Così fan tutte

Così fan tutte tells the story of four young lovers, set in the tumult of a holiday resort. As the plot unfolds, twists reminiscent of reality soaps arise, with some harsh lessons for the lovers.

The dephts of love

The libretto is by Lorenzo da Ponte (1749-1838), with whom Mozart also collaborated successfully on Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni. Così fan tutti is the only one not based on an existing work, though Da Ponte borrowed inspiration from diverse sources. With its declarative title ‘Women are like that’, this ‘reality soap’ opera nevertheless also casts a critical eye at the conduct of its male characters, and seduces with witty banter and amusing ironies while plumbing the depths of romantic love. This production of Così fan tutte premièred in 2006 as the first instalment of a Mozart-Da Ponte trilogy directed by Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito.

The plot

Two young couples are on the cusp of adulthood but still inexperienced in the ways of the world and unsure of the boundaries between what is real and what is fantasy. Enter the world of the hardened cynic Alfonso, who tempts Guglielmo and Ferrando into a wager over the fidelity of their respective sweethearts, Fiordiligi and Dorabella.

Creatives

Conductor Ivor Bolton

Bolton: ‘Every time I return to a work I’ve conducted before, I build on past experience and take new risks. If I’m successful, the work grows with every performance. But never to perfection – which is good, because otherwise my job would be very dull.’

Ivor Bolton started out as a harpsichordist and began conducting later, specialising in the eighteenth and early nineteenth-century repertoire. He made his debut at Dutch National Opera with an older production of Così fan tutte (1997) and has been a frequent guest since then, most recently conducting The Rake’s Progress.

Cast of Così fan tutte

Bursting with youthful energy, the cast of stellar singers and actors features DNO debuts by Angela Brower as Dorabella and Sebastian Kohlhepp as Ferrando. The other vocalists are familiar faces at DNO, including beloved Dutch baritone Thomas Oliemans (as Don Alfonso).