Così fan tutte

Così fan tutte is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was written by Lorenzo da Ponte.

Related Topics:
Opera buffa - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Lorenzo da Ponte

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Written and composed at the suggestion of the Emperor Joseph II, the libretto was originally intended to be composed by Mozart's colleague Antonio Salieri who set to music only parts of the first act and then broke off his work. The first performance of Mozart's setting took place at the Burgtheater in Vienna on January 26, 1790.

Related Topics:
Emperor Joseph II - Antonio Salieri - Burgtheater - Vienna - January 26 - 1790

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Mozart and Da Ponte took as a theme "fianceé swapping" which dates back to the 13th century, with notable earlier versions being those of Boccaccio's Decameron and Shakespeare's play Cymbeline. It also incorporates elements of the myth of Procris as found in Ovid.

Related Topics:
Boccaccio - Decameron - Shakespeare - Cymbeline - Ovid

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The plot did not offend Viennese sensibilities of the time, but throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries

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it was considered risqué. As such, Così fell out of the operatic repertoire for many years, and when it did appear at all it was presented in one of several Bowdlerized versions.

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After World War II, it regained its place in the standard operatic repertoire.

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There are many recordings of Così, and it is frequently performed. The play Così, written by playwright Louis Nowra, features mental patients acting this opera. Many extracts from the opera were used as incidental music in the 2004 movie Closer.

Related Topics:
Così - Louis Nowra - Movie - Closer

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The title literally means "Thus do all the women" but is often translated as "Women are like that." The words are sung by the three male singers in Act II, Scene xi, just before the finale.

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