Customer Reviews

Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte

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

 

 

True, the orchestra is a big, full one and not the smaller, more currently fashionable size; and the instruments are contemporary and not those of Mozart's period; and the singers, except for the leading lady, Eleanor Steber, were new to Mozart when hired to sing and record these roles; and this recording uses an English translation instead of the original Italian; and, I assume that the score has been abridged since this recording is complete on two CD's instead of the usual three. All of the above being true, I'd still recommend this version of Mozart's most charming music.

Certainly the orchestra, under Fritz Stiedry, sounds wonderful--even though the recording was made for Columbia Records 50-odd years ago, it is a big, warm, luscious sound remastered by Sony for their superb Masterworks Series. The artwork is that of the original with a thoughtful essay by The Earl of Harewood and the liner notes are complete with many charming photographs of the original sessions.

All of the principal singers are first rate with special marks going to Steber and her tenor, Richard Tucker. The translation is, surprisingly enough, witty and clever. And the singers all enunciate English very well.

I think anyone's first choice for an opera recording should be in the original language, but if you can afford to buy two, this one, in English, would make a terrific second set.

This recording is an important historical document of the 1951 Metropolitan Opera production designed by Rolf Gerard and directed by Alfred Lunt (of Broadway's famous Lunt and Fontaine.) One of Sir Rudolf Bing's early successes, it lasted all the way up to 1981, and was repeated 70 times. This production was part of the 1950's trend of making opera more accessible to the Metropolitan public by using an English singing version with some Broadway zip, this one by the ubiquitous Ruth and Thomas Martin, published in the G. Schirmer score. For all of you opera workshop folks singing and staging scenes from Cosi: there are some discrepancies in the text between this recording and that score, so take note! The changes made in the recording are frequently better than what's been published.

The performance is not influenced by scholarship. What's important is that the singers really do inhabit their characters convincingly. The English diction varies between performers, but at least it's always clean: Eleanor Steber rolls every R with imperious conviction (old-fashioned, yes, but good for Fiordiligi); Roberta Peters tends to a more Broadway approach (as the lower class Despina); Blanche Thebom as Dorabella sounds a little wan and flat at times, but she remains charming and a tad ditsy. (Steber and Thebom together sometimes remind me of Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble!) Richard Tucker and Frank Guarrera always enunciate clearly and have generous voices for their roles - Tucker's "My love is a flower" (Un aura amorosa) is a particular luxury, and the high tessitura poses no problems. Lorenzo Alvary struggles against a heavy accent, but he usually wins.

There are some stylistic disappointments, mostly in the recitatives, the tempos of which are mostly heavy and ponderous. (The dry block chords by Josef Blatt on the piano are no help.) The singers, however, manage to keep their performances involved and interesting. The conducting of Fritz Stiedry propels the ensembles considerably. (There are many cuts, and no ornamentation, not even any appogiature, but this is all standard for the 1950's.)

The recording is packaged very prettily, with photograghs of the Gerard production, the cast in those wonderful costumes, and the recording sessions. The cast looks as though they were having a grand old time indeed.

On a sad note - if it's true that the Masterworks Heritage series has been discontinued - the world will lose The MET's English Hansel and Gretel (with Rise Stevens and Nadine Conner, and Thelma Votipka as the Witch - my very first opera recording ever); Faust (in French, with Eugene Conley, Cesare Siepi, and Steber - she could sing anything! Fausto Cleva conducting - my favorite Faust recording to date and my second opera recording ever); the very Broadway English Die Fledermaus (Ljuba Welitsch of Salome fame as Rosalinda, Lily Pons as the French maid Adele, Tucker as Alfred the opera tenor); and, most distessingly, the MET's first production of The Rake's Progress with Igor Stravinsky conducting (with Hilde Gueden, Eugene Conley, Blanche Thebom and Mack Harrell)- also my favorite recording of this opera. (I have since learned that this recording IS available on another label, but not in this country. Frustrating!)

Up-and-coming young American singers need to hear what opera was like back in the day, and need to hear who was singing what - it's not enough just to read about it. The old MET recordings are treasures. We need them!

Sony, Columbia, whatever, abandoned this recording resurrection series and started deleting. This is a wonderful performance and an excellent argument for popularizing opera by singing it in an understandable language. In English Cosi comes across like a hip Broadway musical done "in the style of Mozart" and that ain't bad! Playing Mozart the old way ain't bad either, I'm starting to like this non-historical but enthusiastic approach more and more.

Not a review so much as an alert to pick this up whenever you have a chance and before the used price hits the $100.00 mark.

SOURCE:
Studio recording made in June 1952 at the Columbia 30th Street Studio in New York City and originally released by Columbia Records in 1952.

SOUND:
Good early 1950s mono from the period just before the wide-spread introduction of stereo recording. As was usual at the time, the voices were well-captured and placed well forward (as I personally prefer them to be), but the orchestra sounds a bit compressed and boxy by digital-era standards. The chorus is distant and slightly mushy. On the whole, the sound is perfectly acceptable if heard with good will.

CAST:
Fiordiligi, a wealthy and proper(?) young lady, sister of Dorabella - Eleanor Steber (soprano)
Dorabella, a wealthy and proper(?) young lady, sister of Fiordiligi - Blanche Thebom (mezzo-soprano)
Ferrando, a young man in love with love and foolish wagers - Richard Tucker (tenor)
Guglielmo, a young man in love with love and foolish wagers - Frank Guarrera (baritone)
Don Alfonso, an older friend(?) to the four young lovers, much given to cynicism and treacheries - Lorenzo Alvary (bass-baritone)
Despina, maid to Fiordiligi and Dorabella and not averse to making a profit by posing as a doctor and a notary - Roberta Peters (soprano)

CONDUCTOR:
Fritz Stiedry, with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, with piano continuo for the dry recitatives by Josef Blatt.

COMMENTARY:
When Rudolf Bing came unexpectedly (even for him) to take over the Metropolitan Opera in New York, he set out to provide some box office hits to start off his tenure with a bang. He was successful from the start with a new production of "Die Fledermaus" (for which he had unsuccessfully attempted to snare no less formidable comedian than Charlie Chaplin) and then in the 1951-52 season with "Così fan tutte." Both productions were in brand new English translations.

The original stage cast was the same as on this recording, save for Partice Munsel as Despina and John Brownlee as Don Alfonso. Patrice Munsel is perhaps no great loss, but it is regrettable that Australian John Browlee was replaced by Alvary, whose native Hungarian accent tends to separate him from the other singers to no good purpose.

The translation is by the team of Ruth and Thomas Martin and it's a pretty good one. The Martins were quite skillful in converting Italian libretti into mid-20th Century American idiom. The translation sings well and sounds well, falling into overblown staginess only occasionally when adhering especially faithfully to the original text.

I had been aware of this production for many years but had never heard it. Frankly, I was steered away the thought of Richard Tucker--of all unlikely people in the world!--doing Mozart. At last, though, I stumbled upon a used copy at such small price that I couldn't pass it up. Imagine my surprise to discover that Tucker--Tucker!!--was not only capable of singing Mozart, but pretty good at it. Oh, along with the rest of the cast, he avoided the vocal decorations we now consider to be essential. But fashions change, and he was true to his era. The great, loud, ultra-emotionalism of the tenor we all know was effectively restrained and Mozart was well-served--by Richard Tucker!!!

Equally good, but far less surprisingly so, is the always excellent Eleanor Steber as Fiordiligi. Few sopranos can be equally effective as Fiordiligi and Madama Butterfly, but Steber was certainly among their number.

Blanche Thebom and Frank Guarerra were long-time stalwarts of the Met. They are fine here, but definitely put in the shade by their colleagues Steber and Tucker.

Roberta Peters turns in a sound performance as Despina, no complaints there, but she seems over-restrained compared to other famous practitioners of the part.

Alvary, Hungarian accent aside, is good as Don Alfonso. As a matter of personal taste, while I'd prefer a characterization with more snarl and bite, his pseudo-amiability is a perfectly valid approach to the role. And, as is true of each of the principal singers of the cast, his English diction is amazingly understandable from beginning to end.

Overall, this is pleasing English version of Mozart's very lovely and even more cynical opera, sung by a cast that I, for one, would not associate with that composer. In strictly operatic terms, it is overshadowed by a number of Italian-language productions. As a piece of theater, on the other hand, particularly for speakers of American English, it can only be described as a triumph. That rascal Bing knew his business.

This is a five-star theatrical performance in a highly idiosyncratic version of Mozart's brilliant opera, reduced by one star for its dated sonics.

LEC/Am Us/Am UK/12-2010

Yes it has a lot going against it as a viable complete recording Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte:

1. Major cuts: Ferrando (Tucker) only gets one of his three arias, "My Love is a Flower", Dorabella (Thebom) loses one of hers, cuts to the recitatives (not necessarily a bad thing), trimming of the finales of both acts.
2. Sung in English (the translation is good for the most part, but there are some groaners)
3. Big orchestra on modern instruments (that plays wonderfully)
4. Decent 1950s mono sound (i.e. not audiofile quality)

But what it has that no other recording has is a cast that rehearsed and performed this opera for several months, and as a result, has more life and fun than any other recording. Tucker and Guerrera's hamming is simply delightful. Once you've heard them in the opening scene, every other Ferrando and Guglielmo will seem totally boring/detached from their role. Peters nasal Doctor is deliciously over the top. These people are having a great time. The notes are no obstacle, they simply are their characters. And the whole thing flows naturally like a live performance. Plus, the diction is excellent.

Add to that Eleanor Steber's definitive (albeit in English) Fiordiligi. Both arias are nothing short of magnificent. For me, she is/was the perfect Mozart soprano. Every note sounds perfectly natural, effortless, without sounding studied, finessed and/or fussy (Schwarzkopf). And her duets with Thebom are excellent, they blend very well.

Richard Tucker's Ferrando is wonderful. After hearing his luscious voice in this music, all other Ferrando's sound anemic.

Peters is an excellent Despina. Both arias are great. And she inhabits the role.

Vocally, Thebom and Guerra are not quite on Steber, Tucker and Peters level, but neither disappoints and both are excellent in ensembles.

The only disappointing performance in this context is Alvary's Don Alfonso. He sings well, but his accent sounds like he wandered in from a Bela Lugosi movie.

Buy it before it disappears!

The English translation is delightful, the singing wonderfully lively. A snob might look down his nose at performing this opera in English, but if you are just an ordinary, unpretentious, English-speaking opera lover, you will love this recording.

I recall this recording on LP in the early fifties. It conveys the humour and genius of Mozart with great singers although other than Steber they were not previously identified with WM.