The plot concerns two sisters, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, engaged to marry best friends Guglielmo and Ferrando. The men disguise themselves to test the women's loyalty on a bet from bachelor pal Don Alfonso, with the sisters' maid, Despina, aiding in the masquerade.
"Cos" fan tutte" is the quintessential ensemble opera, and each of the six roles in this production is beautifully cast. Soprano Serena Benedetti (Fiordiligi) and mezzo Kirstin Chavez (Dorabella) harmonize so exquisitely, you could swear they really were sisters. Benedetti's introspective interpretation is at its finest in "Per pieta," in which Fiordiligi prays that her absent lover will forgive her for falling in love with another man. (Credit the Utah Symphony's horns with a major assist on that aria.) Chavez is a radiant Dorabella; the scene in which she succumbs to baritone Gary Lehman's disguised Guglielmo is utterly charming.
The men in "Cos" fan tutte" have a certain advantage: Because we, like they, are in on the ruse from the beginning, it's easier for us to see things from their point of view. As Lehman and tenor George Dyer play them, Guglielmo and Ferrando enter the wager with the purest of intentions and are thrown for a loop when the deception succeeds. Both singers are secure dramatically as well as vocally, making a believable transition from indignation to understanding.
Bass-baritone Kristopher Irmiter is a savvy and surprisingly sympathetic Don Alfonso. Soprano Kathleen Brett sparkles as Despina, making her music sound not just easy but fun to sing.
Mozart's score is a marvel. It paints incredibly vivid characterizations and contains several moments - such as the farewell trio "Soave sia il vento" and Ferrando's aria "Un' aura amorosa" - as heart-tugging as anything Puccini ever wrote. William Lacey leads the Utah Symphony in a crisp, colorful performance that features an especially fine showing by the woodwinds.
The handsome unit set, designed by Robert Dahlstrom for Seattle Opera, is dominated by two changeable pillars. Susan Memmott Allred's gorgeous costumes, original for this production, neatly connect the original couples.
Director Harry Silverstein strikes a smart balance between comedy and drama and makes expert use of the Utah Symphony Chorus. One of his most clever choices is to let Benedetti and Chavez decide each night which suitors the sisters will choose. Finding out who ends up with whom is the last of many delightful payoffs in "Cos" fan tutte."
Get Cos"
Utah Opera's production of "Cos" fan tutte" continues tonight, Wednesday and Friday at 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday, in the Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City. The opera is sung in Italian, with English supertitles, and runs just over three hours with intermission. Tickets are $12 to $65.
