This week, The Metropolitan Opera presents a 1956 archive broadcast of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro." The legendary Cesare Siepi sings one of his most popular roles in this historic broadcast—the effervescent servant Figaro. Together with his bride, Susanna (Nadine Conner), Figaro plots to outwit their imperious master, Count Almaviva (Frank Guarrera), who has been making advances towards Susanna. Fortunately the two have help from Almaviva’s disenchanted wife, the Countess (a sensational Victoria de los Angeles). Mildred Miller is delightful as the amorous pageboy Cherubino, and a young Rosalind Elias sings the tiny role of a peasant girl.
Here's our weekly preview from Joshua Borths, Resident Scholar at Virginia Opera. You can hear his segments on my "Afternoon Classical" show each Friday afternoon just before 5pm.
Tune in to hear "The Marriage of Figaro" Saturday afternoon, December 30th at 1pm on VPM Music, 93.1 and 107.3 in central Virginia and streaming online here at vpm.org!
Yours in good music,
Mike Goldberg
Classical Host, VPM Music