Mozart seminar to focus on 'Cosi Fan Tutte'

This Saturday from 9:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. 18th century European aristocrats will be rolling in their graves.

The Program in the Humanities, in conjunction with the North Carolina Opera, will be jointly hosting a seminar discussing and celebrating “Cosi Fan Tutte,” an opera written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart that was considered highly controversial by the late 18th and 19th century elite, said UNC musicology professor Tim Carter. The event is free for students, but pre-registration is required.

“In the 19th century everyone hated ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ — they thought that Mozart, the genius, should not be setting this tawdry plot to his wonderful music,” he said.

Carter will be discussing the subject matter of the piece in a historical context and is one of four lecturers that will be speaking at the event, which will be taking place at the UNC School of Government.

“I am particularly interested in ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ because it’s a very problematic opera in 18th century terms,” Carter said. “Everyone loves Mozart, but everyone hates ‘Cosi Fan Tutte,’ because it is regarded as a wholly immoral opera and Mozart is not meant to be a wholly immoral composer.”

Also speaking at the event is UNC history professor Lloyd Kramer, who will discuss the relationship between the enlightenment and Mozart’s work.

“Even though he wasn’t a philosopher, he was certainly influenced by the enlightenment,” Kramer said.

“By emphasizing reason, and by criticizing the traditional power of the nobility, writers like Voltaire and Rousseau affected Mozart in a way that is evident in his work.”

The event is intended to get audiences excited about an upcoming performance of “Cosi Fan Tutte” by the North Carolina Opera, and as such will also feature lectures from Eric Mitchko, the director of the opera, and Timothy Myers, the artistic director and principal conductor.

“This is all a way to get people prepped and excited about the upcoming performance,” Max Owre said, director of the Program in the Humanities.

The Program in the Humanities and Human Values often hosts events with the N.C. Opera, in an effort to both promote upcoming performances while bringing scholarship into nearby North Carolina communities.

Stephen Prystowsky, who is the president of the board of directors of the N.C. Opera, and a member of the board of The Program with the Humanities, has been credited with helping build the relationship between these two institutions, Owre said.

“He has helped facilitate networking among our institutions,” Owre said.

Carter said he likes collaborating with other groups and looks forward to the event.

“It’s very nice to collaborate with performing groups in the Triangle because it brings the left hand and the right hand together,” he said. “We think about stuff and these performing groups do stuff.”

arts@dailytarheel.com