When to see it
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These events are part of the Winter 2018/19 season.
The Story
Ferrando and Guglielmo are convinced that their girlfriends Dorabella and Fiordiligi would never be unfaithful. Their friend Don Alfonso doubts this and persuades the men to try an experiment. Ferrando and Guglielmo must pretend to have been called away to war; they will then return in disguise and attempt to seduce their former girlfriends. If they don't succeed within 24 hours, Alfonso will pay them a large sum of money.
Read more… (Contains spoilers)
Background
Così fan tutte contains some of Mozart's most beautiful arias and attractive ensembles, and is packed with both pathos and humour. German director Jan Philipp Gloger is inspired by Così's alternative title, 'the school for lovers', to set his production in a theatre, with Don Alfonso as an impresario who leads the four lovers on a role-playing journey full of picturesque settings. By the end, everyone has, in Gloger's words, learnt that 'love is not a God-given thing, but something that we have to fight for, find, define, create and dream newly, almost every day'.
Così fan tutte was Mozart's final collaboration with the Italian librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, who based his story on a variety of sources including Greek myths and Renaissance tales. Così was slower to find success than Mozart and Da Ponte's previous collaborations, Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni. Its first run of performances was cut short by the death of Emperor Joseph II, and in the 19th century many viewed its plot as immoral or even cruel. However, since the second half of the 20th century its wonderful music and Mozart and Da Ponte's witty, compassionate examination of young love have ensured its lasting popularity.
News and features
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Royal Opera House 2018/19 Season announced
20 March 2018
The Royal Ballet and Royal Opera's programme for the coming Season include world premieres, major new productions and classic revivals.
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Why opera isn't all tragedies and trauma
22 May 2017
There's more to the art form than doom and gloom, as a number of comic gems prove.
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Renée Fleming, Così fan tutte and 4.48 Psychosis nominated for Olivier Awards 2017
6 March 2017
The Royal Opera has received three nominations in total.
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Semyon Bychkov on Mozart’s Così fan tutte: ‘It’s anything except what you expected’
17 October 2016
From the complex plot to the intricate details in the score, the conductor shares his views on Mozart’s ‘feminist’ opera.
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Listen: ‘A deep insight into who we really are’ – The vital life lessons of Mozart's Così fan tutte
3 October 2016
Over the years, Mozart's opera has been derided as vulgar and clumsy, but for director Jan Philipp Gloger, it offers unrivalled psychological insights.
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Così fan tutte musical highlight: ‘Come scoglio’
30 September 2016
Our one-stop guide to Mozart’s exquisitely written aria, both an insight into and a commentary on the character Fiordiligi.