Which Mozart opera premiered in Vienna in 1786 and is based on Beaumarchais’s play?

Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro premiered in Vienna in 1786 and is based on Beaumarchais’s play of the same name.

Its Italian libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte, who later collaborated with Mozart on Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte. The story follows Figaro and Susanna as they try to marry while outwitting Count Almaviva, who wishes to exercise power over Susanna.

Mozart composed the opera in 1785 and 1786, and Emperor Joseph II approved its first performance at the Burgtheater on 1 May 1786. Although the opera was successful, its complex ensembles and social satire made it more demanding than a straightforward comic entertainment.

The opera is often confused with Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. Beaumarchais’s plays form a trilogy: The Barber of Seville comes first, The Marriage of Figaro second, and The Guilty Mother third. Mozart’s opera therefore depicts characters and events after Rossini’s later opera.