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.
