than what is printed on the page or to miss out notes that are not so important if their inclusion means that something more important will suffer. 

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