The text is certainly Da Ponte’s most original work, and is here presented in Revd M.E.
Browne’s acclaimed translation, revised by John Cox.

“It was a treat so truly intellectual that every ear and every breast, susceptible of harmony
and of impression, was gratified to a degree beyond our power to describe.” Thus reads
one of the first London reviews of Così fan tutte. Its enigmatic mixture of a detached
experiment in human foibles and a struggle of sincere emotions has often disturbed
audiences. H.C. Robbins Landon observes, however, that Mozart’s heartfelt music
proves he is openly on the side of the angels – the ladies – not the deceivers, however
cynical Da Ponte’s words appear to be. Brian Trowell describes the sophisticated world
in which the opera was conceived, while John Stone traces the origins of the libretto to
Ancient Greece, medieval Italy and even to China. The text is certainly Da Ponte’s most
original work, and is here presented