Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s playful opera "Così fan tutte" will be performed by the Brigham Young University School of Music Oct. 20-27 in the de Jong Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. As a special feature, the Saturday, Oct. 20 matinee at 11 a.m. will be a condensed version for children and families.
Tickets for the opera are available through the Fine Arts Ticket Office at (801) 422-4322 or online at byuarts.com. Tickets cost between $10 and $16 depending on the night, with discounts available for children, alumni and students. There will be no performances Sunday or Monday.
Director Lawrence Vincent, a former member of the Vienna State Opera Company, continues the BYU School of Music’s rich tradition of bringing the great works of the European masters to a contemporary audience.
“’Così fan tutte’ is one of my favorite Mozart operas,” said Vincent. “It contains all the elements that make drama and comedy so appealing: deception, intrigue, betrayal, falling in and out of love, humor, discovery and repentance — as timeless now as they were in the time of Mozart and [librettist] Lorenzo Da Ponte.”
The theme of the opera revolves around the idea of fiancée-swapping and fidelity in love, incorporating elements from the Greek myth of Procris and Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” according to Lawrence.
The opera tells the story of Don Alfonso, a philosopher and cynic, who convinces two men to trick the women to whom they are betrothed into falling in love with them again, but this time with the men in disguise as a test of their loves’ loyalty. The opera’s title is Alfonso’s philosophy and illustrates the theme of the play: all women are alike, or women are like that.
The opera is double- and even triple-cast for some roles, and includes Davis Hansen and Brandtley Henderson as Don Alfonso; Zach Wetzel and Ross Coughanour as Guglielmo; Mason Neipp and Jubal Joslyn as Ferrando; Emily Workman, Melissa James and Rebecca Pederson as Fiordiligi; Sarah Maxwell, Carli Downs and Tara Austin as Dorabella; and Katherine Henly, Keri Lynee Costello and Eliza Lyons as Despina.
Others on production team for “Cosi fan tutte” include Kory Katseanes, conductor; Barbara Allen, vocal coach; Joseph Olson, chorus master; Lisa Elzey, production stage manager; Kylie Mostart Valentine, assistant stage manager; Alecia Holmes, assistant stage manager; Michael Handley, lighting designer; Karl Pope, scenic designer; Hannah Kroff, set dressing; Aileen McIntosh, props designer; Julie Adams, co-makeup designer; Jeanne Burnett, co-makeup designer; and Tara Austin, supertitle translation.
The costumes for the production have been rented from the Utah Opera Company. Costumes were designed for the Utah Symphony and Opera by Susan Memmott Allred.
For more information, contact Lawrence Vincent at (801) 422-3165 or lawrence_vincent @byu.edu or contact Ken Crossley at (801) 422-9348 or ken_crossley@byu.edu.
Writer: Preston Wittwer
