Above: Nathan Lay as Guglielmo, Nardus Williams as Fiordiligi, Helen Sherman as Dorabella, Filipe Manu as Ferrando and cast. Featured image: Nardus Williams as Fiordiligi Photo Credit: Keith Saunders.
Entropy has never been so elegant as in Mozart’s late opera, Cosi Fan Tutte, or ‘As they all do’ (as in women), currently presented in a luminous revival version of Sir David McVicar’s pre-WWI period staging by Opera Australia.
Ending the wicked trio of Da Ponte libretto settings (after Le Nozze Di Figaro and Don Giovanni) with dramatic virtuosity by the genius Mozart, it continues the themes of women’s emotional lives challenged, threatened and turned upside down by society’s mores, morals and manipulative noble men.
In the opera, and in this version’s successful casting, two well-contrasted sisters-both in love with soldiers-are totally tricked into infidelity. At the mercy of a ruthless Don and the sisters’ bribed maid who will stop at nothing to assist in teaching the soldiers a lesson in the unfaithfulness potential of females.
Above: Alexandra Oomens as Despina and Richard Anderson as Don Alfonso. Photo Credit: Keith Saunders.
This buffa’s indredulous twists to our modern society minds requires secure momentum to move toward the disastrous denouement. Mozart’s setting and Da Ponte’s barbs benefit from superb visual and vocal comic timing.
Essential is a skilled sextet which blends impeccably and blasts its way through disguise, degredation, dares and debauchery to a skew, no-turning-back conclusion. And such a sextet is before us with this cast, surrounded by a beautiful composite set.
The no-turning back conclusion of this tale is bittersweet and skew even by our open-minded, seen-everything standards. If this weird romp were a much discussed Netflix curiosity we would be unable to look away.
Above: Richard Anderson as Don Alfonso, Nathan Lay as Guglielmo and Filipe Manu as Ferrando. Photo Credit: Keith Saunders.
Here of course, despite the story’s shenanigans, we have busy Mozart’s beautiful music giving the operatic tradition some of the most engaging melodies to gild the confusion. We are exposed to exquisitely formed ensemble textures from duets to sextet and a handful of expertly chiselled solo arias to support this substantial example of operatic fare.
This production’s pocket rocket chameleon comic superstar is Despina. Expat Australian opera star Alexandra Oomens as the morals-be-damned maid devours the role. Her beautifully shaped filigree and solid ensemble work pays tribute to Mozart’s tendency to write so well for all characters on stage.
Oomens’ opening exchange leaps off the stage and begins to lasso the as yet guileless girls she serves. Her acting and comic timing, especially as quack doctor and notary are hilarious and obviously the stuff of agile direction on the part of revival creative Andy Morton.
Despina’s partner in crime, Don Alfonso, tempting the women to prove a disturbing point and to change lives unsettlingly is portrayed with firm vocal presence by local bass Richard Anderson.
His strides across the stage and over once content lovers’ lives shows at all times a jarring command of the stage amidst the layered confusion. His participation in the lovely trio ‘Soave sia il viento’ is exquisitely balanced with the female lovers, before one of many stunning set backgrounds designed by Moritz Junge.
A mighty melodramatic tessitura is expertly maintained by both the female lovers, Dorabella (another successful Aussie expat, Helen Sherman, and formidable UK soprano Nardus Williams’ subtle, statuesque, splintered despairing darts across the stage as Fiordiligi in this rollicking, sobering romp. Williams’ angered defence of fidelity- the ‘Like a rock’ aria-is a powerful, superbly-paced and nicely directed operatic moment.
Above: Nathan Lay as Guglielmo, Helen Sherman as Dorabella, Richard Anderson as Don Alfonso, Alexandra Oomens as Despina/Notary, Nardus Williams as Fiordiligi and Filipe Manu as Ferrando. Photo Credit: Keith Saunders.
Vocally this music is successfully when the various voices, textures and ensemble sizes blend seamlessly. Mozart’s challenging ornamentation of any difficult line is handled here with well phrased, apparent ease. We are lucky in this manner to have Sherman and Williams cast as the sisters here. Their solo and joint vocal production is married so well to the predicament or deception on stage at any time and their characterisations are complete.
The blokes taken for an ultimately life-changing ride by the cynical Don Alfonso, and with a manly wager to boot, are another perfectly cast set, compete with the appropriate level of contrast on tap. This pair blend, move and finally fight brilliantly on this revival stage. There is fresh, attractive energy always displayed as Nathan Lay (Giugliemo) plus Filipe Manu (Ferrando) carve their way through a lover’s life inverted and a busy stage subverted.
Solo aria moments from both bumbling boys are welcome instances of elevated restraint amongst the crazy story. These provide searching lyricism in the mix, showcasing the fine voices and endearing performance qualities recruited here. Their voices as soldiers or Algerians have a welcome Mozartean edge, both solo and ensemble moments.
The score is delivered with a sparkling, no-nonsense forward momentum from conductor Zoe Zeniodi. Siro Battaglin’s fortepiano continuo guides the recitatives expertly. This twisting, complex humanity still pleases, is a great night out.
This entertaining opera is currently a good revival, not only of a previous Opera Australia production, but of the genius Mozart’s theatricality and desire to drive social questioning home with some of the most finely crafted music ever destined for the stage.
Cosi fan tutte plays at the. Dame Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House until August 17.
