If your little one enjoyed our music, let them listen to it non-stop! Mozart’s music is clear, deceptively simple in structure, calming yet highly emotive at the same time — it’s a cocktail for both the brain and the soul.

A little about the opera Figaro’s Garden is based on. Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) is a comic opera in four acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It is based on the 1784 play La Folle Journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro by Beaumarchais.

The story follows the events of a single "mad day" in the palace of the Count Almaviva near Seville, Spain. Figaro, the Count's valet, is to marry Susanna, the Countess's maid. However, the lecherous Count attempts to revive his right of feudal privilege and sleep with Susanna on her wedding night. Figaro, Susanna, and the Countess conspire to embarrass and outsmart the Count.

Through a series of clever ruses and mistaken identities, the story explores themes of seduction, infidelity, and the power struggles between the classes. In the end, the Countess forgives her husband, and Figaro and Susanna are able to marry.

The opera is renowned for its complex plot, lively characters, and brilliant musical score, which includes famous arias like Porgi, amor and Voi che sapete. The Marriage of Figaro is considered one of the greatest and most frequently performed operas in the classical canon.

LE NOZZE DI FIGARO

Overture

Cinque, Dieci…

Non so piu cosa son cosa faccio

Porgi, Amor

Aprite presto aprite

L’ho perduta

Voi Che Sapete

Dove sono i bei momenti

Susanna or via sortite

Canzonetta Sull’Aria

Non andrai farfallone amoroso

Contessa, perdono!

Music learning is holistic journey, and an engaged parent makes it so much easier! The good new is, you can add it to practically any activity. Here are some activities you can engage in with your little one if he or she enjoyed our show.

Sing an interval: Voi Che Sapete (you know, the aria with the bubbles!) is a perennial favourite because of the squarish, “interval hopscotch” Mozart uses in the music: so mi, so mi / re fa, re fa. Sing this simple line to “da da da” and see if your little one will copy it! Even if s/he does not choose to audiate, it’s still a pleasurable line to listen to.

Move to the music: Depending on the child’s personality, some may prefer the faster pieces, others the slow. Encourage them wave soft fabric in the air to the slow pieces so that they feel the physicality of the music in their bodies. For the faster pieces, let them run and bob and spin, or just bounce them in your lap! There is a lot of variety to choose from in Mozart.

Draw to the music: Painting and drawing is relaxing. Let your child make marks on paper while listening to the music — that keeps their brain simultaneously engaged while relaxed and open to picking up underlying musical patterns.

There are infinitely more ways in which you can introduce the magic of Mozart into your child’s daily life. Start with these activities and see how it goes!