Customer Reviews

Mozart: Così fan tutte

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I so agree with the last reviewer! As to another reviewer's dissertation on what constitues a "Mozart singer", hogwash! Montserrat Caballe failing to understand at every moment that she is singing Mozart? Hogwash! A 'Mozart singer' is like every other 'singer' - you got it or you ain't; the rest is intellectual preening and has nothing to do with genuine operatic art. And what singing this is - a Cosi to treasure! Mozart's ensemble writing in this opera surpasses that of his other operas, and Baker, Cotrubas and Caballe find an emotional perfection in the rendering that alters the earth's orbit! I've not heard another Cosi like it since Cotrubas' earlier recording with von Stade and Stratas. I also have the Harmonia Mundi recording and find it mundane by comparison. Veronique Gens has fioriture up her sleeve; she can pull it out, but she sings with the emotional depth of a teenager. Hers is a vocal aesthetic for Lully or Rameau, but not Bach, and certainly Mozart suggests that more consolidation of resources is necessary. Why not hire David Bowie for the role? -might as well. What is more 'stylish' than the musicianship these peerless singers and musicians bring to this surpassing Cosi? Please not Rene Jacobs' arcane treatment of the score, though I do admire the Cologne orchestra, particularly the weight of the strings, but that too cerebral 'informed classicism' always sticks its little notebook up into the musical air. Colin Davis rivals his own Tosca (also with Caballe) in this recording. The Covent Garden forces shine under his watch, even more, they consistently reach into themselves and deep into Mozart, deep into the opera - an attribute I would not ordinarily ascribe to this opera orchestra and chorus. Nicolai Gedda will probably die still insufficiently revered, he is one of the supreme artists of our time, or any time; he is as desirable an actor as he is miraculous singer. Even now, as things fall apart, he remains the present heart of any opera ensemble. His artistry burnishes this recording to a glow. Get this recording - it really has no rival at present.

Cosi being the last of Mozart's operas in collaboration with da Ponte, it has some of the most heaven-sent music set to a witty libretto, however the theme of infidelity did not go down well in its history to date. But here, we have a performance of such intensity and profundity, played and sung to perfection, it is hard to resist temptation.

Fiordiligi is perhaps the Mozart role every soprano dreams of singing. Two great arias to win the crowds over with, and major contributions in incisive and witty ensembles and suspense-filled finales, Fiordiligi is a demanding role. However, no other role is as rewarding. The music is gorgeous, possibly Mozart's best.

Caballe's reading of Fiordiligi shows us the ideal when a singer is perfectly in synchronisation with the character and is suited to a role. Her singing harks back to an era gone by, of musical intellect, of profound understanding, of inate musicality and unparalled technical prowess. Her gloriously sung Fiordiligi is aided and abetted by her beautiful voice, pouring forth note after note and phrase after phrase of sublime molten gold.

In the test aria, Come scoglio", she works around the technicalities and hurdles of the piece and delivers an effortlessly accomplished and beautiful redition. "Per pieta" shows her to further advantage where she excels in her long-breathed phrasing of the music with her trademark piano singing.

With Dame Janet Baker as Dorabella, this performance gains yet another asset. Her foundation in Mozart is as good as it gets, with her intense potrait of Dorabella compared to Caballe's more bouyant Fiordiligi. She sings with that dark-toned voice of great beauty and intensity that results in one of the best pairings of the sisters on record.

The role of the lovers, Ferrando and Guglielmo, are taken by Nicolai Gedda and Wladimiro Ganzarolli. Gedda gives a refined reading of "Un aura amorosa" and wins us over with his Ferrando. On the other hand, the smug Guglielmo is sung by Ganzarolli who sings with aplomb and gusto.

As an ensemble opera, all the six characters are important and bear the success of the opera on their shoulders. Ileana Cotrubas as Despina gives an impassioned performance and her inpersonations of the doctor and the notary are given delightful voices. As the cynical Don Alfonso, Richard Van Allan gives the old philosopher a character well-fleshed out.

This recording is one of the most beautifully sung and well recorded. The ensembles show all the principles singing with understanding of the roles. The Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus under the baton of Sir Colin Davis with the accompaniment of John Constable completes the picture. A picture of a recording that is a worthy addition to any opera library. Mozart would have loved this!

This is a magnificient performance of Cosi Fan Tutte, greats Montserrat Caballe and Nicolai Gedda (fine and beautiful singing), Janet Baker (a great and refined mozartian singer), and Ileana Cotrubas (very intelligent and interesting interpretation). Waldimiro Ganzarolli and Richard Van Allan are suitables in their respective roles. Colin Davis is (together with Karajan, Bohm, Furtwangler and Solti) one of the greatest mozartian directors of the century.

Buy this recording for Montserrat Caballe in her only recorded Mozart role. Cosi fan tutte is the last of the Mozart/da Ponte operas and despite having some of the most heaven-sent music set to a good libretto, the theme of infidelity did not go down well when it was premiered. However, when infidelity is performed as such, it is difficult not to lead to temptation. As Fiordiligi, Caballe shows us the ideal when a singer is perfectly suited to a role. Her singing harks of musical intellect and a profound understanding of the role. Her glorious interpretation is aided and abetted by her beautiful voice as she sings "Come scoglio" and "Per pieta" unlike no one else is capable of doing so. With Dame Janet Baker as Dorabella, Nicolai Gedda as Ferrando and Wladimiro Ganzarolli as Guglielmo, the four of them render this recording one of the most beautifully sung and well recorded. This recording scores with its ensembles that show the understanding of the roles by the cast as well as their cooperatio. Under the baton of Sir Colin Davis with the Royal Opera House and the accompaniment of John Constable on the cembalo, this complete recording is a worthy addition and supplement to the Bohm.

I have read the previous reviews of this recording that I have listened to many, many times. Despite the niggling complaints and stylistic preferences (common problems in opera fanatics) this recording has Caballe and Baker and you can search the catalog as well as the world's opera stages and never find and more beautiful pair of voices; Cotrubas' Despina is in her tradition of breathtaking lyric soprano roles; and Gedda is his usual lustrous self. As to the conducting, there is no better Mozart conductor living today than Colin Davis (pity that James Levine doesn't engage him at the Met but maybe he's afraid of hearing what Opera really is: singing with orchestral accompaniment!") His only rival, ever, was Bohm. Since Mr. Bohm is no longer with us,listen to some of his symphonic or operatic recordings and then feast on Mr. Davis and this recording--this is MOZART played and sung as it should be. There will be no rival to this recording for many, many opera seasons.

Mozart wrote some of the most awe-inspiring operatic music, particularly his ensemble work, and when it's sung perfectly, it's unearthly and unforgettable. But it's really hard to find absolutely perfect complete recordings of his works because there are SO many elements that need to be top-notch, so many many singers. This Cosi recording hits perfection in many places, but it is flawed. First of all, Caballe for all her beautifully expressive singing, is not always Mozartian - and that spoils her big arias for me; in Come Scoglio she occasionally resorts to very colorful Verdian tones (mushy & impressionistic instead of clear and precise... it's a stylistic preference I admit - so if you don't have your heart set on certain styles of singing, this won't bother you)... and when she sings in full-voice, she often comes across as overly stentorian. Too beautiful to be called "bellowing" but... the word comes to mind. However I'm almost ashamed to mind these instances because no one can sing piano-soft sentiments like Caballe and when she does that, she lends a depth to certain lines that no other Fiordiligi I've heard has done. Secondly, Nicolai Gedda is one of my alltime favorite tenors but his recordings are hit or miss. In this one, he is unfortunately in very ugly voice. If this recording is all you know of Gedda's voice, you haven't heard what true glorious beauty can be (his Hoffmann and Faust are much better examples). Here, his voice sadly has frayed. The saving grace of Gedda is that he can utilize his voice with amazing mastery and even when the sound is not there for him, he can pull out a performance that's focussed and fully-rounded. His Ferrando is spunkier than many. He also knows how to blend beautifully and when he also sings softly... the rough edges disappear. The final seduction/duet of Fiordiligi, Fra gli amplessi in pochi stanti, is one of the recording's perfect moments with Caballe and Gedda both shining. Despite my frustrations with their style or sound, these two have the most intelligent and finely nuanced portrayals of all the singers on this recording. Janet Baker's Dorabella has a lovely deep tone, very lush. Her characterization is sometimes boring (is she even paying attention to G. in the heart duet?)... nothing close to Christa Ludwig's scintillating early portrayal (in the Lisa Della Casa combo) but her ensemble work with Caballe is beautiful stuff and I can't resist Baker's warm low notes. Wladimiro Ganzarolli has the kind of baritone voice I love, deeply rich and mellow and suave; his smug Guglielmo is a treat. And Ileana Cortrubas and Richard Van Allan are both fine. Neither might be my top choice for best singer of their respective roles, but they sing well and their characters are well-drawn. Colin Davis' conducting is also very strong and expressive. So essentially this is a near-perfect recording. Taken separately, all of the roles have been sung better in scattered other recordings, w/ the exception of Fiordiligi... I haven't heard one that was note-perfect from beginning to end, but together as an ensemble, all pull their best assets together and make a fine Cosi. Since I can't seem to find a Cosi that's utterly perfect at every level, I'd have to say... this could be as good as you get. It's certainly a strong candidate for top choice.

Where did all the reviews for this go? Well, it's all up to me, then...
This is a wonderful recording of some of Mozart's most beautiful music. It can be sterile at times, but that is more the nature of the composition, for the most part. Caballe and Baker blend perfecty as the two sisters should--so well that I can't always distinguish the two! Their solos are exceptional, as well. I don't go out of my way to buy Gedda recordings, but he's in fine form here. He sings beautifully, though his runs are kind of...bad. In addition, you can hear a studio splice at one point during an aria of his. No big deal, though. The lower male voices are, well, good, as well--no particular comments here. For me, Cotrubas all but steals the show as Despina. I crack up every time I hear her sing in the foreign language when posing as the doctor and sing with the most nasally voice you've ever heard for portraying the notary. This recording does justice to all the beautiful and grand moments of this charming opera. Check out the Colin Davis Don Giovanni and Le Nozze di Figaro, as well--they have Freni!

This version has always been one of my very great favourites. It can only be beaten by one of the best opera recordings ever made, that on EMI with Böhm/Ludwig etc. Here on Philips we have only very experienced singers, all very famous. The melt together in a wonderful way, so secure in their roles and all sounding as they really love the score. I give you the advise, if you are looking for the best Cosi, accept that there are two, this and the EMI one. Buy them both!

This opera contains some of Mozart's best music--and that's saying something! My favorite Mozart opera. You'll be hard pressed to find a comparable performance.

This performance does not feature Thomas Allen alas, he would have been better than the raw Ganzarolli), but Richard van Allan.

To me Cotrubas gives the only first class performance on this unfortuantely vocalized set.