“Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo” (K. 584) — Mozart’s brilliant cut buffo aria for bass
av Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart’s aria for bass “Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo” (K. 584), composed in Vienna in 1789, is a showpiece of comic persuasion whose sheer breadth is almost operatic in miniature. Written for the character Guglielmo in Così fan tutte but ultimately replaced before the opera’s premiere, it survives today as a standalone concert aria—one of the most elaborate “numbers-that-got-away” in Mozart’s stage output.12
Background and Context
In late 1789, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) was in Vienna, newly embarked on what would become his third—and final—opera buffa collaboration with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte: Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti (premiered January 1790). For Guglielmo (a bass-baritone role), Mozart composed the expansive aria “Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo” (D major, K. 584). Yet the number did not make it into the final performing version: it was replaced by the more concise “Non siate ritrosi”.1
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This history helps explain the aria’s peculiar status. It belongs unmistakably to the theatre—its text is tailored to a specific situation in Così fan tutte—but, having been dropped, it circulates chiefly in concerts and recordings as an independent scena-like aria for bass and orchestra.12 In that sense it resembles other Mozart “detached” vocal numbers: music written for an immediate dramatic purpose, later freed (or orphaned) from its original context.
Text and Composition
The aria’s text is by Da Ponte, and it is usually dated to Vienna, December 1789 (Mozarteum’s Köchel catalogue places it in Vienna, 1789–12.1789). Its original function was to give Guglielmo a substantial solo turn early in the opera—an opportunity for both character comedy and virtuoso display.2
In the text, Guglielmo urges the sisters to “turn your gaze on him,” praising his friend Ferrando while simultaneously slipping in self-congratulation. Da Ponte’s wit lies in the rapid pivots between mock-heroic compliments and comic exaggeration, including the famous boast that no equals can be found “from Vienna to Canada.”1
Musical Character
Musically, “Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo” is buffo rhetoric at symphonic scale. D major—Mozart’s bright, ceremonial key—adds a faintly “public” glitter to private persuasion, and the orchestral writing is notably festive (including trumpets and timpani), amplifying the aria’s mock-grandeur.13
The vocal line sits in a bass/baritone tessitura but demands unusual stamina: extended passagework, quick-fire text delivery, and long spans of continuous singing that anticipate the athletic patter-and-cantilena mix later exploited by Rossini. Mozart’s characterization is equally deft. Guglielmo’s praise sounds sincere for a moment, then the music nudges us toward irony—little turns of phrase and buoyant cadential gestures that signal a man enjoying his own performance.
Precisely because it was replaced, the aria offers a fascinating “alternate” Così: a glimpse of an opera that might have granted Guglielmo a larger solo footprint at the cost of dramatic speed. Heard on its own, however, it becomes something rarer—a Mozart bass concert aria with the dramatic DNA of opera buffa, deserving attention for its scale, orchestral sparkle, and comedic eloquence.12
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[1] Wikipedia overview: origin in Così fan tutte, replacement by “Non siate ritrosi,” and text including “Vienna al Canadà.”
[2] Mozarteum (Köchel Catalogue) entry for KV 584: dating and work description (“aria for basso and orchestra,” Vienna 1789).
[3] French Wikipedia: instrumentation details (including trumpets and timpani) for K. 584.