Cosi Fan Tutte- The Whole is Better Than the Parts.

There is this stereotype that surrounds operas as boring, long-winded, formal, and unfunny performances, but I had heard from several friends that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera Cosi Fan Tutte wasn’t what they had expected and in a good way too. So as we settled ourselves into our seats, I hoped too that this performance was going to break this stereotype that we, the generation that grew up with music such as Lady Gaga’s, sometimes hold against operas.

The plot of the opera, which out spoiling too much, is that of a wager made between two engaged soldiers, Ferrando (played by tenor Pavol Breslik) and Guglielmo (baritone Nathan Gunn), and an older gentleman, Don Alfonso (baritone William Shimell), that the soldiers’ future wives would ultimately prove to be unfaithful once they pretended to have left for war simply because, as the title Cosi Fan Tutte hints, “all women are like that.”

The performance ended up being nearly three hours long with one intermission. Many times, especially towards the end of the show where the climax and resolution took place, I found myself becoming annoyed that the plot took so long to develop. I understand that there is a certain pacing involved as not to suddenly rush to a conclusion but having a singer repeat a single line such as “I love you” for nearly five minutes became very tedious for me as a viewer since I am sure by then the point has gotten across.

After waiting for a final resolution, I found the ending not particularly memorable. I felt the ending to be predicable, but considering the light tone of the entire performance, there was definitely going to be some form of a happy resolution despite the seriousness of the betrayal.

November 9th’s show also marked the debut of conductor William Christie at the Met. At the age of 65, Mr. William Christie is an experienced conductor, however it seems that the orchestra players had trouble adjusting to Mr. Christie’s conducting style.  It became noticeable especially in the beginning that the orchestra could not keep up with the baton’s jerky movements. I find myself noticing that the music lagged behind the quick motions of the baton as though I was watching lightening and hearing thunder several seconds later.

This isn’t to say that the opera was not brilliant in any way at all. While this is my first time ever at a live opera, I know from watching recorded performances that opera singers must perform many tasks at the same time, such as keeping pace with the conductor, singing with emotion, and accurately showing facial expressions and gestures. I was very impressed with how true to life the whole performance felt. Even though one would think that consistently peering down and reading subtitles would become a distraction from the live show, I felt that the singers tone and movements, such as the comical scene where the wives cling to their husbands, really gave a feeling that you can understand everything without the subtitles.

The entire cast really portrayed their roles well. You could feel the conflict and torment in the tone and gestures of the wives. Above all I really enjoyed watching and hearing the frivolous acts of Despina the maid (Emmy Award winning Danielle De Niese).

Cosi Fan Tutte was truly an enjoyable, if not time consuming, way of spending a night. The cast was very memorable, especially Despina, and their singing and acting abilities were very well matched to their roles in the play. Though the ending isn’t exactly going to keep you on the edge of your seats, the opera does its job at being very funny and enjoyable for anyone.