Libretto by Lorenzo DA PONTE

• Concert version

Last performance at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège  : May 2006

The story

The Neapolitan philosopher Don Alfonso puts to the test the faithfulness of the young ladies Fiordiligi and Dorabella to their beloveds, Ferrando and Guglielmo, two officers. He proposes a challenge to the two men: they will pretend to leave to fight a war and, in disguise, they will return to seduce the other’s fiancée. With the assistance of the scheming servant Despina, anything becomes possible…!

The school of lovers

Cosi fan tutte was created in Vienna in 1790 and is the third of the legendary opera trilogy by Mozart and the librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. Although in the following years this musical work had less success than its predecessors Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni, it nonetheless became considered one of Mozart’s masterpieces during the 19th and 20th centuries.

For this occasion, the staggering deceit, travesty, and fidelity ordeals will be presented in a concertante style. Both directing and playing the harpsichord is Christophe Rousset, who has already performed on our stage in Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Le Nozze di Figaro. The distribution of this mythical work will unite Cyrille Dubois, Leon Košavić, Maria Rey-Joly, Josè Maria Lo Monaco, Sophie Kärthauser and Lionel Lhote.

My return to the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège is notably the joy of working with this orchestra again as it’s always been a pleasure from the onset, and also quite simply to direct music in an orchestra as I haven’t had the chance since January! I guess you could say I’m eager for this immense pleasure to fashion my hands for a musical Mozartean creation!

I was a little concerned the Cosi project would be abandoned, but now I can then pay tribute to my dear friend Stefano Mazzonis.

Christophe Rousset