Magnetic
05/05/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Solti gives a magnetic reading of Cosi Fan Tutte from start to finish! From the very first chords of the overture, you're mesmerized until the finale. You really feel that everyone is having fun at the performance that night - Solti, Renee, Annie, Frank, Olaf, Pertusi. Everyone is enjoying themselves, including the audience who are incredibly quiet. Unlike many other recordings where audience coughing intrudes into the performance, you only get a ripple of laughter once or twice (which adds to the realism and which again indicates how much the audience loved the performance). There is applause after a few numbers - in particular Fiordiligi's arias and a few other arias and the final ensemble. Some people think that is an irritation, I think it adds to the sense of occasion and fun. Frankly, I always like CDs where there is applause at the end. Otherwise, it sounds "dead" after the performance ends. Renee Fleming produces a ravishingly beautiful tone. Her long beautiful phrases are incredible. Before I heard this recording, I didn't really take much notice of Renee Fleming. "Bah! Another hype!" I thought. But oh how wrong I was. Renee Fleming is destined to take her place among legends such as Christa Ludwig, Scwarzkopf, and Joan Sutherland. Her voice is gorgeous. No wonder she has reputedly one of the most beautiful voices in the world. Annie Von Sofie is, as usual, a rock solid performer. She nevers gives anything less than excellent and in this recording it shows. Her arias are beautifully sung, fleet and agile. She is just a shade less opulent than legendary Christa Ludwig in the Bohm EMI set. Frank Lopardo is astonishing as Ferrando. His exquisite shading of his part took everyone by surprise. It is a stunning performance and the audience goes wild with applause after all his arias. His pianissimi is just incredible. I doubt you'll ever hear a better recorded Un Amorosa. Gorgeously sung. You'll be completely seduced by his singing. No wonder Fiordiligi caved in!!Olaf Bar is excellent as Guglielmo although he doesn't reach the distinction of Lopardo and Fleming. Still, we are comparing him with two singers of exceptional distinction. That doesn't mean he is bad. He is outstanding. The remaining singers are also excellent. Scarabelli in particular sounds her part in Despina - the characterization is superb. You can hear her character from the singing. Much as I admire the Bohm set, I feel that this set really surpasses it. I have both recordings by the way. I love Mozart and I couldn't live without both. in particular, I love Christa Ludwig, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf in the Bohm set. However, if pressed, I would choose the Solti as the top pick. Whenever I feel down, listening to the Solti set always brightens up my day simply because of the happiness that the performers exude. So you have my verdict."
A brilliant recording of a great opera!
06/29/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've seen this opera several times and I've heard excerpts from other recordings as well, and I've concluded that this recording is absolutely the most brilliant I've heard. The more I listen to it, the more I love it. Why? 1) Lopardo is the most musically expressive tenor I've heard sing this part -- his rich, mellow voice sounds light and flirtatious when he's wooing, and it sounds intense and positively anguished when he's singing of betrayal. But he has great comic timing, too, and one can almost see him smugly buffing his nails against his lapel when he wins his lady. He has an amazing range in terms of dynamics, style, and musicality. Every other time I've heard "Un'aura amorosa," it's been breezed through somewhat superficially. But Lopardo starts tenderly and grows to a full-bodied intensity, and then transitions with a beautiful diminuendo into the reprise. It's breathtaking.2) All the female singers are fabulous. Renee Fleming is perfect -- beautiful voice, wonderful control. And Scarabelli is saucy, flirtatious, and utterly wonderful.3) Solti's direction is perfect for this opera. It never, ever drags, even when some arias are taken slower than usual. The direction never becomes monotonous, and the full range of emotion in this opera is explored: Cosi starts out light and frivolous, and becomes increasingly more serious, and Solti follows through with that. The comic parts are allowed to be comic. The tragedy of the ending comes through even through the lightness of the opera.This is truly a brilliant recording of some of the most beautiful music ever written. Treat yourself."
Sparkling and Wondrous Cosi Fan Tutte Performance!
Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 09/10/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"COSI VAN TUTTE remains one of Mozart's most brilliant compositions, with more elegantly fluid arias, duets, trios, and ensembles than any one opera has a right to own! This 3 CD set is as fine as they come. Part of the reason is that the electricity of this live performance is something that somehow eludes studio recordings. Or is it just the opera, or the incredibly intelligent conducting of Sir Georg Solti, the warm Chamber Ensemble of Europe sound and responsiveness, or the cast that is still the dream cast for this particular opera? Whatever the explanation, this recording succeeds on every level. The tenderness of young lovers is sincere, the comedy is very much in evidence, and the purely vocal elements of uncommon difficulty sound simple in the hands of this cast. Renee Fleming is simply a radiant Fiordiligi, Anne Sofie von Otter sings Dorabella with such refinement and beauty of tone (has the trio 'Soave sia il vento" ever floated as beautifully as here?), Olaf Bar and Frank Lopardo fit the roles of the men suitors vocally and dramatically (and the interplay with their paramours is without peer), and the Despina of Adelina Scarabelli and the Don Alfonso of Michele Pertusi not only match the demands of their roles, they also deliver fine comic timing. This is still the reigning recording of this beloved opera (it dates back to 1996) and even if other recordings are in your library, this one belongs at the beginning of the Mozart section!"
Track Listings (26) - Disc #1