Boulder Opera mines Mozart for both darkness and light
Director Ron Ben-joseph sets his “Così Fan Tutte” in 1969
Mozart’s “Così Fan Tutte” is one of opera’s most beloved comedies, but at the center of the 1790 classic is something that could be interpreted as a cruel joke.
Two military officers, Ferrando and Guglielmo, decide to test the fidelity of their fiancées, Fiordiligi and Dorabella. So the men tell the women they are being called back to their regiments and pretend to depart for battle.
But, as the plot goes, the men actually stick around, return to their lovers in disguise and attempt to seduce them. And when the men succeed, they blame the women for being deceitful.
The libretto, by Lorenzo Da Ponte, offers the sort of implausible hijinx only opera can get away with, and the way the story has been interpreted artistically and socially has varied over time.
The times we live in today, when sensitivity to the way men treat women is extraordinarily high, suggest a dark reading — at least to Ron Ben-joseph, who is directing the upcoming “Così Fan Tutte” production for the Boulder Opera.
Where others see may see the brightness of a romantic prank gone wrong, he see shades of gender misconduct.
“Mozart does an amazing job, even way back then, of communicating how reckless and how thoughtless men can be,” he said.
“It’s so real and so authentic in terms of how guys are playing along and taking no accountability for their actions.”
And to underscore the sober side of this comedy, he moves the setting to the 1960s. In this version, the men are actually going off to the Vietnam War, a conflict present-day audiences know the horrors of. It makes the men’s hoax deadly serious.
The Vietnam War, Ben-joseph explains, “was man-made. It was a decision. It was a choice that plays into this concept of manmade decisions that have impact on other people.”
Of course, that was also the era of the 20th century’s sexual revolution, and it gives some credence to the idea that lovers can play fast and loose with each other’s allegiances, allowing the characters here to “get to a truer realization at the end.”
Opera purists, who have seen “Così Fan Tutte” played out countless times in its true timeperiod form, may have a difficult time adjusting to Ben-joseph’s conceptual frame. But, he insists, comedy remains, and the production is “very authentic and respectful to the score.”
If he sees the piece differently than other opera directors over the centuries, it may be because he is not the usual kind of opera director. His background is in theater. He recently moved to Colorado from Chicago, where he was active in the city’s vast stage-centered community.
Before taking on the challenge of Mozart, Ben-joseph was “not a big opera aficionado,” he said.
While Ben-joseph lacks experience with the form, he’s not the first outsider to take the plunge. Notably, Julie Taymor, known best for directing “The Lion King,” on Broadway, created a successful “The Magic Flute” for the Metropolitan Opera in 2004. Film directors like Roman Polanski and John Schlesinger have similarly received solid praise for the fresh points of view they have brought to opera productions.
Ben-joseph’s view comes with its own unique perspective. In addition to his work in plays and musical theater, he is a stand-up comedian who does a bit about a Neil Diamond impersonator. He has a business coaching entrepreneurs on public speaking.
The director acknowledges he is learning things as he goes along. He has a music background and he is aided in some of the finer points, he said, by the talented people around him at Boulder Opera.
The cast for “Così Fan Tutte” includes Ekaterina Kotcherguina and Joshua Devane as lovers Fiordiligi and Guglielmo. She took first place in the Denver Lyric Opera Guild’s 2017 singing competition; he placed third.
The other pair, Ferrando and Dorabella, are sung by Michael Hoffman and Boulder Opera’s own artistic director, Dianela Acosta. The production, in Italian with English subtitles, will feature an ensemble orchestra conducted by Sara Parkinson.
Ben-joseph is also getting some help from his raw material. Mozart and Da Ponte’s co-creation has survived for 229 years because it is tight, light and bright, with an undercurrent worth exploring.
He is, essentially, taking his lead from the information they put down on paper long ago.
“I looked at the score and thought everything is right there,” he said. “Every note made sense to me.”