La finta semplice at the QEH
First among equals was Regula Mühlemann, whose smooth legato, clean lines and immaculate diction gave real class to her Rosina. It’s clear she has the right voice for Mozart and her sense of fun, demonstrative enjoyment in her character’s machinations bubbled into her singing.
“Regula Mühlemann was utterly enchanting as Rosina: no wonder both Dons were instantly besotted. She was a perfect faux naïf, operating with shrewdness in her duets with her two desperate suitors and relishing Rosina’s sly manipulations. The soaring lines of ‘Amoretti che ascosi qui siete’ bloomed serenely and with shapeliness: a delicate vibrato and the soprano’s silken tone evoked the true sensibility of this supposed ‘simpleton’, while lovely interjection from the violins, violas and bassoons, paired in thirds, added sweetness and colour.”