New York City and the Arts

Every so often we find in literature a work that was written eerily ahead of its time. The opera Cosi Fan Tutte is certainly one of these. This was revealed to us during our class’s discussion with Opera Man Mark the day before seeing the show ourselves. Although Cosi Fan Tutte is a comic opera, it takes apart our notions of identity and relationships, laying bare the fragility of our lives. The two main female characters, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, were manipulated by the men they adamantly believed would never do anything to harm them. The manipulators, on the other hand, had their worlds shaken when they realized their fiances could fall in love with someone else in a day. And in the end, the lines of the “real relationships” had blurred for all four characters. In a day, what appeared to be strong relationships had unraveled and the characters found themselves in love with another. As Mark said, “No human is like a rock.” This disturbing realization is what made the original reception of the opera rather cold. But for all of its weighty message, the opera is a very beautiful one.
The music in the opera contained all of the melodic subtlety that is characteristic of Mozart. I grew up listening to classical music, as my mother is a musician, and whenever we were enjoying a particularly heartfelt line my mother would ask me to close my eyes to better hear the music. As the overture of Cosi Fan Tutte began, that is exactly what I did. It is quite an experience to let beautiful music wash over you in such a way. But because this was not a concert but an opera, I had to let go and pay attention to visuals as well. However the music never took a sideline. It would emphasize the lines, announce changes in mood, aid the telling of the story, but it was never merely a soundtrack. It was really something to watch a show driven by the music rather than the other way around.
The show itself was extremely impressive. I found myself especially in awe of the actress playing Despina. She was so small and young, and yet with her strong voice and stage presence she was really refreshing to watch. When reading the libretto I had imagined the maid Despina to be an jaded old woman, but Danielle de Niese breathed new life into this persona and made it completely her own.
Finally, I was completely blown away by the set. I deeply regretted not being able to join the backstage tour our class was invited to participate in. All of the sets were realistic and painstakingly perfect down to the smallest details. But realism is not everything is scenic design. The set must be effective as well. The scenery struck a perfect balance between ascetic beauty and functionality – there was never a moment when the cast was not in some way interacting with the set. It was never a static backdrop. And it was simply breathtaking. The world on stage was beautiful, varying, and convincing. As much as I enjoyed the music, acting, and storyline, I really do believe that my impression of the show was sealed by my impression of the set.
Cosi Fan Tutte was not my first opera but easily one of the most beautiful shows I have seen. I can only hope to see shows as well put together in every aspect as this one was.