The Marriage of Figaro Act IV Ah Tutti Contenti (Ah, All Content) (1786) – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Kiri Te Kanawa as the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro.

This is the second piece to feature here from one of Mozart’s most adored Operas – The Marriage of Figaro. More background information about the Opera’s conception and story and can be found in my post Ecco la Marcia Act III. I became a great admirer of the music of Mozart from seeing the biographical film – Amadeus.
I have researched about his life and music here and what has struck me is how director Milos Forman and playwright Peter Shaffer depicted his life so accurately on film. Sure, they used Salieri as the mediocre ‘us’ (audience) portrayed as the villain, which I wrote about in the article Axur, re d’Ormus, but chronologically the movie seems a historically precise representation of his career and life.

This piece from Marriage of Figaro Act IV is the end scene of the Opera where the Count kneels and pleads for forgiveness (“Contessa perdono!” – “Countess, forgive me!”). The countess replies that she does forgive him (“Più docile io sono e dico di sì” – “I am kinder [than you], and I say yes”). Everyone declares that they will be happy with this (“A tutti contenti saremo cosi”) and set out to celebrate.

In the first video below filmed during the Pandemic, New Camerata Opera sings the finale of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, with Joseph Martin on piano. Performed from 9 remote locations. Below that is the music conducted and supervised by Neville Marriner for Amadeus.
“This was no composition by a performing monkey! This was a music I’d never heard. Filled with such longing, such unfulfillable longing, it had me trembling. It seemed to me that I was hearing the voice of God”.

References:
1. The Marriage of Fiagaro – Britannica
2. The Marriage of Figaro – Wikipedia

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“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand

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2 comments on “The Marriage of Figaro Act IV Ah Tutti Contenti (Ah, All Content) (1786) – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  1. dvoulio's avatar dvoulio says:

    Thank you so much for spotlighting this incredibly… (how else can I describe it ? ) divine piece !I too am a great admirer of the Amadeus movie… I really think it is the ultimate contribution to classic music appreciation.. and the supreme moment, for me, is when it plays the “Ah tutti contenti”.There’s something in this piece that lifts us all away from mere mortality.. Thank you…

    • I’m elated you relayed your thoughts on this exquisite piece and kind words about the article. I also think Amadeus’s contribution to classical music is inimitable because it acted at least for me as the pinnacle foray into the genre. Thank you again Sir.

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