COSI FAN TUTTE – MOZART
Presented on Nov 29, Dec 1, 3 at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin as part of the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Winter Season
Mary Burgess – Fiordiligi
Eduardo Giménez – Ferrando
Kumiko Yoshii – Dorabella
Frank O’Brien – Guglielmo
Aurio Tomicich – Alfonso
Terry Reid – Despina
Albert Rosen – Conductor
Steven Pimlott – Producer
Listen to this production here:
That winter season of ’83 would not only be remembered for “Traviata” but also for the sparkling modern dress production of Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte”, directed by Steven Pimlott and conducted by Albert Rosen. It owed a lot to the brilliant teamwork of the cast, headed by Aurio Tomicich whose portrayal of the cynical bachelor Don Alfonso was a gem, as was Terry Reid’s frivolous maid Despina, a delightful performance in every way. Ferrando and Guglielmo, the officers in love with Dorabella and her sister Fiordiligi, re-appear in this production dressed as Arabs to test the fidelity of the two ladies and it is then of course that the fun really begins. The casting of the young Spanish tenor Eduardo Jimenez as Ferrando was inspired, both vocally and dramatically. His warm lyric voice with its lustrous sheen and purity of tone was ideal for Mozart’s music. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the aria, “Un aura amorosa” more eloquently sung. Frank O’Brien was thoroughly convincing as Guglielmo and sang and acted above himself. To my surprise, he told me later that the opera was produced by Steven Pimlott within seven days. ‘I remember we started on a Monday and the first night was to take place on the following Monday. I was singing Guglielmo for the first time and it was a great experience. Musically, Albert Rosen was inspiring and Tim Reed’s costumes helped us a lot as the show was in modern dress. I must say I enjoyed myself.’ According to Norris Davidson, Mary Burgess’s performance as Fiordiligi was one of the best he had seen, being both beautifully sung and acted, and he also remembered Kumiko Yoshii as a first-class Mozartian singer. Davidson loved Mozart’s music and expressed disappointment that the DGOS had more or less neglected the composer. Albert Rosen shared this view; indeed up to this he had conducted only two Mozart works for the society, “The Marriage of Figaro” in the spring season of 1973 and “Don Giovanni” in 1974. There is no doubt that his ebullient musicality in the modern-dress “Cosi fan tutte” helped to make it one of the society’s most memorable creations.
(Extracted from “Love and Music: The Glorious History of the Dublin Grand Opera Society” by Gus Smith, 1998)
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