Performances + Events
Joshua Major has worked on 13 productions of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro — two of those at New England Conservatory. This month, Major will add to his experience with the work, which NEC Opera will stage four times in the Conservatory’s Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre.
The opera, whose plot involves love and lust, twists and trickery, and, ultimately, forgiveness, depicts class struggle and the “decline of a social order,” said Major, Chair of Opera Studies at NEC. Major, who’ll direct NEC Opera’s production, described the work as “absolutely human and truthful, perhaps now even more than when it was written.”
“It has everything,” Major said. “Humor, it’s truthful — at the end there’s a restoration of order after chaos. We’re drawn to that, I think.”
The opera premiered in Vienna in 1786. NEC Opera’s production is set in the 1910s. Figaro features a score that Major said illuminates and contextualizes Lorenzo da Ponte’s “extremely smart” libretto. Together, the “perfectly written” music and “brilliant use of language” make for one of the most important and beloved operas in the repertoire. It’s also an excellent vehicle for pedagogy.
“Mozart’s ideal for young singers,” Major said. Figaro, specifically, “keeps them in the scope of where they are, vocally.” And, he said, “it’s great for the orchestra too.” Robert Tweten, music director of NEC’s Opera Studies Department, will conduct the NEC Philharmonia in NEC Opera’s production.
“The music always serves the drama, guiding us directly into the emotions of the characters and their situations in a way that feels both perfect and organic,” Tweten said. “It is demanding yet beautifully written for the orchestra, with every player given a chance to shine.”
Performing Mozart’s score will offer members of the NEC Philharmonia specific lessons.
“Working on orchestral ensemble playing while also learning how to support singers is invaluable at this stage of their development,” Tweten said. “The investment they make in preparing and performing this work will surely stand them in good stead, as it is a piece they will likely revisit many times throughout their careers. It has been a joy to be part of these wonderful young musicians’ first experience with this masterpiece.”
Part of the reward for Major is revisiting the work itself and the perspective it offers.
“I love doing it because it feels like I’m coming back to a party with friends,” he said. “I’m constantly reminded not to judge other people, and that we’re all flawed,” he said. “I like that reminder.”
Experience NEC Opera’s production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro — reserve your tickets!
