I have always had a
soft spot for Mozart from the Drottningholm
Theatre. Opened in 1766 the theatre’s
stage and equipment, when well used,
are perfect for ‘traditional’ Mozart
productions. Though this isn’t by any
means the very best of the Drottningholm
Mozarts, it is well worth two hours
of the time and attention of any Mozartean.
This is indeed a traditional
production, in terms of staging – there
are no ocean liners here, nor any sign
of ‘Despina’s Diner’. Under a neo-classical
portico, glimpses of sky and sea have
a reasonably Neapolitan air about them
and the interiors, though very simply
furnished, are perfectly convincing.
Costumes are also simple – the white
dresses of the sisters pleasantly attractive.
The whole look is plausible and comfortable.
There are nice touches – the scene in
which Despina, as the magnetic doctor,
brings about the ‘recovery’ of the ‘Albanians’
is wittily directed. Most of the intimate
scenes between the sisters work very
well. During the overture we see the
cast making their way to the theatre
– on bikes, jogging, on the bus – and
this works well, suggesting the importance
of ensemble rather than starry soloists
and hinting at some of the ways in which
da Ponte’s dramatic narrative is connected
to the real world. Above all, no aspect
of the production seeks to force on
the audience a single interpretation
of this most ironic and ambiguous of
Mozart’s operas. The designer – and
indeed – the director have had the professional
humility (and competence) to be able
to put themselves at the service of
Mozart’s music and Lorenzo da Ponte’s
words, rather than imposing themselves
so forcefully as to limit and distort
words or music. The young Swedish cast
mostly have a good stage presence and
there is a deal of effective ensemble
playing. Ulla Severin is vivacious Despina,
with a sparkle in her eyes and expressive
body language, her very way of moving
distinct from that of her aristocratic
mistresses. Enzo Florimo is a disturbingly
genial, arrogantly knowing, Don Alfonso.
Ann Christine Biel is a persuasive Fiordiligi,
capturing rapidly changing emotions
quite effectively; Maria Höglind
is, not altogether unfittingly, less
emotionally expressive. Lars Tibell
is decidedly wooden as Ferrando and
Magnus Lindén’s Guglielmo only
convinces one somewhat inconsistently
of the reality of his emotions.
Musically things are
a little disappointing. Most of the
singing is adequate, but not often much
more than that. Part of the problem
may be the sheer speed of most of Östman’s
tempi, with his original-instrument
orchestra. It is almost as if these
(mostly) relatively young singers simply
don’t have the capacity at these tempos
to do much more than get the notes out,
as if there’s no time for real vocal
characterisation or tonal variety. Biel
is perhaps the most successful; she
is genuinely moving in ‘Come scoglio’.
Höglind and Lindén acquit
themselves perfectly competently, but
only occasionally achieve much individuality.
Tibell is often struggling; he makes
particularly heavy weather of ‘Un’aura
amorosa del nostro tesoro’. Severin
carries her role more by stage manner
than by any special vocal distinction
and much the same might be said of Florimo.
For all my reservations
about the musical achievement of this
production, I found it an enjoyable
experience. The intimacy of the Drottningholm
theatre transfers well to the intimate
‘theatre’ in one’s living room. The
general level of ensemble playing is
satisfying and largely compensates for
the fact that the singing is not of
the very highest standards. Così
is a remarkable work; a fable of innocence
and experience, full of complex ironic
relationships between pretend and ‘real’,
between laughter and sorrow. The approach
to self-knowledge and to knowledge of
society, worked out through embarrassment
and conflicted emotions, in scene after
scene which depends on discrepant levels
of awareness, some characters knowing
more than others, the audience knowing
most of all, makes Così
in some ways the most sophisticated
of all of Mozart’s operas. Enough of
all of that survives here to make this
DVD rewarding, despite its areas of
weakness. It should be said that neither
picture nor sound are always as perfectly
focused as we would now expect, but
such technical limitations don’t seriously
inhibit one’s pleasure.
Glyn Pursglove
Orchestra and Chorus of the Drottningholm
Court Theatre/Arnold Östman 
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