Saturday Matinee – Cosi Fan Tutte in Santa Monica (via Lyon)

I thought I discussed this 2011 French production of Cosi fan tutte in my own blog when excerpts of it appeared on YT a year or so ago. But apparently it was in the comments section in another blogger’s domain (most likely The Earworm, who has written extensively on other Cosi productions). I was drawn to it at the time because I was looking for anything that German tenor Daniel Behle was involved in. Meanwhile, there are other good performances here, and it's yet another take on the "lovers on vacation" theme—this time in Southern California.

This is another “not happily ever after” Cosi. In this production—as happens so often these days—it turns out that the couples were not well matched to begin with; and three of the six principals clearly are not pleased by the final outcome of Don Alfonso's experiment. I offer this tidbit not as a spoiler, but as an enticement to take some time with the performance.

This transfer is not perfect. There are some hiccups, stutters, and skips; but not enough to spoil the performance—and it’s free.

Lionel Lhote (Don Alfonso)

Daniel Behle (Ferrando)

Vito Priante (Guglielmo)

Maria Bengtsson (Fiordiligi)

Tove Dahlberg (Dorabella)

Elena Galitskaya (Despina)

Orchestre et Choeurs de l'Opéra de Lyon

Stefano Montanari (conductor) 

Adrian Noble (stage director)

Recorded in 2011 at the Opéra National de Lyon