Captured live at the Teatro Helena Sá e Costa in Porto on Saturday, 26 October 2024, Opera Out of Opera 2 (OOO2) offered Portuguese audiences a bold and reimagined take on Mozart’s Così fan tutte. Part of the Creative Europe cooperation project, this unique production was designed to connect with a new generation of opera-goers by pushing the boundaries of classical performance and embracing new forms of artistic expression.
Presented just days after World Opera Day, the performance transformed the traditional opera experience into a multidimensional journey. Blending contemporary dance, circus-inspired physical theatre, and immersive staging, the production turned the opera into a living, breathing spectacle that enveloped the audience. The result was a visually rich and emotionally nuanced experience that redefined what Mozart’s work can look and feel like in the 21st century.
Così fan tutte, with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, is a sophisticated comedy that explores love, deception, and the shifting nature of human desire. Often interpreted as a light-hearted farce, the opera in fact probes deeper emotional terrain, asking provocative questions about trust, gender roles, and personal identity. Its intricate plot—centering on a wager that tests the fidelity of two sisters—unfolds with elegance, wit, and unexpected poignancy.
Though controversial in its own time, Così fan tutte has emerged as one of Mozart’s most psychologically layered operas. This OOO2 interpretation embraced the opera’s ambiguity and moral complexity, drawing attention to the emotional fragility of its characters and the modern relevance of its themes. Set against the inventive stage direction of António Durães and brought to life by an international cast, the production invited the audience not only to watch, but to feel and reflect.
Creative Team
Composer: W. A. Mozart
Libretto: Lorenzo Da Ponte
Stage Director: António Durães
Artistic Director: António Salgado
Costumes and Stage Design: Raquel Ribeiro, Sónia Barbosa
Orchestra: Sinfonieta da ESMAE
Conductor: Michelangelo Galeati
Cast
Fiordiligi: Julia Heiler
Dorabella: Dominika Isabell Marková
Despina: Ana Rosa
Don Alfonso: Ulrik Frostung Stensrød
Ferrando: Iván Sánchez Águila
Guglielmo: Mattis H. M. Austrheim
Choir: ESMAE Opera Studio
