5/5 A stunningly beautiful, gorgeously traditional blu-ray Cosi
  by Mike Birman (Brooklyn, New York USA)
Last of the three Mozart-Da Ponte operas, Cosi Fan Tutte (They all do it) premiered in January 1790. Mozart was in despondent spirits during the two dark years of 1789-90. His own health was poor, his wife Constanze was also frequently ill, and money was scarce as a result of a war induced economic depression in Austria. It was during this period - in which his frequent begging letters to fellow Mason Michael Puchberg reveal his increasing desperation - that Mozart was least productive in an otherwise uncanny lifetime of stunning productivity. Mozart's operas were only moderately successful in Vienna. The Viennese audiences were notoriously conservative and found his music too difficult for their ears ("too many notes" as Emperor Joseph said of The Abduction from the Seraglio). Mozart had spectacular success in Prague, however, as the composition of Don Giovanni to be premiered in that city in 1787 proves. Despite the difficulties Mozart faced in its composition, Cosi is perhaps his most perfect opera. It contains some of the most ravishingly beautiful music he ever composed in what is essentially a chamber opera for six voices.

This production is an ostentatiously traditional one. It seems to "flip-the-bird" at all new-fangled updatings and it proudly proclaims its stubborn adherence to 18th Century performance values. As a result it is hypermodern and ultimately subversive. The message of this Cosi is clear: see how wonderfully effective a traditional Mozart performance truly is. Why waste your time on modernizations? From the sets and stage design to costumes and performances everything suggests the period in which the opera was written. This Glyndebourne production directed by Nicholas Hytner is as much a feast for the eyes as the musical performances are a sumptuous repast for the ears. All of the vocal performers are superb (and superb looking) and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment conducted by Ivan Fischer performs this music on authentic instruments in an historically informed performance that is exemplary.

Filmed in high-definition, this single BD50 Opus Arte Blu-Ray disc produces a deeply colorful 16:9 1080i image and pristine audio in both Dolby TrueHD 2.0 and 5.0 soundtracks. Because of the extreme visual and audio clarity provided by the Blu-Ray format the experience is utterly immersive. One feels as if the stage is in the room producing a palpable sense of a live performance. The running time of the disc is 210 minutes.

This is an experience not to be missed. If your equipment is capable of reproducing the full high-definition output of a Blu-Ray disc then this performance of Cosi Fan Tutte belongs in your collection. Superbly performed and presented it is most assuredly a special release.

Mike Birman