Portland Opera to present Mozart’s ‘Cosi fan tutte’ this weekend

by James Bash on February 4, 2010

Dorabella (Angela Niederloh) being wooed by the Armenian soldiers, Ferrando (Ryan MacPherson, left) and Guglielmo

Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte” (often translated as “All Women are Like That”), presented by Portland Opera, delves into matters of love in all its complexity with humor and wisdom. The story involves two bridegrooms, Ferrando and Guglielmo, who are about to marry two sisters, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, but a skeptical friend wagers that the ladies’ faithfulness won’t hold if the men are absent for 24 hours. Disguise and deception follow and so does an intriguing story, held together by Mozart’s brilliant music.

The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte, whose colorful life may have influenced the story a bit. FYI, Da Ponte, who always seemed to have money problems, moved to the United States at the age of 79, and after failing again in a couple of businesses, became the first professor of Italian literature at Columbia University.

The cast includes Portland’s Angela Niederloh, Robert Orth, Keith Phares, Ryan MacPherson, Christine Brandes, and Lauren Skuce. George Manahan will conduct.

“Cosi fan tutte” opens Friday, February 5th with additional performances February 7 (matinée), 11, and 13 at Keller Auditorium in downtown Portland.

I’ve been asked by Portland Opera to participate in its Blogger Night @ The Opera; so I will be posting my thoughts – from my blogging station in the lobby – before the opera, during intermission, and after the final curtain falls. Please feel free to stop by and say hello. My postings will appear under the Seen and Heard column.

James Bash

James Bash writes articles for a variety of publications, including magazines such as Opera America, Open Spaces, Opera, MUSO, International Arts Manager, American Record Guide, Symphony, Opera Canada, and PSU Magazine. The newspapers include Crosscut, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The Oregonian, The Columbian, The Portland Tribune, The Register-Guard, and Willamette Week. James has also written a number of articles for the Oregon Arts Commission. James was a fellow to the 2008 NEA Journalism Institute for Classical Music and Opera. He is a member of the Music Critics Association of North America (mcana.org) and lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Kathy.