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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
o sia La scola degli amanti
"It is the faith of females like the phoenix Arabian: that there is each one says, where it is no one knows!"
It is withOpera the opening event of the 58th edition of Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto: a new production, in collaboration with the Fondazione Teatro Coccia in Novara, ofopera Così fan tutte by W.to. Mozart. An extraordinarily complexopera about the meaning of love. The story of a wager on female fidelity, masterfully told by the verses of Lorenzo from Ponte and prodigiously set to music by the genius of Mozart.
The Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini, founded from Riccardo Muti, is conducted from James Conlon, an internationally renowned conductor, the direction is by Giorgio Ferrara, the sets and costumes are by Oscar winners Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo, the lighting by Daniele Nannuzzi. The International Opera Choir is conducted by maestro Gea Garatti.
Così fan tutte, or rather La scola degli amanti, is the third and last of three operas written by the Salzburg composer to a libretto by Lorenzo from Ponte, following Le nozze di Figaro (1786) and _Don Giovanni _(1787). It was commissioned by Emperor Joseph II following the successful Viennese revivals of _Don Giovanni _(May 1788) and The Marriage of Figaro (August-November 1789). The first performance took place at the Burgtheater in Vienna on January 26, 1790, almost at the end of what would come to be known as the great Austrian composer's well-known golden decade, shortly before his death. L'opera continues to pleasure even in the third millennium: the secret of its longevity lies in the magic of Mozart's music, in the refined linguistic play, in the witty and intriguing story of a dangerous wager, masterfully told by Lorenzo from Ponte's verses, which tests the steadfastness of feelings to reveal all the fragility of human beings. Composed of the classic two acts, it unfolds through sixteen scenes in the first act and eighteen scenes in the second, telling the story of a wager on female fidelity.
At the heart of the story, the love theme dominates, and the plot is of admirable theatrical geometry. In 18th-century Naples, the officers Ferrando and Guglielmo wager with the cynical Don Alfonso that their fiancées, sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, will remain faithful to them. Don Alfonso wants to prove that the girls are, like all the others, ready for betrayal. Fiordiligi and Dorabella learn from Don Alfonso that their fiancés are about to leave, called back to war. The two women are persuaded from Despina, paid from Don Alfonso, to accept the courtship of two Albanians who are none other than their transvestite fiancés. According to the plan agreed upon with Don Alfonso, the fake Albanians woo the ladies, but Guglielmo turns to Dorabella and Ferrando to Fiordiligi, swapping roles and testing the fidelity of the fiancées. At first, the virtuous attitude of the girls arouses the officers' complacency, but after much flattery, the sisters, now attracted to the two Albanians, give in by agreeing to marry them. In the midst of the wedding banquet, the return of the officers is announced. The Albanians are eclipsed and the disappointed fiancés return in their place. Guglielmo and Ferrando unveil the intrigue, and to the deceived and deceived, Don Alfonso sums up the moral of the affair: in the school of lovers, disillusionment can only bring wisdom. So let the wedding be celebrated: Fiordiligi with Guglielmo, Ferrando with Dorabella.
Feminine love is superficial, then, but it is also true that Ferrando and Guglielmo--throwing off their respective disguises--defeat the philosopher and forgive their girlfriends. The virtues of love triumph as the couples recompose as they originally were. Neither the cynicism of old Don Alfonso nor the feminine mischief of his accomplice, the servant Despina, succeed to in distorting the love passion, which has undergone a simple test, victoriously overcome. In other words, love is intangible and unassailable from the assaults it suffers as much from philosophical rationalism as from worldly vices, and if the value of love lies more in the forgiveness of males than in the human weakness of women, this corresponds perfectly with the ideology of the time.
dramma giocoso in two acts KV 588
libretto Lorenzo from Ponte
music Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
publisher owner Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel
representative for Italy Casa Musicale Sonzogno di Piero Ostali, Milan
first performance: Vienna, Burgtheater, January 26, 1790
characters and performers
Fiordiligi Francesca Dotto
Dorabella** Ruxandra Donose **
William Rodion Pogossov
Ferrando **Joel Prieto **
Despina **Marie McLaughlin **.
Don Alfonso** Maurizio Muraro **
director James Conlon
directed by Giorgio Ferrara
set design and costumes **Dante Ferretti **and Francesca Lo Schiavo
lights Daniele Nannuzzi
Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra
International Opera Choir
choirmaster Gea Garatti
new production Spoleto58 Festival dei 2Mondi, Fondazione Teatro Coccia di Novara
thanks **Nicoletta Ercole **for collaboration on costumes
thanks to Carla Delfrate for her collaboration in preparing the Cherubini Orchestra
valets Valerio d'Amore, Federico Lima Roque, Alessandro Marmorini, Paolo Minnielli, Gianluca Pantosti, Emanuele Venezia
actors graduated from the Silvio d'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Art in Rome
a sailor Eugenio Patrizi
makeup Manlio Rocchetti
hairstyles Mirella Ginnoto
makeup assistant Manuela Caredda
assistant hairdresser Elena Gregorini
Assistant conductor and harpsichord master Paolo Spadaro Munitto
assistant director Michiko Taguchi
collaborating master on piano Eugenio Krizanovski
master stage collaborator Roberta Mori
master stage collaborator** Meri Piersanti**
master lighting collaborator Alba Pepe
stage design director **Ottorino Neri **
production director Maya Dimova
stage director Fabrizio Pisaneschi
technical direction
**Daniele Di Battista **coordinating technical direction.
**Silvia Preda **general technical secretary.
lighting manager **Graziano Albertella **
machinist sector manager **Paolo Zappelli **
chief engineer **Michele Colella **
machinists Enrico Calabresi, Massimiliano Marotta
moving light console operator
**Fiamma Baldiserri
chief electrician Roberto Gelmetti
electricians Baldoni David
sound engineer Andrea Bisaccioni
chief toolmaker **Patrizia Valentini **
toolmaker Eleonora Briguori
assistant costume designer Chiara Crisolini Malatesta
seamstresses Claudia Zampolini, Clelia De Angelis, Marian Osman Mohamed , Giuliana Rossi
scenic elements MEKANE SRL Rome
costumes provided from TirelliCostumes Rome
Rocchetti & Rocchetti Wigs Ltd.
footwear** Pompeii Rome**
**E. Rancati srl **
thanks to Massimo Latour
Opera26 Group audio service
lights Luce E' S.r.l Florence
surtitles **Prescott **
facilities and services for entertainment Atmo Division Gioform Ltd.
pianos** Angelo Fabbrini **
transport GBANG S.r.l.
E.T.C. light adjustment computer. Italy www.etcconnect.com
Francesca Dotto is 27 years old, was born to Treviso, received her classical high school diploma and graduated in transverse flute from the Bologna Conservatory in 2006. In 2007 she took up the study of singing with soprano Elisabetta Tandura, and in 2011 she won first prize in the "National Arts Prize" competition organized by MIUR and graduated with honors and honorable mention from the Conservatory of Castelfranco Veneto. In 2012, she was a finalist in the Voci Verdiane Competition to Busseto, the Corradetti Competition to Padua, won second prize in the Callas Competition to Verona, and made her debut at Teatro La Fenice to Venice performing the role of Musetta in Puccini's La Bohème. The 2013 season began with the revival of the production of _La Bohème ( Musetta) at Teatro La Fenice, continued with her debut in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia _di Donizetti (protagonist) at Teatro Verdi in Padua and her debut in La Traviata (Violetta) at Teatro Verdi in Sassari. The 2014 season began with La Tra viata (Violetta) at Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, La Bohème (Musetta) at Teatro la Fenice and Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) atOpera National Athens and will continue with _Don Giovanni _(Donna Anna) and _La Traviata _(Violetta) both at Teatro La Fenice. The 2015 season sees the return to Venice for La Traviata, again La Traviata to Verona for the Arena Foundation and in Athens for the Greek National Opera and La Bohème (Musetta) at the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari.
Born in Russia, early in his career he joined the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program in the 2000-2001 season. He made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Metropolitan Opera Chamber Ensemble singing _Renard_ by Stravinsky under the inimitable baton of James Levine, and the following season he performed his first Carnegie Hall recital. An accomplished concert artist, his appearances as a soloist on stage include one at Suntory Hall and most recently his splendid performance in a Rachmaninov recital at Wigmore Hall accompanied from Iain Burnside. He also recently performed in La Scala di Seta conducted from Enrique Mazzola with the Orchestre National d'Ile de France and in Rachmaninov's The Bells at the Vara Konserthus. He performs regularly in Carmina Burana, most recently with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The latter concert was released on CD. The 2013-2014 season was very successful for Rodion, who first performed Don Giovanni in the eponymous opera with the Oviedo Opera and had his home debut with the Los Angeles Opera in Die Zauberflöte. He also returned to the Metropolitan with _Così fan tutte _conducted from James Levine. He returns with LA Opera in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and debuts as Silvio in I Pagliacci at the MET and as Count Ory at Seattle Opera. His future engagements include the _Carmina Burana _with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and with the Royal PO to London. In addition to a successful recital recording from soloist for the prestigious EMI Debut Series label, Rodion's discography includes a CD of Rachmaninov pieces recorded with pianist Iain Burnside, and released in February 2014. He will also record Adelson and Salvini with Opera Rara.
He is one of the most sought-after tenors of his generation. Winner of the coveted first prize in Plácido Domingo's Operalia Competition, he performs in the most prestigious international opera houses and arenas. This season, Joel Prieto returns to the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona as Ferrando in Così fan tutte, plays Tamino in a new production of _Die _in Santiago, Chile, debuts at the Santa Fe Opera as Belfiore in a new production of Mozart's _La finta giardiniera _. As a concert artist she will be to Moscow for her debut recital in Russia at the Dom Muzyki Chamber Hall, to sing her first Mozart Requiem with the Houston Symphony under the baton of Andrés Orozco-Estrada. His most recent engagements include a return to the Deutsche Oper and Staatsoper Berlin, and his participation in the Glyndebourne Festival and the Christmas Gala in Vienna. Past seasons have seen Joel Prieto in the roles of Fenton at Covent Garden, Gran Teatre del Liceu and Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse; Don Ottavio to Salzburg and Houston; Ferrando to Munich, Valencia, Washington; Tamino at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Staatsoper Berlin; Tebaldo in _Romeo et Juliet _at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; Ernesto in _Don Pasquale _in Rome and Almaviva in _Il barbiere di Siviglia _in Puerto Rico. In concert, he performed Mozart's Mass in C minor at the Salzburg Festival, Haydn's Stabat Mater at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, and Haydn's The Creation to Seville. He took part to a charity event in aid of Pakistan with Anna Netrebko. He has performed at Wigmore Hall for the Rosenblatt Recital Series. He has collaborated with conductors such as Luisi, Nézet-Séguin, Pinnock, Ticcati, Gatti, Bolton, Fischer, Dantone, Mehta, Campanella and Bicket and theater and 'opera directors such as McVicar, Carsen, Guth, Loy, Negrin, Lawless, Kupfer, Neuenfels.