Classical music reviews

Effettivamente questo album fu una rivoluzione culturale e musicale, soprattutto per quelli della mia generazione (1969). La musica coinvolgente, solo apparentemente commerciale, unita agli strepitosi e raffinatissimi testi, produssero un album di eccezionale valore artistico. Sono passati oltre vent'anni, eppure, ogni volta che mi metto gli occhiali da sole, non riesco a non pensare a quel "carisma e sintomatico mistero" che, forse, anch'io vado cercando: questo continua a farmi sorridere; non esiste un'altra canzone che mi produca un effetto "fisico" cos? tangibile! Franco Battiato ? davvero uno dei pi? colti e intelligenti interpreti della musica italiana di questi ultimi 25 anni. Un artista che riesce ad esprimere anche nei suoi concerti (dal 1982 al 2002 ho avuto la fortuna di vederne alcuni) tutto il suo straordinario valore.

Throughout the 70's, Franco Battiato has built a reputation in Italy as an "avante garde" artist, producing such pieces as "Fetus," "Clic," and "Pollution." Suddenly, in the early 80's, "Il Voce. . . " surfaces. At first listen, I couldn't believe that I was listening to Franco Battiato. Of all things, the master of avante garde has turned "commercial."

Make no mistake about it, this is great Italian pop with catchy and, at times, very sophisticated lyrics -- even when it appears that Il Padronne is toying with us. Indeed, Franco Battiato is a Maestro! For those of us who miss the "not-so-commercial" Franco Battiato, just listen to the opening lines of "Gli Uccelli" -- Guaranteed to take the listener back to the days of "Fetus" or "Pollution."

Although the CD is predominantly sung in Italian, Battiato treats us to some English lyrics. Battiato's voice is extremely "limited." However, the Maestro uses it to sheer perfection.

I definitely recommend this CD -- especially for those who like Euro pop. Also, this is the CD to purchase if you are just being introduced to the music of Franco Battiato. I am sure that once you listen to this CD, you'll be hooked on Franco Battiato.

If this CD had been released in the US I think it would have been really popular... It's definitely got an 80s sound, but it's also very sophisticated sounding... and distinctly Italian... I love every track.

This will make a wonderful addition to your eclectic CD collection! Now I have to research his other music...

Mahler's 9th Symphony (M9) is a masterpiece that dares to explore the puzzle of one's fears of the eventual dissipation of life. The music works on many levels and remarkably, in music, is extremely personal.

Mahler was about 48 when he began composing this symphony and was well aware of his life threatening heart disease. At the time he wrote M9, he had a dilemma: How could he live his life that he loved so dearly with a heart condition that could only be cured if he stopped living his life to the fullest as he'd always done in his life?

Mahler opted to continue his rigorous life of constant travel, conducting, and outdoors activities. As a result, he died from his heart condition 3 years later.

This symphony represents musically this dilemma that encircled his thoughts and his resolution of this dilemma.

It's important to discuss each of the 4 movements of this 1 hour 30 minute symphony.

Movement 1: It is beautiful and filled with longing but throughout the beauty there are reminders of the imminent reality of death. The movement ends suspended, confused as to how to resolve this contradiction of how one deals with the very fact that one cannot forever live in beautiful realms of humanity and life.

Movement 2: Is a fun, clumsy, sarcastic waltz like passage. Initially, it starts off as innocent fun, but eventually, the music becomes macabre and creepy as if the pomp and circumstance of high society waltzes amounted to nothing more than a creepy, grotestque display of shallow, hypocritical enlightenment. There's a sarcasm and even bitterness in the music.

The off-beat, syncopated rhythm again reminds us of Mahler's irregular heartbeat. It's as if Mahler himself is trying to "dance" with modern, cosmopolitan life. For he is a master musician, how could he not handle the glory of high society?

The 3rd Movement, is like a flurry of feelings turned violent as if Mahler himself is fighting death with his anger and bitterness over the very fact that he knows, death in the end with engulf him. But this violent passage ends with a hint of peace only to collapse in one final burst of madness.

The Final Movement is teary, romantic beauty filled with sadness and yet a reconciliation that turns longing into peace. The movemment is the border between life and death and the peace and acceptance of death as being a part of life itself!

Mahler referred to all of his symphonies as being worlds. M9 is his world of his dilemma of the longing to live forever and the acceptance of death as a part of living forever.

M9 has transcended my own personal beliefs about life and death.

Now that I've discussed the symphony, why do I recommend this version of M9 over one of many out there?

Haitnik conducts this as accurately as one can. I've heard 6 versions of M9 and have seen one in concert (Tilson Thomas at the SF Symphony). The Concertgabouw's is the best version because it balances the beauty of the 1st and Final movements perfectly with the sarcastic 2nd movemnet and violent 3rd movement.

Most conductors fail in their interpretation of the 2nd and 3rd movements which are extremely complex. The final movmement is extremely slow which is powerful and important. The 3rd movement is an effusion of explosive out of control feelings. It is like a protesting scream at life itself!

No conductor has been able to balance all four movements better than Haitnik.

The first movement is very successful because he is able to make the intro portion surreal sounding. Many conductors make the off-beat sound similar to that of a ship in difficult waters. Haitnik and Concertgabeouw make the first movement sound more like a weightless shift of light (imagine staring at a moving candlelight).

This is probably my very favorite symphony of all symphonies. I have 6 versions. This is by far the one I listen to the most.

Without considering the unfinished 10th Symphony of Gustav Mahler, both the 9th Symphony and the 'symphony' Das Lied von der Erde can be considered Mahler's farewell to his life of composing. How appropriate, and even overwhelming, that both these works should be paired: how fortunate that both performances are definitive.

Bernard Haitink's view of Mahler's huge score for No. 9 is, for all intents and purposes, the view Mahler had. He scrupulously follows Mahler's notes and thoughts and in doing so brings out a solid, thoughtful and deeply moving performance. The Concertgebouw plays for him as though they were inside Haitink's head and heart. The result is a fulfilling experience and one that simply does not receive the attention it deserves.

'Das Lied von der Erde' makes great demands on soloists, conductor, and orchestra. In other hands these songs may sound episodic, but in the hands of Haitink and the Concertgebouw, and particularly in the singing of Dame Janet Baker and James King, this cycle becomes more in the symphonic nature Mahler intended. There may be other soloists favored individually by many, but as far as pairing of voices and temperament in the peak of their powers, Baker and King breathe Mahler's spirit into this performance.

Even for those who have other versions of these individual works, having the two paired in this manner results in a musical experience nearly unsurpassed. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, August 05

Although this performance lacks the immediately distinctive interpretive qualities of some other well known and regarded interpretations, it may be more successful in balancing the various disparate elements of this great and complex work. All the expressive points are made, and the textures and counterpoint are admirably clarified without sounding antiseptic or pedantic. Perhaps the most comparable interpretation to this one in these respects is the live Kubelik BRSO on Audite. Haitink's phrasing is not as poetic as Kubelik's, but the orchestral playing is more technically assured and refined than the sometimes coarse sounding Bavarians. Haitink also maintains a steadier tempo throughout the adagio finale than does Kubelik (as Horenstein on BBC Legends also does, but with more distinctive shaping of phrases within the basic tempo than is the case with Haitink). Very highly recommended, being at mid-price, and coupled with a rather sobersided but very well sung and played account of Das Lied Von Der Erde.

This is a great example of a Mahler symphony for those who don't like Mahler. It is brisk, bright and absolutely beautiful. This is a great fall/winter chill-in-the-air-type piece. The scope is scenic and sweeping rather like Sibelius but is given over to an intimate orchestration as deftly masterful as Strauss. If Eine Alpensinfonie describes the physical determination and deserved accomplishment of climbing a formidible mountain, then surely Mahler's fourth could be music for taking the ski-lift. The object is not conquering the majesty of nature, but just to relax and observe its innate beauty. The tunes are grand and escalate with such joy that it is easy to forget you are not listening to a tone poem. Frederica Von Stade lends her flawless voice to both the symphony and the similarly timbred companion piece, Songs of a Wayfarer. She is icing on an already well-frosted cake. The sound quality of this recording is terrific and the blend with Frederica is impeccable. This is a rare recording of great beauty guaranteed to lift your spirits.

The first Mahler that I ever heard was the Szell/Cleveland Orchestra 4th with Judith Raskin on Columbia back in the mid-60's. Though I have not heard that recording in more than 30 years, I've never forgotton the magical, lyrical sound that Szell produced on that LP. But Levi's recording of the 4th is equal to or greater that Szell's version. Levi's recording is almost flawless. I also liked the inclusion of the Wayfarer songs at the end. They are thematically connected with this symphony, and share the same youthful perspective. If you can buy only one recording of Mahler's 4th, let it be this one.

Yoel Levi has a true artistic achievement here. His other Mahler was a mixed bag; the fifth was fairly dull, the sixth was missing the exposition repeat, and the seventh was inconsistent. This, however, is altogether wonderful. Never have I heard the balanced sound, beautiful solos, and coherency of interpretation found in this recording. This version certainly equals and possibly excels both Bernstein's and Kubelik's. I have yet to hear Rattle's version, but it doesn't get much better than this, folks.

I am sure that most people have ever even heard the Kabalevsky concerto unless you happen to study the violin. Of all great Russian violin concertos, there are 5 that really stand out from the rest: Tchaikovsky, Glazunov, Prokofiev 2, Miakovasky and Kabalevsky. The focus of this review is regarding Shaham's recording of the Kabalevsky concerto, a concerto that should be more known to the masses.

Every one of those five concertos has a unique sound, the Tchaikovsky was the first written of them and was influenced by Lalo's great Symphonie Espagnole. The Lalo is a work with intricate polyrythms and it takes an advanced artist to play the temops correctly in synchronicity with the orchestra. It also takes a disciplined orchestra and skilled and sensitive conductor to allow for coordination between the soloist and the orchestra. The same could be said of the Tchaikovsky, requiring an advanced artist and conductor to play those intricate rythms togather and make it sound convincing. Well it is Tchaikovsky who influenced Glazunov, Prokofiev, Miakovasky and Kabalevsky, each wrote concertos with their own style and all seemed to contain that sence of intricate polyrythms that require a great degree of skill to pull off, it takes an artist with alot of bow control to make it really sound good. The Kabalevsky concerto is more brief than the forgotten Miakovsky making it a highly listenable work. It is so refreshing to hear the Kabalevsky with a a golden singing tone. I love the Oistrakh recording but the sound quality is so poor and dated so I listen to this recording more.

Glazunov actually wrote my favorite russian violin concerto, the brooding melody is so hauntinly beautiful and contains a melody so pure it is simply impossible not to fall in love with. The cadenza is so outrageous you will shake your head in disbelief it is so brilliant. The Tchaikovsky is much more popular but I seem to prefer the Glazunov for some reason, maybe because it it's more smooth and less choppy like in the third movement of the Tchaikovsky. This is not my favorite recording of the Glazunov as I perfer the Perlman recording. Actually Michael Rabin recorded my favorite Glazunov but that is very difficult to find.

The CD also includes incredibly melodic works by Tchaikovsky that will completely make you melt. This is appropriate because of Tchaikovsky's influence on Glazunov and Kabalevsky.

I play this CD when I want to hear the Kabalevsky, a lesser known concerto I am very fond of and you should be too.

5 stars for the Kabalevsky, 4 Stars for the Glazunov

In our era of big egos, it's refreshing to see two artists of great stature come together to celebrate the magic of Russian music. Having been fortunate enough to see both Shaham and Pletnev live in recitals, I was delighted the moment Glazunov's moderato started playing. Pletnev brings his trademark energetic elegance and Shaham virtuosity (so perfectly demonstrated in recent "Devil's Dance" CD) accommodates with ease and finesse.
In Russia, Kabalevsky is most often thought of as a Bolshevik composer. While it's partly true, he also wrote some of the most exquisite violin music since - well - Glazunov, and it is actually a quite natural coupling of two great concertos.
To make this disc even better, the artists included some of Tchaikovsky's morsels. The intent, probably, was to show a connection in Russian music school even as it changed though the decades. It worked well (you can clearly hear Tchaikovsky's lyricism in Kabalevsky's 1948 concerto), but it also provided for some pure joy moments, such as Meditation (track 7).
DG, as usual these days, provided perfect sound quality. The only thing I would add, though, is the piece that "started it all," i.e. the Tchaikovsky violin concerto, but since Gil Shaham has already recorded it just a little while back with Giuseppe Sinopoli (coupled with Sibelius concerto) we could easily fill this "gap" by getting both discs.

Among the violinists of his generation, Shaham is undoubtedly one of the most versatile and charismatic. His enthusiasm for the violin is evident in all his recordings. Indeed, a genuine zeal and passion for music, in general, appears to be an integral part of his engaging personality. I can attest for this, having personally heard Shaham's mesmerizing peformance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons last season with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. As for this particular recording, I was especially impressed by the Glazunov Concerto. In my opinion, Shaham's interpretation of this glorious work is on a par with Heifetz's majestic recording with Walter Hendl. The piece is truly a perfect vehicle for Shaham, whose lush, melodious tone is an ideal match for the Tchaikovsky-esque lyricism of Glazunov's composing. Although I'm less familiar with the Kabalevsky concerto, Shaham's exquisite rendering of it leaves me eager to collect other recordings of it such as David Oistrakh's archive performance from the 1940s. The Tchaikovsky Souvenir and Valse-Scherzo are impressive as well, but the two concerti are where Shaham's virtuousic talents are showcased most brilliantly. As a former violinist, I feel I must state that this recording should be a part of any violinist's CD collection. And even for those who are merely classical music buffs, this recording is a must-own! As I'm an enormous admirer of both Shaham and Pletnev, I can only hope the pair will collaborate on many future recordings.

Frank Levin has composed a brilliant collection of music, doing justice to the majestic city that inspired many of his songs. The eclectic mix comes together nicely, and Levin has a remarkable ability to evoke the brilliance of the masters, while retaining his own unique voice and nuance throughout the pieces. The sweetness of "Song for Smokey" and the haunting nostalgia of "Misty Memories", both of which were named for the composer's cats, are lovingly written, and the tune Prarie Homecoming is fun and archetypally reminiscent of the Old West. This is truly Maestro Levin's magnum opus.

Love the mood this CD puts me in after a hectic day at work! Play it when you get home and feel the piano take the stress away...
ENJOY!

Love the mood this CD puts me in after a hectic day at work! Play it when you get home and feel the piano take the stress away...
ENJOY!

I'm not a diehard opera fan. That means I can't sit through the no or low musical sections. After all, opera is a visual art as well as an aural one, and there's alot of low energy periods where one would have to be watching it live to avoid slipping into a coma. If that. I tend to like the arias and the duets. These are the bill of fare on this album, with a healthy portion of brain glue added by each piece's tie-in with a major motion picture. For instance, a favorite picture of mine is the Australian production of "Gallipoli", which depicts the carnage inflicted on Aussie and Kiwi troopers doing the Queen's dirty work with wave after wave of direct frontal infantry assaults against Turkish heavily fortified breastworks and murdurous interlocking fields of fire of many heavy machine gun positions and pre-sited mortar batteries. There is a certain eerie and sad scene depicting a couple of young Aussie junior officers, boys really, in the tent of a superior on the night before the early morning attack. The viewer has the superior vision of recorded history, while these apple cheeks have no inkling of the mailed fist that will hammer them down in a few hours. The older officer puts a platter on the crank up Victrola, and for most of us, we get our first introduction to the haunting strains of "Au Fond du Temple Saint" from the French opera "P�cheurs de Perles". I'm sure a portion of the haunting and eerie qualities stem from my total lack of french language skills. That piece will forever be associated with the bloodbath at Gallipoli Peninsula, at least as far as my brain goes. And so it goes with many of the other pieces of music in this collection. From "Apocolypse Now" is included the best piece of music to attack an enemy by, "Ride of the Valkyries" from the famous AirMobile copter assault, an attack scene that redefined cinematic battle sequencing forever. Everyone should recognise at least one musical movie slice here.
Tie ins include Raging Bull, Fatal Attraction, and Someone to Watch Over Me.

I BOUGHT THIS CD SOMETIME AGO WHEN I WANTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OPERA. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST CD'S OUT WHEN CONSIDERING TRYING TO TURN YOUNG PEOPLE ON TO THE ARTS, ANYONE WHO LISTENS TO THIS WILL DEFINETLY HAVE AT LEAST ONE FAVORITE.

I've long been an opera fan, so you might expect me to sneer at a compilation. Not so! For opera fans, this is a "stroll down memory lane," offering some lovely jewels from well-loved operas. For those new to opera, this is a wonderful introduction. Even if you don't know the language or the story, you will be utterly transported by several of these arias.

Just to whet your appetite, here are a few tidbits about some of my favorites on this CD:

�-The angelic duet from Lakm� is about a sacred river in India whose banks are overflowing with fragrant spring flowers.

-In the duet from Les Pecheurs de Perles (Pearl Fishers), two men who are best friends sing rapturously about falling in love at first sight with a beautiful woman; for each it was an almost mystical experience. When they realize they are in love with the SAME woman, they are alarmed, and vow to not let anything destroy their friendship.

�-"Quando m'en vo" from La Boh�me is really funny because a woman is bragging loudly about how popular she is, to make an ex-boyfriend jealous. (It works, and she wins him back.)

�-The second aria from La Boh�me--Mimi's dying words to her lover Rodolfo and her dear friends--is beautiful and touching. However, you should also hear the glorious songs that Mimi and Rudolfo sing when they first fall in love! (Those are not in this collection.)

�-The dreamy and mysterious "Nessun Dorma" is sung by a man who eagerly anticipates being married to a beautiful princess the next day, but who may very well be put to death instead. His fate hangs in the balance as all the residents of ancient Peking stay awake all night, trying to discover his secret.

Of course, the only way to really know what opera is about is to go to a live performance, where you not only hear the glorious music but also enjoy the entertaining story, costumes, sets, and action. Good bets at first are operas by Puccini, Bizet, Mozart, Verdi, and Rossini--hold off on Wagner for a while! ....

For what it's meant to do, I would give this CD full marks (5 stars).

It's odd that this older period-style Magic Flute sounds so close to Claudio Abbado's new version released just last month. A decade ago, in 1996, William Christie was at the leading edge of authenticity, yet now we have a mainstream conductor adopting the same gesutres: strings playing without vibrato, reduced orchestra, and 'unforced singing,' as Christie calls it. The good news for him is that his recording easily keeps up with the new one in almost every way.

Despite the period flavor, tempos are not rushed--Christie is actually slower than usual in the Queen of the Night's music. He does that to give the excellent Natalie Dessay room for more expression. In general Christie is aiming at a natural theatricality that is neither pompous nor archly fairy tale--just as Abbado does, too. The Tamino of Hans Peter Blochwitz is vocally more beautiful than any on disc since Fritz Wunderlich, though Blochwitz is more lyrical than ardent. His Pamina is unknown to me, the modest, sweet-voiced Rosa Mannion. I'm also unaware of the Papageno, Anton Scharinger, who is genial and lively but with no attempt at humor--Christie clearly didn't want a Papageno who clowns around.

It's in several leading roles that Abbado goes ahead of Christie, because Mannion and Scharinger are unimaginative and sometimes only pleasant. Even Dessay, gifted with such a brilliant technique, doesn't sound threatening or particularly angry as the villainess of the piece. Rene Pape is such a commanding Sarastro for Abbado that Reinhard Hagen, doing a serviceable job, sounds disappointing when he tunrs out to have weak, gravelly low notes.

I've owned period Die Zaubeflotes from Norrington and Gardiner as well, and Christie's is the best of the lot, a vital, engaging, natural account.

This is a wonderful recording. William Christie brings to Mozart all the finesse and class he brought to the French repertoire. The musicians of Les Arts Florissants make the most marvelous sounds, this is orchestral playing of the highest order. All the singers are excellent, but it is the Tamino of Hans Peter Blochwitz that stands out, he is quite simply exquisite: his lyrical, liquid, gorgeous voice is a wonder. Rosa Mannion as Pamina is good, but nowhere in the class of Blochwitz. Anton Scharinger repeats his dutiful Papageno (he and Blochwitz recorded the same roles for Harnoncourt on TELDEC) and he is good, but more charm would had been welcome. Dessay as the Queen of the Night is accurate and needless to say, spectacular, but a more dangerous presence would have add drama to the recording. Still, this is a quite magical Flute, and I will come back to it often, and now must be considered one of the better ones on record.

Coming from a highly successful carrer in Baroque choral music (Rameau, Mondonville, Charpentier, Monteverdi) William Christie and his talented Les Arts Florissants give us what is arguably the most challenging Zauberflote around. We think we know it all: the "Queen of the Night" aria, Tamino & Pamina, Papageno & Papagena... Christie challenges our convictions: why should Mozart sound like Verdi when his background is closer to Bach and Monteverdi? Why should Mozart's chamber and piano music sound so subdued and our modern versions of Zauberflote be sung forte or mezzo-forte? In this recording (as other reviewers have pointed out) all instruments are toned as they would have been in Mozart's time, and the conductor does not force the singers to do bravura arias all the time. The result is a unique recording that will give much satisfaction to all listerners. Even if you own other recordings of Zauberflote, try this one. It will be a pleasant and welcome choc.

Ostman was a pioneer in historical opera performances, and he had the nerve to use a really tiny, if scrappy, pit orchestra, and to reduce the scale of everything but the singers' expressiveness, which was allowed free rein. This is one of his good readings, not as fast and hectic as his Cosi but not as warm and humane as his Figaro. The Tamino is fairly weak and the Papageno lacks charm, but Bonney is one of the best Paminas on record. All in all, a better than aaverage rading of the opera and one of the best if you want that period feel.

I wanted to point out that this wonderful recording of Mozart's "The Magic Flute" was re-released on the Decca label in 2001. It's listed as an import, but Amazon has it for the reasonable price of $17.49; pretty good, considering what the older version is fetching on the used market. Enter "B00005O84D" in the search field to find it. The cover artwork and packaging are different, but the music is the same.

Very light, intimate sound. I am a pushover for this opera at any rate. I was happy for years with another recording I have. I picked this one up at a used CD store for about $16 and it was a steal: it's better than the old recording I have, that I thought was near-perfect. It is a shame that currently it's out of stock and someone's asking $40 for it. (Well, you can have my copy for $50.)

With this recording, you feel that the singers are in the room with you, rather than in a cavernous opera house. If you go for the original-instruments approach with Mozart, this will seem very right for you.

It's 155 min. on 2 CDs. Someone must have had to do microsurgery somewhere to make it fit. (No, they didn't cut the dialogue, it's there.)

With the new lower price in a different pressing, why not just get the whole set? Every single scene and aria and ensemble in Don Giovanni is marvelous. And we all know that this cast is definitive. Do it.

This is known as one of the best recordings of Don Giovanni, and I can see why! Wachter's Don is great- forceful, nasty, cruel. Taddei's Leporello is very good, too, and I enjoyed his "Catalogue" aria very much. Sutherland's Donna Anna almost is greater then everyone else! She threatens like the Don himself, and is very forceful as well. Her fiance, luckily, is not as wimpy as most Don Ottavios are. Schwarzkopf is a good Elvira, too. My only reservation is Sciutti's Zerlina. Though she sang beautifully, she sounded very weak in, "Batti, batti" or in, "Tra quest'arbora celata." Giulini's conducting is wonderful, so I'd suggest this cd.

I don't care what you think about Sutherland's later recordings- you really ought to hear this. No mushy diction or moony mannerism here- it's crystal clear, and the voice sounds so gloriously fresh that it's actually poigniant to hear (I mean no disrespect to the path that Dame Joan and her husband took in developing her voice). She is perfection- precise, agile and yet powerful, not pasty like so many Annas; she sounds highly agitated (which is perfect for Donna Anna). If fact, she sounds like more of a threat to the Don than her tenor boyfriend. Highly recommended- and perfect in highlight form for those of you who own a full set and don't want to fork over the bucks for another full set.

The disk is a very old recording, which in itself is not a bad thing. It was in its day a fine recording. However the quality of the disc I received was sub standard. I complained through this website and a replacement disc was sent immediately.
So no blame can attach itself to Amazon your service has been very high.

Cosi fan tutte is my favorite opera, and I have been searching for the "perfect" Cosi recording for years. While I agree that this is a good recording, I can't say this recording is "the definitive one." After all, it doesn't even include Ferrando's "Ah, lo veggio" in Act II. The recitatives are also somewhat abridged, which takes away from the theatrical and dramatic aspect of this work (afterall, opera is musical _theatre_).

Having said that, if you do no currently own a recording of Cosi, you should buy this first, because it is one of the most well-rounded studio recordings, and for a very good price.

Pros:
- Low price
- Schwarzkopf is probably /the/ best Fiordiligi on record at this time. Her voice is rich and expressive, and her rendition of the 2 arias (Come Scoglio in Act I and Per pieta in Act II) sounds like liquid gold.
- Christa Ludwig sings a beautiful Dorabella too, but it's not the same calibre as her performance as Octavian
- Good, even-tempered interpretation by Bohm makes this particularly newbie-friendly.

Cons:
- Incomplete: "Ah lo veggio" is rarely performed, probably because it's so hard to pull off successfully (Jerry Hadley is the only tenor I've heard that can do it). But still, it's an integral part of Ferrando's character and one of the best parts of the entire opera. If you haven't heard this aria, you haven't heard Cosi.
- Flat: Bohm's overall tempo is slow. Yes, it is very "pretty," but at what cost? Take Despina's Act II aria, "Una donna a quindici'anni" for example. It's "grazioso" in the extreme, but there isn't much else there.

In summary, it's a good, inoffensive interpretation (graced by the incomparable Schwarzkopf), which makes it a good introductory recording, but definitely not in the running for "THE COSI FOR ALL TIME." In fact, I haven't yet found a recording that fits that description.

Whereas EMI was fortunate enough to make one Don Giovanni and one Marriage of Figaro for the ages, both under Giulini, they achieved mixed results with two versions of Cosi fan tutte. Neither is an obvious first choice, so I thought it was worthwhile comparing their respective pluses and minuses.

Karajan (1954): This mono recording is in good enough sound to compete successfully with Bohm's stereo version, with the singers placed very close up. They achieve a great deal of intimacy and nuance. Karajan favors tempo extremes, taking Schwarzkopf's two big arias, as well as her opening duet with Merriman, quite slowly. Stylistically, his approach is ultra-suave, which yields benefits in Bruscantini's sly urbanity as Don Alfonso, for example, but in the long run proves more than a little precious. As Fiordiligi, Schwarzkopf is younger and fresher than in Bohm's set, but there she has gained in artistry. Simoneau and Panerai are great as the two heros, probably the best pair on records. Nan Merriman as Dorabella is musically satisfying, but she has a fast beat in her voice that wears after a while.

Bohm (1963): This later performance is in good stereo, with the voices placed further from the mike than in Karajan's recording. Where Karajan is suave, Bohm is blunt. He misses many opportunities for subtle phrasing, yet given the choice, I'd rather hear his plain-faced Cosi than Karajan's overly sophisticated one. As to tempos, bohm is rrelaxed and often just as slow as Karajan--period performances from Ostmann, Gardiner and Jacobs go much faster. In the Karajan set the men were stronger than the laides; here it's the reverse. Schwarzkopf and Ludwig make ideal sisters, unrivalled for their musicality, even if Schwarzkopf can no longer quite negotiate Fiodiligi's cruelly difficult arias. The male pair are certainly good, but I find Alfredo Kraus's voice dry and his manner stiff; Taddei is fine, howevr. Walter Berry makes for a bluff Don Alfonso without a trace of Bruscantini's sly malice.

Naturally, thee's much more to say in detail, but I think I've given a fair sketch of the two performances. I've lived with both for a long time, and it pains me to say that on balance I prefer Karl Bohm, even though he is far from being a favorite conductor. The comvinaiton of Schwarzkopf and Ludwig carries the day.