Are you after a slightly less sinister and spooky Halloween fill this Autumn? The world of opera has a whole (g)host of meddlesome characters to choose from, so here are a few of Welsh National Opera’s favourite operatic tricksters – less terrifying than a cinematic jump-scare but equally as mischievous and troublesome.
Despina from Così fan tutte
Mozart’s sublime opera Così fan tuttesees a bet made between Guglielmo and Ferrando and their tutor Don Alfonso, who wagers that all female love is fickle and that their girlfriends (sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella) would soon cheat on them if they went away. The girls’ servant, Despina, helps Don Alfonso fulfil his wager and introduces two new dashing strangers (who are actually Guglielmo and Ferrando in disguise) to the girls who take their fancy after some convincing – the boys then pretend to take poison to gain the girls’ sympathy. To the rescue comes Despina, disguised as a doctor, and uses the power of Mesmerism to cure the two boys to the sisters’ great relief.
Norina from Don Pasquale
In Gaetano Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, Norina is the niece of Dr Malatesta and is in love Ernesto, much to Ernesto's uncle Don Pasquale’s disapproval. Pasquale plans to marry so that an heir will disinherit Ernesto’s claim, so in order to win Ernesto’s hand, Norina impersonates Malatesta’s sister ‘Sofronia’ and marries Pasquale in a fake ceremony. Once married, she spends Pasquale’s money and deliberately drops a note that reveals she is meeting her lover (Ernesto). Pasquale catches them together and the ‘Sofronia’ reveals herself to be Norina after all – all is forgiven and the marriage is annulled, leaving Norina to have her way and marry her beloved Ernesto.
Figaro and Susanna from The Marriage of Figaro
Figaro and Susanna are the powerhouse couple that drive the plot of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro(1786). The Count has a fancy for Figaro’s fiancée, Susanna, so Figaro sends him an anonymous letter warning him to stay away and exposes the Count’s adulterous nature further by sending Cherubino (the Count’s page) to meet with the Count while dressed as Susanna. Figaro’s equally scheming partner, Susanna teams up with the Count’s wife, her mistress Countess Almaviva, and the two concoct a love letter for the Count, fooling him with a false invite to a midnight tryst with Susanna (who will reveal herself as the Countess).
Gianni Schicchi from Gianni Schicchi (Il trittico)
Puccini’s creation Gianni Schicchi is perhaps the ultimate trickster in opera. When the family of the recently deceased Buoso Donati realises that he has left them with nothing, they are beside themselves and enlist the help of Gianni Schicchi, Florence’s renowned fraudster, to help them recover the contents of the will for themselves. When the time comes to rewrite the will for the notary, what the Donatis don’t anticipate is that Gianni Schicchi will double cross them and leave all the most valuable lands and estates to himself!
Fancy more of these misbehaving rogues? Don’t miss your last opportunity to see WNO’s acclaimed production of Gianni Schicchithis Autumn at Mayflower Theatre, Southampton on Wednesday 13 November 2024. You can also catch Figaro in the mix when WNO’s beloved production of The Marriage of Figaro opens the Spring 2025 Season from 6 February 2025.
