Naples, Italy, around 1790
ACT I
Scene 1
In a Neapolitan café, the elderly Don Alfonso discusses the nature of women with two young officers, Ferrando and Guglielmo. The young men insist that their sweethearts are, unlike other women, unchangeable in their affections. Alfonso bets that, if the two men will do as he says for twenty-four hours, he will prove that their girlfriends will act as changeable in their emotions as all the other women with whom he has been acquainted.
Scene 2
On the terrace of their home, the two sisters, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, are busily making silhouettes of their sweethearts, Guglielmo and Ferrando, respectively. Don Alfonso arrives bearing the sad news that the young men have been called to their regiment and must depart immediately. The soldiers appear and the five indulge in an elaborate farewell. Left alone, Don Alfonso restates his belief that all women are of an inconstant heart.
The maid, Despina, in the process of serving morning chocolate to the ladies offers the sisters the advice that they should forget their old loves and find themselves new beaus. The sisters are aghast at the idea. When they leave, Alfonso comes back and bribes Despina to introduce his new “Albanian” friends to the sisters, who fail to recognize them as their actual sweethearts, now in disguise. The newcomers declare their admiration for the ladies in most outrageous ways and are soundly rejected. The men are thrilled that all is going their way but Alfonso warns them that the bet is not won yet.
Scene 3
Alone in their garden, the sisters lament the absence of their lovers. Suddenly, the “Albanians” run in and pretend to poison themselves in despair over their rejection. Alfonso and Despina run to fetch a doctor while the ladies begin to feel pity and attraction for the two handsome strangers. Alfonso returns with the doctor, Despina in disguise, who, using a giant magnet, saves the men and urges the sisters to nurse them in their recovery. The men revive with increased ardor and, as the act ends, the women refuse the men’s demand for a kiss.
ACT II
Scene 1
On the terrace later in the day, Despina lectures her mistresses on their stubbornness and advises them to have a little fun with their new suitors. Dorabella is persuaded that there could be no harm in a bit of flirtation and, eventually, Fiordiligi agrees. Dorabella now chooses Guglielmo (in disguise) for her diversion and Fiordiligi agrees that she is most interested in the disguised Ferrando.
Scene 2
The young men serenade the women in the garden by the moonlight. Upholding their part of the bet, Guglielmo ardently pursues Dorabella while Ferrando woos Fiordiligi, who admits that he has touched her heart and is now torn between his attentions and her feelings of disloyalty to her promised spouse. When the men meet to compare notes, they begin to realize that things are not going well for Ferrando who sings of his confused feelings of betrayal and attraction. Meanwhile, Fiordiligi decides that the only solution is to run away to the battlefield so that she can be close to her fiancé. Ferrando intervenes and, threatening suicide, causes Fiordiligi to give into her feelings. Now Guglielmo is equally furious with the way the bet is working out but Alfonso reminds both of them that the heart is a changeable thing. If the men do not accept that, he points out that they will be most unhappy since that is the way all women are.
Scene 3
A double wedding is immediately arranged between the sisters and the “Albanians.” Alfonso brings in a notary (again, Despina in disguise) and, just as the marriage contract is signed, the sound of the returning soldiers is heard. In a panic, the sisters hide their intended husbands and go, more or less, to pieces when their soldier-lovers return. Ferrando and Guglielmo put on a great display of outrage as they “learn” of the marriage. They storm into the hiding place of the lovers and, of course, return to reveal that it was they who were disguised. Alfonso explains the deception, reasoning that true happiness lies not in romantic illusions but in accepting things as they are. Agreeing that the trick can work both ways, the ladies are paired with their ideal partners and all agree that the happiest people are those who can take life as it comes.
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