Search - Mozart, Price, Milnes :: Cosi Fan Tutte

A vocal feast

opernnarr | Carrboro, NC USA | 05/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'd like to put in a plug for this underappreciated recording, which has long been my favorite version of the opera. The performance is characteristically American in that the singers have fresh, young voices and sing with extroverted enthusiasm. Perhaps they downplay the sexual intrigue, but the drama registers vividly and the singers develop their characters fully, which is no small compensation. I can think of few recordings of this opera that are as much FUN to listen to as this one: when the "Albanians" arrive at Fiordiligi's house, Milnes and Shirley's affected voices are so funny that I never fail to laugh. The *uniqneness* of the voices is what I cherish most. All six principals have individual, colorful sounds that bring their parts to life. Price takes a role that is not a natural fit for her and transforms it into a wonderful showcase for her abilities: the endless legato, glowing upper register, and verbal acuity are all here. It is a joy to hear her gorgeous sound in "Per pieta" and in the long, arching phrases of the ensembles. Troyanos sings with dark, perfectly projected tones, and yet manages to sound like a convincing younger sister. Shirley is amazing: he has a honeyed sound for the arias, which he phrases beautifully, and superb dramatic instincts. He is particularly impressive after Fiordiligi's rejection; listen to the recitative before "Tradito, schernito," and you won't have to guess what this character is feeling. Milnes is wonderful, too, singing with virile energy. Musicologists will cringe: we're a long way from "authentic" performance practice here (the orchestra is huge), but no other version I've heard makes the opera come alive quite like this one does."

'wonderful'

opernnarr | 11/29/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 1967 recording of Cosi fan tutte was the first to offer the

opera absolutely complete. The music is delightful and beautifully

executed by the LPO under the firm leadership of Erich Leinsdorf.

Leontyne Price and Tatiana Troyanos are most winning as the two

sisters - their style may not be entirely "mozartian" but the sheer

lusciousness of their voices and the warmth and vibrancy they bring

to their characters is just irresistible. As their lovers George

Shirley and Sherrill Milnes have handsome voices and their interplay

is most effective. Judith Raskin is a vivacious Despina but her tone

is not very ingratiating and her 'funny moments'are a bit overdone -

too bad Reri Grist was not chosen instead. Ezio Flagello is a rich-

voiced no-nonsense Alfonso. Very well recorded and highly enjoyable.





"

Like A Richly Layered Chocolate Cake: Audial Treasure

opernnarr | 06/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One wonders why Leontyne Price never seriously immersed herself in more of the "operetta" like charm of certain operas such as this one. While not necessarily an operetta, I like to think of Cosi Fan Tutte and even Le Nozze Di Figaro as well as operas like Strauss' Rosenkavalier and La Rondine to contain less dramatically driven and more relaxed operetta style sentiment. This Cosi came as quite a surprise. I didnt even know it existed. I own the George Solti Cosi, starring Renee Fleming, the old-school Elisabeth Schwartkopff Cosi, and the one with Kiri Te Kenawa. But this one is on a class of its own. While Schwartzkopff, Te Kenawa and Fleming make beautiful Fiordiligis, they are primarily lyric sopranos. When we get Leontyne Price as Fiordiligi, we are treated to a more complex, far more mature and less showy, more REAL Fiordiligi. Mozart "sounded" good on Leontyne. She was able to fill his melodic lines with richness, depth, beauty and drama. She has sung Dona Ana in Don Giovanni, Dona Elvira and the Countess in Figaro. She is not only a Verdi soprano but a Mozart soprano, something which is actually forgotten about her. She is absolutely the best Fiordilgi! All the others make her sound pretty and try not to get lost in the complexity of the heroine- Fiordilgi is the most "modern" in 20th century terms, than the other Mozart heroines. Fiordiligi may dramatically declare her fidelity in Como Scoglio - which Price sings with bravura - but she is really tempted to be an independent woman and not be tied to a man. No other singer conveys this but Price, herself a modern singer. Perhaps this role was not something most people lauded because it was at its time in the 50's or early 60's- a "lily white" role, mostly sung by European women. To see a black Fiordiligi was new at the time. Price is wonderful. I really enjoyed everything she sang on this- solo arias and ensembles. The only other truly in-depth Fiordiligi is Cecilia Bartoli. Fans of Miss Price, check this one out please. Add it to your collection and make it part of your Mozart editions.



The conducting by Leinsdorf has been criticized but I think it's acceptable. Solti was not exactly a Mozart conductor and yet there's all the hype about his Cosi. Leinsdorf was Prices' main man as far as conductor. Not even Karajan did as much for her. Under Leinsdorf's baton, Price gave performances of Aida, Madame Butterfly, Don Giovanni - all fine performances by Price. The men in this recording are the only other highlight. The soubrette in the role of Despina is nothing to be excited about and neither is the mezzo soprano as Dorabella. Sherill Milnes and Ezio Flagello have fine bass/baritone voices that sound good together and individually and truly capture the Mozart spirit. Please check this one out. It's a good Cosi nonetheless. But if you find yourself not attracted to it, then go for the Solti edition or the one with Kiri Te Kenawa. This may well be a recording suitable only for hardcore fans of the one and only the one-woman opera that was Leontyne Price- who has a voice of many colors and highs register that reaches the clouds and the earth as deep."