Così fan tutte

Love and chaos on Second stage

Così fan tutte is a timeless opera that shows how the game of love is just as complicated – and messy – today as it was in Mozart’s time. This spring the audiences can enjoy two very different versions of this classic at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet: one on the Main Stage and one in the intimate setting of Second stage.

On Second stage, it’s the singers from WOYS (The Wilhelmsen Opera Studio for Young Singers) who explore the joy, pain and chaos of modern love.

The game of love

Così fan tutte follows two young men, Ferrando and Guglielmo, who sign up to be contestants on the cynical reality TV show, “Don Alfonso’s School for Lovers”, presented by the eponymous TV host, Don Alfonso himself. The aim of the show is to test the fidelity of the young men’s girlfriends, Dorabella and Fiordiligi, by having the young men disguise themselves as strangers and try to tempt the unsuspecting women into being unfaithful. The boys are sure that their girlfriends would never cheat on them, Don Alfonso is sure that they will, and the young women have no idea that they are being manipulated and exploited of the sake of great TV ratings … What could possibly go wrong?

In our digital age

This production brings Mozart’s characters into a modern, digital world. We live in a time where social media, dating apps, and reality TV add new layers of complexity to love and relationships. What if Fiordiligi and Dorabella had only ever met Ferrando and Guglielmo online? What will happen when they experience meeting the young men ‘in real life’   – without filters, without distance?

Meet the opera stars of tomorrow

The singers of WOYS (The Wilhelmsen Opera Studio for Young Singers) have just completed their education and are ready to step into professional opera careers. Now they present a fresh and vibrant take on Mozart’s masterpiece, joined onstage by a small ensemble of musicians.