St. Cecilia’s production of the famous Mozart opera comes bearing unexpected gifts—a pre-concert talk by Dr. Jennifer Farrell aptly called Women Are Like That: The Gender Divide in Mozart’s Così fan Tutte. The plot of the opera revolves around that simple but deeply problematic idea—that women are like that, inherently and inevitably unfaithful—and Dr. Farrell will prime audience members for a better and more deeper operatic experience by opening up a layer of discourse before the show. “I think it’s just worth discussing,” says Dr. Farrell. “A lot of operas are very straight forward—like Don Giovanni—this one leaves you pondering a little bit more.” With at least two arias “that are extremely athletic and demand artistry and agility… [it has] great moments like that, that balance comedy with just absolute beauty.” It’s also a balance the show strikes with the pre-talk—all operas should have ’em.
St. Cecilia presents: Mozart’s “Cosi Fan Tutti”
Sunday, December 2, 1:15pm, $25/$20/$10
Lilian Piercey Concert Hall, Chebucto Road
This article appears in Nov 29 – Dec 5, 2012.