Cosi Fan Tutte at Opera Holland Park begins tonight, conducted by the highly-acclaimed Thomas Kemp. The W.A. Mozart classic was first performed at the Burgtheater in Vienna on the 26^th of January, 1790, yet in 2012 its new production, sung in Italian with English subtitles, will be performed on June 8th, 13th, 16th, 18th, 21st, 24th (2pm), 28^th; July 4^th and 7^th at 7.15pm at the esteemed Holland Park venue. Cast members include celebrated Tenor Andrew Staples as Ferrando, accompanied the City of London Sinfonia and the Opera Holland Park Chorus.

Tickets for the full running of the show are still available here. This is a summer event not to be missed.

(Written on June 8, 2012 )

This summer, Thomas Kemp makes his Opera Holland Park debut conducting their new production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte.

The new production, directed by Harry Fehr, features an exciting cast including Elizabeth Llewellyn as Fiordiligi, Andrew Staples as Ferrando, and Julia Riley as Dorabella.

The engagement at Opera Holland Park marks Thomas’ operatic debut; a genre he hopes to apply the same discipline required for contemporary music to:

“The music for Così fan tutte is some of Mozart’s finest and is full of irony as well as heartfelt sincerity and is rich with allusion and quotation – all of which subtly draw attention to the artificiality of Da Ponte’s original and witty libretto. It is often the writing for the inner parts that adds so much depth and colour to the drama – the violas, second violins, bassoons and clarinets. This is what needs to be teased out of the orchestral texture to make this fantastic music truly come alive.”

Cosí fan tutte opens at Opera Holland Park on June 8^th and runs until July 7^th. For more information please visit the Opera Holland Park website.

(Written on April 2, 2012 )