Opera Neo’s al fresco ‘Così fan tutte’ at the Spanish Village Art Center

Opera Neo staged a a polished, engaging production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte in the patio of Balboa Park’s Spanish Village Art Center this past weekend.  Of the three operas Mozart wrote with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte—Le Nozze de Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte—this final da Ponte opus is the most challenging for contemporary audiences to identify with.

The opera’s complete title in English, They All Do It, or The School for Lovers, only hints at the opera’s difficult story line: two young women, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, are tricked into believing their fiancés, Ferrando and Guglielmo, have been drafted into the military and sent away. But the men quickly return in disguise to woo these woman in order to prove how weak and unfaithful woman are. Clearly, this is not a theme in line with aims of the #MeToo movement. And if Mozart’s opera is a school, its headmaster is the cynical Don Alfonso—who launches the men’s crafty plot—and his co-conspirator is the wily Despina.

Opera companies in 19th Century found the story of Così immoral, and the few times it was produced in that era, the plot was bowdlerized beyond recognition. The Neoclassical  music revival of the 20th century brought Così back to the opera stage solely on the basis of Mozart’s enchanting music. The Australian musicologist Peter Conrad, however, interprets the story of Così as a retelling of the Bible’s myth of the Fall in the Garden of Eden. After all, Dorabella calls love a serpent, and its agent Despina a little demon. Despina makes the unexpected observation,”At the age of 15, a woman should know where the devil hides his tail.”

Mozart labeled both Don Giovanni and this opera with the term dramma giocoso, which means he expected his audiences to laugh as they also considered more philosophical themes.

Opera Neo Stage Director Sydney Roslin took Mozart’s giocoso instruction to heart, filling the stage with athletic comedic action at every turn. When the two men return in disguise, they loped on stage as Two Wild and Crazy Guys, hidden behind oversize black sunglasses and sporting flashy 1980s attire. Ferrando’s bilious green floral polyester shirt is worth the price of admission, and the men sprawled on the furniture with rakish abandon. As Despina, soprano Lisa Buhelos displayed a bristling catalogue of astonished facial expressions as she darted across the stage carrying out the instructions of Don Alfonso, played with crafty nonchalance by Chancellor Barbaree.

Charles Calotta has served as Opera Neo’s star tenor for the last two seasons–he sang a brilliant title role in the company’s 2023 production of Mozart’s Mitridate and gave us a compelling Grimoaldo in Handel’s Rodelinda earlier this season–so it came as no surprise that the New York City native gave a polished, sophisticated account of Ferrando. His rich, Italianate tenor sonority and his vivid declamation provided a memorable, entrancing Act 1 aria “Un’ aura amorosa,” musical virtues that informed his participation in the many duets and ensembles throughout the opera. Russian soprano Julia Behbudov’s captivating Fiordiligi gracefully equalled Calotta’s vocal prowess and interpretive acumen. Behbudov’s soprano combines the typical warmth of a spinto with the expressive force of a dramatic soprano, virtues that made her “Come scoglio”–arguably the opera’s most familiar aria–soar.

Opera Neo audiences heard Darya Narymanava in a comprimario role in last season’s Mitridate, and the young mezzo-soprano from Belarus gave her more demanding role of Dorabella ample dramatic credibility as well as vocal allure. Baritone Christopher Farley’s Guglielmo struck me as a bit too bumptious, but he met the role’s vocal demands with suave confidence. Baritone Chancelor Barbaree wisely underplayed Don Alfonso’s devious side, making him appear more like a benign uncle with a penchant for practical jokes, and his suave vocal technique certainly aided that characterization. Lisa Buhelos’ characterization of Despina seemed tentative at first, but once the plot thickened, Buhelos projected an aptly sly, manipulative confidence, and her supple soprano proved equal to her vocal assignments.

Così demands rather little from the vocal ensemble, and the ensemble’s seven Opera Neo singers gave appropriate support to the drama. No doubt we will be experiencing  these vocalists in major roles in this coming weekend’s Opera Neo production of Propora’s Polifemo (July 19 & 20 at UC San Diego Park & Market).

Under the direction of Opera Neo’s Artistic Director Peter Kozma, the orchestra gave appropriate shape and brio to Mozart’s rich score. He provided extensive, inventive parts for the wind instruments, and Opera Neo’s wind players came through with robust conviction. Seated in the second row of the section directly in front of the stage, I found myself advantageously sandwiched directly between the singers and the orchestra, which was placed stage left of the dramatic action. Such musical immersion is exceptional, and I am not certain I will be satisfied with another Mozart opera production in the cavernous San Diego Civic Theatre!

Zoë Trautmann’s costumes proved unpretentiously contemporary with a few salutes to 1980s chic. Elijah Thomas’s deftly calibrated lighting design worked most effectively once the sun set completely and the evening darkness approximated the darkened interior of a stage house. This corner of the Spanish Village Art Center’s large patio proved its suitability in last season’s production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, and at least for comic and buffa operas, it is a good fit.

This production of Mozart’s ‘Così fan tutte’ was presented on July 12 & 13, 2024, in Balboa Park’s Spanish Village Art Center. The performance of July 13 was attended for this review.