Opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to the libretto of Lorenzo da Ponte
World premiere: January 26, 1790 Vienna (Burgtheater) Premiere at the Estonian National Opera: October 17, 2009
Music Director and Conductor: Arvo Volmer Conductors: Jüri Alperten, Mihhail Gerts, Risto Joost Stage Director: Walter Sutcliffe (GB) Designer: Liina Keevallik Lighting Designer: Neeme Jõe Estonian National Opera Chorus and Orchestra
Sung in Italian with subtitles in Estonian and English Approx. running time 3 h 30 min, one intermission
Così fan tutte is one of the three operas that Mozart worked on with da Ponte, the other two being The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni. The opera was commissioned by Emperor Joseph II who died before the premiere. The opera was considered immoral for its plot – three men test the fidelity of two young women in order to prove that all women are infidel! Therefore it was rarely set before the 20th century. In the 20th century, Così is the most frequently adapted and rewritten of Mozart’s operas. More than 30 German versions are recorded.
Ferrando and Guglielmo claim that their fiancées (Dorabella and Fiordiligi) will be eternally faithful. Don Alfonso interrupts their conversation and offers them a bet to test the fidelity of the two women. He claims that he can within a day prove their and also all women’s infidelity. The young men accept the wager: they pretend to the girls that they must go off to the war, but return disguised in order to win the love of the other’s bride. A succession of hilarious events will follow.
News
