Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...Taking over Lyric's Mozart mantle from music director Andrew Davis was the American conductor James Gaffigan, in his Lyric debut. He paced the score seamlessly, gave the singers rock-solid support, balanced stage and pit deftly, and drew clean playing from the orchestra, an errant solo horn notwithstanding. Bravo to William C. Billingham of Lyric's musical staff for the crisp recitative accompaniments he provided from the harpsichord."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...The opera's music is gorgeously seductive. So is this cast of four supremely confident innocents and the two brazen conspirators - one old, one young - who perpetrate their "all-in-good-fun" con, devising a fake reason for the men to be absent while the ladies' affections are messed with. If you haven't seen "Cosė fan tutte" before, prepare for the possibility that your own heart will be caught in its trap."
Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended
"...Confronted by the Lyric's radiant account, under the sure-handed leadership of conductor James Gaffigan, it is impossible not to suspend both disbelief and moral judgment. This show is funny, touching, provocative and beautiful. The Lyric Opera Orchestra offers polished support and the chorus prepared by Michael Black is in fine shape."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...A Lyric Opera season would not be complete without Mozart, so it was with great anticipation that I attended the opening night performance of Cosė Fan Tutte. Although this production is not new to Chicago, having been seen during the 2006-07 season, it remains fairly fresh due to its colorful seaside setting. Mozart's magical music remains timeless, of course, especially when performed by a cast as multi-talented as this one. All of the faces will be familiar to Lyric subscribers - some more than others - except for that of Russian soprano Elena Tsallagova, making her U.S. debut. American conductor James Gaffigan also makes his Lyric debut."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...the revival, directed by Bruno Ravella and conducted by Lyric-newcomer James Gaffigan, is hilarious. Everything looks and sounds beautiful, but there is a sense something is at stake, and thanks to a shift in location, the show takes its characters' hurt and uncertain futures too seriously to be pure escapism."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...The Lyric Opera's lush production of Cosi Fan Tutte is the latest in a long line of sumptuous treats trying to reconcile problematic source material with a new life and perspective."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...Theater options abound for the cultured Chicagoan, from storefront productions in your neighborhood to Broadway productions on their way through town. If you haven't considered Lyric Opera as a top-notch option for a night out at the theater, it's time to re-think your approach to live theater. Cosi fan tutte would be a perfect place to start."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...In this production especially, it's not only Shakespeare that is evoked but rather the romp of a Moliere farce. This is funny stuff! Some program notes cite critics claiming that Da Ponte's libretto seems out of sync with Mozart's melodies. This reviewer thinks it better to note that there are few other operas that seem to reliably summon the audience to so many guffaws and belly laughs, largely thanks to the many bon mots set to melody. At times, you end up not knowing quite whether you are more delighted by the mellifluous voices of tenor Stenson and baritone Hopkins, or their ability to look like cartoon character cut-outs striking comical he-man poses and such."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...As Despina, Russian-born Elena Tsallagova (in her U.S. debut) is a constant delight. I decried her every exit and groused for her return. In a role that makes little use of a soprano's upper register, Tsallagova's voice charmingly burrowed its way through substantial orchestration and the wide-ranging musical exclamations of her compatriots in Mozart's dynamic ensembles."
