Opera in Two Acts

The strangest of Mozart's operas is on the one hand the beguiling story of lovers in jeopardy, as transparent and enjoyable as any pantomime; on the other, an opaque allegory that has occasioned more interpretive speculation than any opera outside the canon of Richard Wagner. Ultimately, the esoteric meaning is less important than the overt subject matter, which is conveyed through a consistently entertaining mix of popular tunes, high-art arias, solemn Gluck-like drama and bel canto display. For this Zurich Opera staging, designed by Philip Prowse, Jonathan Miller has set Mozart's opera in the time of its creation: 1791, just after the French Revolution and the fall of the Bastille.