Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wasn’t a fan of Adriana Ferrarese del Bene.

The Italian soprano tended to drop her chin for low notes, then throw her head back while reaching for high ones. A lover of mischief, Mozart filled del Bene’s showpiece aria “Come Scoglio” in “Così Fan Tutte” with giant musical leaps so that she would “bob like a chicken” onstage.

A sense of mischief also pervades the opera buffa itself, what with its characters gambling on love and swapping fiancées. This weekend, Virginia Opera’s “Così Fan Tutte” comes to Richmond, and with it, a sense of humor about the frailty of love.

“The subtitle is ‘The School for Lovers,’ and that’s really the moral of the story,” says Virginia Opera artistic director and chief conductor Adam Turner. “The hearts of the lovers are tested, and their fidelity is really pushed to the limits. You see how tender and tricky love can be.”

In the show, an old philosopher makes two military officers a bet: that there’s no such thing as a faithful woman, and that he can prove within a day’s time that the love of their fiancées is fickle.

The officers take the bet, tell their fiancées that they’ve been called off to war, then return in disguise to see if they can woo each other’s women.

“Hilarity ensues when that happens, but also some reality sets in as the show wears on,” Turner explains. “It’s a comedy, as our director likes to say, with a thousand paper cuts.”

Mezzo-soprano Kristen Choi plays Dorabella, one of the fiancées, in “Così.”

“It’s like a reality show, but set to Mozart’s music,” says Choi of the opera’s plot. “It’s about two young, naïve couples and a jaded older male figure that is trying to prove to the boys that idealized things like faith and fidelity are just ideals and not reality.”

Choi loves playing such a sunny, flirtatious character.

“She’s the first one to switch [partners]. She’s the type who’s exploring love, so she’s open to that,” Choi says. “She’s really funny. She’s genuine. She dives right in to whatever loves means to her.”

Turner stresses the beauty of Mozart’s score.

“The music is exquisite. If anyone knows the name Mozart, they’re going to fall in love with the music alone,” he says. “It’s a real ensemble production. Everybody gets an aria; everybody has to participate in ensemble singing.”

Unlike traditional takes that are set in 18th century Naples—and see the men return to their lovers as swarthy, mustachioed “Albanians”—Virginia Opera’s production takes place during the Roaring ’20s.

“They’re supposed to come back in crazy wigs and crazy moustaches. We really felt that there was another path,” Turner says. “When they come back, they’re dressed to the nines in these gaudy vaudeville costumes.”

In the centuries since “Così Fan Tutte” debuted, some have criticized the opera as misogynistic for stating that all women cheat. Choi disputes this interpretation.

“I think it actually paints women in a stronger light, to show that they make their own decisions,” Choi says. “Go in with a relaxed mindset. Don’t put a lot of weight on the subject matter.”

Overall, Choi says the opera’s message is about the chaos of love.

“It is a lesson for young lovers,” she says. “Love isn’t black and white. It’s messy. It’s confusing, it’s frustrating, it changes. It’s fickle. Love has so many shapes.”

Virginia Opera’s “Così Fan Tutte” plays Feb. 28 and March 2 at the Dominion Energy Center, 600 E. Grace St. For more information visit vaopera.org or call 866-673-7282.