Cosi fan tutte

 

Cosi fan tutte is one of the three operas (The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni) that Mozart worked on with da Ponte. The opera was commissioned by Emperor Joseph II who died before the premiere. Cosi fan tutte was considered immoral for its plot – three men test the fidelity of two young women in order to prove that all women are infidel! Therefore it was rarely staged before the 20th century. In the 20th century, Cosi is the most frequently adapted and rewritten of Mozart’s operas. More than 30 German versions are recorded, today.

 

Ferrando and Guglielmo claim that their fiancées (Dorabella and Fiordiligi) will be eternally faithful. Don Alfonso interrupts their conversation and offers them a bet to test the fidelity of the two women. He claims that he can within a day prove their and also all women’s infidelity. The young men accept the wager: they pretend to the girls that they must go off to the war, but return disguised in order to win the love of the other’s bride. A succession of hilarious events will follow.

 

World premiere: January 26, 1790 Vienna (Burgtheater)

Premiere at the Estonian National Opera: October 17, 2009

 

 

Music Director and Conductor: Arvo Volmer

Conductor: Mihhail Gerts

Stage Director: Walter Sutcliffe (GB)

Designer: Liina Keevallik

Lighting Designer: Neeme Jõe

 

Estonian National Opera Chorus and Orchestra