WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791)

Così fan tutte

160:34

or The School for Lovers

Opera buffa in two acts

Libretto by Lorenzo de Ponte, English version by Marmaduke Browne, adapted by John Cox

1

Overture

4:05

Act I

2

No. 1, Trio: 'Suspect Dorabella?'

1:53

3

Recitative: 'Swords or pistols?'

0:50

Ferrando, Guglielmo, Don Alfonso

4

No. 2, Trio: 'Woman's faith is like the phoenix'

1:09

Don Alfonso, Ferrando, Guglielmo

5

Recitative: 'A poetical fiction!'

1:19

6

No. 3, Trio: 'I shall hire a band of players'

2:21

Ferrando, Guglielmo, Don Alfonso

7

No. 4, Duet: 'This portrait alone is the face of Adonis'

4:18

8

Recitative: 'I can't thinkl what's the matter'

0:44

Fiordiligi, Dorabella

9

Recitative: 'Here they are'

0:22

Fiordiligi, Dorabella, Don Alfonso

10

No. 5, Aria: 'Let me try. My courage fails'

0:38

Don Alfonso

11

Recitative: 'Tell us, for pity's sake'

1:00

Fiordiligi, Don Alfonso, Dorabella

12

No. 6, Quintet: 'Courage fails me! For no evasion'

4:07

Guglielmo, Ferrando, Don Alfonso, Fiordiligi, Dorabella

13

Recitative: 'It's a comedy, charming!'

0:33

Don Alfonso, Ferrando, Fiordiligi, Dorabella

14

No. 8, Chorus: 'Oh, the soldier's life for me!'

1:30

Chorus

15

Recitative: 'My friends, the time is flying'

0:34

Don Alfonso, Fiordiligi, Dorabella, Ferrando, Guglielmo

16

No. 9, Quintet: 'You'll write long letters often'

2:32

Fiordiligi, Dorabella, Ferrando, Guglielmo, Don Alfonso, Chorus

17

Recitative: 'Are they gone?'

0:35

Dorabella, Don Alfonso, Fiordiligi

18

No. 10, Trio: 'O wind gently blowing'

2:43

Fiordiligi, Dorabella, Don Alfonso

19

Recitative: 'So far all's going splendidly!'

1:05

Don Alfonso

20

Recitative: 'A hell of an existence'

0:58

Despina

21

'My ladies, here is your chocolate and biscuits'

1:24

Despina, Fiordiligi, Dorabella

22

No. 11, Aria: 'Cease not, remorseless love'

1:46

Dorabella

23

Recitative: 'Signora Dorabella, Signora Fiordiligi'

1:36

Despina, Dorabella, Fiordiligi

24

No. 12, Aria: 'In lovers and in soldiers'

2:36

Despina

25

Recitative: 'What a silence!'

2:21

Don Alfonso, Despina

26

No. 13, Sextet: 'I've the honour to present you'

4:18

Don Alfonso, Ferrando, Guglielmo, Despina, Fiordiligi, Dorabella

27

Recitative: 'What an outcry!'

3:38

Don Alfonso, Dorabella, Fiordiligi, Ferrando, Guglielmo

28

No. 14, Aria: 'Like a fortress in ocean founded!'

4:28

Fiordiligi

29

Recitative: 'Stay, I implore you!'

0:43

Ferrando, Guglielmo, Don Alfonso, Dorabella, Fiordiligi

30

No. 15, Aria: 'O vision so charming'

1:42

Guglielmo

31

No. 16, Trio: 'You seem delighted!'

0:53

Don Alfonso, Ferrando, Guglielmo

32

Recitative: 'When you've quite finished laughing'

0:52

Don Alfonso, Guglielmo, Ferrando

33

No. 17, Aria: 'Her eyes so alluring'

4:50

Ferrando

34

No. 18, Finale: 'Why has fate my life enshrouded'

2:53

Fiordiligi, Dorabella

35

'To die is all I long for'

4:55

Ferrando, Guglielmo, Don Alfonso, Fiordiligi, Dorabella, Despina

36

'Now ladies, calm yourselves'

8:50

Don Alfonso, Ferrando, Guglielmo, Despina, Fiordiligi, Dorabella

Act II

37

Recitative: 'Well, I declare, you are a funny pair of young ladies'

2:26

Despina, Fiordiligi, Dorabella

38

No. 19, Aria: 'At fifteen a girl already must be truly wise'

3:28

Despina

39

Recitative: 'Well, sister! What do you think?'

1:34

Fiordiligi, Dorabella

40

No. 20, Duet: 'I prefer the gentle dark one'

2:53

Dorabella, Fiordiligi

41

Recitative: 'Come at once to the garden'

0:22

Don Alfonso, Dorabella

42

No. 21, Duet and Chorus: 'Gentle zephyr, softly sighing'

3:03

Ferrando, Guglielmo, Chorus

43

Recitative: 'What is this masquerading?'

0:51

Fiordiligi, Dorabella, Despina, Ferrando, Guglielmo, Don Alfonso

44

No. 22, Quartet: 'Now give me your hand'

2:34

Don Alfonso, Ferrando, Guglielmo, Despina

45

Recitative: 'Isn't the weather lovely!'

2:14

Fiordiligi, Ferrando, Dorabella, Guglielmo

46

No. 23, Duet: 'This heart that I give you'

4:16

Guglielmo, Dorabella

47

Recitative: 'Cruel one, would you leave me?'

1:30

Ferrando, Fiordiligi

48

Recitative: 'He's leaving. Listen!…'

1:34

49

No. 25, Rondo: 'Ah, my love, I pray forgive me'

7:30

Fiordiligi

50

Recitative: 'We've done it!'

3:26

Ferrando, Guglielmo

51

No. 26, Aria: 'Ladies have such variations'

3:12

Guglielmo

52

Recitative: 'Ah! My brain is distracted!'

1:29

53

No. 27, Cavatina: 'Her treason is poison'

2:02

Ferrando

54

Recitative: 'Now at last you are acting as a sane woman should!'

1:30

Despina, Dorabella, Fiordiligi

55

No. 28, Aria: 'Young love is unrelenting'

2:55

Dorabella

56

Recitative: 'All the world is conspiring'

2:10

Fiordiligi, Guglielmo, Despina, Don Alfonso

57

No. 29, Duet: 'All too slowly the hours are fleeting'

5:11

Fiordiligi, Ferrando

58

Recitative: 'That's enough for me!'

1:40

Guglielmo, Don Alfonso, Ferrando

59

No. 30, Aria: 'Man accuses the woman'

0:59

Don Alfonso, Ferrando, Guglielmo

60

Recitative: 'Well, gentlemen, you've won them'

0:44

Despina, Ferrando, Guglielmo, Don Alfonso

61

No. 31, Finale: 'Come, my friends, no more delaying'

1:47

Despina, Chorus, Don Alfonso

62

'May the love, that has united them'

4:03

Chorus, Ferrando, Guglielmo, Fiordiligi, Dorabella

63

'Happy lovers! Fate conniving'

3:29

Don Alfonso, Fiordiligi, Dorabella, Ferrando, Guglielmo, Despina, Chorus

64

'Joy once more now our sorrow replaces'

8:11

Ferrando, Guglielmo, Don Alfonso, Fiordiligi, Dorabella, Despina

65

'Happy is the man who calmly takes life strictly as he finds it'

1:42

Fiordiligi, Dorabella, Despina, Ferrando, Guglielmo, Don Alfonso

Janice Watson soprano - Fiordiligi

Diana Montague mezzo-soprano - Dorabella

Christopher Maltman baritone - Guglielmo

Toby Spence tenor - Ferrando

Lesley Garrett soprano - Despina

Thomas Allen baritone - Don Alfonso

Gareth Hancock (Assistant)

Sir Charles Mackerras

3-6 and 8-11 January 2007, and 15, 17, 18 & 20 August 2007