“Le nozze di figaro” marked the beginning of the happy and fruitful collaboration between W. A. Mozart (1756-1791) and his librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, which was to bring both success and artistic satisfaction. Although Da Ponte, as a precautionary measure and in view of the sharp censorship, dispensed with the biting sarcasm of Beaumarchais’ original, which served as the model for the new opera buffa, there was still enough fuel in it to deal with a major theme of the time: The examination of the complex relationships between the social classes, or rather the discrimination of the lower classes by the upper ones.While Count Almaviva embodies a reactionary representative of the nobility, the shrewd Figaro is presented as a representative of the rising third class. Two forces face each other here, each claiming power in pre-revolutionary Europe. Mozart found in this passionate and ironic piece so much of the shame and disappointments he had experienced during his artistic life that he let all his bitter experiences and mental anguish flow into the composition.Despite the explosive theme, the premiere performance in Vienna in 1786 under the reign of Emperor Joseph II was a great success. Today "Le nozze di figaro" is one of the most popular and most performed operas worldwide.

Giuseppe Verdi’s (1813-1901) grand and full-length opera “Don Carlos” is based on Friedrich Schiller’s drama “Don Karlos, Infant of Spain”. The French original of 1867 was first performed in Paris, belongs to the genre of the Grand Opéra, was Verdi’s third commissioned work for the Paris Opera and has five acts; a second, shorter version was not performed until 17 years later at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Unlike the first version, this one contains four acts and has an Italian libretto instead of a French one. This also explains the two different spellings of the work: "Don Carlos" / "Don Carlo".It is now known that seven different versions of the opera exist. After massive criticism, the composer was repeatedly forced to make changes and cuts to his work, as the first version, with almost five hours of playing time, was too lengthy even for the Parisian audience - an educated and music-loving audience that was quite used to the lengthy duration of the large-scale and epic Grand Opéra. After the second version had been favoured until the end of the 20th century, theatres today tend to favour the first, longer version, since in it the plots and motivations of the characters can be presented much better and more coherently.

The myth of the seducer of women Don Juan (or in this case Don Giovanni) belongs to the world history of literature. This type of man is regarded as the personification of the instinctive libertine who disregards both the social order and divine laws and who ultimately despises the women whom he oppresses countlessly and arbitrarily.W. A. Mozart’s (1756-1791) ingenious librettist Lorenzo da Ponte was also taken with this demonic figure of the eternal seducer, to whom the composer left the choice of the theme. After the triumphant success of “Le nozze di Figaro”, he was to write a new opera for the usual fee of one hundred ducats at the imperial request. Mozart’s entire creative power flowed into “Don Giovanni” and left the world of opera with music of supernatural beauty, alternating between cheerful opera buffa and great tragedy. They are striking for their rapid changes and sharp contrasts: sweet love arias alternate with dark passages that emanate a sense of death. In addition to the lascivious figure of the protagonist Don Giovanni and the comic figure of his servant Leporello, the two female characters Donna Anna and Donna Elvira symbolize great humanity, while the commander, who finally dissolves the drama, symbolizes the higher forces.Through the unique fusion of these highly inhomogeneous elements, Mozart’s masterpiece is rightly considered one of the most perfect operas ever. Entertaining side note: Giacomo Casanova, Italian gallant and bon vivant par excellence, attended the premiere in Prague in 1787.