One of the big selling points of this release may well be its overall completeness, something the other versions of Cosi in Opera Depot's catalog can't boast. There is some editing of the recitatives, but all the normally cut vocal numbers are here. We also get Guglielmo's rarely performed, much longer "Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo".The six soloists are all excellent. Rothenberger was looking for new roles to perform after singing so much of the lyric soprano repertoire. Her Fiordiligi is admirable, but it isn't really her role. Her triplets and other ornaments are smudged and the trills required in "Per pieta" pretty much non-existent. Elias sings richly and warmly, blending beautifully with Rothenberger in their many duets. Stratas' Despina is less waspish than it would become, yet she is delightful (the audience loves her.) The three men are well-matched. Kozma handles his three arias with finesse, Krause is macho and sexy, and Berry emphasizes Alfonso's sardonic wisdom more than his misogyny. Ozawa holds everything together well. This may be from a house tape. The voices are certainly audible, but there is a resonance around them that suggests a hand-held tape recorder (there are no fidgety moments though from the tapist.) The last 3-4 minutes of Act One must've been lost because another performance is dubbed in to complete the act; I have no idea who the singers are or where the other performance took place.If you love Cosi, you'll enjoy this.

Ferrando (excellent Kozma) a ses 3 airs, "Al fatto dan legge" inclus . Ozawa s'avère très bon mozartien, Rothenberger légère (mais le grave est là) suggère la jeunesse du personnage, Elias et Krause chanteurs toujours impeccables, Stratas "steals the show" avec sa souillon malicieuse voulue par Ponnelle, Berry plus convaincant qu'auparavant . Son un peu lointain (pour le plateau) mais correct . La dernière plage de l'acte 1 est empruntée à une version non identifiée .

Sorry, but I was disappointed in this performance because of the sound. I would say the sound is poor. Normally the sound quality listed is pretty accurate, but not in this case. Buyer beware.