Opera North: Cosi fan tutte – The Lowry

As the programme notes, Mozart is one of those rare creative beings who comes to disturb the sleep of the world., and certainly mischief and misunderstandings are everywhere in this revived adaptation in English of Mozart’s famous two-act comic opera, and on the whole this good-humoured production from Director Tim Albery does not disappoint.

The story begins with an old cynic and philosopher, Don Alfonso (Quirijn de Lang), betting two young soldiers, Ferrando (Anthony Gregory) and Guglielmo (Henry Neill), that their respective fiancées, sisters Dorabella (Heather Lowe) and Fiordiligi (Alexandra Lowe) will not stay faithful if put to the test. The two young men accept the bet and pretend to depart for the front line whilst secretly returning in disguise and under the direction of Don Alfonso, ably assisted by a maid, Despina (Gillene Butterfield), they attempt to woo each other’s other half. Cosi fan tutte – ‘all women are like that’ – is the challenge set down. The question is though: are they?

This was a strong production, full of good humour and with some engagement with the audience as we were invited from the off to look through the spyhole onto this microcosm of love and all that it entails.

Whilst Mozart had imagined a coffee house, lounge, garden, and bedroom, Tobias Hoheisel’s set design was simple and all the more effective for it as it allowed performances to come to the fore without unnecessary distractions and his costume design allowed us to easily differentiate between the various comic disguises.

The mismatched sisters and soldiers were performed well with H Lowe, A Lowe, Gregory, and Neill all providing strong vocals and moving solos as well as capturing the underlying comedy of the piece. There was a lack of obvious chemistry and sexual frisson that would normally give this comedy its real edge, but it was professionally delivered and remained enjoyable all the same. The main detraction for me was the decision to use an English libretto. I don’t have an issue with translations per se as it can help make works more accessible, especially when surtitles are not available, and I have seen it successfully support pop-up opera in smaller, intimate venues. However, as has been seen recently elsewhere, moving between different styles and themes in opera is often easier said than done, and whilst the English libretto used here has been well structured and rhymed, it lacks a certain flow and didn’t quite resonate and harmonise with the music as the original Italian so naturally does.

I enjoyed de Lang’s Don Alfonso who despite the obvious and intended cynicism of the character was really rather likeable which added a different dynamic to the piece, whilst Butterfield’s Despina was an absolute joy to watch and hear.

The orchestra conducted by Clemens Schuldt are bright and airy from the off and remain lively throughout; it’s a shame about the libretto though because it jarred too often on the ear and made some moments appear ponderous when really the audience need to be swept along.

Cos fan tutte is one of two productions touring this season for Opera North, further details at https://www.operanorth.co.uk/whats-on

The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays with a wide creative offering, further details https://thelowry.com/whats-on/

Reviewer: Mark Davoren

Reviewed: 21^st March 2024

North West End UK Rating: