Are all women like that?

The answer is, sometimes- if you're singing "Cosi fan tutte", they are! Yup, this week I embarked on an operatic journey through Cosi fan tutte, along with Jennifer Peterson's group, Opera Mission (http://operamission.org/), the talented Dramaturg Cori Ellison, Director Ned Canty, Musicologist Bob Kingston, and a fabulous cast and orchestra. This experiment in reading through Mozart's opera was held at the Gershwin Hotel in NYC, and each participant generously donated their time and talent over the course of 4 evenings. Of course, not every musician could attend all 4 evenings (me included!) so the rotating cast and pick-up orchestra was different each day.

So, why do it? One could argue that our 4 evenings(each,3 hours long) might have been better spent by really delving into the musical subtleties, character development, concert staging etc...instead of flushing out the score with individual preparation (ahead of time) in front of a live audience. Well, selfishly, I wanted to learn the role of Despina and this performance afforded me the opportunity. However, I ended up learning much more about the score due to Cori, Ned, and Bob Kingston's insights- more than I would have, simply by attending a pre-concert lecture.

As we rehearsed, Jen Peterson might interject a theoretical factoid, or Bob would get up and show the audience a facsimile of Mozart's original handwritten score (complete with mistakes, additions, and rewrites!)- also, Cori and Ned would add their own two cents, related to the libretto or character development. I had an interesting moment last night, in fact, when Ned described his background in the theater, specifically related to Shakespeare: in his experience working with Shakespeare, characters playing a deception will inform the audience, either before or after, that they'd been lying. (ie. Iago literally tells the audience in aside, "...I'll pour this pestilence into his ear" when describing how he'll lie to Othello) whereas in the case of Da Ponte and Mozart, their deception is more veiled behind the dulcet notes of the Act II duet "Fra gli amplessi". Ferrando, as we know, has been unsuccessful trying to woo Fiordiligi- but triumphs during this scene with Fiordiligi's words "Hai vinto" (you've won). I've always thought of this scene as one of the 'true' moments of love being expressed in this opera. The music is SO sublime, the counterpoint a perfect reflection of their two souls. HOWEVER- in the recitative immediately following the scene, Ferrando is cavalier. Last night, Jen P. opted for a tempo in the duet that was faster than what I'm used to and I suddenly heard the 'lie'- it is FIORDILIGI who instigates the re-iteration of the words "Abbracciamci" (Let us embrace each other) and "Sospirar" (sighing). She bought the lie, so all Ferrando has to do is confirm what she wants to hear. Incredible.

So, I guess the read thru was for people like me: opera lovers who thought they had their minds made up about the story of Cosi- but was proved wrong. There are always new insights to behold, and old themes that deserve revisiting. I really hope that Opera Mission decides to tackle another opera in this way. Not only was it fun for me to participate, but to view the audience's pleasure at seeing opera in a small space, in a casual environment. "Musik ist der Heilige Kunst" it's true, however: for every piece of music performed, there still had to be a rehearsal period. This performance enabled those who don't usually get to see behind the scenes, a taste of what putting on an opera really entails. Thank you Opera Mission!