The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: University Opera’s production of Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte” is a musical treat despite its outdated story. Performances remain this afternoon and Tuesday night
3 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog
By Jacob Stockinger
Larry Wells – the very experienced Opera Guy for this blog – took in the University Opera’s production of Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte” Friday night at Music Hall on Bascom Hill and filed this review. (Performance photos are by Michael R. Anderson.)
By Larry Wells
I attended the opening night of University Opera’s production of Mozart’s “Cosi Fan Tutte” (So Do They All or Such Are Women).
Considered a musical masterpiece, the opera features a cast of six singers who participate in a comedy about love and fidelity. (Below, from left, are Cayla Rosché as Fiordiligi, Benjamin Hopkins as Ferrando, James Harrington as Don Alfonso, Kelsey Wang as Despina, Kevin Green as Guglielmo and Chloe Agostino as Dorabella.)
In director David Ronis’ attempt to make the story more timely, the action took place in a vaguely early 20th-century setting – the Roaring Twenties, to be precise — suggested by the women’s costumes and the art deco set.
Two of the men, who are called off to war, brandished swords, which I believe were not widely used in World War I. (Below, from left, are Benjamin Hopkins as Ferrando, James Harrington as Don Alfonso and Kevin Green as Guglielmo in the opening scene from Act I.)
In any event, an attempt to make an historic artifact with its incumbent unenlightened views of women relevant to the 21st century may be fruitless, and I believe that audiences today recognize the archaic attitudes expressed therein as comic and dated.
That sexist manipulation needs to be discussed today, as suggested in the director’s notes, and that women’s “agency” — to quote an overused academic term — remains an issue today is the tragedy. This comedy goes only a small distance in helping us realize that some things have not changed, even though many have.
But on to the performance.
The three female characters (below) included the vocally stunning Cayla Rosché as Fiordiligi. Her “Come scoglio” was a showstopper. (Below, from left, are Chloe Agostino as Dorabella and Cayla Rosché as Fiordiligi in their Act I duet.)
Chloe Agostino’s sweet soprano perfectly reflected her Dorabella, and Anja Pustaver’s comic turn as Despina revealed an interesting voice that reminded me of Reri Grist’s Oscar in the Erich Leinsdorf recording of Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” – which is a compliment, albeit possibly obscure.
Kevin Green as Guglielmo grew on me as the evening progressed and as he became more confident. But the standout was James Harrington as Don Alfonso. I feel that he is a major talent in our midst. (Below in the foreground are Cayla Rosché as Fiordiligi and Benjamin Hopkins as Ferrando; in the background are James Harrington as Don Alfonso and Kevin Green as Guglielmo.)
Green and his partner, Benjamin Hopkins’ Ferrando, had to don disguises in order to tempt each other’s intended. In the libretto they disguise themselves as Albanians.
In what I can only hope was a nod to political correctness in order to spare the feelings of our Albanian brothers, they disguised themselves in this production as lumberjacks clad in flannel shirts and denim jeans — which was incongruously absurd but amusing at the same time. (Below,Kelsey Wang, left, as Despina examines Benjamin Hopkins as the Albanian Ferrando in a fake medical examination during the finale of Act I.)
The vocalists shone most in their many ensembles – duets, trios, quartets and sextets. The blendings of the various voices were always harmonious. The trio “Soave sia il vento” (Gentle Be the Breeze) — featuring Rosché, Agostino and Harrington (below) — was sublime and worth the price of admission on its own. (Below, from left, are Chloe Agostino as Dorabella, James Harrington as Don Alfonso and Cayla Rosché as Fiordiligi in the famous Act I trio “Soave sia il vento,” which you can hear in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The UW Symphony Orchestra was ably and nobly led by new conductor Oriol Sans (below) whose hiring proved to be a major coup for the university. Everything I’ve heard him conduct so far has been excellent, and this performance was no exception.
The harpsichord continuo by Thomas Kasdorf (below) was captivating in its nuance and effortlessness – very impressive.
I enjoyed the abstract unit set designed by Joseph Varga and complemented by the effective lighting designed by Zak Stowe.
In all, it was an evening primarily in which to close one’s eyes and listen.
Repeat performances, with alternating cast members, take place this afternoon – Sunday, March 1 – at 2 p.m. and again on Tuesday night, March 3, at 7:30 p.m. Running time is about 3 hours with one intermission. The opera is sung in Italian with English surtitles.
Tickets are $25, $20 for seniors and $10 for students. For more information about the opera, the cast and the production, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/2020/02/10/cosi-fan-tutte/
Tags: #20thCentury, #21stCentury, #AMaskedBall, #ArtDeco, #BascomHill, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BlogReview, #CosifanTutte, #DavidRonis, #DeminCoveralls, #ErichLeinsdorf, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FamousMusic, #FlannelShirt, #GeneralAdmission, #GiuseppeVerdi, #HarpsichordContinuo, #HomeWebsite, #HumanVoice, #JacobStockinger, #LarryWells, #LoveintheTimeofCholera, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MedicalExamination, #MichaelR.Anderson, #MusicHall, #MusicReview, #OpeningNight, #OperaLibretto, #OperaReview, #OriolSans, #PoliticalCorrectness, #Roaring20s, #RoaringTwenties, #RunningTime, #SeniorCitizen, #SopranoSinger, #TheEar, #ThomasKasdorf, #UnBalloinMaschera, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityOpera, #UWSymphonyOrchestra, #VocalMusic, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WordWarI, 20th-century, 21st century, A Masked Ball, abstract, absurd, academic, act, action, admission, agency, Albania, Albanian, archaic, aria, art deco, artifact, Arts, attempt, attitude, audience, Bascom Hill, blog, bluejeans, brother, captivating, cast, character, Classical music, comedy, comic, complement, compliment, composer, conduct, conductor, confident, continuo, correctness, Cosi fan tutte, costumes, coup, coveralls, dated, David Ronis, delight, denim, denim coveralls, design, director, discuss, disguise, distance, don, duo, effective, effortless, English, Erich Leinsdorf, eveing, examination, excellent, exception, Facebook, fake, famous, female, fidelity, flannel shirt, forward, fruitless, fun, Giuseppe Verdi, harmonious, harpsichord, hiring, historic, hours, I, impressive, information, interesting, intermission, issue, Italian, Jacob Stockinger, Jeans, Larry Wells, libretto, lighting, like, link, Love, lumberjack, Madison, major, manipulation, masterpiece, Mead Witter School of Music, medical, member, men, Michael R. Anderson, Mozart, Music, Music Hall, musical, new, nuance, obscure, opening night, opera, Opera review, Orchestra, Oriol Sans, outdated, perfect, performance, performer, photo, photos, political, political correctness, post, posting, price, production, progress, Quartet, quogte, recording, reflect, relevant, remain, repeat, review, Roaring 20s, Roaring Twenties, running time, scene, senior, set, setting, sex, sexist, sextet, share, showstopper, singers, soprano, standout, story, string sextet, Student, stunning, sublime, sung, surtitles, sweet, sword, symphony, tag, talent, term, The Ear, Thomas Kasdorf, tickets, today, tragedy, trio, Un ballo in maschera, United States, university, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University Opera, UW, UW Symphony Orchestra, UW-Madison, Verdi, view, vocal music, vocalist, vocalists, voice, war, Website, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, women, World War I, YouTube
Recent Comments
 | Ronnie on How do post-pandemic concert a… |
 | welltemperedear on How do post-pandemic concert a… |
 | Polly Kuelbs on How do post-pandemic concert a… |
| welltemperedear on How do post-pandemic concert a… |
 | Ann Boyer on How do post-pandemic concert a… |
The Well-Tempered Ear 
Did Beethoven and his Fifth Symphony foster racism, exclusion and elitism in the concert hall? The Ear thinks that is PC nonsense. What do you think?
8 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
Controversy has struck big among classical music critics and fans — just in time for the Beethoven Year that will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth this December. Plans call for celebrations by the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the UW-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music, and others.
At question is what seems yet another fallout and dust-up from the Black Lives Matter movement and the current struggle to foster social justice and racial equality.
In some ways, it all seems inevitable.
Now the history-denying advocates of cancel culture are suggesting that Beethoven (below) and his music – especially the popular Fifth Symphony (you can hear the famous opening in the YouTube schematic video at the bottom) – fostered white privilege and the rise of racism, sexism and homophobia in the concert hall.
That seems like quite an accusation for a single composer and a single piece of music that was premiered in 1808.
The assertion is food for thought. But not much.
In the end The Ear finds it a stretch and a totally bogus argument. He thinks that Beethoven attracted far more performers and audiences than he repelled. Others, including famed critic Norman Lebrecht in his blog Slipped Disc and a critic for the right-wing newspaper The New York Post, agree:
https://slippedisc.com/2020/09/beethovens-5th-is-a-symbol-of-exclusion-and-elitism/
https://nypost.com/2020/09/17/canceling-beethoven-is-the-latest-woke-madness-for-the-classical-music-world/
The Ear also thinks it is political correctness run amok, even for someone who, like himself, advocates strongly for diversity of composers, performers and audiences – but always with quality in mind — in the concert hall.
Just because Beethoven was such a great creative artist is hardly cause to blame him for the inability of other artists to succeed and for non-white audiences taking to classical music. Other forces — social, economic and political — explain that much better.
Yes, Beethoven is a towering and intimidating figure. And yes, his works often dominate programming. But both musicians and audiences return to him again and again because of the originality, power and first-rate quality of his many works.
Beethoven himself was deaf. That would certainly seem to qualify him as inclusive and a member of an important category of diversity.
No matter. The writers are happy to blame Ludwig and his work for exclusion and elitism. They argue that people of color, women and LGBTQ people have all felt alienated from classical music because of Beethoven’s legacy.
Of course, there is elitism in the arts. People may be equal, but creative talent is not.
And clearly, Beethoven was a towering and intimidating figure – more for the quality of his music than for the simple fact that it exists. Such exclusion and elitism have to do with other factors than the composition of the Fifth Symphony.
If The Ear recalls correctly, when he died Beethoven was given the largest state funeral up to that time for a non-royal, non-politician or non-military person.
And how do you explain that Beethoven’s music, so representative of Western culture, appeals deeply to and attracts so many Asians and Asian-Americans, and became both banned and symbolically central to those opposed to Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution in China?
But these days being provocative can become its own reward.
You can read the analysis and decide about its merits for yourself, then let us know what you think in the Comment section.
Here is a link to the opinion piece in Vox Magazine, a free online journal: https://www.vox.com/switched-on-pop/21437085/beethoven-5th-symphony-elitist-classism-switched-on-pop
What do you think about the idea that Beethoven played a large and seminal role in fostering an elitist and exclusive culture in classical music?
Did you ever feel alienated from classical music because of Beethoven or know others who have?
What is your favorite Beethoven composition?
The Ear wants to hear.
Share this:
Like this:
Tags: #AsianHistory, #BeethovenYear, #BlackLivesMatter, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CancelCulture, #ChairmanMao, #ChamberMusic, #ChoralMusic, #ClassicalMusician, #ConcertHall, #CreativeArtist, #CulturalRevolution, #DigitalMedia, #DisabilityRights, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FifthSymphony, #FoodforThought, #GenderEquality, #JacobStockinger, #LGBTQrights, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MaoTse-Tung, #MaoZeding, #MeadWitter, #MusicCritic, #NormanLebrecht, #OperaMusic, #OrchestralMusic, #People'sRepublicofChina, #PianoSonata, #PieceofMusic, #PoliticalCorrectness, #ProArteQuartet, #RacialEquality, #RightWing, #SlippedDisc, #SocialJustice, #StateFuneral, #StringQuartet, #SymphonicMusic, #TheEar, #TheNewYorkPost, #TheOther, #TheUW, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VocalMusic, #VoxMagazine, #WesternCulture, #WhitePrivilege, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #YouTubevideo, accusation, advocates, agree, alienate, alienated, amok, analysis, anniversary, appeal, applause, argument, artist, Arts, Asia, asian, Asian American, attract, audience, banned, Beethoven, Beethoven Year, being, big, birth, Black Lives Matter, blame, BLM, blog, bogus, cancel culture, category, cause, celebrations, Chairman Mao, Chamber music, China, choral music, civilian, Classical music, classicalmusic, clothing, comment, commentary, composer, Composition, Concert, concert hall, concerto, conservative, controversry, creative, Cultural Revolution, culture, days, deaf, death, December, decide, digital, disability, diverse, diversity, dominate, dust-up, economic, economics, elite, elitism, elitist, equality, exclusion, Facebook, fallout, famous, fans, favorite, Fifth Symphony, figure, first-rate, food, forces, foster, funeral, gender, gender equality, great, hear, homophobia, idea, inability, inclusive, intimidating, Jacob Stockinger, large, legacy, LGBT, LGBTQ, LGTB, like, line, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Mao, Mao Tse-Tung, Mao-Zedong, Mead Witter School of Music, merits, military, mind, movement, Music, music critic, Musician, Newspaper, noise, non-military, non-royal, non-white, nonsense, Norman Lebrecht, online, Op-Ed, opening, opera, opinion, Orchestra, orchestral music, original, originality, other, PC, People, performer, Piano, piece of music, plans, political, political correctness, Politics, popular, post, posting, power, premiere, Pro Arte Quartet, programming, provocative, quality, question another, race, racial equality, racism, racist, read, reader, recall, repel, return, reward, right-wing, rise, role, royal, schematic, seminal, Sexism, sexist, share, silence, single, Slipped Disc, social, social justice, Sonata, state funeral, story, stretch, String quartet, strong, subscriber, succeed, symbol, symbolically, symphony, tag, talent, The Ear, The New York Post, the other, think, thought, towering, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW-Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music, Vox Magazine, want, Western culture, white privilege, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, woke, work, year, you, yourself, YouTube