Soprano Renée Fleming Directs Modern Mozart at Aspen Festival

PITTSBURGH — Renowned soprano Renée Fleming will make her directorial debut with Mozart‘s opera “Cosi fan tutte” during the Aspen Music Festival this summer, featuring three performances from July 21 to 26.

Originally set in 18th century Naples, Italy, Fleming’s adaptation relocates the story to a high school in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, circa 1980. The opera explores themes of love and fidelity, dramatizing the intricacies of relationships among engaged couples.

The Aspen Music Festival, running from July 2 to August 24, is celebrated for its diverse programming. This year’s highlights include the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’s opera “Siddhartha, She” on August 2.

Fleming, who is also a Grammy-winning artist, explained her vision for this production: “I want to create an environment that resonates with both the humor and the emotional depth of Mozart’s work, placing it within a setting that audiences can relate to personally.”

This fresh interpretation aims to engage younger audiences while honoring the original composition’s spirit. The decision to set the opera in the 1980s reflects a desire to connect the timeless themes of the narrative with contemporary experiences.

Fleming’s track record as a performer includes numerous bold interpretations, and her upcoming directorial venture marks a significant transition in her career. She acknowledged her excitement and nervousness about this new role: “Directing is an entirely different discipline, but I believe in the story we are telling and can’t wait to see how audiences respond to it.”

The Aspen Festival has a rich history of innovative performances and aims to cultivate a love for classical music among a broader demographic. Alongside Fleming’s work, audiences can expect other engaging presentations aimed at pushing the boundaries of traditional opera.