Our Summer BAL 1: Cosi fan Tutte

[verismissimo]

Mozart's been getting a bit of a bashing on these boards, so I thought the idyllic Cosi fan tutte might make a good summer BAL for us.

Same relaxation of availability rules as last week.

And the runners are...

[verismissimo]

I appear to have the Karajan/Philharmonia recording with Schwarzkopf, Merriman, Pamerai and Simoneau from 1954, the Bohm/Philharmonia with Schwarzkopf, Ludwig, Kraus and Taddei from 1963 and the Muti/VPO with Marshall, Baltsa, Morris and Araiza.

Also highlights from Fritz Busch/Glyndebourne with Jurinac, Thebom, Lewis and Kunz from 1950.

One or other of the Philharmonia/Legge recordings are what I listen to most often.

But I really loved the Glyndebourne/OAE/Fischer production from five or so years ago.

[aeolium]

No bashing from me, verismissimo

I love the 1955 Böhm VPO recording with a wonderful cast of della Casa, Ludwig, Dermota, Kunz and Schöffler. It does have some small cuts in the score, and the recording shows its age, but it is a superb performance.

I also like the Haitink LPO recording from the 1980s, and I'd be interested in any views about the live Krips Vienna State Opera recording which has an impressive cast.

For a really cheap recording, the Karajan is available on Naxos. I agree with you about the Glyndebourne production and that would be my choice for a DVD.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

[I]Available versions:[/I]

Charlotte Margiono, Delores Ziegler, Anna Steiger, Deon van der Walt, Gilles Cachemaille, Thomas Hampson, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Netherlands Opera Chorus, Nikolaus Harnoncourt

Anna Caterina Antonacci, Monica Bacelli, Laura Cherici, Richard Decker, Albert Dohmen, Sesto Bruscantini, Marchigiana Vincenzo Bellini Lyric Chorus & Marchigiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Gustav Kuhn

Soile Isokoski, Monica Groop, Nancy Argenta, Markus Schäfer, Per Vollestad & Huub Claessens, La Petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken

Annelies Kupper (Fiordiligi); Hertha Töpper (Dorabella); Rudolf Schock (Ferrando); Horst Günter (Guglielmo); Erika Köth (Despina) & Walter Berry (Don Alfonso), Bavarian Radio, Eugen Jochum

Felicity Lott, Nuccia Focile, Marie McLaughlin, Jerry Hadley, Alessandro Corbelli & Gilles Cachemaille, Scottish Chamber Orchestra & Chorus, Sir Charles Mackerras

Soile Isokoski (Fiordiligi), Monica Groop (Dorabella), Nancy Argenta (Despina), Markus Schäfer (Ferrando), Per Vollestad (Guglielmo), Huub Claessens (Don Alfonso), Le Petite Bande Orchestra & Chorus, Sigiswald Kuijken

Karita Mattila (Fiordiligi), Anne Sofie von Otter (Dorabella), Thomas Allen (Guglielmo), Francisco Araiza (Ferrando), Elzbieta Szmytka (Despina), José van Dam (Don Alfonso), Ambrosian Opera Chorus & Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner

Kiri Te Kanawa (Fiordiligi), Frederica von Stade (Dorabella), Teresa Stratas (Despina), David Rendall (Ferrando), Philippe Huttenlocher (Guglielmo) & Jules Bastin (Don Alfonso), Choeurs de l'Opéra du Rhin & Orchestra Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Alain Lombard

Te Kanawa, Murray, McLaughlin, Blochwitz, Hampson & Furlanetto, Konzertvereinigung, Wiener Staatsopernchor & Wiener Philharmoniker, James Levine

Véronique Gens (Fiordiligi), Bernarda Fink (Dorabella), Werner Güra (Ferrando), Marcel Boone (Guglielmo), Pietro Spagnoli (Don Alfonso) Graciela Oddone (Despina, Concerto Köln, René Jacobs

Carol Vaness, Delores Ziegler, Lilian Watson, John Aler & Dale Duesing & Claudio Desdori, Glyndebourne Chorus & London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bernard Haitink

Leontyne Price (Fiordiligi), Tatiana Troyanos (Dorabella), Judith Raskin (Despina), Ezio Flagello (Ferrando), Sherill Milnes (Guglielmo), George Shirley (Don Alfonso), New Philharmonia Orchestra & The Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Erich Leinsdorf

Stuart Burrows (Ferrando), Thomas Allen (Guglielmo), Richard Van Allan (Don Alfonso), Kiri Te Kanawa (Fiordiligi), Agnes Baltsa (Dorabella), Daniela Mazzucato (Despina), Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Colin Davis

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Fiordiligi), Nan Merriman (Dorabella), Lisa Otto (Despina), Rolando Panerai (Guglielmo), Leopold Simoneau (Ferrando), Sesto Bruscantini (Don Alfonso), Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus, Herbert von Karajan

Cecilia Bartoli, Agnes Baltsa, Liliana Nikiteanu, Roberto Sacca, Oliver Widmer, Carlos Chausson, Chorus & Orchestra of the Opernhaus Zürich, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, stage direction by Jürgen Flimm [DVD]

Joanna Borowska (soprano), Priti Coles (soprano), John Dickie (tenor), Andrea Martin (baritone), Peter Mikulas (bass), Rohangiz Yachmi (mezzo-soprano), Capella Istropolitana, Slovak Philharmonic Chorus, Johannes Wildner

Lisa della Casa (Fiordiligi), Christa Ludwig (Dorabella), Emmy Loose (Despina), Anton Dermota (Ferrando), Erich Kunz (Guglielmo), Paul Schöffler (Alfonso), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Böhm

Irmgard Seefried, Dagmar Hermann, Erich Kunz, Anton Dermota, Lisa Otto, Paul Schöffler, Wiener Philharmoniker, Chor der Wiener Staatsoper, Karl Böhm

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Fiordiligi), Christa Ludwig (Dorabella), Graziella Sciutti (Despina), Waldemar Kmentt (Ferrando), Hermann Prey (Guglielmo), Karl Dönch (Don Alfonso), Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Staatsoperchor, Karl Böhm

Helena Döse, Sylvia Lindenstrand, Daniele Perriers, Thomas Allen, Anson Austin, Frantz Petr, Glyndebourne Chorus, London Philharmonic Orchestra, John Pritchard, stage production by Adrian Slack [DVD]

Eleanor Steber, Blanche Thebom, Lorenzo Alvary & Cesare Valletti, Metropolitan Opera, Fritz Stiedry

Sena Jurinac (Fiordiligi), Alice Howland (Dorabella), Richard Lewis (Ferrando), Marko Rothmüller (Guglielmo), Sesto Bruscantini (Don Alfonso), Isa Quesnel (Despina), Chorus & Orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival, Fritz Busch

Gloria Scalchi, Adriana Damato, Riccardo Novaro, Ruben Martinez, Daniela Mazzuccato, Rolando Panerai, Rome Philharmonic, Paolo Ponziano Ciardi [DVD]

Gloria Scalchi, Adriana Damato, Riccardo Novaro, Rubèn Martinez, Daniela Mazzuccato, Rolando Panerai, Coro Lirico Sinfonico Romano, Orchestra Filarmonica di Roma, Paolo Ponziano Ciardi, directed by Enrico Castiglione [DVD]

Ann Christine Biel, Maria Höglind, Lars Tibell, Magnus Linden, Ulla Severin, Enzo Florimo, The Drottningholm Court Theatre Chorus and Orchestra, Arnold Östman, stage direction by Willy Decker [DVD]

Gundula Janowitz (Fiordiligi), Christa Ludwig (Dorabella), Walter Berry (Guglielmo), Adolf Dallapozza (Ferrando), Olivera Miljakovic (Despina) & Eberhard Waechter (Don Alfonso), Chorus & Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, Josef Krips

Dorothea Röschmann, Katharina Kammerloher, Hanno Müller-Brachmann, Werner Güra, Daniela Bruera & Roman Trekel, Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim [DVD]

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Fiordiligi), Nan Merriman (Dorabella), Luigi Alva (Ferrando), Rolando Panerai (Guglilmo), Graziella Sciutti (Despina), Franco Calabrese (Don Alfonso), Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Guido Cantelli

Teresa Stich-Randall (Fiordiligi), Teresa Berganza (Dorabella), Rolando Panerai (Guglielmo), Luigi Alva (Ferrando), Mariella Adani (Despina) & Marcello Cortis (Don Alfonso), Chorus & Orchestra of the Societé des Concerts du Conservatoire de Paris, Hans Rosbaud

Miah Persson (Fiordiligi), Anke Vondung (Dorabella), Ainhoa Garmendia (Despina), Topi Lehtipuu (Ferrando), Luca Pisaroni (Guglielmo), Nicolas Rivenq (Don Alfonso), Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment & The Glyndebourne Chorus, Ivan Fischer (conductor) & Nicholas Hytner (stage director) [Blu-ray]

Miah Persson (Fiordiligi), Anke Vondung (Dorabella), Ainhoa Garmendia (Despina), Topi Lehtipuu (Ferrando), Luca Pisaroni (Guglielmo), Nicolas Rivenq (Don Alfonso),
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment & The Glyndebourne Chorus, Ivan Fischer [DVD]

Erin Wall, Elina Garanca, Stéphane Degout, Shawn Mathey & Ruggero Raimondi, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Daniel Harding [DVD]

Edita Gruberova, Teresa Stratas, Luis Lima & Ferruccio Furlanetto, Wiener Philharmoniker, Nikolaus Harnoncourt [DVD]

Amanda Roocroft (Fiordiligi ), Rose Mannion (Dorabella), Eirian James (Despina), Rainer Trost (Ferrando), Rodney Gilfry (Guglielmo), Claudio Nicolai (Don Alfonso), Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner[DVD]

Celestina Casapietra (Fiordiligi), Annelies Burmeister (Dorabella), Sylvia Geszty (Despina), Peter Schreier (Ferrando), Günther Leib (Guglielmo), Theo Adam (Don Alfonso), Staatskapelle Berlin, Otmar Suitner

Margaret Marshall (Fiordiligi), Ann Murray (Dorabella), Francisco Araiza (Ferrando), James Morris (Guglielmo), Sesto Bruscantini (Don Alfonso) & Kathleen Battle (Despina), Wiener Philharmoniker, Riccardo Muti (conductor) & Michael Hampe (stage director) [DVD]

Barbara Frittoli (Fiordiligi), Angelica Kirchschlager (Dorabella), Bo Skovhus (Guglielmo), Michael Schade (Ferrando), Monica Bacelli (Despina) & Alessandro Corbelli (Don Alfonso), Vienna State Opera Chorus & Orchestra, Riccardo Muti[DVD]

Daniela Dessì (Fiordiligi), Delores Ziegler (Dorabella), Alessandro Corbelli (Guglielmo), Jozef Kundlak (Ferrando), Adelina Scarabelli (Despina) & Claudio Desderi (Don Alfonso), Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro Alla Scala, Riccardo Muti

Miah Persson (Fiordiligi), Isabel Leonard (Dorabella), Topi Lehtipuu (Ferrando), Florian Boesch (Guglielmo), Bo Skovhus (Don Alfonso), Patricia Petibon (Despina), Wiener Philharmoniker, Adam Fischer [Blu-ray]

Malin Hartelius (Fiordiligi), Anna Bonitatibus (Dorabella), Martina Janková (Despina), Javier Camarena (Ferrando), Ruben Drole (Guglielmo), Oliver Widmer (Don Alfonso), Zurich Opera House, Franz Welser-Möst (conductor) & Sven-Eric Bechtolf (director) [DVD/Blu-ray]

[verismissimo]

What an amazing selection, Eine. No wonder kosher BAL hasn't done it for such a long time.

And to think this sublime work lay virtually unperformed for over a century.

But what to acquire from them all, especially amongst the more recent recordings?

[Dave2002]

Isn't the Drottningholm CD version available at present? That's pretty good.

I have several on this list already. The La Petite Band version is good, and has the merits of cheapness. I think some are available as very cheap downloads from Classical Music Mobile - 1 euro each. Here is a version by Busch - http://www.classicalmusicmobile.com/...-by-busch.html and you should also find versions by Karajan and Boehm.

[MickyD]

The Drottningholm version doesn't seem to be available at present, which is a real shame. Decca grouped all four of their recordings for l'Oiseau Lyre into a 10 CD box, but I see it is only available now at an extortionate price on Amazon. Surely Decca will sometime reissue those fine performances directed by Arnold Ostman?

[Dave2002]

The Ostman Magic Flute and Don Giovanni seem to be available still, both in boxes and also as 2fers [no libretto]. Cosi is available from amazon.com (US) as is also the Marriage of Figaro. Prices aren't really too bad, though considering there are several sets of the complete or nearly complete Mozart Operas which sell for £50 or less (e.g. Gardiner) the fact that these now relatively old recordings are selling at nearly full price might count against them. I do rate Ostman's performances highly.

[Dave2002]

Others worth checking might be Rattle and Solti. I know some don't like Rattle too much - similarly Solti. I heard Solti do Cosi at the RFH in a concert performance, and it was very good.

[verismissimo]

I'd be interested in something HIP. Looks like it's Kuijken, Jacobs, Mackerras or (on DVD) Fischer. Any recommendations?

[aeolium]

I don't care for Jacobs' idiosyncracies, though I have only heard excerpts from that performance. The Mackerras/SCO performance has a bad review on the Amazon site re the recorded sound and the cast, though that is just one opinion. Fischer I think is very good on DVD. Rattle which I have not heard also uses the OAE orchestra so presumably is also HIP. I'd be interested in the Kuijken as I was really impressed by his set of the Haydn Paris symphonies - and the Kuijken set is very cheap on Brilliant (under £10 from some outlets).

[verismissimo]

Ordered Kuijken, aeolium, on Amazon UK for £3.98.

[Colonel Danby]

I've got the Ostman on full price L'Oiseau Lyre, and it's very good indeed.

Otherwise Rattle with the OAE: I was there in Symphony Hall Birmingham when they taped it live. Some of the jokes don't really carry on to disc, but a very fine account notwithstanding...

[verismissimo]

I was there at Symphony Hall too that evening, Colonel. It was absolutely wonderful!

[martin_opera]

My favourite Cosi's are the Haitink (EMI) with Carol Vaness and the brilliant Claudio Desderi; the Jochum (DG) with a past her best Seefried but wonderful ensemble singing from Fischer-Dieskau, Hermann Prey and Nan Merriman and finally the Solti (DECCA) with Pilar Lorengar and Teresa Berganza as my favourite sisters and brilliant support from the men. It's a pity that the men spoil the Colin Davis recording for Philips with Caballe as one of the most responsive and fresh Fiordiligi's and Janet Baker and Ileana Cotrubas really charcaterful. i never tire of this, the greatest of operas.