Spurred on by a bet, two young men hatch a plan to test the fidelity of their girlfriends. What follows is a slippery game of seduction and power, the four lovers plunging into a dizzying world of shifting reality, where truth becomes increasingly unstable.

Così fan tutte has lost none of its sting since it first scandalised audiences in 1790.

In her Main Stage debut, Netia Jones, Associate Director of The Royal Opera, reimagines Mozart’s comedy of manners through a sharp contemporary lens, where 18th-century romantic trickery meets deeply satirical high-tech deceit. Taking on the roles of the lovers is an exciting young cast led by Louise Alder, Simone McIntosh, Mingjie Lei and Huw Montague Rendall, with Gerald Finley as their manipulative game-master Don Alfonso and Emily Pogorelc as Despina. Thomas Hengelbrock conducts, bringing out the exquisite melodies that underpin the provocative, and resolutely modern, themes at the heart of the opera.

Sung in Italian with English subtitles.

Cast:

Fiordiligi LOUISE ALDER

Dorabella SIMONE MCINTOSH

Ferrando MINGJIE LEI

Guglielmo HUW MONTAGUE RENDALL

Don Alfonso GERALD FINLEY

Despina EMILY POGORELC

Creatives:

Music WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

Conductor THOMAS HENGELBROCK

Director NETIA JONES

Set Designer HYEMI SHIN

Costume Designers NETIA JONES, HYEMI SHIN

Lighting Designer LUCY CARTER

Movement Director ANNA MORRISSEY

what to expect

The Royal Opera House broadcasts performances from its iconic Covent Garden main stage, offering audiences the best seat in the house, and access to exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and rehearsal insights.