So wonderful, true to the composers intent and not the conductors fancy as is so often the case these days when the conductor thinks that he knows best what the composer intended
What a cast! Clemenza isn't Mozart's finest opera, for sure: but I doubt there has been a more sumptuous cast than this for any of his operas in the last generation. No wonder, it's utterly glorious. There is a recording by Colin Davis with Janet Baker, Yvonne Minton, Lucia Popp and Stuart Burrows, which even has Frederica von Stade (!) in a role as small as Annio, but this is a live performance.
Christopher Robson has the capacity to be truly disturbing! But he can also break the heart or make one rock with laughter. A truly remarkable singer-actor, and well served in this alarming production.
Beautifully sung, but I don't like the director's additions and changes. Bassa Selim isn't supposed to speak bad German or speak any language but German in the opera. If you want realism, then Constanze would have to speak Spanish, as would Blonde (though English might be fitting), Pedrillo and Belmont. Constanze is, like her name, constant and faithful. She would never give in to temptation and get so close to Bassa Selim as indicated here. Another case of directors trying to improve on perfection, and ending up going the other way.
Wow, what a production! But, however controversial, Verdi remains great and his Don Carlos is given an outstanding performance in this production, from cast, orchestra, conductor.
Sentire l'opera ci fa capire quant'è profonda, colorata e ricca la lingua italiana. I sottotitoli in inglese, dove non perdono parte del significato, ne rasentano un cambio quasi radicale. Peccato che stiamo per lo più impoverendo il nostro lessico.
