Making Sense of Beaumarchais

Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais --French and American revolutionary, publisher of the banned works of Voltaire, watchmaker, entrepreneur, musician, fugitive, spy -- wrote a trilogoy of plays satirizing the aristocracy. The first two plays became the basis for two of the most beloved operas ever composed: Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" and Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro."


The plots are sequential. Yet the two operas are typically performed with a separate cast and conductor. This season, the separation of presentation was particularly jarring, as the Met productions of "Barber" and "Figaro" were far apart in quality and personality.

In "Barber," Joyce DiDonato was the best Rosina I've ever heard, delivering the coloratura effortlessly. But "Figaro" was a disappointment, with Dan Ettinger muddling through his Met debut and Danielle De Niese simpering and posing as Suzanna.

To be fair, Rosina is an older, more mature woman in "Figaro." Yet The operas are not so far apart in style as to preclude a more unified approach. Perhaps some future musical director will have mercy on Beaumarchais.