The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro (, ), K. 492, is an opera buffa (comic opera) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna on 1 May 1786. The opera's libretto is based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, "La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro" ("The Mad Day, or The Marriage of Figaro"), which was first performed in 1784. It tells how the servants Figaro and Susanna succeed in getting married, foiling the efforts of their philandering employer Count Almaviva to seduce Susanna and teaching him a lesson in fidelity.
Domenico Mombelli
Domenico Mombelli (13 January 1755 – 15 March 1835) was an Italian operatic tenor and composer. Born in Villanova Monferrato, Mombelli was the head of a distinguished family of singers and musicians that included his first wife, Luisa Laschi who created the role of Countess Almaviva in "The Marriage of Figaro"; his second wife, Vincenza Viganò-Mombelli who wrote the libretto for Rossini's "Demetrio e Polibio"; and his daughters Ester and Anna, both of whom had successful careers as opera singers. He was also the founder and head of a travelling opera company which performed in Lisbon, Padua, and Milan from 1806 to 1811. Amongst his compositions were the opera "Didone" to a libretto by Metastasio, several oratorios, and three collections of arias for voice and piano. Mombelli spent his final years teaching singing in Bologna where he died at the age of 80.