Così fan tutte, K.588, was the last of Mozart’s three operas written in collaboration with librettist Da Ponte. First performed in Vienna in 1790, the opera’s premiere was the most well attended performance of Burgtheater’s 1789-90 season. The whole initial run of Così was highly successful, coming to a halt only with the death of Joseph II and subsequent restrictions placed on comic opera by the new emperor, Leopold II. After that, Così was neglected throughout the nineteenth century and did not fully establish its place in the repertory until the early twentieth century. However, the much loved position it now holds in the Mozart canon rendered Paul Higgins’s new, period production a particularly exciting start to the English Touring Opera’s spring season.

Samal Blak’s simple yet striking set design provided a particularly intimate feel for the production, and the Hackney Empire as a venue complemented the stage set. Designed by the same architect as London’s Coliseum, Frank Matcham, the smaller Empire has a much cosier feel about it – ideal for an opera such as Così with its small cast and close setting. With the entire set focused on a garden swing for the first act, an interview with Blak revealed that his inspiration came both from artistic depictions of the Garden of Eden – with characters under a willow tree – and eighteenth-century paintings such as Fragonard’s The Swing.  In the same interview, included in the season’s programme, Blak stated that his intention had been to create ‘a physical playful space with a juxtaposition of artificiality and realist depictions of nature’. Although an audience member was overheard suggesting that the swing could have been put to greater use, it certainly added to the opera’s light-hearted and humourous nature. For example, to name only a couple of instances, it was the centre-point for games of chase and hide-and-seek during the overture, and one of the male lovers (by this time in disguise) snatched an opportunity to slide underneath for an ‘alternative’ look at his female companions – while they were both sitting on it! The physical intimacy between the lovers was a strong feature of this production which, when combined with some more subtle flirtation such as the men suggestively polishing their swords, was entertaining. While such gestures may have been construed as too unrefined for Mozart opera, they nevertheless perfectly complimented Higgins’s light-hearted approach.

Extracts from Edward Said’s chapter ‘Così fan tutte at the limits’ (from his posthumously published book, On Late Style) were provided in the programme notes, which offered the audience some intellectual stimulation. Said suggests that the characters’ identities exist only ‘to be tested and exercised as lovers’. Indeed, unlike Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni – Mozart’s earlier collaborations with Da Ponte – the opera is not based on existing legends or plays, and the audience is not made aware of the characters’ histories. Rather, the sole purpose is to explore the dynamics and limits of relationships. To a certain extent, this perhaps renders Così one of Mozart’s more accessible operas. Said is not alone in his view that the opera’s comic exterior masks more amoral internal workings but, on the surface, the plot is straightforward and easy to follow. Helpfully, another strength of Blak’s simple set design was that it allowed the audience to focus solely on the six characters themselves.

Anyone doubting the accessibility of ETO’s Così would have had their reservations laid to rest by the broad audience demographic, which really did seem to encompass people from all walks of life. The ETO does a lot of important outreach work on widening participation, and Thursday’s audience was a credit to this. A class of local school children occupied the front row of the dress circle, and even the stalls accommodated a refreshing mix of locals, opera veterans, and young people. Said’s essay again warned that modern audiences risk misinterpreting Mozart’s intentions, for example understanding how the characters think and act through their singing, in part due to the language barrier and difficulty in understanding the singers. However, Martin Fitzpatrick’s engaging translation eliminated the language barrier, and the clarity of singing from all six cast members meant the lack of surtitles was in no way problematic.

The cast gave a fantastic performance both as actors and singers. Paul Higgins chose to emphasise the youthfulness of the characters – particularly of Fiordiligi (Laura Mitchell) and Dorabella (Kitty Whatley). The overture’s childish game of hide-and-seek between this pair and their lovers, Guglielmo (Toby Girling) and Ferrando (Anthony Gregory), left the audience in no doubt of their immaturity from the outset, and Mitchell and Whatley played the part very well throughout. However, Mitchell successfully revealed Fiordiligi’s better-known side, the conventional sentimental heroine, in a superb performance of both solo arias of which Dearest love, I ask you to forgive me was exceptionally beautiful. Gregory’s Act 1 aria, Her eyes so alluring, was performed with equal sensitivity and clarity.

While the four lovers are perhaps the main focus of the plot, Paula Sides’s captivating performance as the sly and feisty Despina arguably stole the show.Despite a pre-show announcement that Sides was suffering from whiplash and would be restricting her movements, this was in no way apparent in the performance. Her singing was first-rate throughout and her subtle contempt of the ladies, and her appearances as the apothecary and lawyer, were extremely entertaining. Also entertaining was her Despina’s initial interaction with Don Alfonso (Richard Mosley-Evans). At the first performance of Così, the roles of Despina and Alfonso – the only non-romantic couple of the six – were ironically performed by a husband and wife: baritone Francesco Bussani, who was nearing the end of a thirty-year career, and Dorothea Sardi Bussani who was twenty years his junior. Indeed Da Ponte made a joke out of their age difference when, in this initial on-stage encounter, Despina tells Alfonso “an old man like you is good for nothing!” (Fitzpatrick’s translation). Even removed from its original context, the dynamic between Sides and Mosely-Evans was entertaining.

In fact, the interactions and ensemble between the singers were generally excellent. Duets, parallel thirds, imitation and repetition of earlier material are all particularly prominent features of Mozart’s score, and the cast complemented each other beautifully in this sense with both female and male lovers being well-matched in their duets. Initially, Whatley’s powerful mezzo-soprano risked upsetting the balance of their duets but the pair settled down very quickly with Mitchell’s soprano blending well with Whatley’s richness.

A strong orchestra under the baton of James Burton provided the singers with excellent support. The pick-ups between the orchestra and singers were all spot-on and Burton seemed very flexible to the singers’ needs. There is some wonderful writing for the woodwind in Così and the section really were on top form, with some especially beautiful playing from the clarinet section on this occasion.

All in all, this exciting new production was a particularly refreshing start to ETO’s 2013 spring season. With convincing performances and top-quality music-making and acting all round, it is a production not to be missed. 

ETO will be touring with their performance of Così fan tutte until the end of May.