Le nozze di Figaro ( The Marriage of Figaro ) is based on "La Folle Journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro" (1784), a comic play by Pierre Beaumarchais. Lorenzo Da Ponte, who also collaborated with Mozart on "Don Giovanni" and "Così fan tutte," wrote the libretto, which tells the story of the servant Figaro, and his lover, Susanna, who overcome their employer's schemes to seduce her and secure their own marital bliss. Le nozze di Figaro premiered May 1, 1786 at the Burgtheater in Vienna. It has become immensely popular and is among the most frequently performed of all operas. At the beginning of Act 2, the Countess Almaviva laments her husband's infidelity and pleads for the return of his love in the aria "Porgi amor qualche ristoro." The aria remains a popular part of the soprano repertoire. Instrumentation: 0.1.0.1: 0.0.0.0: Str (4.4.3.3.3 in Set): Solo SS. Reprint edition.