Solid Cosi Anniversary for Mozart

All the attention that's being lavished on the Metropolitan Opera has the unfortunate effect of dulling the luster of New York City Opera's season. But those who are frustrated at the lack of tickets for blockbuster sold-out productions like Madama Butterfly and the Barber of Seville (and the upcoming First Emperor) should make stop over at City to check out their inventive season. What you see may surprise you.

City's production of Mozart's Cosi fan tutte boasts a clever concept, fine cast and meticulous musicianship. It's also a great way to get a fresh perspective on a musical masterpiece often disparaged as a light, frivolous romantic comedy: the 18th century equivalent to a sitcom. City has welcomed back an old friend, the conductor Julius Rudel, the company's general and musical director for 22 years, to conduct.

The new production by Tim Albery imagines the drama in the confines of an enormous magic lantern. The singers - in period costume - enter and exit via passageways with sliding doors that resemble elevators. Everything else is more or less historically accurate in this simple yet effective staging, which highlights the delightful singing of the well-prepared and charming cast, as well as opera's many layers of frivolity and gravity.

Mozart set Lorenzo da Ponte's ambiguous libretto - about two brothers who swap paramours to test their lovers' fidelity - to equally amorphous music. The plot is full of mistaken identities, ridiculous disguises and fickle affections and the music Mozart uses to convey all this alternates between the elegantly slight and the profoundly human.

Ryan MacPherson and Kyle Pfortmiller made a great team as the brothers Fernando and Guglielmo and in their Act II solo arias. MacPherson, an earthy tenor who turned out a marvelous Flamand in last season's tepid production of Capriccio, was a little weak in his lower register, but his aria, "Ah, Io veggio," was suitably forlorn and effective. Pfortmiller impressed with his powerful and elegant baritone, especially in Act 2's "Donne mie, la fate a tanti." Rounding out the men was James Maddalena as the scheming Don Alfonso, who sets the whole plot into motion. A sturdy baritone, he projected the avuncular cynicism that the character demands, and turned out the show's most forceful performance.

The women were likewise well-matched. The soprano Julianna Di Giacomo made a very impressive debut as Fiordiligi. She sang with effortless grace all the way through and earned a much-deserved ovation for her poignant forgiveness aria "Per pietà." Her co-star Sandra Piques Eddy came down sick after a shaky first act. After intermission, she walked the role while an off-stage mezzo replaced her. This made for tricky coordination, especially during love duets. The most delightful performance belonged to Maureen McKay, who sang the maid Despina. McKay is the kind of feisty and assured performer who can take an opera cliché and make it fresh and sensual. Her Despina was fresh, sassy and vocally compelling.

In the pit, Rudel led the musicians in a clear and vibrant reading, marked by strong wind playing and continuo. In these final days of the Mozart 250, there's no better way to wish the maestro a final happy birthday.