Mozart's take on the young and the reckless

DIRECTOR Tom Hawkes is not short of praise when it comes to Mozart's opera Cosi Fan Tutte. To him, it contains some of the best music by the renowned composer - including one piece in particular which he wants played at his own funeral.

That would be Soave sia il vento (May the wind be gentle) from the first act, where two young men are sent off in a boat. He says it is an inexplicably "sublime" piece of music despite only being a few lines long. "I intend to have it at my funeral so that when my spirit goes forth into the unknown, it will be to the sound of Mozart's wonderful music," says the British-born freelance theatre director with a chuckle. He has already directed this particular opera eight times all over the world in his 40-year career.

So it's not surprising that he was more than happy to take up the job when the Singapore Lyric Opera approached him to direct its production which is performed at the Esplanade Theatre this weekend.

Cosi Fan Tutte, commonly translated as the phrase "Women are like that", was first performed in 1790 and it tells the story of an old bachelor named Don Alfonso, played by Australian bass David Hibbard, who makes a bet with two young men, Guglielmo (South Korean baritone Byeong-In Park) and Ferrando (Raffaele d'Ascanio).

He believes that within 24 hours of the men's departure, their fiancees, Fiorfiligi (soprano Rachelle Gerodias) and Dorabella (mezzo-soprano Du Qin) will prove to be unfaithful. Although the opera starts off on a rather cynical note, it evolves into a comedy when the two men disguise themselves and attempt to flirt with each other's partners, with the aid of the girls' maid, Despina (local soprano Ee-Ping).

Since he has done this opera multiple times before, Hawkes will ramp things up a bit by giving it an Asian setting, based on inspiration from a hotel - the E&O in Penang which he visited 20 years ago. But, of course, he doesn't intend for the classic production to become unrecognisable, and maintains that his primary objective will still be to deliver a clear story that opera fans already know and love.

After all, he says, the story is what's kept Cosi Fan Tutte alive for over 200 years, because it speaks volumes about the human condition, especially the very relatable dilemmas of being young and in love. He explains: "Love is a universal language isn't it? It's easy to relate to the characters and the way they grow up. Because at the end of the opera, all four of them are changed. And I think people will be able to see parallels with their own lives."

Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte runs from Feb 28 to March 3 at the Esplanade Theatre, at 8pm on Fri, Sat and Mon. Tickets cost from $28 to $130. Log on to www.sistic.com.sg for more information or to purchase tickets