LA JOLLA, California — Hershey Felder created another hit with Mozart and Figaro in Vienna, streamed January 9 from Florence, Italy. In this musical film, Felder portrayed Mozart’s librettist, the remarkable Emmanuele Conegliano, better known as Lorenzo Da Ponte, the name given him when his father converted the family from Judaism to Catholicism when his son was 15 years old.
Unlike many American musicals, often known by both the composer and the lyricist, (e.g. Rogers and Hammerstein, Rogers and Hart, Bock and Harnick), operas are generally known only by their composers’ names and few know the names of their librettists. Yet, the words of the libretto are an essential component of an opera’s success.
Speaking about his role in Mozart’s works, Da Ponte said, “I opened the door to his genius, he is the one who walked through.”
The Italian librettist considered Mozart the greatest genius he ever met. Marriage of Figaro was completed in six weeks, with Mozart composing music as soon as Da Ponte delivered the words. “I was his poet,” he proudly declared, “Something I had done would last forever.”
After being banished from Venice, because of a conviction of rape, Da Ponte ended up as the official poet in the court of the Austrian Emperor, Joseph II. Da Ponte convinced the enlightened despot to support the production of The Marriage of Figaro, even though the plot was about a philandering Spanish count being outsmarted by his servant, Figaro, and was based on the censored play by the French author, Beaumarchais. Marriage of Figaro continues to be considered the greatest comic opera ever created. Yet, as with Mozart, Da Ponte died in poverty.
The movie opened near the end of Da Ponte’s life, when he was in New York City, the owner of an Italian bookstore, where Italian books and artifacts were sold. He actually brought Italian culture to America, teaching the Italian language privately and at Columbia University, establishing an Italian opera house and bringing Italian opera companies to the U.S.
Much of the movie was filmed in the lavish Palazzo Gianfigliazzi Bonaparte in Florence, which resembles the 18th century palace of Joseph II in Vienna. A troupe of excellent singers included the Russian soprano, Ekaterina Siurina, the Jerusalem-born soprano, Hila Plitmann, the American mezzo-soprano, Xenia Tziouvaras, and the American baritones, Nathan Gunn and Timothy Renner. They sang arias and ensembles from the opera and were accompanied by members of the Italian Orchestra Maggio Musicale.
Da Ponte was the librettist of three of Mozart’s most famous Italian operas, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi Fan Tutti. He wrote the librettos of 28 operas during his lifetime.
It is regrettable that the librettists are never as well-known as the composers of the music. However, this musical film by Felder, brings recognition to this remarkable poet, librettist, and purveyor of Italian culture, Lorenzo Da Ponte.
Felder does an excellent job portraying Da Ponte and the actor/director/pianist’s playing is heard performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A major, opus 23. behind the titles and credits.
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Eileen Wingard, a retired violinist with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. She may be contacted via eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com