Così fan tutte: Washington National Opera Dress Rehearsal

Michael M. Kaiser President Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education

Michael L. Mael Executive Director Francesca Zambello Artistic Advisor

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT...

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Mozart and Da Ponte chose to subtitle the opera “The School for Lovers.” In what ways does the opera remind you of a “school”? What are the “lessons” of the opera? Which characters are the teachers and which are the students?

Most operas of Mozart’s day were divided into types seria (meaning serious or dramatic) or buffa (meaning light-hearted and funny). Do you think Così fan tutte was designed as a seria or a buffa piece? Why? Could it be a combination of both?

Trickery and disguise are common themes in plays and movies, particularly in love stories. Why do you think this is? What different kinds of disguises can you think of?

Do you think trickery can be useful? Why or why not?

WHAT TO LISTEN AND WATCH FOR...

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■

■

■

How certain characters sing music that sounds “grand” or snobbish, while others stick to lighter, sweeter melodies. What statements do you think Mozart is making about each character?

How the director uses modern-day devices and technology to tell this 18th-century story. Do these 21stcentury gadgets make the story easier to understand?

How Mozart ends each act with a large ensemble for all of the main characters. How does the finale of Act I differ from the finale of Act II? How musical “sound effects” are used to tell the story. Do certain instrumental sounds remind you of some things in nature such as winds, waves, or human heartbeats?

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO. The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program is made possible through the generous support of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.

International festivals at the Kennedy Center are generously supported by the HRH Foundation.

Additional support for The Music of Budapest, Prague, and Vienna is provided

by Michael and Noémi Neidorff and The Honorable Nancy G. Brinker.

International Programming at the Kennedy Center is made possible through the generosity of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts.

Support for Washington National Opera Education Programs is provided by The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.; JPMorgan Chase Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Jacob & Charlotte Lehrman Foundation; National Capitol Arts and Cultural Affairs; U.S. Commission of Fine Arts; The Washington Post; Waterford Foundation; and Verizon.

www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, an education program of the Kennedy Center.

ARTSEDGE is a part of Thinkfinity.org, a consortium of free educational Web sites for K-12 teaching and learning.

WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA D R E S S R E H EAR SAL WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART’S

PERFORMANCE GUIDE

David M. Rubenstein Chairman

Così antutte Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte Directed by Jonathan Miller Conducted by Philippe Auguin

Flighty and fickle or faithful and true? Mozart poses this classic question in his famous comedic opera, a tale involving the misadventures of two sisters and their soldier boyfriends. For these starry-eyed young couples, romantic illusions are given a nasty wakeup call when they decide to test the boundaries of love, loyalty, and friendship in a complicated game of “boys vs. girls.”

Director Jonathan Miller set this production in the 21st century and designed it to uniquely capture the essence of Washington, DC.

Learn more about Education at The Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-center.org/education The contents of this Cuesheet do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement from the Federal Government. © 2012 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Please recycle this Cuesheet by sharing it with friends!

Cuesheet

Dorabella fends off her new suitor as “Doctor” Despina looks on.

Performances for Young Audiences is made possible by

Don Alfonso tells Ferrando and Guglielmo that women are fickle by nature.

ABOUT WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

About Mozart’s

Così antutte Così fan tutte or La scuola degli amanti (“Women Are Like That” or “The School for Lovers”) marks the final collaboration between the dynamic duo of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the Italian clergyman-turnedparty boy-turned-poet Lorenzo Da Ponte.

Its timeless story draws on a variety of myths, plays, poems, and early operas, but also offers some unique twists on older themes of love and fidelity.

ACT I “CLASS IN SESSION” Wily old gentleman Don Alfonso listens as soldiers Ferrando and Guglielmo brag about their respective girlfriends, sisters Dorabella and Fiordiligi. When the young officers declare their sweethearts are the most faithful in the land, Alfonso laughs, saying no woman could be that virtuous. He suggests they bet on it. The three hatch a plan: The boys will pretend to go off to war, then return disguised as mysterious “Albanians”and wooeach other’sgirl. Whoever’s girl gives in the fastest loses the wager.

Despina gives Dorabella and Fiordiligi a crash course in flirting.

Dorabella and Fiordiligi are heartbroken at the idea of being separated from their beloved soldiers. Still, their sassy chambermaid, Despina, reminds them they don’t have to be faithful, since they can’t expect men to keep their promises. Despina suggests the girls enjoy themselves and have fun while their men are away.

With some help from Despina, Don Alfonso presents his two “Albanian” friends to the sisters. When these exotic strangers pledge their instant love to the girls, Fiordiligi and Dorabella stand firm, claiming nothing will make them stray from their boyfriends. The boys then choose a different approach and swallow fake poison, saying they’d rather die than be rejected. Despina arrives disguised as a doctor and the men are revived, but the sisters are disgusted when the Albanians ask them for a “thank you” kiss.

MAIN CHARACTERS Don Alfonso, a gentleman Ferrando, a soldier Guglielmo, a soldier Fiordiligi, a wealthy young woman Dorabella, her sister Despina, their maid

ACT II “CLASS DISMISSED” Dorabella and Fiordiligi secretly admit they find these strangers rather attractive and decide to flirt a little. Don Alfonso and Despina arrange for a romantic rendezvous for the two new couples and, though Guglielmo succeeds in winning Dorabella’s affection, Ferrando has no luck with Fiordiligi. When the two soldiers reunite, Ferrando is furious to hear his Dorabella has betrayed him, and resolves to make Fiordiligi fall for his charms.

Boy genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) was born in Salzburg, Austria to a family of musicians (his father was a well-known composer and his sister was an accomplished instrumentalist).

A keyboard whiz by age four and a composer by age five, Mozart traveled and performed throughout much of Europe, eventually settling in Vienna as a freelance artist. Mozart mastered a variety of musical forms, from concertos to symphonies to operas and beyond, and his unique and unmistakable sound is a trademark of Western music’s Classical era.

Fiordiligi, aware that her resolve is weakening, decides to run away with Dorabella. Before she can do so, however, Ferrando appears and once more pledges his undying love.

Fiordiligi succumbs and agrees to marry him.

The stage is set for a double wedding. But, just as the sisters are about to sign marriage contracts with their new suitors (issued by Despina, disguised as a notary), a military march is heard. Alfonso breaks the news that the soldiers are returning, and Dorabella and Fiordiligi scramble to hide their Albanian fiancés.

All six characters face off in one final battle of the sexes. Fingers are pointed, names are called, and all sorts of threats are made. Do things get resolved? Do our four lovers get a happy ending? You be the judge. La scuola (school) is out for the day!

All photos by Mike Hoban for Royal Opera House

ABOUT WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA Originally founded in 1956, Washington National Opera (WNO) ranks as one of today’s largest American opera companies. As an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, WNO presents several operas each year at the Kennedy Center Opera House and performs throughout the city, offering training and enrichment programs year-round.

To learn more about opera visit www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge and click the tag “opera”

Don Alfonso tells Ferrando and Guglielmo that women are fickle by nature.

ABOUT WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

About Mozart’s

Così antutte Così fan tutte or La scuola degli amanti (“Women Are Like That” or “The School for Lovers”) marks the final collaboration between the dynamic duo of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the Italian clergyman-turnedparty boy-turned-poet Lorenzo Da Ponte.

Its timeless story draws on a variety of myths, plays, poems, and early operas, but also offers some unique twists on older themes of love and fidelity.

ACT I “CLASS IN SESSION” Wily old gentleman Don Alfonso listens as soldiers Ferrando and Guglielmo brag about their respective girlfriends, sisters Dorabella and Fiordiligi. When the young officers declare their sweethearts are the most faithful in the land, Alfonso laughs, saying no woman could be that virtuous. He suggests they bet on it. The three hatch a plan: The boys will pretend to go off to war, then return disguised as mysterious “Albanians”and wooeach other’sgirl. Whoever’s girl gives in the fastest loses the wager.

Despina gives Dorabella and Fiordiligi a crash course in flirting.

Dorabella and Fiordiligi are heartbroken at the idea of being separated from their beloved soldiers. Still, their sassy chambermaid, Despina, reminds them they don’t have to be faithful, since they can’t expect men to keep their promises. Despina suggests the girls enjoy themselves and have fun while their men are away.

With some help from Despina, Don Alfonso presents his two “Albanian” friends to the sisters. When these exotic strangers pledge their instant love to the girls, Fiordiligi and Dorabella stand firm, claiming nothing will make them stray from their boyfriends. The boys then choose a different approach and swallow fake poison, saying they’d rather die than be rejected. Despina arrives disguised as a doctor and the men are revived, but the sisters are disgusted when the Albanians ask them for a “thank you” kiss.

MAIN CHARACTERS Don Alfonso, a gentleman Ferrando, a soldier Guglielmo, a soldier Fiordiligi, a wealthy young woman Dorabella, her sister Despina, their maid

ACT II “CLASS DISMISSED” Dorabella and Fiordiligi secretly admit they find these strangers rather attractive and decide to flirt a little. Don Alfonso and Despina arrange for a romantic rendezvous for the two new couples and, though Guglielmo succeeds in winning Dorabella’s affection, Ferrando has no luck with Fiordiligi. When the two soldiers reunite, Ferrando is furious to hear his Dorabella has betrayed him, and resolves to make Fiordiligi fall for his charms.

Boy genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) was born in Salzburg, Austria to a family of musicians (his father was a well-known composer and his sister was an accomplished instrumentalist).

A keyboard whiz by age four and a composer by age five, Mozart traveled and performed throughout much of Europe, eventually settling in Vienna as a freelance artist. Mozart mastered a variety of musical forms, from concertos to symphonies to operas and beyond, and his unique and unmistakable sound is a trademark of Western music’s Classical era.

Fiordiligi, aware that her resolve is weakening, decides to run away with Dorabella. Before she can do so, however, Ferrando appears and once more pledges his undying love.

Fiordiligi succumbs and agrees to marry him.

The stage is set for a double wedding. But, just as the sisters are about to sign marriage contracts with their new suitors (issued by Despina, disguised as a notary), a military march is heard. Alfonso breaks the news that the soldiers are returning, and Dorabella and Fiordiligi scramble to hide their Albanian fiancés.

All six characters face off in one final battle of the sexes. Fingers are pointed, names are called, and all sorts of threats are made. Do things get resolved? Do our four lovers get a happy ending? You be the judge. La scuola (school) is out for the day!

All photos by Mike Hoban for Royal Opera House

ABOUT WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA Originally founded in 1956, Washington National Opera (WNO) ranks as one of today’s largest American opera companies. As an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, WNO presents several operas each year at the Kennedy Center Opera House and performs throughout the city, offering training and enrichment programs year-round.

To learn more about opera visit www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge and click the tag “opera”

Michael M. Kaiser President Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education

Michael L. Mael Executive Director Francesca Zambello Artistic Advisor

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT...

■

■

■

Mozart and Da Ponte chose to subtitle the opera “The School for Lovers.” In what ways does the opera remind you of a “school”? What are the “lessons” of the opera? Which characters are the teachers and which are the students?

Most operas of Mozart’s day were divided into types seria (meaning serious or dramatic) or buffa (meaning light-hearted and funny). Do you think Così fan tutte was designed as a seria or a buffa piece? Why? Could it be a combination of both?

Trickery and disguise are common themes in plays and movies, particularly in love stories. Why do you think this is? What different kinds of disguises can you think of?

Do you think trickery can be useful? Why or why not?

WHAT TO LISTEN AND WATCH FOR...

■

■

■

■

How certain characters sing music that sounds “grand” or snobbish, while others stick to lighter, sweeter melodies. What statements do you think Mozart is making about each character?

How the director uses modern-day devices and technology to tell this 18th-century story. Do these 21stcentury gadgets make the story easier to understand?

How Mozart ends each act with a large ensemble for all of the main characters. How does the finale of Act I differ from the finale of Act II? How musical “sound effects” are used to tell the story. Do certain instrumental sounds remind you of some things in nature such as winds, waves, or human heartbeats?

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO. The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program is made possible through the generous support of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.

International festivals at the Kennedy Center are generously supported by the HRH Foundation.

Additional support for The Music of Budapest, Prague, and Vienna is provided

by Michael and Noémi Neidorff and The Honorable Nancy G. Brinker.

International Programming at the Kennedy Center is made possible through the generosity of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts.

Support for Washington National Opera Education Programs is provided by The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.; JPMorgan Chase Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Jacob & Charlotte Lehrman Foundation; National Capitol Arts and Cultural Affairs; U.S. Commission of Fine Arts; The Washington Post; Waterford Foundation; and Verizon.

www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, an education program of the Kennedy Center.

ARTSEDGE is a part of Thinkfinity.org, a consortium of free educational Web sites for K-12 teaching and learning.

WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA D R E S S R E H EAR SAL WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART’S

PERFORMANCE GUIDE

David M. Rubenstein Chairman

Così antutte Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte Directed by Jonathan Miller Conducted by Philippe Auguin

Flighty and fickle or faithful and true? Mozart poses this classic question in his famous comedic opera, a tale involving the misadventures of two sisters and their soldier boyfriends. For these starry-eyed young couples, romantic illusions are given a nasty wakeup call when they decide to test the boundaries of love, loyalty, and friendship in a complicated game of “boys vs. girls.”

Director Jonathan Miller set this production in the 21st century and designed it to uniquely capture the essence of Washington, DC.

Learn more about Education at The Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-center.org/education The contents of this Cuesheet do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement from the Federal Government. © 2012 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Please recycle this Cuesheet by sharing it with friends!

Cuesheet

Dorabella fends off her new suitor as “Doctor” Despina looks on.

Performances for Young Audiences is made possible by