Two of America’s young and up-and-coming opera singers, soprano Corinne Winters and mezzo-soprano Angela Brower both made their Covent Garden debut last month as the leads in the new production of  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s ‘fiancé-swapping’ Italian ‘buffa’ (comic) opera COSI FAN TUTTE, currently running at the Royal Opera House. It’s full title ‘Cosi fan tutte Ossia La Sculoa deli amanti’ literally means ‘Thus Do They (women) All’, but is usually translated ‘Women Are Like That’ or ‘The School of Lovers’.

The Libretto (that’s the words) was written by Lorenzo Du Ponte and was first performed at Vienna’s Burgtheater in January 1790. Fiancées and sisters Fiordiligi (Corinne) and Dorabella (Angela) discover that their lovers are leaving to “go to war’ and two handsome strangers in disguise arrive on a mission of seduction. My mission was a less lofty aspiration-sigduction, and Corinne and Angela were happy to oblige, signing my sketch