Lyric put up a goofy, lighthearted, modern production of Così fan tutte right before Valentine’s Day—doubling as the college night event. Up on the top balcony, we had three flutists sitting together. It was fun (and a little too noisy, as coined by my viola friend).
(Lyric is doing Salome exactly on V-day. Nothing more romantic than a woman who, to put it in modern terms, gets swiped left on by a man and responds by having him executed and head on a silver platter)
Can’t believe I watched it twice. Plus intermission it’s almost 4 hours.
It was my (ex-)advisor’s favourite opera. Last time I saw it at LA Opera, I slept from the first act sweet through to the curtain call. So you could say we have a complicated history.
He said Così’s magic lies in Mozart’s empathy—that beneath all the scheming and partner-swapping, he never once mocks his characters. He lets every one of them be foolish and sincere at the same time, and the music forgives them before the plot does. I don’t think I fully get it yet. Nevertheless, near the end of Act II, Tutti accusan le donne landed differently this time:
See the following version with ENGLISH SUBTITLES :D
Maybe that’s the trick with Mozart: you don’t have to understand him all at once. You just have to keep showing up.