About this item
In 1786 Vienna, Lorenzo Da Ponte is the court librettist for the Italian Theatre during the height of the enlightened reign of Emperor Joseph II. This exalted position doesnt mean hes particularly well paid, or even out of reach of the endless intrigues of the opera world. In fact, far from it. One morning, Da Ponte stops off at his barber, only to find the man being taken away to debtors prison. Da Ponte impetuously agrees to carry a message to his barbers fiance and try to help her set him free, even though hes facing pressures of his own. Hes got one week to finish the libretto for The Marriage of Figaro for Mozart before the opera is premiered for the Emperor himself. Da Ponte visits the house where the barbers fiance works--the home of a nobleman, high in the Viennas diplomatic circles--and then returns to his own apartments, only to be dragged from his rooms in the middle of the night.
About the Author
A lifelong history buff and more recent opera fan, Laura Lebow retired from a career in environmental planning to write mysteries. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband.
