A prank, a spoof, a satire of serious opera. “Così fan tutte” has been called many things. The title translates variously as “All women are like that” or “Never trust a woman.” Controversial in its time, the action springs from a bet that mocks the whole idea of fidelity.
Composed in 1789 and first performed in Vienna on January 26, 1790, “Così” also has been called Mozart’s most perfect opera.
To gain that high praise, story, music and libretto must come together as a seamless whole and speak of its time. “Così” is a comic masterpiece that accomplishes all that while appearing to be just a bit of fluff.
On Saturday, “Così” will be transmitted live from the Metropolitan Opera stage. The 2014 production features an ensemble of young singers, what The New York Times has called “a crack comedic theater troupe.” They will perform in a sumptuous, traditional context, a revival of Lesley Koenig’s 1996 beautiful sets and costumes. You will see brocaded waistcoats, creamy silk dresses, gardens and colorful fantasy disguises.
Mozart and his librettist, Lorenzo Da Ponte, took the ancient comic tropes of female fickleness and male duplicity and concocted a satire on both. Da Ponte took one of his own earlier lines for the new title. In “The Marriage of Figaro,” Don Basilio sings “Così fan tutte le belle,” meaning all pretty women are like that – flighty and fickle. If he had changed tutte to tutti (everybody), the librettist would have given us a truly modern interpretation. Everyone’s changeable; that’s human nature.
Part of the opera’s charm comes from its silly plot. “Così” begins in 18th century Naples with conventional arrangements and expectations. Two sets of young lovers – sisters and their boyfriends – promise fidelity and eternal love. So far, so much standard plot development.
The young men are officers in the Italian army and tend to brag about their devoted, pure fiancés.
Enter a cynical bachelor, Don Alfonso, who is sick and tired of the young men’s braggadocio. He wagers that women are not faithful and lures the men into a deceptive prank to prove his point and win the bet. The soldiers lie about orders to leave for war, shed crocodile tears and return in disguise to woo the opposite fiancée. They bet Alfonso the sisters will prove to be loyal.
To their amazement, the disguise works and so does the charm offensive. The girls are fickle and unfaithful – right up to the point of new marriage arrangements.
Alfonso wins the bet, and in the end all is revealed, making for an awkward finale. The conventional components and emotions that began the opera have turned into genuine bewilderment, anger and confusion toward the end.
Through all, Mozart and Da Ponte were satirizing the conventional, sappy-happy endings of opera seria. In “Così,” the lovers have been chastened and forced to grow up.
Since 1790, opera directors have toyed with the ambiguous ending; it is uncertain exactly who is with whom. Directors of modern interpretations like to keep the threads dangling and audience members wondering about final pairings. We’ll have to wait to see what the Met’s Director Gary Halvorson does on Saturday. The women could leave the men entirely, the new arrangements might be kept or the old promises renewed.
Like a lot of satire, the point is to set forth a vision of human folly and duplicity.
In a subtle twist that the alert listener will hear, Mozart begins and ends the opera in C Major. It is a kind of musical joke and the equivalent of a musical Hollywood ending.
jreynolds@durangoherald.com. Judith Reynolds is a Durango writer, artist and critic.
If you go
The MET: Live in HD presents Mozart’s “Così fan tutte,” at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Vallecito Room of the Fort Lewis College Student Union. With a stellar MET ensemble, conducted by James Levine. Tickets: $23 general, $21 seniors, students and Met members, available online at www.durangoconcerts.com, by phone at 247-7657 or at the Welcome Center at Eighth Street and Main Avenue or at the door. Surcharges may apply. Running time: four hours. Sung in Italian with English subtitles.
