If You Love Statistics and Opera ...

Mozart never heard of the novel coronavirus, but he was no stranger to illness. He is thought to have suffered at various times from scarlet fever, smallpox, bronchitis, rheumatic fever, tonsillitis, jaundice, typhoid fever, pneumonia, nephritis, and tooth abscesses. His death at age 35, speculated to have been from an infectious disease or streptococcal infection, was likely hastened by the toxic purgatives and emetics he was given to “disinfect” the body.

Despite his health problems and early death, Mozart left behind 22 operas, and seven of these are among the most performed operas in today’s repertory. Così Fan Tutte, though, is a bit of a problem to stage because of its story, where two soldiers bet that their sweethearts will be faithful but then each easily manages to seduce the other’s fiancée. The title means “women are all like that” and opera commentators often go to absurd lengths trying to argue that the opera is not as misogynistic as it seems.

Finally, though, there is an update that not only removes the troublesome aspects of the original libretto but makes it super-relevant for today. The Finnish National Opera’s planned performance of Die Walküre was cancelled last March when the coronavirus hit. Undaunted, the company developed a socially distanced opera with music by Mozart and new libretto by journalist and mystery novelist Minna Lindgren: Covid fan tutte, which they have generously shared with the rest of us through https://operavision.eu.

Covid fan tutte features the standard Così character of Despina, now a diva (played by Karita Mattila) irate about her cancelled performances. The quartet of young lovers have become government employees, interacting through Zoom (“what do you mean, I’m muted?” sings one character), and making announcements accompanied by a very expressive sign language interpreter.

There are also guest appearances by

Leporello, who of course catalogs the virus statistics (see my earlier post for why Leporello is number 1 on my list of opera characters who should have been statisticians),
Papageno (with padlock replaced by a face mask),
Disgruntled Valkyries, who stomp off the stage in their winged metal helmets,
An onstage harpsichordist with, shall we say, creative recitative accompaniments, and
The coronavirus herself, portrayed with skulking insidiousness by dancer Natasha Lommi.

Leporello is not the only character to mention statistics. I counted five references to statistical methods in the opera, including the praise of peer-reviewed controlled trials in the finale.

If you’re feeling housebound after months of social distancing, take a virtual trip to Helsinki to see Covid fan tutte, streamed free through February 2021 at https://operavision.eu. Don’t worry if your Finnish is a little rusty; there are English subtitles.

Sharon LohrNovember 17, 2020