The Gauteng Opera, previously known as the Black Tie Ensemble VO1SS, will kick off its 2014 season with a fully-staged operatic production of Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte, sung in Italian with English subtitles, on Sunday, 2 March at the State Theatre in Pretoria.
Directed by the company’s CEO, Marcus Desando, and funded by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF), the production forms part of Gauteng Opera’s development programme. The main cast will be understudied by Gauteng Opera’s studio members and Gauteng Opera Academy trainees will form part of the chorus.
Cosi Fan Tutte, which is popularly loosely translated as ‘Women are like that’ pokes fun at how fickle love is by playing two young men against each other as they place a bet to test their lovers’ love. “This production will be based in the present period and in a seaside village where the rich and the navy can mix. It will explore the sites of opulence within the ridiculousness of the rich girls and their very fickle lovers” said Desando.
He enthusiastically adds, “The Gauteng Opera (GO), with the wonderful support of the NLDTF, is able to celebrate opera to the core and also celebrate home-grown South African talent. We chose Cosi Fan Tutte by Mozart as the first opera to be produced by GO as it has all the elements of a great opera, from beautiful singing to the drama it puts forward. We as a company are very excited about this opera because it will be proudly South African, from the smallest chorus role to the conductor and with this we proudly say opera for everyone.”
