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ACT
I: Naples, late 1700s, early morning. Two young
officers, Ferrando and Guglielmo, boast about the beauty and
virtue of their sweethearts, the sisters Dorabella and Fiordiligi
("La mia Dorabella"). Don Alfonso, an older man and a
friend of the two officers, insists that a woman's constancy is
like the Arabian phoenix - everyone says it exists but no one has
ever seen it ("È la fede delle femmine"). He proposes a
wager of one hundred sequins that if they give him one day, and do
everything he asks, he will prove the sisters are like all other
women - fickle. The two young men willingly agree to Alfonso's
terms and imagine with pleasure how they will spend their winnings
("Una bella serenata").
Fiordiligi and Dorabella gaze blissfully at their miniature
portraits of Guglielmo and Ferrando ("Ah, guarda
sorella"), and imagine happily that they will soon be
married. Alfonso's plan for the day begins when he arrives with
terrible news: the young officers have been called away to their
regiment. The two men appear, apparently heartbroken, and they all
make elaborate farewells ("Sento, o dio"). As the
soldiers leave, the two women and Alfonso wish them a safe journey
("Soave sia il vento"). Alfonso is delighted with his
plot and feels certain of winning his wager.
As Despina complains about how much work she has to do around the
house, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, upset by the departure of their
fiancés, burst in. Dorabella vents her feelings ("Smanie
implacabili"), but Despina's advice is to forget their old
lovers with the help of new ones. All men are fickle, she says,
and unworthy of a woman's fidelity ("In uomini, in
soldati"). Her mistresses resent Despina's approach to love,
and depart. Alfonso arrives to plan the next stage of his wager:
he enlists Despina's help to introduce the girls to two exotic
visitors, in fact Ferrando and Guglielmo in disguise, and is
relieved when Despina does not recognize the two men. The sisters
are scandalized to discover strange men in their house. The
newcomers declare their admiration for the ladies, each wooing the
other's girlfriend, according to Alfonso's design, but the girls
reject them. Fiordiligi likens her constancy to a rock in a storm
("Come scoglio"). The men are confident of winning the
bet, but Alfonso reminds them that the day is still young.
Ferrando reiterates his passion for Dorabella ("Un' aura
amorosa"), and the two go off to await Alfonso's further
orders. Despina, still unaware of the men's identities, plans the
afternoon with Alfonso.
As the sisters lament the absence of their lovers, the two
"foreigners" stagger in, pretending to have poisoned
themselves in despair over their rejection. The sisters call for
Despina, who urges them to care for the men while she and Alfonso
fetch a doctor. Despina re-enters disguised as a doctor and, with
a special magnet, pretends to draw off the poison. She then
demands that the girls nurse the patients as they recover. The men
revive ("Dove son?"), and request kisses. As Fiordiligi
and Dorabella waver under renewed protestations of love, the men
begin to worry.
ACT II: In the afternoon,
Despina lectures her mistresses on their stubbornness and
describes how a woman should handle men ("Una donna a
quindici anni"). Dorabella is persuaded that there could be
no harm in a little flirtation, and surprisingly, Fiordiligi
agrees. They decide who will pair off with whom, and fitting
perfectly into Alfonso's plan, each picks the other's original
suitor ("Prenderò quel brunettino").
Alfonso has arranged a romantic serenade for the sisters in the
garden, and after delivering a short lesson in courtship, he and
Despina leave the four young people together. Guglielmo, courting
Dorabella, succeeds in replacing her portrait of Ferrando with a
golden heart ("Il core vi dono"). Ferrando apparently
has less luck with Fiordiligi ("Ah, lo veggio"); but
when she is left alone, she guiltily admits he has touched her
heart ("Per pietà").
When they compare notes later, Ferrando is certain that they have
won the wager. Guglielmo, although pleased at the report of
Fiordiligi's faithfulness to him, is uncertain how to break the
news of Dorabella's inconstancy to Ferrando. He shows his friend
the portrait he took from Dorabella and Ferrando is furious.
Guglielmo blames it all on women ("Donne mie, la fate a
tanti!"), but his friend is not comforted ("Tradito,
schernito"). Guglielmo asks Alfonso to pay him his half of
the winnings, but Alfonso reminds him again that the day is not
yet over.
Fiordiligi rebukes Dorabella for being fickle, but finally admits
that in her heart she has succumbed to the stranger. Dorabella
coaxes her to give way completely, saying love is a thief who
rewards those who obey him and punishes all others ("È amore
un ladroncello"). Left alone, Fiordiligi decides to run away
and join Guglielmo at war, but Ferrando, pursuing the wager, tries
one last time to seduce her and succeeds.
Guglielmo is furious, but Alfonso counsels forgiveness: that's the
way women are, he claims, and a man who has been deceived can
blame only himself ("Tutti accusan le donne"). As night
falls, he promises to find a solution to their problems: he plans
a double-wedding.
Despina runs in with a double-wedding plan of her own: the two
sisters have agreed to marry the "foreigners," and she
is to find a notary for the ceremony. The scene is set for the
marriage, and Alfonso arrives with the notary - Despina in another
disguise. As Fiordiligi and Dorabella sign the contract, martial
strains herald the return of the former lovers' regiment. In panic
the two women hide their intended husbands and try to compose
themselves for the arrival of Ferrando and Guglielmo. The two
apparently joyful soldiers return, but soon become disturbed by
the obvious discomfort of the ladies. When they discover the
notary the sisters beg the two men to kill them. Ferrando and
Guglielmo reveal to them the identities of the
"foreigners." Despina realizes that Alfonso had let her
in on only half of the charade and tries to escape. Alfonso bids
the lovers learn their lesson and, with a hymn to reason and
enlightenment, the day comes to a close.
Source: Metopera Website |
