Synopsis

Photo: Mike Hoban

Act I

Two army officers, Ferrando and Guglielmo, are engaged to two sisters, Dorabella and Fiordiligi, from Ferrara, who are living in a rented house on the Bay of Naples. These two young men believe their respective fiancées to be utterly faithful and incapable of any inconstancy. Their older friend the philosopher Don Alfonso suggests, however, that women are by nature unfaithful. Challenged by the two soldiers, Alfonso bets that he will prove himself right within the day. Ferrando and Guglielmo agree to follow all Alfonso’s instructions and eagerly look forward to winning the bet.

Fiordiligi and Dorabella are besotted with their young men and anticipate another day spent in their company. But Don Alfonso arrives with the news that Guglielmo and Ferrando have suddenly been summoned to active service on the field of battle. The lovers make a tearful farewell, but Don Alfonso is unimpressed at the strength of the girls’ feelings.

The maid Despina is unprepared for the distressed state of her mistresses and unimpressed that the cause of their distress is a pair of disposable men. If they do not return, there are plenty more fish in the sea – and in any case time spent crying over the departure of one man is time lost with another. Since when was a soldier celibate in the field? Women should repay men in their own currency.

Meanwhile Don Alfonso has arranged that Guglielmo and Ferrando will disguise themselves as foreigners and attempt to woo the two girls. Alfonso enlists Despina’s help with the promise of money – could she find a way to introduce two good-looking, wealthy young men to her grieving mistresses? Fiordiligi and Dorabella, however, are outraged at the appearance of two strange men, even though they are apparently good friends of Alfonso. Ferrando and Guglielmo are greatly amused by the girls’ rejection of their declarations of love; Alfonso, on the other hand, predicts tears before long and plans the next encounter between the four lovers.

Later in the day Fiordiligi and Dorabella are still dwelling on the loss of their fiancés. Ferrando and Guglielmo rush in and pretend to take fatal doses of poison to deliver themselves from the torment of unrequited love. Despina urges her mistresses to comfort the men while she fetches a doctor. Left alone, the girls are drawn into the foreigners’ plight.

Despina returns disguised as a doctor and effects an unconventional cure. Just as the two sisters have begun to appear vulnerable the men go too far with their advances and outrage reasserts itself. Alfonso and Despina observe, however, that this fury is not without ambiguity.

Dinner interval of approximately 85 minutes

Act II

Despina continues to encourage her young ladies to enjoy the attentions of the strangers. A woman must learn to do just as she pleases.

It is now clear that Dorabella is coming round to Despina’s way of thinking, and that Fiordiligi is inclined to follow. Dorabella would prefer Guglielmo, or rather his foreign counterpart; Fiordiligi is not unhappy to take the other one.

The two ladies are entertained by the men. With some embarrassment and a little prompting from Alfonso and Despina, the four lovers pair off as planned. Ferrando and Fiordiligi wander off and Guglielmo is left alone with Dorabella. This seduction does not take long.

Things go differently for Ferrando and Fiordiligi. She rejects him and he leaves her convinced of his failure. Alone, Fiordiligi reveals that she does have some feeling for the stranger and that she is thus consumed with guilt for her betrothed Guglielmo.

Ferrando and Guglielmo meet to compare notes. Guglielmo is pleased to hear of Fiordiligi’s apparent fidelity, but Ferrando is devastated to hear of Dorabella’s treachery. Guglielmo demands his share of the bet from Alfonso; the older man points out that the wager isn’t won until the day is over.

Now the women compare notes. Dorabella is happy to succumb to the demon Love, but Fiordiligi is not. In a last-ditch attempt to conquer her feelings she decides to travel to the field of battle to be reunited with her betrothed. One of Ferrando’s uniforms will fit her as a travelling disguise, and she expects Dorabella to come with her wearing something of Guglielmo’s.

The three men overhear all this, and as Fiordiligi imagines Guglielmo’s joy at seeing her again, Ferrando openly begs her for love or death. She finally surrenders to him.

Now it is Guglielmo’s turn to be distraught at a fiancée’s betrayal. On top of this Despina brings the news that her mistresses wish to marry their foreign lovers immediately and leave town within a few days. Marrying the treacherous Dorabella and Fiordiligi is the last thing on earth that Guglielmo and Ferrando are inclined to do, but Alfonso suggests that they may do little better elsewhere. In his book all women are tarred with the same brush and men would do well to remember that. So the wedding proceeds.

The nuptial contract has hardly been signed, however, when a drum announces the return of soldiers from the front. Fiordiligi and Dorabella frantically hide the foreigners and prepare to face their returning fiancés.

Piece by piece the plot is exposed and the sisters’ infidelity is unmasked. As Fiordiligi and Dorabella acknowledge their guilt, Ferrando and Guglielmo reveal themselves as the foreign seducers. Alfonso calls on them all to embrace and to laugh at what has happened, and the double wedding continues./p>