The Count’s aria in Mozart’s Le Nozze de Figaro is a sustained outburst of unbridled rage. Nevertheless, even here, there are chances for contrasting shadings, welcome from both an interpretive and a vocal standpoint. The recitative begins with the Count’s repeating words he has just overheard Susanna say to Figaro. Her certainty that Figaro has already effectively won the legal action is unwelcome to the Count. Isn’t it possible, however – even likely – that his first reaction would be disbelief? Mightn’t he express himself softly, since his adversaries are barely out of the room? I think the aria book’s indication of forte for a preliminary chord is misleading, and it is the string chords following this line that begin the expression of anger. In the aria proper, the orchestra, after a loud flourish, reduces its dynamic to piano, followed by a crescendo, climaxing with the Count’s words “servo mio.” The emphasis lent by the crescendo to these words helps underscore the Count’s outrage that Susanna should prefer his servant Figaro to himself. Singers may fear that beginning the phrase softly will weaken its intensity. I think that singing the opening piano, but through clenched (well, partially clenched!) teeth helps express the Count’s suppressed anger, and allows room to climax at the phrase’s top.
It is a curious phenomenon that oppressors tend to perceive themselves as victims of oppression, as we can see in the newspaper every day. The Count indulges in self-pity when he speaks of Susanna’s awakening in him a sentiment which she does not have for him, as suggested by the sudden minor harmonies and sustained phrasing in the orchestra, and here is a chance to introduce a few bars of legato singing. We all hate being ridiculed, even by those for whom we have little regard. The Count’s worst fantasy is not simply that Figaro will best him, but that he will laugh at the Count’s defeat. The phrase “per ridere” is emphasized by repetition of the words, by the unusual leap of a tritone, and by dotted rhythms. Here, the double “r” formed by the conjunction of the words “per ridere” can be used for emphasis as well, an emphasis that does not depend on sheer loudness. In an auditorium, the buzz of the extended “r” actually carries better than a vowel, and we may make good use of this property.
In the course of the aria, the Count lives through not just imagined defeat, but also hoped-for triumph. This hope, he says, consoles his spirit and makes him rejoice. Yet again, the passage features an orchestral crescendo. The opening of the section introducing the words “Già la speranza sola” allows the singer to introduce an utterly new mood. Although we may see his anticipated victory as a selfish abuse of power, he, from his self-centered perspective, sees it only as a soothing balm to his troubled spirits. Therefore, it seems to me that a completely legato approach is consistent with his immediate sentiments. The more softly the singer begins this section, the more possibility for crescendo. The forte on the word “pace” in bar 79 (of the aria proper) is simply a mistake in the piano reduction, one that, alas, continues to appear in some piano scores and aria books (notice its absence not only in Baerenreiter’s New Mozart Edition, but in all the orchestral scores.)
Baritones often worry about the clarity of the triplets at the end. Since these triplets express the jubilation of a choleric individual, however, it seems to me that vocal suavity is not necessary, and here in fact is one case where aspirating (using h’s to articulate the individual notes) is appropriate. It would be logical to breathe between the last two repetitions of “e giubilar mi fa.” However, there is little time to release the F-sharp, and the performer may find that he sings it better if he connects it to the final phrase.
