Shepherd School Opera to present Mozart’s ‘Così fan tutte’

BY AMY HODGES
Rice News staff

The ways and wiles of love will be explored in the Shepherd School of Music’s upcoming production of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte.”

Conducted by Richard Bado, director of the Opera Studies Program, and directed by Vera Calábria, the opera will be presented in Alice Pratt Brown Hall’s Wortham Opera Theatre Nov. 4, 6, 8 and 10. Sunday’s performance will be at 2 p.m.; all other performances will be at 7:30 p.m.

The third and final collaboration between Mozart and the librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, “Così fan tutte” is both humorous and thought-provoking as it explores love and all its unpredictability. Notions of love and devotion are called into question as a pair of cynics challenges the faithfulness of two young couples to show that female nature inevitably proves to be fickle. A provocative wager of deception and disguise ensues. With charm and humor, Mozart and da Ponte reveal the lovers’ shortcomings, and in the end, neither sex emerges untarnished from the spirited skirmish.

Selecting a piece for this year’s opera was an easy choice, Bado said.

“Mozart is arguably the greatest operatic composer that ever lived,” Bado said. “His music is vivid and his characters are incredibly well-defined.”

Bado said the Shepherd School performs a Mozart opera every two or three years. He called Mozart’s music “some of the greatest music for both singers and instrumentalists – any aspiring musician benefits from a heavy diet of his repertoire.”

The Opera Studies Program joins forces with the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra to mount this production. Contributing their highest level of musicianship, students from both groups form a seamless partnership between voices and instruments.

Vera Calábria, stage director for the International Opera Institute, returns to Rice as the production’s guest stage director. She previously directed the Shepherd School’s spring 2009 production of “Don Giovanni” and called the opportunity to return to Rice “heaven on Earth.”

“I love working with Richard,” Calábria said. “His knowledge of Mozart and the way he trains the musicians to perform specifically for the repertoire is very unique. I work with many different opera programs, and I can say the students here are on a level you don’t find anywhere else.”

Shepherd School Associate Dean Gary Smith said, “Two compelling reasons such incredibly gifted students find their way to Rice are the ability to study with major teachers like Kathy Kaun, Stephen King and Susanne Mentzer and at the same time garner professional-level experience in an opera program headed up by Bado. It is amazing what they have done here in such a short amount of time.”

What makes the opera so appealing to audiences is the believability of Mozart’s characters and the hopeful tone of his music, Calábria said.

“You’re dealing with real human figures – the experiences they have are very real and very deep, and every figure in this goes through an emotional voyage, similar to those in our own lives,” she said. “But in the end, Mozart’s work always looks beyond life’s problems towards the future – he has a hopeful take on human life.”

Tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for students and senior citizens. For reservations, call 713-348-8000.