Mozart’s comic opera, Cosi fan tutte, will forever be celebrated for its genius. It’s raunchy, it’s bolshy, and its jokes remain fresh and its story poignant even to this day. As two soldiers Gugliemo (Ashley Riches) and Ferrando (Robin Tritschler) expound upon the virtuosity of their respective lovers – the sisters Fiordiligi (Andreea Soare) and Dorabella (Kathryn Rudge) – the jaded Don Alfonso (Neal Davies) challenges them to test the solidity of the women’s love. From mistaken identities and over-dramatic exclamations hilarity ensues and the story culminates in a not-so-happy, not-so-conclusive double wedding.

Soare puts on a particularly stand-out performance, taking the opera to some of its darker places in her perfectly executed arias, and then soaring up her register to raise the energy in the more light-hearted moments. The orchestra, of course, are also to thank for the tone of the performance – not an overall farce but certainly not a serious piece of drama. They played with sensitivity and care under Douglas Boyd’s direction, sometimes mimicking the sweeping gestures of love in Lorenzo da Ponte’s libretto, other times the short staccato of lust. And of course it’s always satisfying to hear a meaty Mozart viola part.

For me, though, Lesley Garrett stole the show as Despina, commanding the most laughs and having the most robust and entertaining character. Through staging, costume and the ability to hold her own, Garrett carves out, if not exactly a character arc (as is notably missing from this Mozart-Da Ponte stock buffa character) then at least a character line, playing puppet master with the two pairs of lovers as she teases their harmonies apart and back together again. And she’s a woman, which is awesome.

Wormsley, Garsington Opera's home in recent years, is a fantastic place to visit if you get the chance. Sitting on the beautifully erected arena staring out across the lake as you sip champagne in your best glad rags really does feel like a once in a lifetime opportunity. The set for Cosi fan tutte is also stunning. The opera opens on a lavishly decorated wedding party with bows and garlands to match the extravagant costumes of the cast. When Dorabella appears at the end wearing the wedding cake table decorations, the set even becomes the costumes of the cast.

And then there’s the hair! Soare’s hair sticks straight upwards on top of her head, adding a good foot to her height with what I can only imagine must have taken hours and hours of styling. The costume changes mark important turning points in the story: the sisters’ hair slowly descends as their resolve to stay virtuous falters; Despina goes from servant to group leader to mock vicar. Guglielmo and Ferrando’s hippie disguises are a particular stroke of comedy genius, although I do wonder whether the costume designer thinks that these outfits accurately reflect the ‘common youth’ of today. Similarly, the ‘club wear’ for the women of the chorus was more like what my granddad might assume ‘young’uns’ to wear. If Garsington is trying to jazz things up a bit and appeal to a younger audience, it needn’t try so hard – Cosi fan tutte, as I say, is timeless and this performance is sure to keep it on the circuit for a long time to come.