Who’s Who, What’s What: Five Common Questions about Così fan tutte Answered

The opera Così fan tutte was written by Austrian-born Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791).

The Austrian composer may have only been alive for 35 short years, but that was more than enough time to write some of our most famous classical music today.

Virtually all of his best-known symphonies, piano concertos and operas were created in the final decade of his life, while he was living in Vienna – these include his most famous operas – Così fan tutte, Don Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute

Così fan tutte tells the story of two young couples whose relationships are playfully tested through a mischievous wager.

The key characters in the opera are:

• Fiordiligi, sister of Dorabella
• Dorabella, sister of Fiordiligi
• Ferrando, fiancé to Dorabella
• Guglielmo, fiancé to Fiordiligi
• Don Alfonso
• Despina, maid

The men accept a wager from Don Alfonso that their fiancées will be faithful to them. A plot is formed to test the women: they will be ‘called away to war’, but will in reality disguise themselves and attempt to woo each other’s bride-to-be.

The characters find themselves caught up in a tale full of clever disguises, amusing situations and unexpected twists.

Through a combination of mistaken identities and romantic entanglements, Così fan tutte questions human emotions and exposes how vulnerable love can be.

The most famous aria of Così fan tutte is the Act I trio Soave sia il vento (Set Soft Breezes Blowing).

This song is sung by the sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella as the boat that their their fiancés, Ferrando and Guglielmo, are on sails off to war. Don Alfonso, the mastermind of the scheme to test the faithfulness of the sisters, sings with them.

The libretto for Così fan tutte was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte, a Venetian librettist who had collaborated with Mozart on several of his other operas (nicknamed ‘Da Ponte operas’ or ‘Mozart-Da Ponte trilogy) the other two operas in the series are The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni.

“Così fan tutte” can be interpreted in different ways, but the most used translation is “so do they all”.

The word “tutte” is the feminine plural, suggesting that the Italian phrase is referencing women. A more fitting English translation is “Women are like that” or “Females are the same”, this captures the playful tone of the opera.

Bonus: How do you pronounce Così fan tutte?

The correct pronunciation of Così fan tutte is “Koh-ZEE fahn TOO-teh”, with the emphasis on the second syllable of “Così” and the first syllable of “tutte.”