Portland State University’s award-winning Opera program is gearing up for the opening of “Così fan tutte,” a two-act opera buffa by composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Directed by Layna Chianakas, “Così fan tutte” runs Friday, April 17 through Sunday, April 26, at Lincoln Performance Hall.
PSU Opera’s production of “Così fan tutte” takes audiences to a lush, mystical forest world populated by wizards, flower fairies, and half-bloods, where anything can happen when one is under the spell of love.
“With this reimagining of ‘Così fan tutte,’ our stage director Layna Chianakas has created a new environment that feels more like Shakespeare's ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ than the aristocratic courts of the 18th century,” said Kelley Nassief, PSU Opera’s program director. “We remain true to the original libretto, but we have freshened up the storyline with a few delicious dramatic twists that render the show simply irresistible for our modern audiences.”
A Controversial History
In PSU’s modern interpretation of “Così fan tutte” (which can be translated to “all women do it”), the manipulative magician Don Alfonso makes a bet with two young men, Ferrando and Guglielmo, that their devoted fiancées, Dorabella and Fiordiligi, will prove unfaithful if temptation is put in their path. Fully believing in the women’s steadfast loyalty, the young men accept the bet, defending their fiancées. The next morning, they pretend to have been called off to war, only to return in disguise, each intending to seduce the other's lover. With the help of Despina, Don Alfonso manipulates the quartet in an elaborate deception, disguising the men as ardent suitors and orchestrating a series of hijinks that would weaken the resolve of even the truest love. At first, Dorabella and Fiordiligi cannot fathom such betrayal, but as the deception from Despina and Don Alfonso continues, the two women come to accept the idea of amusing themselves with the handsome strangers, seemingly proving the titular declaration. However, after catching the men in their deception, the sisters resolve to allow fun to prevail, and in the end, make an unexpected choice that celebrates their own independence and growth.
Premiering in Vienna in January 1790, “Così fan tutte” was performed just five times before the death of the Emperor Joseph II and the official period of court mourning brought the run to a stop. In the ensuing century and a quarter, the opera was performed relatively rarely due to Victorian-era views that found its themes of infidelity and sexual intrigue to be distasteful. It wasn’t until 1922 that “Così fan tutte” was first performed in the United States, at the Metropolitan Opera.
With its sly alternate title, “The School for Lovers,” “Così fan tutte” could be considered a contrarian bit of social commentary, in the guise of an early romantic comedy. Written at the height of the Enlightenment, during which the ideals of beauty, truth and humanity’s innate goodness prevailed, Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” thumbs its nose at these idealistic beliefs. Rather than exalting these lofty values, it warns that there may be a dark side to human nature when left to its own devices – a suggestion that was perhaps less than welcome at the time. Beethoven and Wagner both reportedly detested the opera for its vulgarity and immorality. Later, the strict social mores of the Victorian era similarly rejected the titillating themes of deception and partner swapping. Thus, it is not surprising that the opera fell out of the public eye until attitudes about women’s independence, sexual roles and power dynamics began to change in the early 1920s.
Love, Power and Ambiguity
Today, the opera’s misogynistic messages about women’s tendencies are often subject to criticism, but the plot also exposes the young men’s weakness, which allows them to be led astray so easily by a powerful, unscrupulous leader. Mozart’s ambiguous ending (do the lovers reconcile, to live happily ever after, or not?) has always left audiences to interpret for themselves what this “school for lovers” has taught the young people about life and love. Without altering the original libretto, PSU’s contemporary update takes a turn away from tradition and has the sisters choosing what is best for them as human beings: to stay with the comfort of the known, or explore the possibilities of a new future?
The last of three collaborations between Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte (after “La nozze de Figaro” and “Don Giovanni”) “Così fan tutte” is prized for its complex, sparkling score. “‘Così’ is opera’s encyclopedia of ensemble work: singers numbering anywhere from two to six faced with intricate, nakedly exposed and beautiful exercises in togetherness,” wrote Bernard Holland in the New York Times in 2007. Since its debut 236 years ago, the lyricism and construction of the opera’s music have elevated the work above its social controversies, making it one of the most often performed operatic pieces today.
“Our students are having a wonderful time staging this work and singing its timeless score of unparalleled genius,” said Nassief. “It perfectly showcases their voices and dramatic capabilities in a ‘Così fan tutte’ like no other.”
Who's Who
Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1971) is considered one of the most influential, popular, and prolific composers of the classical era. Born in Salzburg, Mozart emerged as a child prodigy under his father's guidance. At age five, he was already excelling at the keyboard and violin, had begun to compose, and had performed before European royalty. At 17, he was a musician at the Salzburg court, but he grew restless and traveled in search of a better position. He moved to Vienna in 1781, where he composed over a dozen piano concertos and completed more than 800 works in the form of symphonies, concertos, chamber music, opera, and choral music. He completed “Così fan tutte” less than a year before his death at age 35.
Stage director Layna Chianakas leads a cast of talented, accomplished young singers. With an opera career spanning more than three decades, Ms. Chianakas, mezzo-soprano, has portrayed over 50 leading opera roles across the United States, including over 80 performances of “Carmen.” Her extensive stage directing credits include the National Opera Association’s award-winning “Postcard from Morocco” by Argento, a double-bill of Zemlinsky’s “Eine florentinische Tragödie” and Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” for Livermore Valley Opera (which received first place in the 2021 American Prize in Opera Performance), and Livermore Valley Opera’s “Otello,” which she directed with just one week’s notice. Recent directing credits include “Cavalleria Rusticana” for Opera Santa Barbara, “Tosca” for Amarillo Opera and “Carmen” for Indianapolis Opera. For ten years, she served as head of the Voice and Opera Theatre Programs at San Jose State University. Ms. Chianakas maintains a thriving voice studio of over thirty students ages 12 to 67.
The creative team includes artistic director Kelley Nassief, Chuck Dillard (music director), Ken Selden (conductor), Ash Goodrich-Hendrickson (assistant stage director), James Mapes (lighting designer), Kelli McDonough (costume designer), Sumi Wu (props master) and Diane Trapp (wigs and makeup).
Opera students McKayla Sherman and Serena Mason share the role of Fiordiligi, with students Angela Tinio and Holly Freiberg sharing the role of her sister, Dorabella. Jere Burkholder and Andrew Walton share the role of Ferrando, and Joey Sousa and Felipe Araya share the role of Guglielmo. Katie Erb, Laurien Zahn and Kathryn Thomas share the role of Despina. Izaak Thoms plays Don Alfonso.
If you go:
Showtimes:
Friday, April 17, 7:30 p.m. (Opening)
Sunday, April 19, 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 25, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 26, 3:00 p.m.
A pre-show lecture will be held starting one hour before each performance.
Tickets:
$45 General, $30 Seniors (65 and over), $20 Students, $40 Group (10+). Tickets may be purchased at https://portlandstate.universitytickets.com/?cid=171
Learn more:
https://www.pdx.edu/music-theater/cosi-fan-tutte