Name: Così fan tutte
Start: 1996-02-08T00:00:00.000Z
End: 1996-03-14T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Metropolitan Opera House

Organization

Singer

Soprano

Carol Vaness

Fiordiligi

Mezzo-soprano

Susanne Mentzer

Dorabella

Cecilia Bartoli

Despina

Tenor

Paul Groves

Ferrando

Jerry Hadley

Baritone

Dwayne Croft

Guglielmo

Bass

Richard Stilwell

Don Alfonso

Thomas Allen

Conductor

James Levine

Stage director

Lesley Koenig

Set designer

Michael Yeargan

Lighting designer

Duane Schuler

Costume designer

The Metropolitan Opera

Others

Metropolitan Opera Choir

Orchestra

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

Così fan tutte

New York City

United States

Metropolitan Opera House

Mozart’s sophisticated opera about two men seeing just how faithful their fiancées are has seldom been so marvelously done. Leslie Koenig’s production, designed by Michael Yeargan, is as witty and charming as the music, conducted by James Levine. Carol Vaness and Susanne Mentzer are the two sisters being tested by their fiancées, Jerry Hadley and Dwayne Croft, who supposedly have gone off to war. The cheeky maid Despina is sung by Cecilia Bartoli (who made her Met debut in the role barely two weeks before), who falls right in with the scheming men, led by Thomas Allen.

To truly enjoy Mozart’s comedy of romantic intrigue, you need six spectacular singers and a great conductor to bring out all the subtly and verve in the music. Fortunately, we have James Levine on the podium, and Carol Vaness and Susanne Mentzer as the sisters engaged to Jerry Hadley and Dwayne Croft. And with Cecilia Bartoli as their feisty, manipulative maid, who just happens to be in cahoots with scheming Thomas Allen—Mozart has seldom been so elegantly and earthily sung.

Private

Public

Approved

Production booklet

Further reading