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1. Kozená's singing was one of the glories ofthat splendid recent Mackerras DG set (Fanfare 30:1).
Regular readers may recall that operatic recitals are not my favorite form of listening; I find it
extremely disconcerting, for example, to go straight from the intensity of Fiordiligi's shredded emo-
tions to her sister's light-hearted banter on love's vagaries, as happens here. But rules are there to be
broken, or at least occasionally bent, and here I can only report near total capitulation in the face not
only of such glorious singing, but also of Kozená's almost uncanny ability to get instantly under the
skin of the character she is portraying. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the opening scene of
Idomeneo. I don't know whether it was Kozená's familiarity with the role of Idamante that allowed
her to portray so successfully the woman he loves, but her Ilia is one of the truly memorable things
on the disc, the long accompagnato that succeeds the overture drawing the listener instantly into
empathy with the conflicting emotions of the Trojan princess who has lost country and father, but
fmds herself unwillingly drawn to Idamante, the son of her enemy. One need only listen to the heart-
breaking line "Oh Ilia! oh genitor! oh prence! oh sorte!"—each exclamation inflected with its own
differing feeling—to be aware that one is in the company of a singer who is the possessor not only
of a ravishing voice, but also of acute sensitivity to the text she is singing. One could cite countless
other examples: the unbridled sexuality of Susanna's words "In braccio all'idol mio" from "Guinse
alfln," the accompanied recitative that leads into the caressing nocturnal invitation of "Deh vieni";
the sly, mocking innuendo of an "In uomini" that suggests that Kozená could have the part of
Despina at any time and in any place she wanted to; or the marvelous chest notes on "tradimento,"
the final word of the accompagnato that leads into a "Per pietá" taken too slowly for my taste, but
invested with a wealth of emotional torment.
One of the most fascinating performances is that of Cherubino's "Voi che sapete," here done
with ornamentation by Domenico Corri, one of the leading vocal theorists of Mozart's day. It sug-
gests that while ornamentation may have been fairly profuse, it never transgressed good taste by
grotesquely distorting the melodic line with large leaps and other spectacular effects; there are those
who might take note. Elsewhere, Kozená's appoggiaturas and ornamentation are also a model of
taste, although I'm puzzled by the arbitrary approach to ornamentation at fermatas, which is some-
times modestly applied while at other times ignored. Trills, too, don't seem to be a major part of
Kozená's armory and there were several occasions when I felt deprived by their absence. What else?
Well, one point that should perhaps have been made clear earlier is that anyone doubting that Kozená
has the range for Mozart's soprano roles will be proved triumphantly wrong, a point well illustrated
by the fact that she takes the optional high Bl. at the end of Ch 'io mi scordi, in which the piano obbli-
gato part is excellently played by Jos van Immerseel. And while no one in their right mind would
wish to substitute "Al desio" for "Deh vieni" in a performance of Figaro (yes, I know Mozart did,
but it was to accommodate Adriana Gabrieli, a very different kind of soprano from the fust Susanna,
Nancy Storace), it makes for a splendid stand-alone aria with formidable coloratura demands that
allow Kozená to prove they are well within her capability.
That same aria also gives the superb wind-players of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
a good opportunity to show their considerable mettle, the playing throughout being of a caliber one
would expect from this Rolls Royce of period-instrument ensembles. I flnd myself unable to resist
the temptation to say that Rattle supports his lady lovingly, perhaps at times a little too caressingly
in the music that might benefit from rather more pointed articulation. But this is a quibble in the light
of a gorgeous disc that deserves the highest accolade that can be paid to a "celebrity" CD: the atten-
tion it focuses on the music rather than the performers. Brian Robins
MOZART Opera Overtures: Magic Flute; Marriage of Figaro; Idomeneo; Don Giovanni; La
clemenza di Tito; Abduction from the Seragiio; The Impressario; Cosi fan tutte. German
Dances, K 605. L. MOZART Cassation in G, "Toy Symphony" • John Lubbock, cond- O of St John's
• RESONANCE 3072 (60:09)
Someone once wryly observed, "There's nothing wrong with opera that getting rid of the
singing wouldn't cure." That does not exactly apply to this release, since it is not a compilation of
only the orchestral parts from well-known operas, or orchestral suites derived therefrom, of which
180 Fanfare January/February 2007

2. many such recordings exist. These are indeed the orchestral curtain raisers, aka overtures, to
Mozart's most popular operas.
I suspect that most Fanfare readers, especially the opera contingent, will have recordings of all the
complete operas listed in the headnote in their collections and, therefore, by default, all of these over-
tures. But sometimes you may be in the mood for just a little Vorspiel, and if you are, this is an okay
collection. It's the sort ofthing I tend to put on as background music vifhile I'm doing household chores.
Produced for the Resonance label by Sanctuary Classics, the eight overtures were recorded in
1982, the German Dances and Leopold Mozart's "Toy Symphony," in 1979, and appeared original-
ly on ASV. The CD is selling at midprice for $ 11.99, which does not make it a particularly good buy
when virtually the same program—minus the Dances and the Leopold Mozart, but plus the overture
to Lucio Silla—is available for $5.99 on an EMI Encore Classics disc with equally good, if not bet-
ter, sound and more polished performances by Neville Marriner and the ASMF. Also, if you promise
not to tell anyone, I'll let you in on a little secret: you can buy this same Resonance CD on a still
available ASV Quicksilva budget release for $7.99. It's the same recording, though for some reason
the pieces are in a slightly different order on the new disc. Jerry Dubins
MOZART Piano Quartets: No. 1 in g, K 478; No. 2 in B, K 493 • Georg Soiti (pn); Melos Qrt • DECCA
ELOQUENCE 442 8221 (56:32)
In his study of Mozart's chamber music, musicologist Hans Keller wisely described these as
"the only absolutely perfect, great, deep masterpieces of their problematic genre." In her biography
of Mozart, Marcia Davenport suggests that K 478 was written "desultorily." Apparently desperate
for ñmds, he wrote a series of pieces—including K 478—in an astonishing range of forms while he
was "groping for a keyhole into which he might fit the key that would open the door to a new con-
ception of opera." The door finally opened when he began his collaboration with Lorenzo Da Ponte
on Le nozze di Figaro. So fertile in musical output was this period in Mozart's life that some biog-
raphers fail to mention these quartets. But, unquestionably, they are masterpieces. With this music,
Mozart essentially established the piano quartet genre. Yet his quartets actually lost money for pub-
lisher Franz Hoffnieister, who had commissioned them. Considering why they failed to capture the
imagination of the public, Mozart scholar H. C. Robbins Landon—in his notes to the recording by
Solti and members of the Melos Quartett—comments that the music simply was "too avant-garde."
To modem ears, they sound more like chamber concertos, to use a phrase from Keller. The addition
of a viola to the standard trio of piano, violin, and cello resulted in a deeper, richer sound. While
rooted in chamber intimacy, each quartet has characteristics of a concerto, as the pianist leads and
serves as primary soloist.
These recordings—reissued by Decca's Australian Eloquence subsidiary—^were made in 1984
and 1985, 200 years after the music was written. The inevitable focus of curiosity is the contribution
of Solti, who was 73 at the time of the recording. How would Solti, best known as a volatile, intense
conductor, perform as a pianist in a chamber setting? Based on the evidence of this recording, he is a
natural chamber musician who fits perfectly with the members of the Melos ensemble. When he has
the melody, Solti appropriately soars and sings, but settles nicely into the background when necessary,
such as in the Allegretto of K 493. Keller noted that the "problem" that must be overcome in this music
is that of blend. Solti and the Melos Quartett blend nicely. In the slower moments, the Andante of K
478 is not mshed but appropriately tender, while the Larghetto of K 493 is gentle and serene.
How well do Solti and the Melos Quartett stand up to the competition? Perhaps surprisingly,
quite well. Based on several blind tests, they compare favorably with the recordings of
Rubenstein/Guameri, Ax/Ma/Stem/Laredo, and Zacharias/Zimmermann/Zimmermann/Wick. Solti
and the Melos Quartett often are more relaxed than are Zacharias and friends on EMI, particularly
in K 478, taking a minute longer in the first movement and almost another minute in the second
movement. The Zacharias contingent seemed more in a hurry while Solti and the Melos revel in
Mozart's sonorities and interplay. The Solti/Melos approach proved more rewarding: tender and
gentle at the right moments; brisk when appropriate, but not too brisk. The first two movements of
Rubenstein's recording of K 478 captivate with subtlety and dynamic contrasts, but the third move-
Fanfare January/February 2007 181