Così fan tutte
Anett Fritsch (soprano) - Fiordiligi; Paola Gardina (mezzo) - Dorabella; Andreas Wolf (baritone) - Guglielmo; Juan Francisco Gatell (tenor) - Ferrando; Kerstin Avemo (soprano) - Despina; William Shimell (baritone) - Don Alfonso
Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real de Madrid/Sylvain Cambreling
Staged by Michael Haneke; Set Design: Christoph Kanter; Costume Design: Moidele Bickel; Lighting: Urs Schönebaum; TV Director: Hannes Rossacher
rec. Teatro Real de Madrid, March 2013
Bonus: kulTour with Holender: Michael Haneke
Filmed in HD, Mastered from an HD Source
Picture format: NTSC 16:9; Sound formats: PCM 2.0; DTS 5.1; Subtitles: Italian, English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Korean; Subtitles - Bonus: German, English, French
Region code: 0
C MAJOR 714508 DVD [2 DVDs: 202:00 (opera) + 18:00 (bonus)]
What are they going to do with old Così fan tutte this
time? I can anticipate the question. I almost always nowadays pose it
myself before opening a DVD box, or for that matter entering an opera
house. You get a clue when you look at the box cover: modern outfit, trendy
young people. Wait a moment: in the midst of the quartet that we know
will ‘change partners’ as soon as the curtain is up, sits
a middle-aged man in late 18th century costume. A remnant from
times long past? In a way. This is Don Alfonso, the old philosopher and
cynic who is the instigator of the following proceedings. In the background
we see an enigmatic woman, all white. Must be Despina, the maid who assists
Don Alfonso in all the pranks - even takes over as the motor in due time.
Timeless, enigmatic. Greek columns further back but the sofa in the foreground
is much softer and cosier than ancient marble benches. A look in the booklet
only adds to the confusion. We find there a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke
Cupid (1924) and a long list of ‘Whys’ put together
by the director Michael Haneke in February 2013. I can’t resist
quoting it:
Why has well-to-do Don Alfonso married only Despina,
who is, after all, a stranger twenty years younger than he is?
Why does he think that she’s cheating on him?
Why does he have to humiliate her?
Why does she have to humiliate him?
Why has he had his beautiful old manor house ‘modernized’?
Why is he holding a house-warming party for his friends
in the form of a fancy-dress ball?
What is he trying to prove? And to whom?
Why is Despina so sad?
Why are the lads so certain of their lasses?
Why are the girls so annoyed in consequence?
Why are they all so desperate, so grimly determined and so proud?
Interesting questions and insinuations: I didn’t know that Don Alfonso
married Despina. I find reference to this nowhere in the original libretto
but it explains why Don Alfonso kisses Despina, passionately, and she
doesn’t exactly regret it. The questions also displace focus, insofar
as the matrimonial crisis of the oldies becomes the kernel of the drama
and the antics of the young party people become plain entertainment, to
cheer up the crisis.
Maybe one shouldn’t go that far and with Mozart’s musical
psychology the ‘entertainment’ also becomes deeply human -
but the perspective is still interesting. Whatever one’s objection
to this and that in the direction and the overall concept, everything
is carried through expertly and consistently: sets, lighting and all that,
so let’s disregard the philosophy and get entertained.
There is a lot to enjoy - though it’s totally unrealistic, or call
it absurd. It is refreshing to see the two soldiers-turned-Albanians returning
in disguise - the only difference is that they have added a moustache.
There is a lot more of this kind but let me not linger on such things
- they should be experienced without prejudice. Lean back and savour.
All six singers act convincingly - in particular Don Alfonso and Despina,
the latter a really brilliant actor and a terrific singer, even though
some tough roles may have taken their toll. Splendid singing is also delivered
by Anett Fritsch, whose Fiordiligi is younger than most and the fearsome
Come scoglio is impressively assured. About Juan Francisco Gatell
I have some reservations, though. He has an agreeable voice and a serviceable
technique but is afflicted by a tiresome vibrato. Un aura amorosa
is basically well sung but not in any way remarkable. Andreas Wolf’s
Guglielmo on the other hand is a vocal charmer, sonorous and expressive,
remotely reminiscent of the legendary Erich Kunz, who was Guglielmo on
the old Decca recording from the mid-1950s, which was my first Così.
Il core vi dono is truly romantically sung. Paola Gardina’s
Dorabella is a bit over-vibrant for my taste but more than acceptable.
As for William Shimell he has been one of the foremost Mozarteans for
many years, not least in the title role of Don Giovanni, which
he recorded with Riccardo Muti for EMI more than twenty years ago. With
his stage presence and timing he supervises the unfolding of the conflicts
superbly.
A young cast is always welcome in this comedy about young lovers, and
visually this production is closer to the mark than most. None of the
four is as yet an established world star but the freshness of the acting
and singing is compensation enough.
Personally I prefer listening rather than listening and viewing
this opera, but when the day comes that I feel compelled to view
as well I might very well choose this DVD.
Göran Forsling
Previous review (Blu-ray): Robert
Farr
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