Are you considering attending Virginia Opera’s production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte? Well, performances happened in Norfolk and will happen in Richmond, but not in Fairfax. Due to the economics of opera, Virginia Opera and George Mason determined that only two operas would travel to Fairfax this season. Virginia Opera has been under financial stress since the pandemic which shut down opera houses everywhere; opera companies have not fully recovered from the financial blow as audiences have been slow to return. For the 2024-2025 season, Virginia Opera changed its previously announced schedule to offer operas of wider appeal, and they have undergone a leadership change. The October production of Don Giovanni was also limited to Norfolk and Richmond. This decision, while understandable, was a major disappointment to me and, I presume, to other opera lovers in northern Virginia. Attending their Fairfax performance of Carmen last September at the George Mason Center for the Performing Arts, I thought attendance had improved noticeably. Hopefully, that is a good sign, but I worry: Is opera in Fairfax slip, sliding away?
l to r: Wm. Clay Thompson as Don Alfonso, Ethan Vincent as Guglielmo, Terrence Chin-Loy as Ferrando, Ashley Fabian as Despina, Kristen Choi as Dorabella, and Keely Futterer as Fiordiligi. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
Let’s take a brief look at what those of us in Fairfax won’t be seeing here. Così fan tutte is a showcase for six talented singers and is generally recognized as one of Mozart’s top three operas, along with Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro; I’d say make it four and throw in The Magic Flute. The first time I saw Così I thought it flawed, great music and singing, yes, but an absurd plot with disguises that would fool no one and the whole thing, including the guys going to war and returning from war, takes place in one day. However, on subsequent viewings I began to ignore the absurdities and connect with the story line’s flow and tension dealing with unfaithfulness in love, on all sides. I saw a production at the Santa Fe Opera that is one of my favorite opera experiences of all time. Wolf Trap Opera produced an engaging version in 2024 that changed the ending, empowering the women. Composer Amadeus Mozart and librettist Lorenzo da Ponte hit a nerve with this one. They also created incredibly beautiful music and arias. Così is labeled a “drama giocoso”, a playful/serious duality which typically features slapstick comedy…but don’t overlook the serious part. While I always leave a performance feeling joy from the music, singing, and comedy, I also leave feeling a nervousness in the pit of my stomach. I would have liked to have seen Virginia Opera’s take on it and the appealing cast they assembled.
l to r: Keely Futterer as Fiordiligi and Kristen Choi as Dorabella. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
In closing, let me say a word about that cast of attractive young singers:
Lyric soprano Keely Futterer plays Fiordiligi who loves Guglielmo or is it Ferrando she loves. Ms. Futterer sang in last season’s Silent Night by Wolf Trap Opera. I noted then she sang with impressive precision and feeling. The Wall Street Journal said this about her performance opposite Anthony Roth Constanzo in the 2023 Glimmerglass Festival production of Rinaldo: “ Keely Futterer was a thrilling whirlwind as Armida, ornamenting wildly and unafraid to take high notes into shriek territory.”
Mezzo-soprano Kristen Choi plays Dorabella, Fiordiligi’s sister, who loves Ferrando or is it Guglielmo. Ms. Choi is one of my favorite mezzo-sopranos. I have enjoyed greatly her previous performances with Virginia Opera, Washington National Opera, and Opera Philadelphia. About her performance as Suzuki in Opera Philadephia’s recent novel production of Madama Butterfly, I stated “…Kristen Choi, amazing in everything she does, was a standout, singing and acting…”. I would love to have seen what she brought to the role of Dorabella.
l to r: Terrence Chin-Loy as Ferrando and Ethan Vincent as Guglielmo. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
Tenor Terrence Chin-Loy plays Ferrando, the first of our holier than thou guys. I enjoyed his performance recently in Virginia Opera’s Sanctuary Road. He has also appeared with LA Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, and Metropolitan Opera.
Baritone Ethan Vincent plays Guglielmo, the other guy who makes a foolish bet their girlfriends will remain faithful. Unfortunately, I missed his performance as Don Giovanni in Virginia Opera’s fall production which was not performed in Fairfax. He has also appeared with San Diego Opera, San Francisco Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and Washington National Opera.
Wm. Clay Thomson plays Don Alfonso, the mature cynic who lures the guys into their destructive bet. He also played in Virginia Opera’s Don Giovanni, as Leporello. I heard him sing Don Alfonso previously in Wolf Trap Opera’s Così. Of his performance then, I said that he “sang the role of Don Alfonso authoritatively enough with a strong bass delivery, though his youth made me wonder how he could have become so jaded in his world view at that age; I am surprised that no one has attempted to compose an opera titled “Don Alfonso, the Early Years”. I regret I could not attend Virginia Opera’s production to see how he has aged.
Ashley Fabian played Despina, Alfonso’s paid accomplice, who is also worldly wise, but more mercenary than jaded. I have not previously heard Ms. Fabian perform. She has an impressive list of concert performances with noted orchestras, and her reviews for opera roles with companies such as San Diego Opera and Seattle Opera, make me wish I had been able to attend Virginia Opera’s Così.
What else will we be missing in Fairfax? How about Maestro Adam Turner conducting the Virginia Symphony Orchestra providing Mozart’s great music. The performance is directed by Mo Zhou who also directed last March’s Madame Butterfly by Virginia Opera. She has placed the Così in a grand hotel during the roaring twenties and offers the following comments: “At its surface, Mozart’s Così fan tutte has long been dismissed as a silly tale of love and betrayal. But beneath the disguises and schemes, the opera reveals a razor-sharp exploration of human vulnerability, desire, and the fragile constructs we mistake for love.” See. How’s your stomach feeling?
As of this report’s posting, you can still catch a performance in Richmond, a hundred miles south of Fairfax; unfortunately, I have a conflict for those dates. Fairfax will get to see Virginia Opera’s premiere of Loving v. Virginia later this year. If we want opera to continue in Fairfax, we need to tell our neighbors, attend ourselves, take our friends, and if you can, make a donation. As the old saying goes, use it or lose it. Are Virginia Opera performances in Fairfax slip, sliding away?
The Fan Experience: Virginia Opera’s Così fan tutte was scheduled for performances on February 21 and 23 in Norfolk and February 28 and March 2 in Richmond. Performances in Italian with supertitles in English. I hoped to attend the February opening but weather (a rare almost a foot of snow in Norfolk) complicated making a car trip. Sigh.
Virginia Opera’s world premiere of Loving v. Virginia will be performed in Norfolk on April 25 and 27, in Fairfax on May 1 and 2 , and in Richmond on May 7 and 9. The opera by composer Damien Geter and librettist Jessica Murphy Moo is based on the true story of a Virginia couple’s marriage that led to the Supreme Court affirming the legal standing of interracial marriages. This production will be directed by Denyce Graves and conducted by Adam Turner who will be leading the Richmond Symphony.