The plot is as follows: We are on an island where women reign; three of them–Tulia, Aurora, and Cintia–argue over who should become Queen. Their browbeaten boyfriends, when not begging for a kiss, groveling, or trying to figure out how to please the women, attempt to stop them from bickering, and worse, killing each other. Eventually, sick of the women’s petty rivalries and led on by the tenor Ferramonte, the men take over, returning things to their “natural” state: “You will find us merciful provided that you moderate your vanity,” they sing before the final chorus, which states that “Women in command make for a topsy-turvy world that is inevitably doomed to failure.”
Pretty intolerable, even during the best of times; but who cares? Is the music fabulous? Is it brilliantly performed? Well–no, and no. The Venetian-born Galuppi was immensely popular during the 18th century and his collaborations with Carlo Goldoni’s words (as here) made for great entertainment at the time. Today, with the plot insufferable and even the individual arias typical–when one of the male characters is confused he sings the representative “I’m like a storm-tossed ship” simile ditty–there’s a definite ho-hum quality to the whole undertaking. Galuppi’s orchestration/accompaniments are interesting and vivid and they’re well performed here, and the singing by the little-known soloists is on a constantly better-than-average level, but the music itself never stays in the mind. Each aria, the lone trio, and the one ensemble entertains well enough, but there’s precious little that is memorable or special.
The arias are mostly da capo and there are some cuts in the performance. Diego Fasolis leads his I Barocchisti with rhythmic verve, nice tone, and accuracy; stand-outs among the cast are Marinella Pennicchi, who has a pretty soprano voice, and Furio Zanasi, a quite marvelous baritone. Granted, not every 18th century opera can be Cosi fan tutte, but the dearth of snappy tunes and original ideas here just makes the whole 150-minute affair seem like a reasonably good TV sitcom, a well-crafted evening’s diversion–but you won’t look forward to re-runs.
