DETROIT —“The Marriage of Figaro” is said by many to be the best opera of all time, not only in all of Westerndom, but of Global Civilization itself. It was written by the best composer of all time. The only man who outshines Beethoven. Mozart.
Only three more performances at the Detroit Opera House this week.
It’s a great comic opera, or opera buffa, readily accessible to novice opera goers, while still delighting seasoned aficionados. In fact, I even saw Congressman Sander Levin there at Intermission. He looked like he was trying to get ahold of someone on his celly. Maybe he was calling President Trump, perhaps seeing if he could snag some Peking Duck onto Air Force One on his way back from Asia.
Don’t forget the chopsticks!
Dirty old men have been all over the news of late.
The Count Almaviva in “Figaro” was the Harvey Weinstein of his day. The Count wanted to renew the nasty tradition of the landowner laying claim to first dibs on the bride of his serfs, upon marriage. Figaro was a serf of sorts to the Count.
Part of me felt sorry for the Count, he sang eloquently of his love for Susanna, the fiancee of Figaro; but he was married to Countess Almaviva, herself having a dalliance with Cherubino – which provided the lion’s share of laughter from a captivated opening night audience.
Love can get nasty when there’s people involved. That’s for sure. But Love is always worth it. Love is the greatest of things. Love is the highest consciousness.
Most great art is saturated with Love. Look at Guernica by Picasso. Who cannot love those poor people bombed by that monster Franco?
Whether Figaro outwits the Count and marries an undefiled Susanna, I will leave for you to discover. It is worth the voyage in Love, depravity, and great art.
“The Marriage of Figaro” is now playing at the Detroit Opera House. Remaining performances include November 15 at 7:30 p.m., November 18 at 7:30 p.m. and November 19 at 2:30 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit http://www.michiganopera.org/opera/the-marriage-of-figaro/
