Cosi Fan Tutte

Cosi fan tutte"Of the numerous recordings of Cosi fan tutte in the catalogue, many of them excellent, I don't think there is any that has moved me as intensely at the work's ultimate climax, the Act 2 finale, as this new one of John Eliot Gardiner's. Nowadays we recognize, of course, that Cosi is not the frivolous frolic at the expense of womankind that it was long supposed to be, but something much more serious and (in my view at least) deeply sympathetic to women. Gardiner takes much of the finale at a rather steady pace, allowing plenty of time in the canon-toast for a gorgeous sensuous interplay of these lovely young voices, then carefully pacing the E major music that follows, pointing up the alarmed G minor music after the march is heard and sustaining the tension artfully at a high level during the denouement scene: so that, when their vow of undying love and loyalty, 'Idol mio, se questo e vero', is finally reached, it carries great pathos and emotional weight, and the sense too that all are chastened by the experience is evident in the ensemble that ensues.

Under Franz Welser-Möst’s fabulous conducting this production of the Zurich Opera House is setting musical standards. In conjunction with the director Sven-Eric Bechtolf, he has developed into one of the leading teams in contemporary music theater. A great score, a famous production and wonderful singers: this Così fan tutte live recorded at the famous Zurich Opera House is a ‘must see’ for opera lovers.

Jealous men and unreliable women: Mozart's 'Opera buffa' Cosi fan tutte is a masterpiece of its genre. This operatic gem which is part comedy, part tragedy is a wry study in love, manipulation and trust. After having cooperated twice before (Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni) Così fan tutte was the third and last collaboration of Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. It is a clear-sightedly view of the confusion of human relations and opens up an abyss that seems to go far beyond the framework of a 'Dramma giocoso'. In the tension between love and passion, security and self-negation, faithfulness and betrayal, the couples get lost in emotional chaos… by amazon

Jean-Pierre Ponnelle (1932-1988) was one of the most eminent opera directors of the second half of the 20th century. His productions not only graced the repertoires of opera houses in Salzburg, Milan and New York, but also enhanced television programming with original, classical opera films produced exclusively by Unitel. Ponnelle always bestowed particular love and care on Mozart's operas, whether popular works such as "Die Zauberflöte" and "Figaro," or less known works such as "La clemenza di Tito," "Idomeneo" and "Mitridate."

There are many things to enjoy about this period-instrument Cosi: the convincing sense of style that runs through it, the sweetness of the orchestral sound, the due observance of the appoggiaturas (which matches the music so happily to the natural stress of the words), the general fluency and sense of theatrical presentation. Some listeners may find, as I do, certain of the tempos excessively rapid. This new CD ver sion provides a warm, well-defined sound, in general a marginal improvement on the LPs, of course without the slightest surface interference and with just a touch more of clarity and fullness, especially in the ensembles, where the different threads are even more easily distinguished. And the trumpets and drums, on whose prominence I remarked in discussing the LPs, come through still more markedly here. As before, the woodwind balance is exemplary. Firmly recommended to any open-minded lover of Mozart. S.S.

This recording of Così fan tutte was made when the cast was preparing for performances at the 1993 Edinburgh Festival, so the cast had the advantage of enough rehearsal time together to relax into the opera's humor. Their easy rapport is most evident in the spirited recitatives, which sparkle with spontaneity and wit. The fact that the principals are talented comedians makes their unforced interactions genuinely fun, and they sound like they are thoroughly enjoying themselves. Although they are not all international superstars, the performances are stellar. The soloists bring out the humanity and complexity of the opera, and artfully convey their characters' emotional development.

Who loves whom in Così fan tutte, Mozart’s and Da Ponte’s cruelly comic reflection on desire, fidelity and betrayal? Or have the confusions to which the main characters subject one another ensured that in spite of the heartfelt love duets and superficially fleetfooted comedy nothing will work any longer and that a sense of emotional erosion has replaced true feelings? Così fan tutte is a timeless work full of questions that affect us all. The Academy Award-winning director Michael Haneke once said that he was merely being precise and did not want to distort reality.