Product Details

• Actors: Miah Persson, Luca Pisaroni, Topi Lehtipuu, Anke Vondung, Nicolas Rivenq
• Directors: Nicholas Hytner
• Format: Classical, NTSC, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen, Subtitled
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: German, English, Spanish, Italian, French
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: BBC / Opus Arte
• DVD Release Date: April 24, 2007
• Run Time: 210 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000NIWI9K
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,294 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #6 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Historical Periods > Classical (c.1770-1830) > General AAS
  • #8 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Languages > German
  • #26 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Classical (c.1770-1830) > General

Editorial Reviews

Fanfare, Peter J. Rabinowitz, Jan-Feb 2010

Simply put, this widely praised Glyndebourne production is the Così we've been waiting for. Yes, there are plenty of alternatives. But little of the video competition has fared well on these pages. Sometimes the problems stem from the musical performance: the Pritchard-led Glyndebourne predecessor was dismissed as "largely routine" by David Kirk (29:5); the Östman was ruled out of court by Barry Brenesal, who said that the "conducting belonged to the then-new movement that found only three tempos in Mozart operas: fast, faster, fast forward" (30:4). Others were panned because of inadequate production values: Chereau's "takes itself far too seriously," according to Brian Robins (30:3); Bob Rose was less charitable still with Hermanns' "simply rotten" production that, he said, "reveals the producers' lack of understanding Mozart's genius" (30:6). Only Muti's Vienna production (Brenesal 32:3) and Harnoncourt's from Zurich (Christopher Williams, 30:1) received passing grades.

So what makes this performance stand out? First, the singing of the young cast is uniformly excellent. Or perhaps not quite uniformly: as is the case with her new Susanna in Pappano's Figaro, Miah Persson is even better than excellent, combining a gorgeous, flexible, and stunningly controlled voice (even in the most challenging coloratura passages) with her by-now familiar depth of dramatic insight. Just listen to (and watch) the solid scorn on "Come scoglio"--or, even better, the subtle variations in mood in her wrenching account of "Per pietà"--and you'll understand why she's my favorite Mozart soprano these days.

But the rest of the cast is nearly as good. Anke Vondung holds her own as Dorabella (certainly, a less rich part), and their voices blend extremely well. Topi Lehtipuu and Luca Pisaroni capture the emotional wobbles of the two self-deluded lovers--their ardor, their ungrounded confidence, their fury--with unerring security and luxurious tone. More than most performances, too, this one reveals a key social dynamic: the deception works in part because they're so much sexier when their costumes allow them to abandon the constraining propriety imposed by the social conventions that normally govern their behavior. Ainhoa Garmendia is a pert, disdainful Despina who doesn't over-camp the impersonations; and running the show tactfully is Nicholas Rivenq. An unusually attractive Don Alfonso, he's younger and far more fit than most in this role (he looks as if he just came off the racquet-ball court), and he seems an intellectual without a trace of pedantry; you can really believe that he wants to educate these two naive friends. Iván Fischer conducts with more romantic flexibility than you often get with period-instrument orchestras--and balance (both among the singers and between stage and pit) is finely calibrated. Purely as an audio version, this would stand up to any I've heard.

Fortunately, Nicholas Hytner's production is equally impressive--hardly a false step from beginning to end. In general, this staging takes the opera--arguably, Mozart's most intellectually challenging--seriously. But the seriousness does not bring solemnity. Hytner may avoid extreme farce, but there's plenty of wit, energy, and color throughout. More important, he doesn't condescend to the characters: you can understand both why they're so foolish and why they're so torn, and the final shots (where the resolution is clearly only partial) create tremendous poignance. The sets and costumes--simple but far from austere--suggest the late 18th or early 19th century, without creating a very specific moment; and while the production doesn't ostentatiously update the action, it stresses those aspects of character and situation that still ring true today. One point highlighted here is the bond between the sisters--indeed, one could argue that it's really Dorabella who seduces Fiordiligi; and while there is nothing louche or tasteless in the presentation of their relationship, it's obvious that they have a strong erotic link. Not that there's any lack of heterosexual electricity--as a result, the final scene, where nearly every possible pairing seems highly charged, is as smoldering as any you'll see. Yet aside from one or two moments, the sex is handled with tact: the performance is hardly prudish, but it's never aggressive either.

The Blu-ray video quality is stunning: you can see each leaf on the salads that our heroines are eating in act I. The 5.0 channel PCM is excellent as well. And while the extras are nothing special, both the conductor and the director offer intelligent insights into the opera. Two numbers are omitted, No. 7 (the duet "Al fato dan legge") and No. 24 (Ferrando's "Ah, io veggio"), but that's a minor issue. All in all, if this doesn't make it to my next Want List, we've got quite a year in store for us.

Product Description

MOZART:COSI FAN TUTTE - DVD Movie

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful Cosi fan tutte., June 10, 2007

By 

T. C. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mozart - Cosi fan Tutte (DVD)

For my taste, Glyndebourne 2006 new production of Cosi fan tutte is the best DVD version for this opera. Ivan Fisher is an excellent Mozartian, and the young and good-looking cast sings and acts with a lot of enthusiasm. The best singers are the wonderful Swedish Miah Persson as Fiordiligi, and the Italian baritone Luca Pisaroni as Guglielmo. Highly recommended!!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my favourite cosi dvd, December 24, 2007

By 

Michael Silverstone - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mozart - Cosi fan Tutte (DVD)

I picked up this dvd several months ago and it quickly became my favourite dvd of my favourite opera. There is so much that has to be considered for the wonderful balance that Mozart created here. From the all important ensembles down to the solo numbers everthing here works beautifully, sung by and appropriately youthfull cast and staged by Glyndebourne with a refreshing faithfullness to Mozart and DaPonte.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the two best Cosi's on DVD, July 6, 2007

By 

OpDVDfan (Cape Breton) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mozart - Cosi fan Tutte (DVD)

You won't regret purchasing this DVD of Cosi Fan Tutte. It ranks with the very best Cosi on DVD, the Gardiner with Amanda Roocroft, Rosa Mannion, Rodney Gilfry, Rainer Trost, Eirian James from Deutsche Grammophon. I didn't think that one could be matched but this one does it. Indeed, the acting is even slightly better.