25 January: Cosi fan tutte

On this date in 1790 the comic Opera, Cosi fan tutte, premièred in Vienna. 10 things you might not know about it:

1. The full title is Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti, which translates to Thus do all [women], or The School for Lovers, but it is often simplified to “Women are like that.”
2. The music was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. He also wrote Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni.
3. The first performance took place at the Burgtheater in Vienna on 26 January 1790. It’s run only lasted for five performances, cut short by the death of the Emperor Joseph II and a period of official mourning. It ran again for about five performances in the summer 1790, and after that was never performed in Vienna again during Mozart's lifetime.
4. The first performance in the UK was in May 1811 at the King's Theatre, London. It was 1922 before the United States got to see it.
5. Reasons why it wasn’t performed much include critics of the time not liking it much, and also because the plot was seen as rather naughty and scandalous in the 18^th century. When it was performed it was often altered, or accompanied by an apology for the frivolous plot.
6. So what is the story? It’s about two soldiers called Guglielmo and Ferrando, and their girlfriends, sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella. The two soldiers are out drinking and the barman bets them that the women will be unfaithful to them given half a chance. The soldiers agree to the bet, and tell their girlfriends that they have been called to the front. Then they return, disguised as Albanians and set about wooing each other’s girlfriends. With some help from a conniving maid called Despina, they both persuade the women to marry them. A double wedding is arranged, but on the day the bridegrooms whip off their disguises and accuse the women of adultery.
7. The opera is set in Naples in the 18th century.
8. Mozart’s contemporary Antonio Salieri tried to write his own opera using Lorenzo Da Ponte’s libretto, but never finished it.
9. The opera is in two acts, is 180 minutes long and the orchestra consists of 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, harpsichord, strings, a chorus, and the soloists.
10. A version was performed by the Finnish National Opera in 2020 which used some of Mozart’s music along with other songs. This reworking was called Covid fan tutte, and was about a group of opera singers coping with restrictions and uncertainties.

Character birthday

Cat Burglar. As well as genetic variant powers, she is trained in hand to hand combat and other spy/Ninja type skills. Breaking in to high security locations and stealing artefacts is her speciality. She is also a master of disguise. Her story is told in Who’s That Girl?.

Who's That Girl?

Matt Webster lives in a tower block and attends a failing school. He dreams of being a spy like James Bond. Little does he know that he is being watched by someone who can make him into even more than that – a superhero.

His first solo mission is to attend a ball at the Decembrian Embassy and discover who is planning to steal a priceless diamond. While there, he meets the mysterious Lady Antonia du Cane, and is powerfully drawn to her. It soon becomes clear, however, that Lady du Cane is not what she seems. Matt’s quest to discover who she really is almost costs him his career.

A modern day Guy Fawkes gathers a coterie around him with the aim of blowing up Parliament with a nuclear bomb. To achieve this, they need money. Lots of it. Selling the Heart of Decembria Diamond will provide more than enough. All that stands in their way is the Freedom League – but the League is beset by internal disagreements. Can the heroes put their differences aside in time to save the day?

Prime Minister Richard Miller and his wife Fiona grieve for their daughter, Yasmin, who has been missing for three years, and is presumed to be dead. Viper agent Violet Parker could hold the key to what happened to Yasmin, but Violet is accused of giving away the organisation’s secrets. She is to be executed without trial. Will she take her knowledge of what happened to Yasmin with her to her grave?

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