{"id":56431,"date":"2023-01-27T05:54:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-27T04:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=56431"},"modified":"2024-01-29T13:19:07","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T12:19:07","slug":"mozart-figaro-aria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/mozart-figaro-aria\/","title":{"rendered":"Mozart, an aria &amp; a story"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/mozarthusacherubinosmall.jpg\" alt=\"Excerpt from sheet music\" class=\"wp-image-56429\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/mozarthusacherubinosmall.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/mozarthusacherubinosmall-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>One of the more notable moments in Mozart&#8217;s 1786 opera <em>The Marriage of Figaro<\/em> is the &#8220;military aria&#8221;, <em>Non pi\u00f9 andrai<\/em>. Recent research throws fresh light on its music, as the <em>Cherubino alla vittoria!<\/em> exhibition in the Mozarthaus explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reveals Mozart&#8217;s genius (again)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Intriguing details on the music and military of the time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cooperation with Vienna City Library<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Runs Jan 27, 2023 to Jan 28, 2024<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/mozarthaus\/\">Mozarthaus overview &amp; visitor info<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/classical-concert\/#mozart-strauss-concerts\">Mozart concerts in Vienna<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cherubino alla vittoria!<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"434\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/mozarthauscherubino.jpg\" alt=\"Inside view of the Cherubino alla vittoria! exhibition\" class=\"wp-image-56428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/mozarthauscherubino.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/mozarthauscherubino-300x260.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Exhibition view; press photo \u00a9 Mozarthaus Vienna \/ Alexander Wulz)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the end of Act I of <em>The Marriage of Figaro<\/em>, the title character takes pleasure in recounting the &#8220;joys&#8221; of the soldier&#8217;s life to Cherubino, who is due to be sent off to the army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Figaro gleefully points out, Cherubino can expect to swap the romantic interludes of Count Almaviva&#8217;s palace for the retort of cannons. Not a pleasant prospect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The end of the <em>Non pi\u00f9 andrai<\/em> aria sees Mozart lead the orchestra into a jaunty military march. But what lies behind this particular composition?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A plausible answer comes in the <em>Cherubino alla vittoria!<\/em> exhibition, which takes its title from the line in the libretto where the march begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It seems Mozart may have drawn on an existing, but now largely forgotten, march of the time to add a dose of poignant realism to the opera. Equally, the changes he made to fit the tone and pace of the narrative and performance reveal his compositional eminence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As well as exploring the history of Mozart&#8217;s march interlude (and its afterlife), this small exhibition also takes us into several intriguing historical and musical nooks and crannies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We discover, for example, the role of music in supporting military endeavours, where a suitable march boosted the resolve of army conscripts whose courage and motivation might otherwise waver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other patriotic pieces did something similar for a skeptical public (Mozart obligingly produced 1788&#8217;s <em>La Bataille<\/em> for that very reason).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of this is illustrated through original documents, pictures, sheet music, travel dairies and similar that include such delights as an early 18th-century trumpet or autograph scores with handwritten comments by Paganini and Schubert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Detailed display texts also offer tidbits of tasty information. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A quote from a witness to the first rehearsal of the <em>Non pi\u00f9 andrai<\/em> aria (it went well)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A rather negative (and, with hindsight, inaccurate) review of <em>The Marriage of Figaro<\/em> from shortly after its premiere<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Quotes from a plea for peace published from the time of the Austro-Turkish war (late 1700s) that seem just as relevant today<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An explanation of the role of plagiarism and copying in music before we had copyright laws. Where a Persian march by Johann Strauss II can be traced back to an Azerbaijani folk song via a Glinka opera and (allegedly) a Persian prince!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The thematic introductions leave you wishing for even more, and much praise is due curator Thomas Aigner for packing so much insight into just one room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tickets\">Dates, tickets &amp; tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Enjoy exploring the background to the martial music that ends <em>Non pi\u00f9 andrai<\/em> from January 27th, 2023 to January 28th, 2024. Any ticket to the Mozarthaus includes the exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The aria first played out in public at the court theatre, which was later demolished to make way for improvements to the outer Hofburg on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/michaelerplatz-2\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"27254\">Michaelerplatz square<\/a>. You can see a photo of the original building on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/historical-photos\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"10518\">this page<\/a> (second entry).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today&#8217;s Vienna offers three <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/activities\/opera-in-vienna\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1660\">opera houses<\/a> by way of compensation, and you have a good chance of catching <em>The Marriage of Figaro<\/em> at one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, the Staatsoper just happens to include performances in its 2022\/2023 and 2023\/2024 seasons: see one for the price of coffee and cake using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/opera\/cheap-tickets\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"881\">these tips<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Or to simply view inside the Staatsoper building, try one of the in-house <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/opera\/staatsoper-tour\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"17051\">guided tours<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get there<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Check the travel tips on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/mozarthaus\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"5858\">Mozarthaus page<\/a>. The location is behind Stephansdom cathedral right in the centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Domgasse 5, 1010 Vienna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1u09oD8jdof-NPPOr-4e7ZWFBf-tLXzpW\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the more notable moments in Mozart&#8217;s 1786 opera The Marriage of Figaro is the &#8220;military aria&#8221;, Non pi\u00f9 andrai. Recent research throws fresh light on its music, as the Cherubino alla vittoria! exhibition in the Mozarthaus explains. Cherubino alla vittoria! (Exhibition view; press photo \u00a9 Mozarthaus Vienna \/ Alexander Wulz) At the end [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56429,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-56431","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-museums","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56431"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67720,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56431\/revisions\/67720"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}