Premiere: October 30, 1994
Director: Roberto de Simone
Costume Designer: Odette Nicoletti
Size: Unisize
With this Così fan tutte production from 1994, a successful collaboration between the Wiener Festwochen and the Vienna State Opera began. Under the musical direction of Riccardo Muti, this opera started a cycle of all three Da Ponte operas in the Theater an der Wien. The Così production later moved to the Haus am Ring, and the production was presented 60 times in total. The plot describes a frivolous and cruel love bet that brings to light the deficits of the relationships being dealt with: Ferrando and Guglielmo want to test the loyalty of their lovers, so they dress up exotically, and try to conquer the other’s lover, even up to a staged wedding. The costumes also include an equally exotic entourage that is inspired by the Orient. The staging by Roberto de Simone optically relocates the piece into a Marivaux world, which is characterized by picturesque delicacy. This is also followed by the set design and the costumes (by Odette Nicoletti), which are characterized by a love of detail. In this apparently intact environment, which is exquisitely elegant, the destructive chaos of emotions should emerge even more strongly. This costume of a member of the men’s supernumeraries, consists of a turban, chest harness, a pair of forearm braces and an upper arm braces, a neck brace and harem pants. It is made of rayon and cotton, the jewelry from felt and leather, and is in good condition with signs of wear.
This costume of a stage musician consists of a turban, caftan, shawl and sash together, and is made of rayon and silk.