Home > Cosi fan tutte Mozart, W. A. (1756-1791) Cosi fan tutte Women are like that Composed 1789. First performed January 26, 1789. Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte (in Italian). A Summary of “Cosi fan tutte (Women are like that)” Act 1 In the 18th century, at a cafe in Naples, two soldiers, Ferrando and Guglielmo, debate with an old philosopher, Don Alfonso. The two young soldiers believe their lovers never to be unfaithful, but the old philosopher declares that all women have a cheating heart. They make a bet on which is right. The old philosopher, Don Alfonso, develops a game plan. Ferrando’s lover is Dorabella, and Guglielmo’s lover is Dorabella’s sister, Fiordiligi. Alfonso tells the sisters that their lovers suddenly depart for the battlefront. The sisters feel sad not to see their lovers. On the other hand, Alfonso orders the two men to wear different clothes and disguise themselves as foreign people. Alfonso introduces the disguised men to the sisters. But the sisters show no interest in the two men, yet. Act 2 Alfonso pays the sisters’ maid, Despina. Despina recommends them to cheat on their lovers. The sisters begin to talk about their new men. The sisters select different men to their original boyfriend, that is to say, Fiordiligi selects Ferrando, and Dorabella selects Guglielmo. Then, disguised Guglielmo succeeds in seducing Dorabella. Disguised Ferrando succeeds in seducing Fiordiligi, too. Both Ferrando and Guglielmo gets angry, but Alfonso says to them, “Women are like that.” After that, the sisters sign registration of a marriage with the disguised men. Then, the two men who have removed their disguises suddenly appear, and they get angry with the sisters. The sisters beg their lovers’ forgiveness, on the other hand, the two men promise not to deceive, and to believe in their lovers. Alfonso advises the two couples to laugh it all off. A Comment on “Cosi fan tutte (Women are like that)” This opera, “Cosi fan tutte (Women are like that),” was not evaluated highly, compared with Mozart’s other operas. The story of this opera is very light-hearted. But, the value of this opera was recognized in the latter half of the 20th century. Recently, the number of fans enthusiastic about this opera has been increasing because of the beauty of Mozart’s music. “Cosi fan tutte” gradually became famous. The characters in this opera are three female singers and three male singers. Also, these singers range from Soprano to Bass in a well-balanced combination. These singers perform various combinations from duet to sextet. Mozart composed a lot of fine and beautiful vocal ensembles. “Cosi fan tutte” is in Italian. “Cosi fan tutte” means that people’s mind is fickle. Originally, this is the lines of Basilio in a different opera, “Le Nozze di Figaro.” The Emperor, Joseph II, watched this opera, and he asked Mozart to compose a new opera with the theme maintaining the same lines. The story of this opera is very artificial, but describes a keen insight into human nature. Gluck, C. W. (1714-1787) 　- Orpheus and Eurydice Mozart, W. A. (1756-1791) 　- The Marriage of Figaro 　- Don Giovanni 　- Cosi fan tutte 　- The Magic Flute Beethoven, L. v. (1770-1827) 　- Fidelio Weber, C. M. v. (1786-1826) 　- The Magic Bullets Rossini, G. (1792-1868) 　- The Barber of Seville Donizetti, G. (1797-1848) 　- The Elixir of Love Verdi, G. (1813-1901) 　- Macbeth 　- Rigoletto 　- Il trovatore 　- La Traviata 　- Un ballo in maschera 　- Don Carlo 　- Aida 　- Otello 　- Falstaff Wagner, R. (1813-1883) 　- The Flying Dutchman 　- Tannhauser 　- Lohengrin 　- Tristan und Isolde 　- Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg 　- The Rhinegold 　- Die Walkure 　- Siegfried 　- Twilight of the Gods 　- Parsifal Offenbach, J. (1819-1880) 　- The Tales of Hoffmann Strauss, J. (1825-1899) 　- Die Fledermaus (The Bat) Bizet, G. (1838-1875) 　- Carmen Tchaikovsky, P. J. (1840-1893) 　- Eugene Onegin Massenet, J. (1842-1912) 　- Werther Humperdinck, E. (1854-1921) 　- Hansel and Gretel Puccini, G. (1858-1924) 　- La Boheme 　- Tosca 　- Madama Butterfly 　- Turandot Leoncavallo, R. (1858-1919) 　- Pagliacci Mascagni, P. (1863-1945) 　- Cavalleria Rusticana Debussy, C. (1862-1918) 　- Pelleas et Melisande Strauss, R. (1864-1949) 　- Salome 　- The Cavalier of the Rose Copyright (C) 2005-2015 Yusuke Kamiki. All Rights Reserved.