COSI FAN TUTTE (Netherlands Opera)

Greetings opera lovers!  I actually have three reviews to write today!  I've been watching away without writing because of my busy schedule.  I'm excited to present my first review, of a DVD recording of the Netherlands Opera's production of Cosi fan tutte, composed by one of the masters of the Classical era: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Since this is my first review, I'll give you a brief overview of my format for my reviews:  My first section for each review is entitled "THE 411".  This section will give you a general idea of the story in as basic terms as I can explain, an overview of who is in the cast in what roles and will go over some basic things you can expect from the music and storyline in general.  The second paragraph of each review is entitled "HIGHLIGHTS", things I absolutely loved about the production in particular that I am writing about.  The third paragraph "LETDOWNS" does the opposite.  These are things that in my opinion were not quite up to par.  The final paragraph "CONCLUSION" sums everything up and lets you know how you can find this production and watch it for yourself.  I also will occasionally provide an "AMAZON KEYWORD" for my productions that I review on DVD so that you can type directly into my Amazon Search gadget right here on my blog so you can find a copy for yourself to own and watch.  And finally I will provide a "YOU MAY ALSO LIKE" section with suggestions for other operas that are similar to this one.  So here we go!

Cosi fan tutte (All are like that)  (W.A. Mozart)
Netherlands Opera, 2006
(sung in Italian with English subtitles)
THE CAST:
Sally Matthews as Fiordiligi
Maite Beaumont as Dorabella
Luca Pisaroni as Guglielmo
Norman Shankle as Ferrando
Danielle de Niese as Despina
Garry Magee as Don Alfonso

THE 411:
Fiordiligi and Dorabella are sisters who are in love with two handsome fellows named Ferrando and Guglielmo.  Don Alfonso, a bitter old bachelor, challenges the boys one day that he bets that given the right circumstances, their girls would fall for any old person in pants and forget all about them.  They are both enraged and accept the challenge to prove to him and themselves that their ladies will be faithful no matter what.  The guys accept reluctantly to follow whatever request Don Alfonso makes of them to test the girls.  The old bachelor comes up with the idea to "send" the two off to war, and appear again in disguise, each attempting to woo the other one's girlfriend.  The two sisters are devastated when they hear the news that their beaus are to be shipped off to war, perhaps never to return.  Their maid, Despina, takes it upon herself to cheer up her mistresses, encouraging them to not only forget about their lost loves, but to seek new ones!  While the sisters are offended by this, old Don Alfonso decides to involve Despina in his little wager as well.  She accepts and hilarity ensues as Fiordiligi and Dorabella are tempted by the boys disguised as handsome foreigners.  This is a classic example of Italian opera buffa, with lots of mistaken identity, secrets, inside jokes and funny moments.  The music is wonderful and easily accessible to anyone just starting out with opera.  Lots of beautiful moments here.

HIGHLIGHTS:
I really enjoyed the modernization of Mozart's classic setting.  Netherlands Opera has chosen to update the action to the 1960's in a youth hostel.  This gives the show a more modern, crisp feel that I enjoyed.  (One fun point:  see if you can spot the guitarist playing chords during recitative moments on stage!)  Everyone in the cast was delightful, especially Danielle de Niese as Despina.  She brought a certain sassiness to the role that added a lot to the character.

LETDOWNS:
That being said, there were some things wrong with this production.  When the boys return in their "disguises" I had a hard time believing that the girls would really be fooled, a problem that usually arises in staging this particular story.  They didn't look any different at all to me.  Also, there were times when the modern setting was distracting, like putting the characters up on top of the rotating set during a time when normally they would be face to face with each other, but nothing too major.

CONCLUSION:
Overall, this is a great starting point for anyone interested to begin their journey into the world of opera.  Highly recommend it, it's a good time and a fun storyline that keeps your interest going.

AMAZON KEYWORD: Cosi fan tutte netherlands

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:  Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart), Cavalleria Rusticana (Leoncavallo), L'elisir d'amore (Donizetti), and Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini).