Audio CD
SPARS Code: A-D
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Sony
Size: 463 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Così fan tutte, opera, K. 588
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
with Eleanor Steber, Blanche Thebom, Lorenzo Alvary, Richard Tucker, Frank Guarrera, Josef Blatt, Roberta Peters
Conducted by Fritz Stiedry
Disc: 1
01. Overture
02. No. 1 Terzet – ‘To doubt Dorabella is simply absurd, Completely Absurd’
03. No. 2 Terzet – ‘Woman’s famous faith and constancy…’
04. Recitative – ‘Theoretical bombast’; No. 3 Terzet – ‘I shall serenade my goddess…’
05. No. 4 Duet – ‘See here, Dorabella, Guglielmo, my lover!’
06. No. 5 Aria – ‘How I hate to break the news!’
07. No. 6 Quintet – ‘All is over, the blow has fallen’
08. No. 8 Chorus – ‘On to glory, on to war!’
09. ‘I cannot bear it!’; No. 9 Quintet – ‘Be sure to write me daily…’
10. ‘On to glory, on to war!’; Recitative – ‘Are they gone?’
11. ‘I shall miss them no less, they’re my best friends’; No. 10 Terzettino
12. Recitative – ‘So far so good…’
13. Recitative – ‘There’s nothing quite so thankless as being a chambermaid’
14. No. 11 Recitative and Aria – ‘Away from here!’
15. No. 12 Aria – ‘Stability in a soldier and virtue in a man?’
16. Recitative – ‘Not a sound!’
17. No. 12 Sextet – ‘I present Miss Despinetta…’
18. ‘Heavens! It can’t be!’
19. No. 14 Recitative and Aria – ‘Bold intruders, leave this house this very instant.’
20. No. 15 Aria – ‘How can you refuse us…’
21. No. 16 Terzet – ‘What is so funny?’
22. No. 17 Aria – ‘My love is a flower, all fragrant before me…’
23. No. 18 Finale – ‘Ah, how sad and unrelenting…’
24. ‘A double dose of poison, that is the one solution!’
Disc: 2
01. ‘May I Present to you Doctor Fatalis?’
02. ‘Am I dead? Or am I dreaming?’
03. ‘Kiss me, darling, I implore you…’
04. ‘For heaven’s sake, how can you be so unrealistic?’
05. No. 19 Aria – ‘Any girl fifteen or over must pursue a woman’s mission…’
06. No. 20 Duet – ‘I will choose the handsome dark one…’
07. No. 21 Duet and Chorus – ‘Friendly breezes, bear my message…’
08. Recitative – ‘Your singing was delightful.’
09. No. 22 Quartet – ‘Step forward a little and do as I do.’
10. Recitative – ‘What a beautiful sunset!’
11. No. 23 Duet – ‘This heart is for you, dear, my only beloved!’
12. Recitative – ‘You torture me! Why do you leave me?’
13. Recitative – ‘I hurt him! Should I…?; No. 25 Rondo – ‘Oh forgive me, dear beloved.’
14. Recitative – ‘Guglielmo, it can’t go better!’
15. No. 26 Aria – ‘I would like a word with all you lovely, lovely, lovely women.’
16. Recitative – ‘Bravo. That’s how it should be.’
17. Recitative- ‘Now at last you are acting like a woman of the world.’
18. No. 29 Duet – ‘By tomorrow we’ll be united!’
19. Recitative – ‘This should happen to me!’
20. No. 30 – ‘Women cannot be faithful…’
21. No. 31 Finale – ‘Go ahead and light the candles…’
22. ‘Heaven bless you with prosperity…’
23. ‘May the glow of wine’s contentment…’
24. ‘On to glory, on to war!’
25. ‘We are home, safe and sound from our journey…’
26. ‘What a crime! And you have signed it!’
27. ‘Happy is the man of reason…’
A Wonderful “Cosi” In English!!
You can’t go wrong with this generally superbly sung performance in English. The translation, by Ruth and Thomas Martin, is excellent; the musical cuts are traditional, as would be the case in the early 1950’s. But the singing — ah, the singing. Steber, Thebom, Peters, Tucker, and Guarrera are all first rate. The sing wonderfully, and they mesh well, clear evidence of the smooth ensemble that they were! Stiedry conducts skillfully, and the orchestra is fine. Sadly, Alvary is the only weak link. His voice is light and sometimes shaky (he sounds like he is never singing in full voice), almost as if he was at the end of his career (he was born in 1909, and, although he stopped singing in the 70’s, his best days as a sort-of-leading-bass were behind him by the ’50’s). But, he is weak only in relation to the excellence of everyone else, and you could well make a case for Alfonso, an “elderly” bachelor, sounding like this. And, he characterizes well, making up for some of the deficiency in vocal weight. This is a highly recommended recording which you should snap up as soon as you can! Go for it!!!