Review by Louisa Polson
Never before have I had the opportunity to see an opera, no less one performed at the illustrious Sydney Opera House. Luckily for me, the opera currently on stage is Opera Australia’s wonderfully comedic, ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’. A fantastic introduction to opera as the story is wonderfully light and comedic, making it easy to enjoy both the music and performance without getting too lost in translation.
‘Cosi Fan Tutte’, is one of the more popular operas performed since the mid nineteenth century. The title loosely translated to, ‘so do they all’ or more pointedly, ‘females are all the same’. A story supposedly based on a true event in Venice, where one man, Don Alfonso, declared to his two love struck compatriots, that all women, even their well mannered fiancé’s, are incapable of fidelity. Steadfast and stubborn, the men place a wager to test their partners commitment by pretending to be called away to battle, only to return in disguise as Albanian soldiers tasked with enticing the two sisters to abandon their promise of marriage. It’s a story of love, entanglement and trickery. Akin to a modern day rom com or even a precursor to reality dating shows, this story of entanglement is such fun for the audience to get behind as the drama and twists of this story come to a tip.
As the lights dimmed the overture began, allowing the audience a moment to settle into their seats and tune into the crisp and delicate music of the orchestra before the more visual elements took centre stage. This was a nice moment to appreciate the artistry of the musicians, who play so exemplary during the 3 hour production.
Once the curtain rose the audience was introduced to Guglielmo (Nathan Lay) and Ferrando (Filipe Manu) in a tense debate with Don Alfonso (Richard Anderson). Surrounding them was an expansive set design of marble columns and large windows, decorated in a very grande and elaborate manner. It becomes quite clear that Opera Australia are highly experienced when it comes to stage productions in Australia, as the set was professionally constructed in a quite simple but ultimately grand display. As the scene changes and the audience are introduced to the final three characters, Despina (Alexandra Oomens) and the two sisters Dorabella (Helen Sherman) and Fiordiligi (Nardus Williams) the stage opens up to unveil one of the most realistic and beautiful sets, a wondrous backdrop of a glistening horizon, a beautiful vision of Italy, where you can almost feel the warm sea breeze blow by.
As the story is lighthearted in nature, the music is also very light, bouncy and playful, of course there are moments of suspense and gloom, but these moments are still played within the bounds of a lighter spirit. The orchestra led by conductor Zoe Zeniodi were superb in bringing Mozart’s work to life. Additionally the singing was nothing short of astounding. While I did anticipate this to be the case, it was quite special to get to experience the work of a centuries old composer on stage at the Sydney Opera House.
‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ is an operatic comedy that hasn’t lost its sense of humour. Playing on the trope of melodramatic women and men who don’t understand how to communicate with their lovers. A classic tale. Oomens’ character Despina brought more fun to the stage than I thought would be possible with a classical opera as her character not only took on many disguises to deceive the sisters, but portrayed a very frank and cheeky demour that helped keep light to each scene.
Often I attend shows without reading too much into the synopsis so as not to spoil any surprises or create expectations, however having an understanding of the story was necessary in this circumstance as the opera was sung in Italian, as operas naturally are. Opera Australia have accommodated for their audiences by positioning multiple closed caption screens around the stage to translate the opera as it is sung, so as the audience can follow the story along. However it is recommended that you have a sound understanding of the plot, as you will be able to take more away from the performance by not being overly dependent on the screens for context.
‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ was a pure delight to witness. If you’ve never seen an opera, this is a superb opportunity to dip your toes into something different. It is quite evident as to why this opera remains so popular years on, as there is certainly something for everyone to enjoy, be it classical music, grand design elements, angelic singing or the undying debate between the sexes. While ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ may have been my first opera, it will certainly not be my last.
Image Credit: Keith Saunders
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