Così fan tutte

Mozart always find himself in fine fettle at Glyndebourne, and the joyful vim of last year’s Le nozze di Figaro was matched by the farcical fun of Così for this year’s Tour. Ilya Kutyukhin stood out as a crowd-pleasing, cocksure dandy, pratfalling and eye-bulging reacting and stealing every scene he was in. The rest of the ensemble were superb too however, relishing the silly goings on with a heightened sense of melodrama, perfect for the opera stage.

The set design was quietly stunning, with intelligently layered walls exuding depth and effective, simple effects such as fauna and gazebo used to frame scenes pleasantly, proving that the cheaper tickets for the Tour rather than Festival are a steal.

José Fardilha’s Don Alfonso was a confident, bendy and beauteous baritone while an early duet between Kirsten MacKinnon and Rachel Kelly was shimmering and ethereal.

Both a fun romp perfect for a newcomer and a beautiful musical feast perfect for the aesthete.

On Tour until 30 November, Glyndebourne
Rating:
Joe Fuller