Rich Griset
StyleWeekly.com
February 27, 2025
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wasn’t a fan of Adriana Ferrarese del Bene.
The Italian soprano tended to drop her chin for low notes, then throw her head back while reaching for high ones. A lover of mischief, Mozart filled del Bene’s showpiece aria “Come Scoglio” in “Così Fan Tutte” with giant musical leaps so that she would “bob like a chicken” onstage.
A sense of mischief also pervades the opera buffa itself, what with its characters gambling on love and swapping fiancées. This weekend, Virginia Opera’s “Così Fan Tutte” comes to Richmond, and with it, a sense of humor about the frailty of love.
“The subtitle is ‘The School for Lovers,’ and that’s really the moral of the story,” says Virginia Opera artistic director and chief conductor Adam Turner. “The hearts of the lovers are tested, and their fidelity is really pushed to the limits. You see how tender and tricky love can be.”