The Mozart-Da Ponte Operas: The Cultural and Musical Background to Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte

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The social context: Vienna and her ruler
Musicians, opera, and audience in Mozart's time
Mozart and Vienna
Mozart and his personal circle
Da Ponte and the Buffa plot
Cosi fan tutte and contemporary morality
Mozart and Opera Buffa
Drama and musical form in Le nozze di Figaro
Don Giovanni: musical form and dramatic cohesion
Cosi fan tutte
Epilogue
Appendix: casts of characters, plot synopses, and musical outlines for the three operas

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Mozart's collaborations with the librettist Lorenzo da Ponte led to the composition of three of the greatest masterpieces in all opera, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte. The aim of this book is to guide the reader to deeper understanding and enjoyment of these enigmatic works, not so much through detailed musical analysis as through setting the scene for their composition. The author examines the cultural and social context in which they were written, the sort of audience who might have attended, and their tastes and expectations. He considers Mozart's own intentions and aspirations for these works, composed over a period of rapid intellectual and political change, during which his beliefs, ambitions, and position in society changed radically. At a musical level, Mozart's work underwent crucial stylistic developments that are manifest in these three operas. We are also given clues to da Ponte's view of opera and the type of entertainment he set out to create. Finally, the author looks at the practicalities of opera production in Mozart's time, all of which would have influenced the final creation of these works.

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