Cosi Fan Tutte (Tour – Salford)
Having first performed Cosi Fan Tutti back in 2004, Opera North bring the show back to Salford under the careful direction of Tim Albery.
The opera begins with two officers, Ferrando and Guglielmo, making bold claims about the fidelity of their fiancées, Dorabella and Fiordiligi. Philosopher Don Alfonso disagrees and challenges the men to a bet that their partners can be encouraged to stray in a single day.
Pretending to be sent to war, the officers bid their distraught lovers goodbye before returning disguised as strangers and set upon wooing each other’s partner to prove Alfonso wrong. Although Cosi Fan Tutte‘s loose translation into English (‘Women Are like That’) hints at the outcome, the male characters are equally flawed through their use of such an underhand plan.
Tobias Hoheisals‘ set is simple but striking; the action takes place in a wooden box shaped like an old fashioned camera. The interior features oversized doors and small, plain furniture that is constantly being rearranged; the overriding feeling is that of watching a giant dollhouse in which people are toyed with. Costumes are equally well considered, the women’s skirts peeling back to reveal bold coloured panels to match the costumes of their ‘foreign’ partners.
Each performer is next to faultless; the vocals are a pleasure to hear and the movement executed with equal precision. Elizabeth Atherton (Fiordiligi) and Victoria Simmonds (Dorabella) play their melodramatic roles particularly well, bringing an element of truth to these highly emotionally charged characters.
Meanwhile, Justin’s Doyle‘s orchestra demonstrate why he is a prize-winning conductor. However, the artists’ performances sometimes feel undermined by lengthy scenes that become something of a chore towards the end of the second act; at a running time of almost three hours, the ‘day’ in which the story takes place feels impossibly long.
With this in mind, Cosi is perhaps not the ideal introduction for those new to the genre, but Opera fans are likely to fall in love with this lighthearted exploration of our romantic relationships.
– Poppy Helm
