Così fan tutte
- Episode aired 2006
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Has its problems, but actually I found it one of the better entries of the series
The Mozart 22 series has been very mixed for me. I loved Mitradate Re Di Ponto, Il Sogno Di Scipione and Idomeneo, enjoyed Die Zauberflote and found some good things about Don Giovanni and Le Nozze Di Figaro(though they were problematic), but disliked Ascanio in Alba, Zaide and Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail. Cosi Fan Tutte apart from the muddled Fiordiligi business in Act 2 concerning disguising herself to join Guglielmo at the battlefront and the sisters being aware of the masquerade making their wooing somewhat confusing was good in my opinion. Maybe it is not quite one of the gems, but it is hardly one of the nadirs either of the series.
The costumes and sets have been better and more sumptuous in other productions I've seen of Cosi Fan Tutte but I personally didn't find them that ugly, especially compared to the visual torture seen in Ascanio and Entfuhrung. The costumes are unflattering but the settings are decent. The video directing is great, capturing the gestures and stage business very well. Some aspects of the staging are muddled but the comic bits are funny and the darker, more conflicting parts convince somewhat also. The ending is ambiguous and interpreted well.
It is wonderful musically. The orchestral playing is stylish and energetic, yet provide sensitive accompanying as well. Maybe Soave Sia Il Vento was a little plodding in tempo compared to other versions I've heard but the singing and playing are still lovely. The conducting has energy which is surprisingly very consistent throughout without being too aggressive or too lethargic, and the orchestral balances are also impressive.
As for the performances they are very good, if more the singing than the acting. Not to say the acting is bad, the gestures, looks, smiles and frowns are well incorporated and the performers have energy, but I have seen productions where the stage director allows them to be more subtle. Ana Maria Martinez charms as Fiordiligi, and copes very well with the demands of Come Scoglio. Sophie Koch sings firmly and blends very well with Martinez in the role of Dorabella, the wittier and more sophisticated of the two sisters. Helen Donath has a good, flexible voice but some of her acting for my tastes was overdone. Shawn Matthey is very appealing and honey-toned as Ferrando, and Stephane Degout is handsome vocally, visually and dramatically with some good physical acting. Thomas Allen is the most well-known member of the cast, and is wonderfully world-weary and cynical yet wise and not too sadistic Don Alfonso.
Overall, a good Cosi. 8/10 Bethany Cox
The costumes and sets have been better and more sumptuous in other productions I've seen of Cosi Fan Tutte but I personally didn't find them that ugly, especially compared to the visual torture seen in Ascanio and Entfuhrung. The costumes are unflattering but the settings are decent. The video directing is great, capturing the gestures and stage business very well. Some aspects of the staging are muddled but the comic bits are funny and the darker, more conflicting parts convince somewhat also. The ending is ambiguous and interpreted well.
It is wonderful musically. The orchestral playing is stylish and energetic, yet provide sensitive accompanying as well. Maybe Soave Sia Il Vento was a little plodding in tempo compared to other versions I've heard but the singing and playing are still lovely. The conducting has energy which is surprisingly very consistent throughout without being too aggressive or too lethargic, and the orchestral balances are also impressive.
As for the performances they are very good, if more the singing than the acting. Not to say the acting is bad, the gestures, looks, smiles and frowns are well incorporated and the performers have energy, but I have seen productions where the stage director allows them to be more subtle. Ana Maria Martinez charms as Fiordiligi, and copes very well with the demands of Come Scoglio. Sophie Koch sings firmly and blends very well with Martinez in the role of Dorabella, the wittier and more sophisticated of the two sisters. Helen Donath has a good, flexible voice but some of her acting for my tastes was overdone. Shawn Matthey is very appealing and honey-toned as Ferrando, and Stephane Degout is handsome vocally, visually and dramatically with some good physical acting. Thomas Allen is the most well-known member of the cast, and is wonderfully world-weary and cynical yet wise and not too sadistic Don Alfonso.
Overall, a good Cosi. 8/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Aug 16, 2012
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