COSÌ FAN TUTTE by Mozart, directed by Michael Patrick Albano, conducted by Martin Isepp (Canadian Opera Company Ensemble). At the Imperial Oil Opera Theatre (227 Front East). Friday at 7:30 pm, Sunday at 2 pm. $75. 416-363-8231. See listing. Rating: NNN
The Canadian Opera Company (COC) loves Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte. It was one of the first productions in their (then) new home a few years ago, and now the COC Ensemble, that vital training ground for singers, is performing it as their annual full production.
It’s a perfect choice for the up-and-coming singers, since the story of four young people caught in the entanglements of love games requires…well, an ensemble…to give the piece not only its heart but also make it work theatrically and musically.
With a large group in this year’s ensemble, the production – which requires six singers and is done here without the short choral sections – is double and sometimes triple cast. I caught the second show, with Jon-Paul Décosse as Don Alfonso, the older man who convinces his friends Guglielmo (Justin Welsh) and Ferrando (Michael Barrett) to disguise themselves and woo each other’s fiancées in order to prove their fidelity.
Their efforts prove that the sisters Fiordiligi (Laura Albino) and Dorabella (Lauren Segal) are emotionally swayable, especially when Alfonso enlists the aid of the sisters’ maid Despina (Teiya Kasahara), who encourages her mistresses to accept the lovesick “Albanian” men and herself takes on a pair of disguises to aid the men’s efforts.
What works best here is the chemistry among the six performers, a mix of current COC Ensemble members and graduates. Barrett and Welsh offer a nice contrast, the former boyish and innocent, the latter blustery and self-impressed their serious first appearance makes their fall even funnier when they find that the women they love aren’t as adamant as the men hoped.
Décosse makes a good puppetmaster, organizing the action of the piece, and while Kasahara has some good moments, she might have given more sparkle to the insouciant maid.
Most memorable is the pairing of Albino’s prim, granny-glasses Fiordiligi and Segal’s more emotional, large-eyed Dorabella. Their soprano and mezzo voices blend like honey in duets, and they use their arias to further define sibs who each wants to remain true to her lover but finds that her heart is won over by another.
Director Michael Patrick Albano uses a light hand to play up the comedy, even including a dispirited badminton game and a sculpture session that uses Michelangelo’s David as a model.
We might have gotten more laughs from Lorenzo da Ponte’s Italian text, but surprisingly there are no translating surtitles for this production. Conductor Martin Isepp knows how to bring out the nuances of the score, and his work with the small orchestra allows us to hear Mozart’s rich melodies in an intimate venue. [rssbreak]
