A Night At The Opera!

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Having gone on the backstage tour at the Essen Opera House, we were really excited to see a performance there. We saw the opera “Cosi fan Tutte” by Mozart with Uncle Soto, Tante Gisela, and my cousin Sophia. I had never heard of this opera before and I was excited to see it. Since the opera was sung in Italian, there were German subtitles on a screen above the stage so the audience could understand what was going on in the performance. My dad was able to translate the words in the songs so Zoe and I knew what was happening.

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The opera takes place in Italy and is about two men named Ferrando (Michael Smallwood) and Guglielmo (Martijn Cornet) who are in love with the sisters Dorabella (Karin Strobos) and Fiordiligi (Sharon Kempton). Ferrando and Guglielmo have a friend Don Alfonso (Baurzhan Anderzhanov) who says all women are unfaithful. Using the sisters’ maid Despina (Christina Clark) as an accomplice, he proposes a bet of 100 sequins if the two men do what he says for a day, he can prove the sisters are unfaithful like all women. Ferrando and Guglielmo agree, and so unfolds the opera with none of the characters thinking of the consequences this bet may bring about….

Despina, Dorabella, Fiordiligi, Ferrando, Guglielmo, and Don Alfonso
Despina, Dorabella, Fiordiligi, Ferrando, Guglielmo, and Don Alfonso

The orchestra who provided the music for the opera was very good. Conducted by Yannis Pouspourikas, the full orchestra played the music perfectly to compliment the opera. I find it incredible how the conductor is able to conduct the whole orchestra, keep the singers in time, and follow the music score all at once!

The conductor taking his bow.
The conductor taking his bow.

When we went on the backstage tour of the theatre, we learned the stage could do various movements. It was able to rise, lower, and spin. During “Cosi fan Tutte”, the stage rose and lowered to show the actors walking up and down the stairs. I found this really enhanced the show as it made everything on stage look like it was actually happening in real life.

There was quite a few set pieces in the performance. At one point in the performance, the two sisters were in a garden with a number of lawn ornaments in the shapes of ladies wearing red dresses. I think the the red colour was used to symbolize emotions in the opera like love, anger, and passion.

The costuming was mixed in this opera. At some points, the costumes were more modern when the couples were happily together, and at other times, it was more medieval in style. There were quite a few costume changes for the actors, including a few onstage. My favourite costumes were worn by Ferrando and Guglielmo when they dressed up as “Albanians” in black suits with vertical white stripes and flowery vests underneath.

I had a special connection with this opera because my uncle Soto played the part of Ferrando many times and my aunt Antigone has played the role of Dorabella in another performance.

A picture of my uncle Soto performing in this opera.
A picture of my uncle Soto performing in this opera.

I didn’t know that Mozart had written any operas before and I was pleasantly surprised. The singing and accompanying music was very lovely. I would really recommend this opera, no matter where it is being performed.


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6 responses to “A Night At The Opera!”

  1. Hi, Mikhaila, I am a bit behind in reading all your postingss, and I am so glad that you enjoyed the Opera, and especially that you also had the “inside” scoop through your uncle and aunt. It is a magical world, and I was hooked on opera since I was a young girl. My favourite “Madame Butterfly”, I would stand in line to get tickets for hours, starting early in the morning, (4.00 a.m. :-). And to this day the beautiful music makes me cry. No tears today, just XOXO’s

    1. Hi Oma,

      Wow, that’s a lot of love and dedication to get in line for tickets at 4 am! 🙂 I remember watching a bit of the “Madame Butterfly” at your house when I was younger. The opera was amazing and I am really happy that I got the chance to experience it.

  2. Really enjoyed reading all your posts about the Opera. So wonderful that you were able to experience behind the scenes as well as the opera with your aunt and uncle. Love to all, Teta Doreen xoxox

    1. Hello Teta Doreen,

      Going behind the scenes at such a big opera house was incredible. I have participated in community theatre, but it’s never been this grand or big! 🙂

  3. Thank you Mikhaila for sharing the story of this opera! You peaked my interest! I must see this opera now and try to hear Uncle Soto’s voice through the character of Ferrando. So far my favourite opera by Mozart is the Magic Flute. I love hearing your Aunt Antigone sing my favourite aria from Carmen. How lucky you were to attend this opera. That is a lovely picture of all of you.
    Love, Baba

    1. Hi Baba,

      This was a really good opera that will have different interpretations of the costuming. It was really cool to see the opera that Uncle Soto sang in. It would be really cool to have Uncle Soto and Antigone sing in the same performance. 🙂