A Night in Italy
It is not everyday that 21 college students have the opportunity to climb the steps of the Metropolitan Opera House and watch a Mozart opera. Yet, this is exactly what happened on November 9, 2010. As men and women streamed into the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera prepared to debut Cosi Fan Tutte. This chilly, fall night in New York City could easily have been mistaken for a warm, Italian summer setting in 1790 because for this one night, 3800 audience members were transformed into 18thcentury Italians.
Cosi Fan Tutte is a lively show about love and forgiveness, filled with humorous moments and unparalleled vocal skills. Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the words “cosi fan tutte” mean “women are like that” and the opera is meant to play on the idea that women will succumb to love and temptation. The storyline is about a wager between Don Alfonso (baritone William Shimell), and two young men, Ferrando (tenor Pavol Breslik), and Gugglielmo (baritone Nathan Gunn). Don Alfonso claims that the young men’s fiancés, Dorabella (mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard) and Fiordiligi (soprano Miah Persson), will give in to temptation while Ferrando and Gugglielmo deny this vehemently. This ensues with a story about how the men are sent to war but return wearing disguises in hopes of winning their wager and earning fidelity from their lovers.
The show was very well performed and directed. The singers realized that many members of the audience did not understand Italian and used their bodies effectively to communicate the storyline. Since we were unable to see their facial features, their actions became even more significant and they were successful in telling us a story through their body gestures. I particularly enjoyed when Dorabella and Fiordiligi would sing together. I was impressed by the way their voices intertwined and the pitch they reached. Also, I was impressed by the way the singers could maintain the clarity in their voices while acting. When Dorabella and Fiordiligi’s fiancés were about to leave, the women clung to their lovers’ legs forcefully but were still able to project to the audience. Their voices carried towards the back of the house and they balanced the clarity in their voices with their demonstrative actions well.
The set and the transition from scene to scene were some of my favorite parts of the opera. Cosi Fan Tutte used many different sets and my favorite was the boat. Initially, it looked like it blended into the background but as the soldiers walked down the boardwalk, they were able to step into it and drift away. This was imaginative and the transitions were smooth and quick. The director was also very creative in introducing characters. When Despina came on for her first scene, instead of simply walking out, she pretended to drag the set across the stage. This elicited a laugh from the audience and introduced Despina as a witty, amusing maid.
Although the opera was very well performed and directed, I did not fall in love with it. Besides the language barrier, Act II was extremely boring compared to Act I. Whereas Act I has humor, mischief and lays the foundation for the plot, Act II was repetitive and the love story became monotonous. If I were the director, I would eliminate parts of Act II to shorten the performance, as it was extremely long, or I would add bits of humor into scenes in Act II in order to keep the audience involved.
Overall, Cosi Fan Tutte was a different experience from any I’ve had before. Watching a show in a foreign language was difficult and something I would not have done on my own. However, I am glad I did see the show because the singers were extremely talented, the orchestra performed flawlessly and I was finally exposed to an opera.
Courtesy: New York Post
Courtesy: Newsvine.com
Nice.