Così fan tutte - a new production for wild arts 2022

CAST, CREATIVES AND INFORMATION

Director P Burton-Morgan

Associate Director Clare Packham

Designer Chantal Short

Conductor Orlando Jopling

English translation by Jeremy Sams (right), in a new version for Wild Arts 2022

Fiordiligi Ella Taylor

Dorabella Martha Jones (photo)

Despina Joanna Songi

Ferrando Richard Dowling

Guglielmo Gareth Brynmor John

Don Alfonso Eddie Wade

A new realisation of the orchestral score by Orlando Jopling will be performed by the Wild Arts Ensemble

Violin Sijie Chen

Oboe William Ball

Viola Christine Anderson

Bassoon Hugh Woolley

Horn Caoime Glavin

Double Bass Ben Griffiths

Fortepiano Masumi Yamamoto

Pianist for London production rehearsals Satoshi Kubo

Project manager Claudia Maria Hipler

Cook for the Essex Summer Opera Festival Tilly de Willebois

Production assistant Tarina Mair

1970s Cambridge. A bunch of buttoned up students are about to get a tutorial in fidelity ...

Wild Arts' fast-paced, entertaining version of Mozart's Così fan tutte is getting great feedback from their tour, and is coming to two fabulous venues, Layer Marney Tower in Essex and Childerley Hall in Cambridgeshire.

A wonderful evening last night. The whole event was a pure joy. It was a privilege to have been there. We travelled home on a cloud.

The shows take place in the beautiful newly renovated barn at Layer Marney Tower on 7 - 10 July, and Childerley Hall on Friday 15 July (almost sold out).

Everyone is welcome - bring a picnic and enjoy the beautiful gardens and grounds.

At just 1 hour 40 minutes, the storytelling is nimble, the recits trimmed, and the comedy extremely un-operatic! A lighthearted, romantic production for our times, suitable for all ages.

Expect flowery shirts, serious flares, rock stars, and more ...

We thought last night was an absolute delight from beginning to end…. As for the music — we left feeling utterly elated. What a joy to be listening to marvellous singing in such an atmosphere. The orchestra was brilliant.

Richard Dowling

Gareth Brynmor John

Ferrando

“Bright and smooth with clear diction, he powered through... with easy lyricism.” – Bachtrack

Tenor Richard Dowling has performed in Buxton International Festival, Birmingham Opera Company and Garsington Opera. He appeared in a number of innovative online broadcasts during the pandemic lockdown period, including a dystopian staging of Josquin’s madrigals.

Gareth Brynmor John

Guglielmo

“John’s clarity, warmth and even spread held us gripped from the beginning.” – The Times

Baritone Gareth Brynmor John is the winner of the 2013 Kathleen Ferrier Award. He studied at St John’s College, Cambridge and the National Opera Studio where he was supported by the Royal Opera House.

Martha Jones

Gareth Brynmor John

Martha Jones

Dorabella

“Outstanding performances from Martha Jones” – The Guardian

Mezzo-soprano Martha Jones was awarded the Susan Chilcott Scholarship by the Royal Philharmonic Society. She has appeared with English Touring Opera, English National Opera and Grange Festival.

Joanna Songi

Martha Jones

Despina

“Meltingly beautiful” – Gramophone

Joanna Songi is a soprano working across opera, oratorio, song and theatre. A graduate of the Royal College of Music and Cambridge University, she was a Britten Pears Young Artist.

Ella Taylor

Joanna Songi

Ella Taylor

Fiordiligi

“Terrifically emotive and dramatic singing, absolutely commanding one’s attention.” – Opera Today

Winner of Second Prize at the 2020 Kathleen Ferrier Awards, Ella Taylor is a soprano with a passion for performing contemporary music and works by women and gender non-conforming artists.

Eddie Wade

Joanna Songi

Ella Taylor

Don Alfonso

“Eddie Wade ... sang with style and panache.” – The Telegraph

Baritone Eddie Wade won First Prize and the Verdi/Wagner Prize at the National Mozart Competition in 1996 and made his Covent Garden debut the same year. He has worked with leading conductors, including Charles Mackerras, Mark Elder, Esa Pekka Salonen and Antonio Pappano.

An introduction to così

Cambridge University, 1972

Act I

Professor of Philosophy Don Alfonso is schooling bookish undergrads, Ferrando and Guglielmo in the art of love. He bets them that their sweethearts can be tricked into betraying the young students.

Meanwhile the sweethearts in question, sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, are in their dorm rooms, pining with love and planning some mischief.

Don Alfonso feigns a secret spy mission that calls the boys abroad, and the sisters are left alone and bereft, whilst their fellow student Despina, who moonlights as a chambermaid for the extra cash, attempts to give them a consciousness raising education into the infidelity of students and a healthy modern attitude to sex and relationships.

Don Alfonso enlists a skint Despina to help his 'friends', two extravagantly dressed rock stars (really Ferrando and Guglielmo in disguise) to woo the lovelorn sisters, who resist firmly. But once the rock stars return, having pretended to swallow poison out of love for the sisters, their icy exteriors begin to thaw, with a little help from a spiritualist crystal healer (Despina in disguise) who resurrects the poisoned lovers with some good vibrations. But they are still wildly too forward, far more forward than their nerdy sweethearts had ever dared to be, and the sisters shoo them away with student protest placards.

Act 2

Despina continues her sexual education of the sisters, imploring them to loosen up, have a little fun while their boyfriends are abroad. They relent and decide to dally with the rock stars. Walking the leafy arbours of Cambridge Botanical gardens Dorabella succumbs to Guglielmo's considerable charm, accepting the offer of a heart pendant replacing her locket of Ferrando, and following him into the bushes.

Meanwhile steadfast Fiordiligi continues to spurn Ferrando's advances although he and she are quickly falling for eachother in a profound way which surprises both of them. Ferrando makes one final heartfelt attempt to woo the pious Fiordiligi who finally relents. Guglielmo is raging, Don Alfonso is delighted (having won his bet and proved his point) and Ferrando is wildly confused - torn between his burgeoning love for Fiordiligi and his hurt pride at Dorabella's betrayal.

Don Alfonso resolves that they must marry their original sweethearts but not before one last trick to expose the sisters' betrayal. Mid wedding to the rock stars - with trainee barrister presiding over the events (law student Despina in yet another disguise) Don Alfonso declares the arrival of the undergrads. The sisters are distraught but all is revealed, all is forgiven and the lovers are reunited - following through with their wedding vows and making up. Peace and love will win the day once more.