Così fan tutte at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie
Confident and somewhat sly, Don Alfonso takes the stage as the overture begins. He's the one pulling the strings of the plot, guiding the two couples through surprises, deception and temptation, and he'll be thoroughly amused by it all.
Così fan tutte is one of three masterful Da Ponte operas that Mozart composed. The opera can be summarized as follows:
Don Alfonso challenges the men Ferrando and Guglielmo to test their fiancées' loyalty. The two accept confidently but must eventually discover that the women, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, do indeed let themselves be seduced by another—and by their own respective fiancés no less! But director Vincent Dujardin makes it clear from the start that the deception to which the two couples will be subjected is a staged game. The cynical joke is thus revealed at the end and the original relationships are restored.
Concentration is a key word in this opera on every level. Mozart composed his opera for just six characters, the story takes place over 24 hours, and the setting is confined to the colorful Naples backdrop.. The direction makes this a strength. The unified set cleverly transforms by utilizing the lower stage area for the plot's evolution and the upper area for scenes where the two women question what's happening to them. A romantic backdrop with a little boat evokes the Bay of Naples. The chamber walls below, with beautiful scenes, are cleverly rotatable to make characters disappear or appear. The women's room has a touch of bourgeois charm. The costumes, from the sixties, are also particularly carefully chosen and original. The young men make their entrance as seducers with brazen swagger.
The character direction gives the singers the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the pseudo-naïveté and the illusion. Step by step, Fiordiligi and Dorabella let themselves be drawn into the deceptive love game. Ferrando and Guglielmo convincingly play the soldiers and the "Albanians" who do their utmost to win over the ladies, even to the point of marriage. The staging consistently emphasizes the amusing aspects while maintaining the tension, without becoming sharp or bitter. Despina also plays her role as Don Alfonso's cunning accomplice with particular credibility.
It was highly rewarding to meet the young conductor Sieva Borzak, who in 2025 won first prize at the Concours International de Direction d'Orchestre d'Opéra of the ORW. With precision, he guided the choir and orchestra through the many nuances of Mozart's score, with impressive passages from the percussion section (timpani!) and woodwinds (oboe, bassoon). He also gave the singers excellent support. A splendid performance of a work that certainly demands complete concentration.
Francesca Dotto performs the notoriously difficult role of Fiordiligi with moving emotionality. Her voice reaches the demanding high notes and her bravura aria Like a rock is certainly a highlight. José Maria Lo Monaco seems to embody her playful self as the more flirtatious and provocative Dorabella, especially in an aria like "E amore un ladroncello". Together the voices of the two sisters blend beautifully in duets such as "Prenderò quel brunettino". That matching of voices applies, by the way, to all the ensembles in the production. The male characters are also perfectly cast: the gentle yet unerring Maxim Mironov as Ferrando, the more flamboyant Vittorio Prato as William. José Maria Lo Monaco clearly relishes the sharp cunning she can display in the various incarnations of Despina! Marco Filippo Romano as Don Alfonso delightfully commands his authority as the instigator of the "farce".
Whether Mozart with his dramma giocoso "Così fan tutte" wrote a light opera about an ironic prank involving partner-swapping or a tragic one about parting and abandonment? This question remains the draw of this work, and like Don Alfonso, the audience has found it amusing.
