Così fan tutte, K.588, Overture

John Eliot Gardiner conducting The English Baroque Soloists:

Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti (Thus Do They All, or The School For Lovers) K. 588, is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was written by Lorenzo da Ponte.

Così fan tutte (often shortened to Così in the English-speaking world) is one of the three Mozart operas for which da Ponte wrote the libretto. The other two da Ponte-Mozart collaborations were Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni.

Così was written and composed at the suggestion of the Emperor Joseph II. The libretto was originally intended to be set to music by Mozart's contemporary Antonio Salieri but Salieri only completed parts of the first act and then broke off work on the opera.

The title, Così fan tutte, literally means "Thus do all [women]" but it is often translated as "Women are like that".
The first performance of Mozart's setting took place at the Burgtheater in Vienna on January 26, 1790.

Synopsis
Mozart and Da Ponte took as a theme "fiancée swapping" which dates back to the 13th century, with notable earlier versions being those of Boccaccio's Decameron and Shakespeare's play Cymbeline. Elements from Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew are also present. Furthermore, it incorporates elements of the myth of Procris as found in Ovid's Metamorphoses, vii.

The two officers Ferrando and Guilelmo are in a coffehouse raving about their brides, the two sisters Dorabella and Fiordiligi. Their skeptical friend Don Alfonso, as old philosopher, expresses his doubt concerning the women's fidelity, immediately provoking such indignation on the part of the young men that they challenge him to a duel.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• classical
• Opera
• Overture
• John_Eliot_Gardiner
• Amadeus
• Mozart

[carbidelamp1]

this is my favorite piece from mozart, it's hard to believe that it was written 200+ years ago, a fast steady beat, nice solos, etc. and a very very good bass. worthy of todays air waves if you ask me.

[oakroom48]

Terrific! :)

[MrConvivator]

Danke, habe Link gesetzt

[Sviolinist]

This is some damn good Overture! =)

[pix042]

@Lity10 you cannot compare orchestral music with pupular music. obvioulsy, the equvalent of today's pop music is the canon of folk songs surviving from that time or those that did not survive. Mozart can only be compared with modern day orchestral music. whether orchestral music is better than pop music is another matter.

[michaels7]

Compare this colourless and cold version with the Muti or the Canadian

Tafelmusik version. Gardiner seems intent on draining as much colour

as he possibly can from whatever he touches. Gramaphone Magazine should be ashamed at championing this incompetent has been.

[michaels7]

An abomination. No tenderness at 0:24-33, the most sublime of music.

Gardiner was let go from polygram for a reason and this a good example.

[laixue33]

today's music is fine as well, all i can say is that such form of music has not been surpassed since mozart's time

[Lity10]

@carbidelamp1 lol. "worthy of todays air waves"? nono, its the other way round. and then again, no. "Music" nowadays can not be compared to that of Mozarts. Today, it's shit and fucking rubbish.

[TedMichaelMorgan]

It has a good beat and my soul dances to it.

[DinoDoestuff]

((((((((((((((( Oboe! ))))))))))))))) Try Mozarts Serenade No.10 for 13 wind instruments, third movement: Adagio - Oboe at its very best - Magical! Its on youtube - enjoy!