Stream: Così fan tutte
The Royal Opera House has joined opera houses round the world in streaming past performances free, and probably reaching a much bigger audience than the original production did. In the case of Covent Garden they are making them available on YouTube which is much more easily accessible than the complicated download of apps to broadcast, for example, the Met Opera's productions. They are also making performances available for a month at a time rather than the 24 hours of the Met. Of course opera on TV isn't the same as visiting the opera house, nothing beats the excitement of being in the opera house. However, there are some benefits such as close up study of the acting, as well as listening to the singers. This is particularly useful in an opera such as Cosi which is a delightful comedy and where the acting is almost as important as the singing. Also sitting in my comfortable big chair with a glass of wine and watching Cosi on my very sharp screen on my new smart TV and listening to it through my linked B&O 9000 amp and excellent redline speakers, I reflected that opera at home has some benefits!
This production of Cosi, an opera I have seen many times in my 50 years of opera going, was set in modern times by its director, the great Jonathan Miller, who died recently. It was lovely to see him come on to the stage and take a bow with the cast at the end of this performance which was filmed in 2010. I met Jonathan Miller once at the English National Opera box office and said “Jonathan you surely aren't buying a ticket?”. “Oh no”, he said “I hate going to opera, I just love directing it. I'm checking up on how the three operas I have on here are doing for attendance”. His love of direction came through in this production in lots of “business” employed by the singers to bring out the comedy in this very funny production.
The cast of this Cosi are not big stars in the opera world, apart from Tommy Allen who was getting towards the end of his career in 2010. In his superb portrayal of Don Alfonso he used every trick of his experience and skill to deliver a bravura comic performance. Scottish Opera fans will know Tommy Allen both as a performer and director of operas in recent years and in this production, we see him in his pomp. He is aided in his plans by Welsh soprano Rebecca Evans, who not only made the most of her two big arias and was very funny in her role as Despina the maid, but also disguises herself as a doctor and a notary in creating the farce at the heart of Cosi. The women are also at the heart of Cosi, after all the title means ‚Women are like that’, although it does have a subtext ‚School for lovers’, suggesting that perhaps the men too have something to learn! This production is blessed with two very beautiful women in the principal roles (not always the case in opera!), who although not famous are also very good singers. Fiordiligi was sung by Swedish soprano Maria Bengtsson who has made a very good international career for herself since this production. Her Come Scoglio was beautifully sung and her comic acting was excellent. Her sister Dorabella was sung by Jurgita Adamonyte, a Lithunian mezzo-soprano, and a recent casualty of the Corona virus crisis in the sense that her agency Hazard Chase has gone bust. Still with this excellent performance being screened I have no doubt she will get a new agent and many future roles when opera houses finally reopen!
The men who dupe the women to test their fidelity are played by Pavel Breslik as Ferrando. He is a fine young Slovakian tenor who has made a good international reputation, including an appearance at the Edinburgh Festival. His singing was very sweet and his comic timing excellent. Stephane Degout sang Guglielmo, the fellow fiancé of the unfaithful women. Stephane is a very good baritone from Lyon in France and is another singer with a very successful international career, again including appearances at Covent Garden and the Edinburgh Festival. These singers are not household names but they are all of a very high quality. What makes this performance special is the comic interaction between them, which I'm sure is due to Jonathan Miller's direction. The opera is conducted very well by Thomas Hengelbrock the German conductor who recently caused a stir by resigning early from the NDR Orchestra at the new concert hall in Hamburg.
I have been watching a lot of opera on TV since the lockdown began but this Cosi is perhaps the best thing I've seen so far. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that it's the best Cosi I've seen over the last 50 years, and trust me I've seen a few! Don't miss it. It’s on YouTube till the end of April.
