As Wolfgang Mozart wrote so much great music for low voice in his best-known operas -- consider what is present in Don Giovanni alone -- Deutsche Grammophon could have approached
Bryn Terfel's entry into its Mozart Forever series as a no-brainer. Nevertheless, there is nothing cynical about Tutto Mozart!; Deutsche Grammophon gave considerable thought to what among Mozart's oeuvre suits
Terfel best. So while we are treated to the expected excerpts from Giovanni, The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, and other standard-issue Mozart operas, we also have an excerpt from Bastien and Bastienne, a couple of insert arias from operas of other composers, the reconstructed aria Così dunque tradisci -- Aspri rimorsi atroci, and other relative obscurities. All of the recordings are new, as Deutsche Grammophon decided to start from scratch, rather than to pull Tutto Mozart! together from existing catalog. So
Bryn Terfel gets to Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-Geno with
Miah Persson, rather than with
Cecilia Bartoli, a performance we have already heard, and presumably, purchased. Mezzo-soprano Christine Rice also joins in on the Così fan tutte extracts singing Dorabella's parts. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra under
Sir Charles Mackerras contributes a lively and dedicated backdrop to all of the proceedings here. Although released as the Mozart Year (2006) is winding down,
Bryn Terfel's Tutto Mozart! is probably one of the very best new Mozart recordings the Mozart Year has produced -- make sure not to miss this one. It is heartening to note that, in this case, Deutsche Grammophon took a relatively natural assignment and went the extra mile to really do it right.