Così fan tutte (1790) is an odd duck in the Mozart/Da Ponte’s great triple play that includes The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni; it was the last of their opera collaborations. Così is the one I liked least on first viewing and that I now look forward to the most for seeing again. On my first viewing, a Met Opera online video, I thought Così was a silly, unrealistic opera with a dismal ending, though with some good music and vocals; I was right, on one level. Each viewing after that became more unsettling, causing me to ask myself what was going on. I still look forward to seeing new productions of Figaro and Giovanni, mainly because of the opportunity to see new performers in new productions. In the case of Così fan tutte, the opera alone is front and center in making me look forward to another viewing; it’s become an old friend.
It all begins with a bet, as Ferrando (left, Lunga Eric Hallam) and Gulielmo (right, Kyle White) confront Don Alfonso (center, Wm. Clay Thompson). Photo by Shannon Flack; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera.
Two additional factors piqued my interest for this performance. First, I have come to appreciate Lee Anne Myslewski, Vice President of Opera and Classical Programming at Wolf Trap, for her strong advocacy for gender and racial equity in opera productions; check out the diversity in WTO’s performers and creative staff assembled for each opera. Così has a strong element of misogyny, beginning with the title meaning “all women are like that”, with the “like that” being unfaithful to their lovers. Something new for this version of Così was bound to be afoot. Secondly, a good Così requires six strong singer/actors and when I looked at the backgrounds and accomplishments of the cast of emerging artists assembled by Wolf Trap Opera, I became even more excited to be attending, and my instincts proved to be sound.
Dorabella (left, Erin Wagner) and Fiordiligi (right, Renée Richardson) are distraught while Despina (center, Emily Treigle) looks on. Photo by Shannon Flack; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera.
Keep in mind this is a comedy, and in fact, it has many amusing moments. The plot that librettist Lorenzo da Ponte and composer Amadeus Mozart assembled for Così has two young men, Guglielmo and Ferrando, agreeing to a plan to test their fiancées’ faithfulness as a bet with an older gentleman, Don Alfonso, who insists that faithful women are as real as the Phoenix. The men pretend to go to war and come back disguised as Albanian gentlemen who will woo their loves, the sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella in their absence. With Alfonso’s planning and the aid of the sisters’ more worldly-wise maid Despina, the plan works; the ladies eventually succumb to the Albanians’ advances and deceptions. Don Alfonso consoles the guys with words they should forgive and proceed to marry their girlfriends because they really love them, and they can’t do any better, i.e., all women are like that. What led to my reaction on seeing Così for the first time was that all the action takes place in one day. The one day was evidently a requirement of works of this type in their day, but the ladies are supposed to be in love and planning to marry the guys and then fall in love and agree to marry the Albanians in the same day? Plus, the disguises employed by the guys and by Despina who appears as two other characters are obvious disguises used for humor; why can’t the people who know them better see through them? All of this adds to the unreality of the opera, but the unreality may be a goal here; it allows us to see and laugh at our flaws. One critic referred to Così as similar to a marionette show, unreal but still conveying a message.
Full cast of Così fan tutte including singers (Filene Artists) and chorus (Filene Studio Artists). Photo by Shannon Flack; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera.
The rub comes in Così fan tutte’s resolution found in classic productions. Don Alfonso’s cynicism is validated. Despina is disillusioned. The young lovers are resigned to marry, a troubling fate given what just transpired. This happy ending sits like a bit of undigested dinner in the stomachs of the audience. We are left hanging, with the future ahead not clear, and Mozart and Da Ponte never composed Così: the Sequel. But isn’t that ending as real or more real than Figaro’s love conquers all or Giovanni’s righteous resolution? Ms. Myslewski in her program note says this is a battle of the sexes where neither gender wins. Yes, but what is the war? I think Conductor Brandes and Director Rigazzi were on target in seeing the story as being about the loss of innocence. Isn’t the war the one taking place within ourselves, teaching us who we really are, more by defeats than victories? When our situation changes and challenges are confronted, what can we count on from others, or from ourselves, for that matter. The answers to those questions can be disillusioning and life changing. Così’s happy ending is not so happy and life goes on. While we are laughing, Mozart/Da Ponte have thrown us a curve. Where are our genuine selves among our wants, needs, ambitions, and societal rules? They place the ambiguities in our laps to take home; how do we deal with our failings? Perhaps, they intended to spread a message of the need for forgiveness given human frailty and inconsistency, but we are left wondering if these young people are going to be alright? Are we going to be alright? For me, along with the music and vocals, this is what makes Così fan tutte great and has me addicted. It’s always interesting to see what spin a new director will put on the ending. From here on, there will be spoilers.
Ferrando (left, Lunga Eric Hallam) and Gulielmo (right, Kyle White) disguised as Albanian strangers even fool Despina (center, Emily Treigle). Photo by Shannon Flack; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera.
Let’s move on to the good stuff we can be happy with. First, there is Mozart’s music which is fabulous throughout the opera. The conductor for this production is Christine Brandes, formerly a performing soprano, who has turned her career completely to conducting. Her debut as a conductor was with the Seattle Opera in 2023. The Wolf Trap Opera Orchestra is chamber-sized, about 30 musicians placed in the small pit, with a harpsichordist and cellist, used for recitatives, placed outside the orchestra pit. The music features many solo instruments and small groupings in supporting singers and the mood of the scenes. I thought the relatively small size of the orchestra allowed me to hear and appreciate the different elements of Mozart’s composition more fully than I had in past. I always felt the playing was spot on, delightful really, and that the singers were well supported. I have to say I was impressed. Kudos to Maestro Brandes and thank you to the players. I also very much enjoyed the contributions of WTO’s Studio Artists, less experienced performers who served as an excellent chorus; kudos to Chorus Master Michelle Papenfuss. Mozart’s music is definitely one of the elements that keeps me returning.
Mozart provided all six singers with the opportunity to sing both beautiful solos and ensemble pieces that ranged from duets to sextets. I have always felt that Mozart was the champion of ensemble vocal composing, and Così is full of them. The six soloists are Filene Artists and all but one are returning artists. All of these young singers performed well both acting and singing. The role of Fiordiligi was sung by soprano Renée Richardson. She gave us a strong willed Fiordiligi who succumbed reluctantly and sang beautifully in her higher range, garnering applause for the opera’s best-known aria, “Como Scoglio” where Fiordiligi declares her resolve to remain faithful; she also showed an engaging lower range in several numbers. She sang a touching, “Per pietà, ben mio, perdona" where she sings “pardon the error of a loving soul”. Ms. Richardson was well paired with mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner as Dorabella, who portrayed the more romantically adventurous sister convincingly. Her voice has an attractive timbre especially in the softer vocals, and her torment in “ah, Scotati…Smanie implacabili” conveyed the humor and pathos of the aria. Ms. Wagner is a new Filene Artist. Despina was played by mezzo-soprano Emily Treigle who was again a bit hammy, but an on-stage charmer and scene stealer. As she has done in the past for WTO, she sang well with a lovely voice.
Fiordiligi (Renée Richardson) and Dorabella (Erin Wagner) try to drown their sorrows. Photo by Shannon Flack; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera.
Bass Wm. Clay Thompson 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”. Tenor Lunga Eric Hallam got onto my radar last year in WTO’s excellent Semele. Mr. Hallam sang beautifully with deep emotion saying how much his love meant to him and then later when confessing he still loved Dorabella despite her infidelity. Meaning it as a compliment, I am often reminded of Lawrence Brownlee when I hear Mr. Hallam sing. Kyle White gave us an excellent Guglielmo, singing well, though more likeable as the young man in love than the macho man bragging of his conquest of Dorabella.
WTO’s staging of Così was excellent overall. The one room set in white provided an attractive background focusing attention on the singers. It was cleverly changed from saloon to drawing room, to dressing room, etc, needed for the different scenes; the stage’s frame even added its own adornments from time to time, minimizing disruption of the drama; kudos to Director Dan Rigazza and Scenic Designer Lawrence Moten. The costume design by Lynly Saunders and lighting design by Colin K Bills added to the performance. The displaying of scene titles on the stage frame such as Round One and Round Two were clever and amusing. Mr. Rigazza effectively brought out the humor, keeping the audience amused. I enjoyed the appearance of the Studio Artist as supernumeraries dressed in white costumes for the marriage scene, giving the scene a Midsummer Night’s Dream effect.
Fiordiligi (Renée Richardson) suffers facing her dilemma. Photo by Shannon Flack; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera.
Now, let’s talk about the ending. This was a fairly complete rendition, beginning at 7:30 and running until after 11 pm. I was beginning to feel the need for sleep when the action took an unexpected turn. After ladies expressed remorse for their infidelities, the guys revealed the Albanians were themselves in disguise. Understanding their deception and abuse, Fiordiligi and Dorabella flew into a rage, cursing the guys, and even referring to Don Alfonso as a piece of excrement. Profanity and obscene gestures flowed, and the ladies stormed off; wedding plans appeared canceled. The final sextet had to be performed by the chorus rather than the principals.
It looked like these romances are ended, but who can say what tomorrow or next week might bring? Believe what you wish, but “Così, the Sequel” still has not been written. This stormy ending seemed right; it worked. The women deserved it and it fit with the present times; it was fun to see the women kick some butt. I had gone to sleep at the wheel and forgotten that this was WTO at work; I shouldn’t have been caught by surprise. That said I was a little bothered by the profanity, and in retrospect, though it all seemed well justified and timely, I wonder what the audience members felt going home…that it added the appropriate balance to the ending? That’s a good thing, but did the ending reprisal let the audience off the hook, to go home and forget about it.
Ferrando (Lunga Eric Hallam) ponders the loss of love. Photo by Shannon Flack; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera.
BTW, dramaturg Cori Ellison had the following statement in her program notes: “Ultimately, the men were in love with mere images of their fiancées and the women were in love with love.” Hmmm. That’s a tidy statement that allows us to nod and put this work of art away, case closed. Boys will be boys and girls will claim to love them anyway. But is it that simple? Was there really no genuine love felt by Fiordiligi who suffered so or by Ferrando who claimed he still loved Dorabella? Are members of a gender all like that? Così fan tutte…it’s complicated. Put your worry caps back on.
The Fan Experience: Performances of Così fan tutte were scheduled for June 21, 23, 27, and 29 in the Barns at Wolf Trap. The opera is sung in Italian with English libretto shown overhead. The performance lasted a little over 3.5 hours.
For this performance, the stage was extended out and around an opening for the orchestra pit. I was seated close to the stage and with this arrangement the volume of the orchestra was fine where I sat. The Barns is a relatively small theater. The advantage of this arrangement was that the performers could move out almost close enough to touch the audience. Most of the opening for the orchestra pit was netted in case anyone forgot where they were. Occasionally one could see Conductor Brandes’s hands waving at stage level out of the orchestra pit.
The Barns overall is an excellent venue for opera, intimate with good acoustics. Even the seats at the back and in the balcony are relatively close to the performers, but some of those in the very front and in the back on the floor lack a view of the supertitles. The floor seats are not tiered but those in the balcony are; some balcony seats are restricted view by structural posts. Food and beverages are available before the performances and during intermissions; drinks are allowed in the theater. During DC’s hot and humid summers, it has excellent air-conditioning. Parking is free, plentiful and is easy-in/easy-out.