Thank you so much for this one. I love Mozart, and his operas. It is tinged with a bit of sadness for me though - this was the opera to be performed by our local opera house in the spring of 2020, and I was so excited to see it performed on stage. Needless to say, it didn't happen, and they moved on to other performances when they reopened. Hopefully I will get to see it live sometime soon.
Mozart's ability to mix humor and pathos is one thing IMO that sets him apart (besides his endless melodic gifts). A way that can be easily apparent to an audience is singing his operas in the native language of the audience. Cosí fan tutte is very, very good sung in English! Well, to be honest, Figaro, Giovanni, and Cosí are all good in English (I've heard performances of all three in English) because the audience will absolutely Get it. One of my favorite performances of Cosí was at Florida State University with a student cast singing in English, with an exceptional Despina who knew how to act across the footlights. When Don Alfonso suggests that he and she might make a pair, the English translation used for Despina's response was "I think not!" and she turned to look right at the audience when she sang it, who roared in laughter and approval. Very engaging and happily very well sung (as one might imagine for an FSU performance).
Thanks for posting this beautiful trio. A trivia note: the New Yorker film critic, novelist & and screenwriter Penelope Gilliatt used the trio in Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971, dir. John Schlesinger) to provide a moment of what she described in the script as ‘sublime irony.’ This captures perfectly the trio’s deeply felt sympathy as the two women in Cosi farewell their lovers, unaware that the men will be returning immediately in disguise to test their fidelity. Mozart’s supreme artistry is evident in this trio and the humane comedy of Cosi.
I do not know which is better, the operas you present to us or your incredible explanations of them week after week. Thank you for such joy.
Thank you so much for this one. I love Mozart, and his operas. It is tinged with a bit of sadness for me though - this was the opera to be performed by our local opera house in the spring of 2020, and I was so excited to see it performed on stage. Needless to say, it didn't happen, and they moved on to other performances when they reopened. Hopefully I will get to see it live sometime soon.
Sublime, sublime. Such a treat no matter how many times I hear it!
(Tiny correction: the stress in "così" falls on the 2nd syllable, due to the accent mark on the letter "i". So it's "koh-ZEE".)
Glorious harmony is just what was required this Sunday afternoon in a busy time. Thank you, as always.
Mozart's ability to mix humor and pathos is one thing IMO that sets him apart (besides his endless melodic gifts). A way that can be easily apparent to an audience is singing his operas in the native language of the audience. Cosí fan tutte is very, very good sung in English! Well, to be honest, Figaro, Giovanni, and Cosí are all good in English (I've heard performances of all three in English) because the audience will absolutely Get it. One of my favorite performances of Cosí was at Florida State University with a student cast singing in English, with an exceptional Despina who knew how to act across the footlights. When Don Alfonso suggests that he and she might make a pair, the English translation used for Despina's response was "I think not!" and she turned to look right at the audience when she sang it, who roared in laughter and approval. Very engaging and happily very well sung (as one might imagine for an FSU performance).
Thanks for posting this beautiful trio. A trivia note: the New Yorker film critic, novelist & and screenwriter Penelope Gilliatt used the trio in Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971, dir. John Schlesinger) to provide a moment of what she described in the script as ‘sublime irony.’ This captures perfectly the trio’s deeply felt sympathy as the two women in Cosi farewell their lovers, unaware that the men will be returning immediately in disguise to test their fidelity. Mozart’s supreme artistry is evident in this trio and the humane comedy of Cosi.
Cosi Fan Tutti is one of my favourite operas from Mozart