The third opera in the Mozart-Da Ponte trilogy will see lust and loyalty go head-to-head in a lavish, contemporary production set in a luxurious Italian resort.
Dane Lam, Artistic Director of State Opera South Australia, said that this opera was particularly special to him.
“This work is so incredibly beautiful. I’ve conducted it several times over my career, and naturally have also worked with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, but to conduct this opera in my first official role with the Company is very exciting,” he said.
“State Opera’s 2023 production of The Marriage of Figaro was compared to an episode of The Office… well I’d say Così fan tutte can be likened to White Lotus or Love Island,” Dane said. “Whether you’re a seasoned opera lover or a curious newcomer to the art form, this production is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the beauty and intricacy of Mozart’s music and the timeless themes it explores.”
Acclaimed Australian director, Patrick Nolan, CEO and Artistic Director of Opera Queensland, makes his debut in Adelaide alongside Associate Director Laura Hansford, having received glowing reviews from the premiere of Così fan tutte in Brisbane in August 2023.
As the ebullient overture starts, audiences will be swept away by the music and transported to the Amalfi
Coast, following the journey of four young lovers and a cynical older gentleman who challenges the very idea of love and fidelity. Best friends Guglielmo and Ferrando take on a bet that their girlfriends, sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, will not stay faithful to them in the face of temptation. As the boys don disguises and set out to win the bet by seducing the other’s partner, the will and commitment of the girls is put to the ultimate test. As passions burn hotter than the Neapolitan sun, spicy surprises and hilarious revelations make their way onto the stage.
Dane has handpicked an exciting cast of superb Australian performers: Soprano Sky Ingram and Mezzo-Soprano Anna Dowsley portray the on-stage sisters and are joined by Baritone Nicholas Lester and Tenor Kyle Stegall, who play their beaus Guglielmo and Ferrando. Significantly, this opera represents a homecoming for Adelaide-born Sky Ingram and Nicholas Lester.
Christopher Hillier and Jessica Dean round up the cast in their roles as the cynical Don Alfonso and maid
Despina, alongside the State Opera chorus on stage and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in the pit.
Funny, seductive and full of drama, Così fan tutte wowed Brisbane audiences and is set to be an operatic
sensation for Adelaide viewers as exquisite singing, opulent staging, and a profound emotional journey unfolds on stage.
The production of Così fan tutte is set to hit Adelaide for a four-show season late August this year.
Image credit: Visual Poets Society
