Two bros bet their girlfriends' loyalty in Mozart's messiest relationship experiment.
A production of Mozart's opera recorded live at Zurich Opera House in 2000. Cecilia Bartoli leads an all-star cast including Roberto Saccà, Liliana Nikiteanu, and Agnes Baltsa. The conductor is Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Filmed live at the Zurich Opera House in February 2000 on a set which visualises the subtitle "The School for Lovers", the plot revolves around two army officers arguing about the fidelity of their brides, then setting out to test their chastity. Despite the often playful humour, this is not only psychologically telling music-making, but reveals Mozart exploring the structure of opera, discarding convention to mix large ensemble sections with arias for as many different combinations of singers as possible. With Liliana Nikiteanu attractively contrasted with Bartoli, and thoroughly convincing performances by Roberto Sacca (Ferrando) and Oliver Widmer (Guilelmo), this Così has a freshness and flow which, coupled with the timeless romantic themes, feels very contemporary.
Acting
Bartoli's Fiordiligi navigates desire and duty with devastating precision.
Direction
Harnoncourt's conducting makes 18th-century psychology feel urgently modern.
Production
'School for Lovers' set design turns the whole opera into a classroom of desire.
Director
Brian Large
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Harnoncourt pioneered 'historically informed performance' — using period instruments and speeds that shocked traditional opera audiences in 2000.
Così was considered Mozart's problem child for centuries, too morally ambiguous for Victorian sensibilities; this production embraces that messiness.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
CH
