Cosi Fan Tutte
Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte at the Metropolitan Opera house was the first opera I ever attended. The entire experience was new to me and lasted much longer than I expected. I remember thinking that I wasn’t going to be at the opera house exactly at 8pm and not worrying about being late. Then, one of the people I was taking the train with began complaining that we would be a few minutes late. “Relax, what’s the big deal?” I asked. He then asks me if I ever saw Spiderman- you know the scene when Peter goes to see Mary Jane’s opera and the ticket guy wont let him in? Well it turns out that it wasn’t just a stab at Peter Parker, but that even if you are only five minutes late the usher can close the door. However in the MET opera house you can either wait for the second act, or watch it on a screen in a room behind the theater. When I learned this piece of information I began to run to reach the opera house on time. We made it a minute or two before the opera began, but then the ticket booth guy had trouble locating our tickets. Luckily, we made it into the opera theater with no time to spare!
The orchestra playing throughout the opera was below the stage and the conductor was the only visible one to me. The prelude to the play seemed almost as background music to the audience settling in. The vital aspect of an opera performance containing live orchestra was something I thoroughly enjoyed. The first act was exciting to me. The performances, arias, and duets were all fresh, and so were the singer’s voices. Because I did not research, or hear the story of the opera before watching, when the curtain fell after act one I actually believed it was the end of the entire opera! I hate to admit that I thought it was just an immense cliffhanger. I didn’t realize that everyone was standing up for an extended break, which I should have taken advantage of. I realized only when I saw some people still sitting. I told myself to hang out for a bit and check out what happens. The entire first act I was smiling ear to ear. I loved the insane set they had. When we took the tour of the opera house that was definitely something I complimented them on. They had rotating sets, and entire sceneries on different stages that can move. It was incredible. I was in awe by the props, and the stage set up.
I was excited to see the second act and learn what takes place in the story. However after thirty minutes into the second act I was getting used to the same 4-5 voices. It might have been that I didn’t stand up for the break, or the extended, repetitive love arias, but I began to get restless and a bit impatient. I remember spacing a little because of the same love arias sung by the women over and over about the difficult time they were having resisting the men. I loved the wedding ceremony in the end though! It was filled with new music, the lesson to the opera, and was getting closer to the end. I didn’t want it to end due to a bad experience but merely because I had been sitting in the seat for about four hours.
If I could name the things the opera contained that allowed me to enjoy my experience it would not only be the humor behind the opera and its supposed lesson, but also the stage set up, the orchestra, and the amazing actors. To complain about the extended love arias in the second act would be a direct criticism to Mozart, which I’m not sure I want to do. The comfortable seats, the beautiful chandeliers, the translation screen, and the audience contributed to my liking of the opera. However, the humor and the lesson about women in Cosi Fan Tutte was what captured me the most.
A memorable review