Afternoon at the Opera

Così Fan Tutte (So Do They All)

 
The Met Ensemble performing Mozart's Così Fan Tutte (So Do They All) on stage.

The Metropolitan Opera

Description of Mozart's Così Fan Tutte (So Do They All) from the Metropolitan Opera's website:

The third and final collaboration between Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte is a fascinating paradox: a frothy comedy of manners with an intensely dark take on human nature; an old story (it has antecedents in Boccaccio, Shakespeare, and Cervantes, among others) with a startlingly modern tone; and a beautiful score depicting questionable behavior. Così fan tutte was only moderately successful at its premiere and remained just outside the standard repertoire for more than a century. Così still poses unique challenges, and correspondingly unique rewards, for the public today. Every possible impression of love—from the loftiest to the basest—is explored in this extraordinary opera.