Mozart's Così fan tutte
Mozart's Cosi fan tutte
Gramophone Choice
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (sop) Fiordiligi Christa Ludwig (mez) Dorabella Hanny Steffek (sop) Despina Alfredo Kraus (ten) Ferrando Giuseppe Taddei (bar) Guglielmo Walter Berry (bass) Don Alfonso Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra / Karl Böhm
EMI Great Recordings of the Century 567379-2 (165' · ADD · Recorded 1962) Buy from Amazon
Così fan tutte is the most balanced and probing of all Mozart’s operas, formally faultless, musically inspired from start to finish, emotionally a matter of endless fascination and, in the second act, profoundly moving. It has been very lucky on disc, and besides this delightful set there have been several other memorable recordings. However, Karl Böhm’s cast could hardly be bettered, even in one’s dreams. The two sisters are gloriously sung – Schwarzkopf and Ludwig bring their immeasurable talents as Lieder singers to this sparkling score and overlay them with a rare comic touch. Add to that the stylish singing of Alfredo Kraus and Giuseppe Taddei, and the central quartet is unimpeachable. Walter Berry’s Don Alfonso is characterful and Hanny Steffek is quite superb as Despina.
The pacing of this endlessly intriguing work is measured with immaculate judgement. The emotional control of the characterisation is masterly and Böhm’s totally idiomatic response to the music is arguably without peer. However, more recent recordings, using period instruments, do offer stimulating alternative views.
Così fan tutte (sung in English)
Janice Watson (sop) Fiordiligi Diana Montague (mez) Dorabella Lesley Garrett (sop) Despina Toby Spence (ten) Ferrando Christopher Maltman (bar) Guglielmo Sir Thomas Allen (bar) Don Alfonso Geoffrey Mitchell Choir; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment / Sir Charles Mackerras
Chandos Opera in English CHAN3152 (161’ · DDD · S/T) Buy from Amazon
Sir Peter Moores comments that the phrase ‘Così fan tutte’ is ‘almost impossible to translate’ into English. Thus it is that the delivery of Ferrando and Guglielmo’s pronouncement, under the cynical tutorship of Don Alfonso, is one of the few lines that have not been translated in this volume of the Opera in English series (Alfonso’s exclamation ‘Misericordia!’ is the other one left intact, and rightly so). Sometimes opera in English sounds too close to Gilbert and Sullivan at their cheesiest but in a sparkling comedy such as Così fan tutte that is not necessarily a bad thing: in fact this is tremendously enjoyable because it allows Anglophones to concentrate on exactly what the characters are saying. So if Opera in English brings a wider audience closer to the heart of Mozart’s and da Ponte’s masterpiece, then it can only be a wonderful thing.
Of course, it helps that the music has seldom sounded as glorious as it does in the hands of Sir Charles Mackerras and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Both are consummate Mozartians, and the pacing, ebb and flow of the music is near-perfect. In particular, the OAE’s woodwind are on ravishing form. In terms of stylishness, orchestral sound and the sentimental strength of the playing, this Così is on a par with the finest period-instrument versions (Östman and Gardiner), and arguably has more heart than the OAE’s previous recording under Sir Simon Rattle (EMI). The three ladies are animated (but not consistently pleasing on the ear), so the three men steal the show vocally: Sir Thomas Allen is, of course, a renowned Don Alfonso of authority and warmth, Christopher Maltman is a suave Guglielmo and Toby Spence delivers some of the best Mozart tenor-singing in a long time. Although he falls short in softer music, he brings ringing clarity and declamatory emotion to 'Tradito! Schernito!' (here 'Her ter-reason is poison').
DVD / Blu-ray recommendation
Miah Persson (sop) Fiordiligi Anke Vondung (mez) Dorabella Ainhoa Garmendia (sop) Despina Topi Lehtipuu (ten) Ferrando Luca Pisaroni (bar) Guglielmo Nicolas Rivenq (bass) Don Alfonso Glyndebourne Chorus; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment / Iván Fischer
Stage director Nicholas Hytner
Video director Francesca Kemp
Opus Arte (DVD) OA0970D; (Blu-ray) OABD7035D
(3h 30' · NTSC · 1080i · 16:9 · PCM stereo & DTS 5.1 · 0 · Recorded live 2006)
Since 1934, when Glyndebourne revived this then-neglected work and began its run of success, it has presented a succession of exemplary stagings all within the parameters of da Ponte’s libretto. When this, the latest, was produced it was universally hailed: as faithful a representation of the equivocal comedy as one could wish. That’s confirmed by this DVD.
Both Despina and Alfonso are played traditionally and with notable brio by Garmendia and Rivenq. The delightful Persson and Vondung make a wholly believable and vocally attractive Fiordiligi and Dorabella, and deliver their music in ideal Mozartian tone and style. Similarly, Lehtipuu is a charming and wide-eyed Ferrando and Pisaroni a warm-voiced and personal Guglielmo. They both woo with seductive charm. As reviews at the time reported, Fischer conducts with an unassumingly correct sense of timing and has the inestimable advantage of the OAE’s period instruments.
