Andrés Orozco-Estrada: Mozart – Le nozze di Figaro K 492 – “Signore, cos’è quel stupore?”

MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus

Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) K 492

“Signore, cos’è quel stupore?”

Andrés Orozco-Estrada, guest conductor

Gabriel Alonso Díaz, the Count
Vanessa Paola Cera Bula, the Countess
Anaís Gerarda Fernández Cerneira, Susanna

Freixenet Symphony Orchestra of the Reina Sofía School of Music

In this rehearsal, Maestro Orozco-Estrada works on Susanna’s entrance. The Andante should be more in the style of a dance from that era: very elegant and aristocratic. What Susanna says should be understood more, which requires more articulation and precision. He also asks the Countess to sing more softly, as if to herself, because everyone is surprised and that atmosphere must be recreated.
Then he works on the tuning of oboes I and II and gives some further instruction for the character of Susanna.
He reviews with the orchestra the change to the Allegro (“Susanna, son morta”): do not accentuate the first beat of the bass, and the first violins more giocoso. Here, to orient themselves, Orozco asks them to describe the scene: there is a tangle, so the orchestra must play with this character. He also asks the Count what character he wants to give to a certain moment, so that the orchestra can anticipate it.

They work on the rapport of the orchestra, and take care of the change between each phrase and the next, but without marking the end too much, giving it color and air. The sopranos closer together in tempo, “grazioso” but without so much loss of control. They review articulation, transparency and lightness of the orchestra at that point. Later, the strings as pianissimo as possible but with body, and the singers sotto voce and mysterious. It is necessary to listen to each other and feel the same pulse and harmonies to go more together.

Language: Spanish