Washington National Opera has pulled off a minor miracle with their classical production of Mozart’s comedic opera, Così fan tutte (1790). Monday’s performance was genuinely funny from beginning to end and very true, I suspect, to Mozart’s and Da Ponte’s intentions. Managing to wash over the darker undertones, it is a charmer of a production with few tickets remaining.
I have been increasingly drawn to this opera over the years due to the music and arias but definitely have found it to be an acquired taste. The full title is Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti (translates to All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers). Enjoying a performance reminds me of eating an ice cream sundae while on a diet; you must ignore the calories and their consequences to enjoy it, but you can. Two sisters, Fiordiligi and Dorabella are in love with two soldiers, Guglielmo and Ferrando, respectively. Remember the respectively; it’s going to change. The guy’s exaggerated protestations of love and faithfulness of their fiancées are overheard by an older friend, Don Alfonso, a self-proclaimed philosopher. He challenges their beliefs that their loves would never be unfaithful, and a bet is made. Through deceptions and maid Despina’s help, Alfonso says he will prove to them in a day’s time that their women, like all women, are incapable of constancy. The philosopher’s deceptions work as each lady is seduced by the other’s boyfriend with the aid of a few coercive tricks. In their distress, Alfonso counsels forgiveness to have them wed. Wed you might ask? Given what they now know about each other? Wed which one? The lovers’ sundaes were delicious, but the added weight is now troubling them and the audience, and the audience must digest a serving of eighteenth century misogyny just presented to them. In fairness to Mozart and Da Ponte, Despina fully presents the women’s side, making it a little surprising that the creators didn’t choose the plural tutti for the title, meaning everybody does it.
l to r: Kang Wang as Ferrando and Andrey Zhilikhovsky as Guglielmo. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
For a good Così fan tutte production you need six strong singers and a good conductor and orchestra; everybody has a moment or two in the spotlight, and as Mozart always does it, loads of great ensemble numbers are included. WNO brought in four excellent, attractive young singers for the lovers and anchored this group with outstanding veterans in the roles of the philosopher and maid; these players are also excellent actors. They brought in Conductor Erina Yashima from her role as assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra to lead the WNO Orchestra. The music sounded marvelous, and the coordination with the singers was perfect, as I noticed several times, even with the challenge of having the conductor and orchestra on the Eisenhower Theatre’s stage behind the singers, hidden by a scrim. The overture was delightful with piccolos, flutes, clarinets, and oboes trilling melody answered by the strings through to a final rumble by the drums that put us in the proper mood for the comedy to begin. Bring her back, bring her back…
Laura Wilde as Fiordiligi and Ferruccio Ferlanetto as Don Alfonso. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
Soprano Laura Wilde was well chosen for the role of Fiordiligi, fully displaying the crisis of conscience that the character feels. Her singing placed her own stamp on the role, displaying pianissimo command in a lovely lower register. Her aria, “Per pietà, ben mio, perdona" (for pity, my love, forgive) was especially beautiful and moving. Mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb sang well in the role of Dorabella, the sister who strays more readily; her acting has movie star appeal. The duets were beautifully done, though it seemed to me their voice ranges overlapped such that the blending does not achieve a distinctive beauty. The guys were also stellar in singing and acting. Moldovan baritone Andrey Zhilikhovsky sang with convincing feeling and projected the roguish fellow that Guglielmo should be. Tenor Kang Wang’s voice impresses, and the mellowness of his tenor singing seemed perfect for romantic roles. Distinguished bass Ferruccio Furlanetto displayed a pleasing voice and a winning demeanor for Don Alfonso, a character worn and weighted by life experience and a commitment to the Enlightenment’s reasoned approach. Soprano Ana María Martínez is a delight in any role she sings, and her Despina I rate as the best I have seen, managing high comedy and jaded reflection, with lovely singing. Ms. Martínez and Mr. Furlanetto were standouts in an excellent cast, perfectly balancing the youthful singers. Near the end we get to hear the WNO Chorus ably directed by Steven Gathman. The entire cast sang beautifully in Mr. Mozart’s many terrific ensemble numbers.
Anna María Martínez as Despina in disguise as a doctor and Ferruccio Furlanetto as Don Alfonso. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
There are more kudos to hand out for an opera that works so well. Let’s start with a huge one for Director Alison Moritz. The staging flowed well, as supernumeraries moved props and walls around without distraction, and the comedy was maintained throughout. Ms. Moritz placed the lovers among the wealthy, perhaps to make it easier to laugh at their self-deception? Kudos also to Costume Designer Lynly A. Saunders for bright, colorful, lovely costumes, and especially for the disguises for Despina, which helped Ms. Martínez make those scenes laugh out loud funny. Kudos also to Erhard Rom (Set Designer), S. Katy Tucker (Projection Designer) and Mark McCullough (Lighting Designer) for clever, entertaining use of screen projections and mobile walls to move props about and place the singers in cheerful backgrounds.
Kang Wang as Ferrando, Laura Wilde as Fiordiligi, Ferruccio Furlanetto as Don Alfonso, and Andrey Zhilikhovsky as Guglielmo with the WNO Orchestra in the background, led by Conductor Erina Yashima. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte collaborated over a four year period to produce three of the most popular works in today’s opera repertory, The Marriage of Figaro (1986), Don Giovanni (1787), and Così fan tutte (1790). Each opera contains some of Mozart’s greatest music, and each includes compelling human dramas by Da Ponte. Da Ponte based the first two on other works, but Così is original with him. Music historians indicate that Mozart focused on making a successful show and left the story very much to his librettist. I believe there is a lot of Da Ponte in Così, especially in the character Don Alfonso. Così’s librettist led an astounding life over his 89 years. By all reports he was a womanizer causing him a lot of heartache, missing teeth, and money problems. He was born into a Jewish family that converted to Catholicism when he was fourteen, causing him to take the name of the local bishop. Lorenzo became a priest and while serving in that capacity took a mistress, by whom he had two children; he subsequently was banished from Venice for fifteen years supposedly for producing entertainments in a brothel, and other mala vita, bad living. He obtained an introduction to Antononio Salieri, Mozart’s rival, and became a librettist. After Così, he lost his court appointment due to the death of Austria’s Josef II; he became a family man, lived in London as a book seller and grocer, before spending the rest of his life in New York where he became the first Professor of Italian History at Columbia College. He also started an opera company that failed but became the forerunner of the Metropolitan Opera. During his entire life, his many, many business ventures failed, but he never lost his ability to charm those above his station. All of which I reference to make the case that the man knew something of life.
I believe that Don Alfonso’s offering of forgiveness as the final solution was born of Da Ponte’s experiences and likely his desire for some absolution for himself. I am trying to make my peace with this opera by focusing on a line from Fiordiligi’s aria,"Per pietà, ben mio, perdona" (for pity, my love, forgive), sang so beautifully by Ms. Wilde. She sings “forgive the sins of a loving heart”; other translations use “forgive the error of a loving soul”. I think this is really the point Mr. Da Ponte was creating in Cosí fan tutte. Yes, I think he and Mr. Mozart chose to have some fun at the expense of naïve earthlings. However, I suggest that that line came directly from the librettist’s heart, and that line, not human indiscretions, inspired the composer to fill the opera with music of such great beauty.
The Fan Experience: Così fan tutte has additional performances occurring on March 18, 20, 23, 26, but as of March 15, seating was very limited. The Eisenhower Theatre’s seating capacity is only half what the Opera House can accommodate; the Opera House is currently hosting Jesus Christ Superstar. The Così performance runs 2 hours and 45 minutes plus a 25-minute intermission. The opera is sung in Italian with English supertitles.
WNO Director Timothy O’Leary speaking before the performance began noted that we are all caught in what is happening in Ukraine. He voiced support of members of the WNO Orchestra who are from Ukraine and have families there.
Parking ($25) in the indoor KC parking lot can be reserved online ahead of the day of the performance; there is a discount for KC members. Access through the north side entrances is still closed, but traffic flows freely to entrances on the south side. Taking the Metro to Foggy Bottom and catching the red Kennedy Center buses is a good mass transit option.
Before you go, check KC’s masking and vaccination requirements, which often pop up anytime you visit the KC website at kennedy-center.org, but if it doesn’t, click on the banner at the top of the page.