COSÌ FAN TUTTE By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Sung in Italian with English supertitles. Run time approximately 3 hrs 30 mins.

Would you bet on the fragile and effervescent joys of "summer love?"

This poignant romantic comedy explores the mysteries of the heart with the aid of four attractive young lovers, a crafty maidservant and a jaded man-of-the-world. Featuring an exciting ensemble cast: South African soprano Elza van den Heever in her Dallas Opera debut as the tempestuous Fiordiligi, mezzo Jennifer Holloway (fresh from her company debut as Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro) in the role of the vulnerable Dorabella, tenor Brian Anderson (Scaramuccio in our production of Ariadne auf Naxos) portraying the idealistic Ferrando and baritone Michael Todd Simpson (Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro) as the love-hungry Guglielmo.

In the key roles of Don Alfonso and Despina, The Dallas Opera presents two extraordinary talents: bass-baritone Sir Thomas Allen in his long anticipated company debut and soprano Nuccia Focile (an unforgettable Mimi in the 2003 La bohème) as the scheming ladies’ maid.

Conducted by Music Director Graeme Jenkins and staged by John Cox, who created this production for Monte Carlo and re-created it for San Francisco Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago, COSI FAN TUTTE is an acknowledged 18th century masterpiece filled with timeless lessons about life, love and temptation.

In many ways, this is Mozart at his most touching—and his most post-modern.

Production design by Robert Perdziola in his Dallas Opera debut.

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Although we are always happy to support the careers of local artists, The Dallas Opera attracts international casts from as far away as Russia and China in order to bring North Texas audiences the very best the world has to offer. This is the place where opera legend Plácido Domingo made his U.S. debut. Opera’s greatest stars are always shining at The Dallas Opera!

			Fiordiligi: Elza van den Heever*
			Dorabella: Jennifer Holloway
			Despina: Nuccia Focile
			Ferrando: Brian Anderson
Conductor: Music Director Graeme Jenkins
	Guglielmo: Michael Todd Simpson		Don Alfonso: Thomas Allen*
	Stage Director: John Cox		Production Designer: Robert Perdziola*
	Lighting Designer: Duane Schuler		Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

*Dallas Opera Debut
**American Debut

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COSÌ FAN TUTTE by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

ACT I. Naples, late 1700s. Early morning. Don Alfonso, a cynical old bachelor, debates women's constancy with Ferrando and Guglielmo, young officers who insist their sweethearts -- the sisters Dorabella and Fiordiligi -- are faithful. Alfonso bets that if they give him one day and do everything he asks, he will prove the sisters are like all other women -- fickle.

Fiordiligi and Dorabella are comparing pictures of their boyfriends when Alfonso pays a visit, bringing news that Guglielmo and Ferrando have been ordered away with their regiment. The two men appear, and the sisters, overwhelmed with grief, bid them farewell. Alfonso is delighted with his plot and feels certain of winning his wager.

The chambermaid, Despina, consoles her mistresses and advises them to forget their old lovers with the help of new ones. The girls, scandalized by Despina's depiction of men as swaggering liars, depart. Alfonso convinces Despina to help him introduce new suitors into the sisters' favor, then brings in exotically attired "Albanians" -- Ferrando and Guglielmo in disguise. Fiordiligi and Dorabella don't warm to the newcomers at all, Fiordiligi likening her constancy to a rock in a storm, and they take their leave again. The men, confident of winning their bet, are thrilled, and Ferrando sings amorously of his steadfast sweetheart, but Alfonso reminds him the day is not yet over.

The sisters have retreated to a garden. Alfonso brings in the "Albanians," who claim to have taken poison. The women call Despina, who urges them to care for the men while she fetches a doctor. She returns disguised as the doctor, pretends to draw off the poison with a magnet, then watches with Alfonso as Fiordiligi and Dorabella waver under renewed protestations of love.

ACT II. In the afternoon, Despina urges Fiordiligi and Dorabella to choose their favorite, and each picks the other's suitor, according to Alfonso's plan. After the "Albanians" serenade the sisters, Despina and Alfonso give lessons in courting and leave the young people together. Guglielmo, courting Dorabella, succeeds in replacing her portrait of Ferrando with a new charm. Ferrando has no such luck with Fiordiligi, who still thinks guiltily of Guglielmo. Comparing notes later, Ferrando is furious over Dorabella's betrayal, Guglielmo smug about Fiordiligi's steadfastness. But Alfonso is not finished yet. Under Despina's supervision, Dorabella tries to persuade Fiordiligi to give in, but Fiordiligi decides that she and Dorabella must join their lovers at the front. Ferrando appears, however, and wins her over. Now Guglielmo is furious, but the officers still owe Alfonso time: as night falls he plans a double wedding.

The couples are married by a "notary" -- again Despina in disguise. As they sign the contracts, the women hear a military march that heralds the return of their original suitors. They force the "Albanians" into hiding and try to compose themselves for Ferrando and Guglielmo, who shed their disguises and enter, dressed as soldiers. Confessions are made by the sisters, and forgiveness is begged. Alfonso bids the lovers learn their lesson, and with a hymn to reason and enlightenment, the day comes to a close.

--Courtesy of Opera News

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Insider's Guide Facts

CONVERSATION STARTER:
Mozart commented “Opera, for me, comes before everything else.” The Western World’s most talented composer (arguably) could write masterpieces in virtually every musical idiom of his day. Nevertheless, opera had a special hold on Mozart’s heart—he composed his first complete work, La Finta Semplice, at the age of eleven.

DID YOU KNOW?
Although the action is set in Naples, the two young ladies are described as coming from Ferrara (a town with an 18th century reputation for ladies of questionable virtue). This was probably librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte’s joke: His mistress at that time, Adriana, hailed from Ferrara. She also created the role of Fiordiligi!

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
Artistic Director Jonathan Pell: “COSÌ is very well represented on CD, and there are many to be recommended for one star’s performance or another, but three recordings stand out for the quality of the ensemble cast. First, there is the “classic” recording from the 1950s, starring Elisabeth Schwartzkopf, Christa Ludwig, Alfredo Kraus and Giuseppe Taddei, conducted by Karl Böhm, on EMI #67379.”

RECOMMENDED READING:
Andrew Steptoe’s “The Mozart-Da Ponte Operas: The Cultural and Musical Background to La nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte;” “W.A. Mozart” by Hermann Abert (newly available in English) and “Mozart and His Operas” by David Cairns.

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