Ultimately, the esoteric meaning is less important than the overt subject matter, which is conveyed through a consistently entertaining mix of popular tunes, high-art arias, solemn Gluck-like drama and bel canto display.

For this Zurich Opera staging, designed by Philip Prowse, Jonathan Miller has set Mozart's opera in the time of it's creation: 1791, just after the French Revolution and the fall of the Bastille.