The opera The Marriage of Figaro was the first of three successful collaborations with the the librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte – the other two being Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutte. Da Ponte’s libretto for The Marriage of Figaro is based on the play of the same name by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. The play was considered scandalous at the time due to its political commentary on the excesses of the aristocracy and also its overly sexual nature. Da Ponte removed much of the political commentary, moderated the most risqué parts and increased the pace of the action for Mozart’s opera. Premiered in 1786 at the Burg-Theatre in Vienna, with Mozart conducting. The overture, while containing none of the opera’s melodic themes, sets the tone and pace of the action to follow.