Karajan's 1954 Cosi

[Sean]

I'm returning to this after a few years and it still doesn't improve- Schwarzkopf is at her indulgent perfumed worst while Karajan's tempos haven't quite crytallized as they would a couple of years later in Rosenkavalier, indeed did he ever get past his odd Mozart blantancy and rushed passagework? The rich textures are there and the Philharmonia strings respond with some amazing sensitivity but the Boehm set provides quite a different approach to this powerful music.

[val]

To me, the best of Karajan's version is the Ferrando of Leopold Simoneau, perhaps the greatest Mozart tenor after the Second War.

But I agree: Karl Böhm was the ideal conductor of Cosi fan tutte. His version with Schwarzkopf and Ludwig shows better the ambiguity of this opera. Ludwig is sensational, giving a certain sensuality that seems essential in this work.

To me, the best Fiordiligi was Ina Souez in the old (very old) version of Fritz Busch.

[Sean]

Thanks val, I don't know the other Karajan or the Busch, I'll look out for them.