Così fan tutte

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Mozart’s Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti (All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers) is the last of the three operas that were the fruit of the composer’s collaboration with the librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. Following Don Giovanni and Le nozze di Figaro, the two artists opted for a more intimate story, focusing on the relationships between its four protagonists, two engaged couples. Da Ponte drew inspiration for the timeless and bitter comedy about female (and, ultimately, male too) fidelity in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Ariosto’s Orlando furioso and Cimarosa’s buffa L’impresario in angustie. Set to a seemingly trivial story, Mozart created one of his most refined works, boasting wonderful melodies and colourful orchestration, as well as splendid characterisation of the personages and situations. Così fan tutte premiered on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, with the composer conducting. The new opera came to Prague the following year, and the local audiences could see two productions – the first, as a singspiel and in German translation, was performed at the Vaterländisches Theater (in the former “Hibernia” monastery), the second, in its original form, at the Nostitz Theatre.

 

The adaptation of Così fan tutte is by Tatjana Gürbaca, an award-winning German director working for major European opera companies. The music has been undertaken by the German conductor Karsten Januschke, who first appeared at the Estates Theatre in 2021 at the Mozart’s Birthday concert, and also conducted the production of Don Giovanni.

 

National Theatre Chorus  
National Theatre Orchestra
National Theatre Opera Ballet

Program and cast

Conductor: Maroš Potokár

Fiordiligi: Barbora Perná

Dorabella: Arnheiður Eiríksdóttir

Guglielmo: Lukáš Bařák

Ferrando: Juraj Hollý

Despina: Yukiko Kinjo

Don Alfonso: Jiří Hájek

Playing hammerklavier: Lucie Pirochová; Martin Levický

 

Creative team

Stage director - Tatjana Gürbaca

Sets and costumes - Ingrid Erb

Light design - Stefan Bolliger

Chorus master - Lukáš Kozubík

 

Approximate running time: 3 hours 10 minutes, 1 intermission (20 minutes)

Language: In Italian, surtitles in Czech, English

Estates Theatre

The Estates Theatre today

 

The Estates Theatre is one of the most beautiful historical theatre buildings in Europe. It has been part of the National Theatre since 1920. The Opera, Drama and Ballet ensembles give repertory performances at the Estates Theatre.

 

History

 

The Estates Theatre is one of the most beautiful historic theatre buildings in Europe. Its construction was initiated by the enlightened aristocrat František Antonín Count Nostitz Rieneck, led by the desire to aggrandise his native city as well as the souls of its inhabitants. The construction lasted less than two years and the Theatre was opened in 1783. This project, extremely important for the Prague of the time, was in keeping with the zeitgeist of the late 18th century, a time when national theatres were being built at European courts, royal seats and cultural centres in the spirit of the Enlightenment idea that a generally accessible theatre is a moral institution demonstrating the cultural level of the nation.

The first, sporadic Czech-language performances took place in 1785. From 1812 onwards there were regular Sunday and holiday matinees. At that time, these performances became to a certain degree a political matter too. Thus arising in the difficult years following the failed revolution in 1848 was the idea of a Czech National Theatre.

 

 

By car to the National Theatre car park

To the centre (OldTown), approach on Masarykovo nábřeží (Masaryk embankment) in the direction from the Dancing House, at the crossroads in front of the National Theatre turn right to Divadelní street and then right again to Ostrovní street to the National Theatre car park. Parking costs 50 CZK/h. 

From there, walk to the Estates Theatre along Národní street, then 28. října street, turn left on to Na Můstku street and right to Rytířská street. 

 

Other nearby secure car parks:

Kotva department store (Revoluční 1/655, Prague 1), then walk along Králodvorská street to Ovocný trh.

Palladium department store (Na Poříčí 1079/3a, Prague 1), then walk along Králodvorská street to Ovocný trh, or to the Powder Gate through Celetná street to Ovocný trh.

 

By tram

By daytime trams Nos. 6, 9, 18 and 22 or night trams Nos. 53, 57, 58 and 59 to the stop “Národní třída”, then by foot along Národní street, then 28. října street, turn left to Na Můstku street and right to Rytířská street.

By daytime trams Nos. 5, 8, 14 and 26 or night trams Nos. 51, 54 and 56 to the stop “Náměstí Republiky”, then on foot around the Municipal House to the Powder Gate, on Celetná street to Ovocný trh.

By daytime trams Nos. 3, 9, 14, 24 or night trams Nos. 52, 54, 55, 56 and 58 to the stop “Jindřišská”, then on foot along Nekázanka / Panská streets, turn left to Na Příkopě street and then right to Havířská street (from Na Příkopě street you can also walk through the Myslbek arcade).

 

By metro

To the station “Můstek”, lines A and B (green and yellow), then on foot through Na Můstku street and right to Rytířská street.

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