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New special exhibition "Cherubino alla vittoria!"
Documents shown for the first time and new scientific theses on the genesis of the Figaro aria.

Starting on January 27, 2023, Mozarthaus Vienna, a Wien Holding company, will bring a possible new musicological discovery about Mozart's opera "Le Nozze di Figaro" into focus with its new special exhibition "Cherubino alla vittoria!", which was created in cooperation with the Vienna City Library. In addition, the historical-political background of the time of the opera's creation as well as its reception will be illuminated, and space will be given to the thematic complex of quotation - borrowing - plagiarism, in relation to the field of music.

In the so-called military aria at the end of Act One of the opera “Le Nozze di Figaro” (The Marriage of Figaro), the main character, Figaro, drastically describes the horrors of a soldier’s life to the page Cherubino who has just been promoted to the rank of an officer.
 

An Austrian military march dating from this period, found recently, shows a striking thematic similarity with the said march at the end of Figaro’s aria. Did Mozart perhaps know this military march and deliberately use it in his opera? If so, with a few ingenious touches he made it fit for performance on stage, thus giving the scene even greater reference to reality. Documents that have never been shown before and the latest research findings support this thesis and open up the field of tension between Mozart's artistic aspirations and the military conflicts in the Habsburg Empire.

"In its new special exhibition, Mozarthaus Vienna immerses visitors in the historical setting of Wolfgang Amadé Mozart's opera Le Nozze Di Figaro. The current context and the documents on display for the first time will attract not only local Mozart fans, but also international guests," said City Economic Councillor Peter Hanke at the opening of the new exhibition.

"Mozarthaus Vienna's special exhibitions, which change annually, always place a new focus on Mozart and his world. This year, Mozart's Figaro aria is illuminated in the context of military music. The exhibition opens up the field of tension between Mozart's artistic aspirations and the military conflicts in the Habsburg Empire," says Kurt Gollowitzer, Managing Director of Wien Holding.

Mozart's opera Le Nozze Di Figaro was written at a time when warlike conflicts were omnipresent in Europe, and a mutual influence of composition and military affairs seems evident today. The title of the exhibition "Cherubino alla vittoria!" is a quotation from the so-called military aria, in which the title character, at the end of the first act, shows the page Cherubino the horrors of soldiering. At this point, a march begins in the orchestra, which at first appears in wind garb reminiscent of a military band and, after Figaro has sung out, is intoned by the full orchestra, reverberating in the page's ears like a portent. The new special exhibition brings, for the first time, into focus  a contemporary military march which, due to its striking thematic similarity, could have served Mozart as a model for the march in the Figaro aria.

Document shown for the first time
If this was indeed the case, then Mozart certainly speculated that at least part of his audience knew the military march and could thus establish a connection between the stage action and their own lives. The fright that runs through Cherubino's limbs at Figaro's words would then have been all the more comprehensible to this group of people.

"Assuming that the above thesis is correct, Mozart did not adopt the military march one-to-one, but made it 'suitable for the stage' in the first place with a few tricks that are vividly illustrated. A copy of the score with German text by Goethe's later brother-in-law Christian August Vulpius, presumably made during his lifetime, serves as a comparison," explains Thomas Aigner, Deputy Director of the Vienna city Library and curator of the new special exhibition.

This document can now be seen for the first time in the special exhibition Cherubino alla vittoria! which was created in a cooperation with the Vienna City Library and Mozarthaus Vienna.

Echoes of the Figaro aria in subsequent works of military music
In addition to the thesis surrounding the creation of the Figaro aria, the exhibition also uses selected objects to illuminate the aria's echoes in subsequent works of military music. The focus is on the period of the creation and incipient dissemination of the opera Le Nozze di Figaro, which was marked by military conflicts in the Habsburg monarchy, as well as Mozart's loyalty to the emperor expressed through patriotic-propagandistic compositions. However, he himself was to feel the financial consequences of the Turkish War, which began in 1788, all too clearly.

In addition, in relation to the field of music, space is given to the complex of themes of quotation - borrowing - plagiarism. Would Mozart have committed injustice by appropriating a military march? Using original materials, the exhibition presents some case studies of the use of foreign musical material.

The new special exhibition "Cherubino alla vittoria!" - Mozart's Figaro Aria in the Context of Military Music" can be seen at Mozarthaus Vienna from January 27, 2023.

Press photo:
Photos of the press release are available in the press section of Wien Holding at www.wienholding.at/Presse/Presseaussendungen. Reproduction free of charge in the course of reporting, provided that the copyright is mentioned.


Ceremonial opening of the special exhibition "Cherubino alla vittoria!"
Mozarthaus Vienna, a museum of Wien Holding, opened on Thursday, January 26, 2023, in the presence of numerous invited guests, the new special exhibition, which illuminates Mozart's Figaro aria in the context of military music and holds in store a possible new musicological discovery.

Following the welcoming address by City Councillor for Economic Affairs Peter Hanke and Wien Holding Managing Director Kurt Gollowitzer, as well as a message of greeting from Anita Eichinger, Director of the Vienna City, Thomas Aigner, Deputy Director of the Vienna City Library, provided insights into the exhibition - accompanied by musical pieces.

In the so-called military aria at the end of Act One of the opera “Le Nozze di Figaro” (The Marriage of Figaro), the main character, Figaro, drastically describes the horrors of a soldier’s life to the page Cherubino who has just been promoted to the rank of an officer. An Austrian military march dating from this period, found recently, shows a striking thematic similarity with the said march at the end of Figaro’s aria. Did Mozart perhaps know this military march and deliberately use it in his opera? If so, with a few ingenious touches he made it fit for performance on stage, thus giving the scene even greater reference to reality.

City Economic Councillor Peter Hanke was enthusiastic about the new special exhibition and predicted that the current context and the documents shown for the first time will attract not only local Mozart fans but also international guests.

Wien Holding Managing Director Kurt Gollowitzer emphasized that through the annually changing special exhibitions of Mozarthaus Vienna, a new focus is always placed on Mozart and his world. The current exhibition now opens up the field of tension between Mozart's artistic aspirations and the military conflicts in the Habsburg Empire.

The musical supporting program with pianist Doris Adam, violinist Karin Adam and Kammersänger Wolfgang Bankl rounded off the festive opening in an atmospheric way.

The new special exhibition will be on display at Mozarthaus Vienna for one year.

Press photo:
Photos of the press release are available in the press section of Wien Holding at www.wienholding.at/Presse/Presseaussendungen. Reproduction free of charge in the course of reporting, provided that the copyright is mentioned.