Aria of Cherubino (Voi che sapete), Act II from the Opera "The Marriage of Figaro"

After the dismal success of the premiere of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro in Vienna's Burgtheater (1 May 1786), the triumph of his operatic masterpiece came in Prague in December of the same year. The composer reported to a friend: Here they talk of nothing but Figaro. Nothing is played, nothing is sung, nothing is whistled but Figaro. No opera draws crowds like Figaro. Certainly this is a great honour for me! Lorenzo da Ponte wrote the libretto for the opera based on Pierre de Beaumarchais' comedy of the same name. It displays Amadeus's mastery of creating stage characters with vivid musical characteristics and of composing complex ensembles with which intricate comic situations unfold. And these abound in the story surrounding the forthcoming wedding of Susanna and Figaro, chamberlains respectively to Countess Rosina and Count Almaviva. Love and passion, jealousy and the desire for revenge, honour and justice interfere in complicated love polygons. The 16-year-old page Cherubino, dismissed by the Count (his part is usually played by a mezzo-soprano), slips into these permutations.