What are you listening to?

[Seán]

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata N0. 23, Opus 57
Artur Schnabel - piano.

[fergus]

This was the first Cosí that I ever bought. At the time (1975) it was just out in the stores and had been lavishly praised by the Gramophone. Montserrat Caballé was in her prime, she had just recorded her famous Aida with Muti, and was probably the most sought after soprano in the World.
Many more recordings of this jewel of an opera have appeared since, bringing period instruments and lighter voices. But how has this recording stood the test of time?
Its most serious flaw is that the singers hardly sound young enough for their roles. Worst offender is Janet Baker, who even though was only 42 at the time of the recording sounds at least 50. Nicolai Gedda and Vladimiro Ganzarolli sound middle age too, and they inevitably drag la Caballé to mature territory. It´s ironic that the 2 "experienced" and mature characters, Despina and Don Alfonso, are the ones who sound young and fresh.
Caballé sings opulently as expected, and this is a valuable recording since it is her only Mozart performance preserved for posterity. She is at odds with Colin Davis in "Come scoglio", they are at different tempi, but she floats her usual divine pianissimi at every opportunity.
Janet Baker is her usual reliable self, but she does sound too mature for Dorabella. Can you imagine her as Cherubino? Well, she is equally miscast as Dorabella.
Gedda was a superb Mozart tenor in the 50´s and 60´s, but he recorded Ferrando much too late.
Ganzarolli a good character baritone, never had a very beautiful voice, but he knew what to do with words.
Ileana Cotrubas in her prime (before she decided to ruin her voice singing roles much too heavy for her) is a delight as Despina, in fact one of the best ever.
Colin Davis shows how much he loves the score, his is a very theatrical reading, pity that he didn´t pay more attention to period manners. One wonders what he would have thought at the time if we could have played the René Jacobs recording for him.

I wonder what you would have thought of that performance when you first bought it? I know that lots of opinions and tastes (including my own) have been changed by exposure to period performances but the one thing that I am only coming to understand lately is how much voices have changed as much as instruments in period performances.

[Jose Echenique]

I loved it when I first heard it Fergus, especially Caballé who is in superb voice in that recording.
Since at that time period performance practice hadn´t reach Mozart yet, there was nothing to compare it to, and the likes of Karl Böhm and Colin Davis were the last word in Mozartian style.
Now I don´t think many people would name it even among the 10 top Cosi´s, but it´s not a bad recording.
Now when I think about this Cosi I mostly imagine two rather mature ladies playing hard to get...oh Lord!

[fergus]

I loved it when I first heard it Fergus, especially Caballé who is in superb voice in that recording.
Since at that time period performance practice hadn´t reach Mozart yet, there was nothing to compare it to, and the likes of Karl Böhm and Colin Davis were the last word in Mozartian style.
Now I don´t think many people would name it even among the 10 top Cosi´s, but it´s not a bad recording.
Now when I think about this Cosi I mostly imagine two rather mature ladies playing hard to get...oh Lord!

What a lovely image you conjure up Pepe LOL!!!

[bombasticDarren]

Glass - Violin Concerto (Adele Anthony/Takuo Yuasa, Ulster Orchestra, Naxos)

[bombasticDarren]

Dvorak - Symphony No.6 (Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra, LSO Live)

[Seán]

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata N0. 23, Opus 57
Wilhelm Kempff - piano.

Wonderful playing by Kempff

[Seán]

Anton Bruckner
Symphony No. 9
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Carlo Maria Giulini - conducting.

[Seán]

Johann Sebastian Bach
Keyboard Concerto No. 1
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Murray Perahia piano and conductor.

[Seán]

Johann Sebastian Bach
Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste, BWV 106 "Actus tragicus"
Bach Ensemble
Joshua Rifkin - conducting.

Ann Monoyios has a gorgeous voice, this is pure joy, I love it.