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Tale of infidelity still delights
Cosi Fan Tutte
English Touring Opera Wolverhampton Grand
Theatre ENGLISH Touring
Opera made a return to Wolverhampton Grand Theatre with two
ambitious new titles for Spring 2013;
Cosi Fan Tutte,
and Simon
Boccanegra
,performed on successive nights, Mozart's Cosi Fan
Tutte, with a libretto by Lorenzo
Da Ponte, who also collaborated on Le
Nozze di Figaro and
Don Giovanni
, was first performed in 1790, two hundred and thirteen years ago, is
still one of the 20 most performed operas. The title “Cosi Fan Tutte” first appeared in
Le Nozze Di Figaro, and means literally “Thus do all [women]" but
it is usually translated as "Women are like that". This production,
directed by Paul Higgins, sung in English using Martin Fitzpatrick's
translation, is performed with brio and panache Designer Samal Blak juxtaposes a simple,
sometimes Spartan set, with sumptuous costuming, and colour dominated by
pastels and creams. The intimate setting of the Grand is ideally suited
to this opera with the entire set focused on a garden swing for the
first act, the inspiration for which came both from artistic depictions
of the Garden of Eden – with characters under a willow tree – and
eighteenth-century paintings such as Fragonard's The Swing.
However the physical absence of even a potted plant for the second
act meant that the stage and props manager were able to take the evening
off. Its traditional 18th century setting in Naples is most
welcome. The narrative explores suspicion, infidelity and
jealousy in light comic mood but with a dark subtext in which close
friends are manoeuvred into seducing each other's girl-friend,
testing the dynamics and limits of relationships. Although the
infidelity of women is exposed through the ladies falling to temptation,
Despina brazenly encourages them to play the field and wise Don Alfonso,
rather than making a moral judgement, simply reflects that "Cosi fan
Tutte".
Soprano Laura Mitchell plays Fiordilgi, one of
Mozart's Grande Donne, a demanding role with a range from the top of the
stave plunging down to cellar deep low notes. The best known aria of the
work “Come Scoglio”, in Act One, tested her early on with its
taxing high tessitura, but she was equal to it. She was even better in Act 2 with “Per Pieta”. Dorabella (Kitty Whatley) and Fiordilgi are convincing friends who fall in love with suitors, and are then duped by them. Whatley's powerful mezzo-soprano occasionally dominated their duets, but it is soprano Paula Sides as housemaid Despina, who dominates the production and whose comic turns with the impressive Don Alfonso (Richard Mosley Evans) are a highlight of the evening. Sides is the perfect buffa soubrette during "In uomini' and excels in “Una donna a quindici anni". Sassy and streetwise she makes the most of a wonderfully written part and revels in cameos as a physician and notary. The suitors playing opposite the young women are
Guglielmo (Toby Girling) and Ferrando (Anthony Gregory). Director
Higgins offers a nod to Commedia dell'arte traditions in the
semi-white face of Ferrando and Guglielmo before they assume their
Albanian disguises of which Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat would have been
proud. Anthony Gregory contrasts beauty in, "un'
aura amorosa" , with the anguish of "tradito, schernito"
in accomplished style, but the on- stage rapport with co-conspirator
Girling lacks conviction. Their lascivious desires are bawdily explored
not least with the opening scene in which both enthusiastically polish
their pommels. Duets, parallel thirds, imitation and reprise are
all prominent features of Mozart's score, Higgins does well to mix and
match to get the best out of all concerned, the closing sextet with its
subtle physical movement reinforces the sense of fluidity and
change in an opera which is essentially a dramatic examination of love.
The complexity and beauty of the musical score is a delight, although
occasionally you sense that some of the vocal combinations are written
simply so that Mozart can show off his talent rather than to advance the
plot. The orchestra was directed by James Burton who
brought the best out of the sections with the woodwind for which
Cosi is renowned, the clarinets were sonorous and soared. Cosi
has been described as a heartless farce with heavenly music, but its
accessibility and popularity are beyond doubt and was
enthusiastically received by an appreciative audience for an enjoyable
production 15-04-13
And cosy at the back . . . **** THIS very amusing tale is considered to
have Mozart's most perfect opera score, and a terrific cast in period
costume delivered the musical treat in great style. It was sung in English, and the title means 'This
is How Everyone Does it', which is soon explained by the intrigue
involved in philosopher Don Alfonso's argument about the true nature of
love. He challenges two young officers, Ferrando and
Guglielmo, that their fiancees are not the icons of purity they believe,
and the pair confidently accept a bet convinced they can prove him
wrong. The plots leads to many sparkling scenes after
Don Alfonso, impressively played by Richard Mosley-Evans, tells the
ladies their lovers have been urgently called to war, prompting their
maid, Despina, to suggest they enjoy themselves in the men's absence. And when Don Alfonso's 'Albanian' friends are
introduced to sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, they don't see through
the disguises and the fun really starts. Anthony Gregory (Ferrando), Toby Girling (Guglielmo),
Laura Mitchell (Fiordiligi) and Kitty Whately (Dorabella) sang superbly
and there was a delightful performance from Paula Sides as Despina. Cosi Fan Tutte was directed by Paul Higgins, with
James Burton conducting a fine orchestra. Paul Marston
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