Caballe in vocally tired but dramatically wonderful form
340467
Given that this was recoded live in 1979, it is hard to believe how vocally strained Montserrat Caballe sounds. Her voice sounds somewhat opaque, slightly wobbly, and very strained, much like Sutherland's near the end of her career. However, one cannot deny the dramatic power she lends to Mina's big aria. Those familiar with Caballe's tendency towards a creamy, expressionless tone will be amazed at what she does here. If you happen to own the Rossini Donizetti Verdi Rarities recital, you can compare the recording of Mina's aria she did in the studio to the one on this full-length live recording. The difference in depth of interpretaton and penetrating power is huge.
As for Eve Queler's conducting, let's just say that it passes muster, but isn't at all thrilling. Her conducting sounds very geometric and dry, lacking the verve and passion that makes Verdi's music come alive. Just listen to the overture, and you will get a sense of what I mean.
The only other comment I would like to add concerns Juan Pons. He reminds me much of Sherril Milnes, whom I really enjoy. His diction isn't always perfect, but he plays the role of Mina's father very well. Just listen to his duet with Caballe, in what sounds like the prototype for the famous "Bella Figlia dell'Amore" quartet from Rigoletto. (It is track 11 on the first CD).
While this isn't a stellar Verdi experience, it has enough qualities to warrant a place in your collection.
747701
It's known for everybody that Puccini used the wagnerian and straussian orchestration in his operas. This one is a great example of that herecy and Karajan really knows how to get that powerfull, brilliant and modern sounds from the Vienna Philharmonniker.
I prefer the voice of Domingo but the technic of Corelli, whose Calaf is unbeateable. Of course, "Nessun Dorma" is better with the voice of Pavarotti, but Domingo's and Corelli's interpretation of the full score are the best in the history of contemporary recording.
515786
Having enjoyed his solo debut recording, "Italian Opera Arias", from last year, I looked forward to tenor Rolando Villazn's new disc despite overzealous publicists who have already dubbed him the Fourth Tenor. He is still not there yet, but I am happy to report the new recording exceeds my expectations with a carefully chosen program of song sets from Gounod and Massenet. Reflecting immaculate taste and superb arrangements, Villazn's smooth, slightly dark voice wraps itself around a French repertoire that includes pieces both familiar and somewhat obscure. Produced by the estimable Daniel Zalay (who did similar duties with countertenor David Daniels' exquisite "Berlioz: Les Nuits d't" last year), the program is intelligently broken down into five song sets alternating between the two composers. The result is quite enthralling.

He has a strong vocal technique that doesn't seem as contrived as some of his tenor-voiced brethren, and there is particular evidence of this on Gounod's "La Reine de Saba" ("Faiblesse de la race humaine!...Inspirez-moi, race divine"), where he achieves a noble grandeur without much strain even with the incredible high-C he sings at the end. He does some wondrous work with phrasing that form dramatic scenes with punch and depth, probably the best example being Massenet's "Enfin, Manon...En Fermant Les Yeux", in which he does an effectively lovestruck call-and-response with the soubrettish soprano Natalie Dessay. There are some familiar gems from Gounod's "Romo et Juliette" and "Faust", as well as some stunning pieces I never heard before like Massenet's "Le Roi de Lahore" and "Werther".  Conducted by Evelino Pid, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France performs with dramatic precision making for a supple complement to Villazn's powerful voice. It's a triumphant sophomore effort, better than the somewhat more predictable program of the first CD. Strongly recommended as a showcase for a talent definitely worth watching.
3983877
Keenlyside is a surprisingly emotionally-moving baritone. The intelligence & specificity of his interpretations is compelling. The voice is deeply masculine yet flexible. His phrasing is brilliant. I must admit it fills me with longing to have been able to see & hear him paired with Domingo, in Don Carlo. Certainly, much credit must go to the sensibilities of conductor Ulf Schirmer & the Munchen Rundfunkorchester, neither of which I have heard before.
Am hearing it for the first time & plan to carry it to & from the car wherever I go.
2997823
I don't know much about Charles Munch, probably because he was less know than such giants at the time including Eugene Ormandy and Fritz Reiner, but once I heard this performance of Berlioz's crowning achievement, I couldn't agree more that it gave such "fiery excitement" (High Fidelity).

  The final two movements - March to the Scaffold and Sabbath Night - are an absolute MUST!!! Nailbiting high tempo and a brilliant "cheer" in the March, and a power-pack of musical images of monsters and demons - from the swooping cackle of the witches from the strings - to the high-pitched "church" bells cold as ice - to the Dies Irae played by the low brass and winds full of character (the vibrato and the blend really makes a satire out of this infamous chant) - all portrayed in Sabbath Night.

  Even though the sound quality is really dated and certainly not at its cleanest, but still no other performance could be as elecrtifying as this one. Go for it!!!
1678782
Canadian Soprano Adrianne Pieczonka recorded this Wagner/Strauss disc of arias and song in 2005 when her burgeoning international career was already well established in many of the great opera houses of the world. The recording is beautifully sung with clean, full, refulgent tone. She has a stunning voice of great beauty and power. Particularly notable is the Die Walkre excerpt "Der Mnner Sippe," and "Es gibt ein Reich" from Ariadne auf Naxos. The opera world has been hungering for a dramatic soprano voice such as hers for quite a long time as there is a shortage in this vocal fach. To my ears, in this disc she has a tendency to over-enunciate the words with equal emphasis on each word, perhaps robbing the phrases of a more idiomatic reading in the manner of a more sensitive or more experienced actress/singer such as Julia Varady or Lotte Lehmann. The Wesendonk lieder sound rushed to me. Her interpretation sounds more at home in "Stehe still" and "Schmerzen." "Im Treibhaus" lacks the mysterious mood it should have. "Trume" is sung in overdrive at a very rushed pace detracting from the dream atmosphere. For a better Wesendonk cycle, listen to Julia Varady's or Janet Baker's. The arias from Tannhuser and Lohengrin sound ideal in Pieczonka's voice. She is a very accomplished singer with a truly world-class voice. Her Puccini album is even better.
3743967
This performance of Cendrillon sparkles orchestrally and vocally. Von Stade's performance is a delight, her voice glorious, her high notes amaze. Rudel brings to life Massenet's brilliant orchestral colors. What this set unfortunately lacks is a libretto.
2537041
"La Straniera" is not a mainstream opera; it did not succeed in the same way as its predecessor, "Il Pirata", did, owing to its silly plot and sometimes less than inspired music. It has been intermittently available in various expensive live recordings and as I write, the only other options are a similarly cheap "Opera d'Oro" set with Renata Scotto with an otherwise mediocre cast, and an excellent live, 1993 version with a young Renee Fleming and Gregory Kunde, both in superb voice, with a first class supporting cast in very good stereo sound, conducted by Eve Queler, available for around $42 delivered from Celestial Audio in Australia. I am not a great fan of Scotto but even those who are, might be deterred by the lack of quality in her co-singers and the rough sound, so it's between this set and the Fleming one. Renee is in her fresh, youthful prime, delivering great topnotes and a creamy, seamless stream of tone; Kunde is similarly impressive.

This Gala set is not in the best sound either, but it's not bad for a 1969 performance - perfectly listenable mono without much distortion. The principal women are very good, Caballe floating those trademark high pianissimi and injecting real drama into her characterisation, Casoni singing strongly without any special distinction. I have read complaints about both male singers but I find Sardinero to be his usual dependable self, using his ringing baritone to great effect, and I do not object to the rather unvaried, stentorian tones of the little-known tenor, Amadeo Zambon (who died aged 65 in 2000); he is not subtle but his is a proper Italianate voice. He sings all the notes and produces some good ones as he goes up to compensate for the rather blaring sound in the middle of the voice.

Guadagno is a sensitive, seasoned conductor and oversees what was clearly something of an occasion in New York; Caballe in her prime was a phenomenon despite some of those irritating mannerisms which crept in quite early in her career, such as glottal emphasis and that matronly tone in the middle of the voice; her vocal pyrotechnics are a joy.

As a clincher, there is the bonus of an extended extract from the famous Act 2 duet from "Norma" sung by Caballe and Cossotto in 1970; the sound is muddy but the singing peerless.
2971889
There are so many reasons to buy this superb Preiser issue. First, it combines the sole, legendary Decca recital of 1957 but in combination with excerpts from her only complete studio recording of "La gioconda" and from live performances of Cerquetti's most celebrated roles. Secondly, it enshrines the extraordinary voice of what was the clearly the greatest post-war lirico-dramatic soprano singing mostly Verdi but quite able to encompass the delicacy of Norma, the thrust and heft required for verismo, yet also the agility for Rossini.

All of this was accomplished in a career of barely eight years, abandoned in late 1960 before she was barely thirty (or at least only in her early thirties - there is some uncertainty regarding whether her true date of birth was 1927 or 1931). It matters little that Cerquetti never sang another note in public given the quality of what we can hear on this disc, but one cannot help wistfully speculating what she might have gone on to do had she sung for another twenty years. Or perhaps, like Callas, Sass, Souliotis and others whose stars burned brightly but comparatively briefly in the operatic firmament it was all too much too soon and she would in any case have burned out too soon working at such a profligate level of commitment.

I can pay her no higher compliment than to remark how frequently her voice, despite being very individual in its flame-like intensity, reminds me of Rosa Ponselle. It is clearly absolutely huge, rock-steady, capable of the most extraordinary refinement and pathos. There are fleeting moments of shrillness on the highest notes and every so often she hits a temporarily "flat" patch (in tonal production, not pitch) but otherwise her technical security and dramatic scope are beyond reproach. The warmth and fullness of the lower reaches of her range indicate a properly registered voice and it expands as a great voice should as she ascends the scale. Her breath control is exemplary and she inhabits each role convincingly. She listened carefully to Serafin's advice not to sing "Gioconda" too often or in an open arena, turned down unsuitable offers from the Met, never sang Puccini on stage as she didn't feel it sat comfortably in her voice (this despite the excellent "Vissi d'arte" on the Decca recital) and concentrated on the big, scenery-chewing Verdi roles while retaining the flexibility to sing as fine a Norma as anyone of her generation or since has given us.

The sound quality of the live arias here is fine (although the Rossini tape is a bit wobbly) and she had the benefit of singing under some of the best Italian conductors of the 50's: Gavazzeni, Gui and Mario Rossi.

Find out what the fuss was about and buy this to experience what great Verdi singing used to sound like.
1678695
The "retired opera singer" (who'se apparently been around a very long time indeed....) was right- Joan Sutherland IS a spectacular singing machine. Her coloratura has an inhuman regularity to it.
These CDs do show off her best. All the trills, roulades, etc. are there, just like it says in the other reviews. If only her high notes weren't QUITE so full - shrieky.
 I would like to say, that I disagree slightly with those who say Dame joan sings emotionlessly.
Several of the selections, especially the  Willow Song from Otello, are nicely characterized. -It need hardly be said that she is not quite on a level with Callas as far as her acting skills.
Bel raggio lusinghier is my choice for coloratura showpeice from this set - listen to Joan on her octave and a half run! incredible.
One wishes that she would have performed Come per me sereno at the breakneck rate that Callas and benrstein conjured in '54 (was it?) but still, avery nice show all around.
2822466
There are multiple strengths and no glaring weaknesses in this justly acclaimed recording. Muti's conducting is both dynamic and sensitive, as is Solti's, and somewhat brisker in tempo. Furthermore, he brings out orchestral details that are often not heard. The singing is strong throughout. Domingo's Radames has a powerful, full bodied timbre, and Caballe's Aida is distinguished by beautiful soft tones and clarity of diction, yet, at the same time, she effectively conveys Aida's passion and anguish, and also has the power of voice to handle the big dramatic moments. Ghiaurov's deep basso adds to the gravity of his performance of Ramfis, the chief priest. The only reservations I would offer is that Cossotto as Amneris, while strong of voice, sounds rather wooden in her portrayal as compared to Gorr in the Solti recording, and that Domingo's Radames, while beautifully sung and more Italian in style, does not penetrate into the character's thoughts and feelings as deeply as Vickers (who also possesses the powerful sound required to convey the more external aspects of Radames as noble warrior hero and ardent lover). Furthermore, Price is more lush of voice and overtly passionate, though her singing lacks the pianissimo shadings of Caballe, and she also tends to slur her consonants.
...
3769903
B. D. Rous's full and thoughtful review says much with which I heartily concur; I ordered this disc on the strength of the "Inessa Galante - Heroines" recital (see my review) and at the prompting of a friend who invited comparisons between Galante and Sondra Radvanovsky as neglected Verdi sopranos.

As much as I admire it, I was conscious of one or two things bothering me while listening. One is the loss of firmness and colour in the middle of the voice, which shows up especially in the "Don Carlo" aria, where the tessitura for Elisabetta's plaintive lament seems most to betray a certain thinness in the middle of Galante's tone. I think this the least successful performance of the arias sung here and actually find more to quibble with over that discoloration than Mr Rous; I disagree with him about the unsuitability of Galante's rendering of Nanetta's aria, as it seems to me that much of it lies higher where she is completely comfortable - even though the odd squally note has been allowed to pass in this recital where a re-take might have been advisable. Despite the amplitude of her tone, she maintains an appropriately ethereal, "faerie" line and gets away with an ambitious choice of aria for so large a lirico-spinto voice.

There's no doubt about it; this is a proper Verdi voice which makes her comparative neglect by the big houses and recording companies all the more puzzling. Perhaps this was Miss Galante's own career choice; she is very celebrated in her native Latvia and in Russia. I was struck by the more than passing similarity at times between her smoky, lustrous tone and that of Leontyne Price in her prime; another valid comparison is with Caball in her willingness and ability to spin high pianissimo notes on a "fil di voce" - but the comparison holds only in that regard; otherwise she sounds absolutely nothing like Caball. This, in combination with striking excursions down in to her lower register, creates some really startling dramatic effects; her Aida is especially striking and makes one wish for the whole role.

Verdi singing this good redeems the almost hackneyed selection of arias here; it is true that her Italian, while better than it was in the earlier recital, is still occasionally unidiomatic and that incipient hollowness in the centre of the voice occasionally fails to satisfy the listener's desire for a steady stream of golden tone but this is a voice which has clearly become fuller and richer in the interim; she has been using it wisely, as she was approaching fifty at the time of recording and clearly in her vocal prime.

I am less excited about the orchestral playing and conducting here, which is a bit bland and dutiful - and the choir, while enthusiastic and competent, seems a little short of heft and never sounds remotely Italianate.
1854388
Soprano Sylvia McNair delivers a strong performance here but she isn't supported well enough by Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony.  This is one of those recordings where the commitment of the soloist isn't matched by the accompanying forces.  Ozawa and the BSO follow along like professionals earning their paycheck, even if its supporting a star like McNair.

The three works McNair has selected are each works of youth connected to France.  Ravel wrote Sheherazade when he was 24, Debussy wrote The Blessed Damozel when he was 25, and Benjamin Britten wrote Les Illuminations at 26.  All are fine works  in fact, I think Sheherazade is one of Ravels finest scores and Im not the only one who thinks so, as it has elicited inspired and very different performances from some of the great female singers of the century, including what I think is Janet Bakers single best performance and terrific versions from Regine Crespin, Arleen Auger and Heather Harper.  These interpretations are all very different from each other and form what is one of the highlights of the recorded classical repertory as a group.  McNairs version is fine, but no more than that.  Her upper register is beautiful and she delivers those high notes with unforced dynamic power or softness as needed, her virtuosity on display.  The problem is that the Ozawa is going through the motions in the background, for example, in the insipid opening of the third song, The Bored One.  When you compare the overall result with, say Baker being accompanied by an impassioned John Barbirolli, well, the result pales.

The same problem emerges in Les Illuminations, placed second here.  I repeatedly compared McNairs version with Ian Bostridges recording, done with Simon Rattle for EMI.  The Bostridge has a sensitivity and lushness that McNair cant match.  The final song, Departure, has an almost mystical hush as done by Bostridge; with McNair, her voice is gorgeous but the phrasing is less intense and a tad plodding.  McNair is generally very good here but I didn't find her without blemishes.  In the song Towns, the quicker passages force her into some uncharacteristically sloppy slides and occasionally off pitches.  But generally she is very good.

Debussys Blessed Damozel isn't quite on the level of the Ravel and Britten, although it does have the distinction of being the clearest manifestation of the neo-Raphaelite style in music and has a haunting chordal opening.  My preferred version of this is from Maria Ewing supported by Claudio Abbado, done with commitment and a great sense of sensitivity and awareness of the aestheticized neo-medievalism which Debussy was attempting to create.  Ozawas accompaniment is a bit metronomic, a bit plodding.  Although McNair is good, and is joined by a good partner in soprano Susan Graham, the Damozel isn't as expressive as it can be.

I don't want to be overcritical here.  McNair does well and the recording is just fine.  Theres no doubt that you can appreciate and learn to like the three compositions, but my experience with really excellent  and most of all committed  alternatives from the other performers I mentioned above make this recording something of an also ran.  Pretty good, but not great.
3371183
The Met's HD production of "Peter Grimes" packs a lot of power and brings the brooding musicality of Benjamin Britten's 1945 operatic masterwork to life. The cast is uniformly fine vocally and dramatically, though people who remember Jon Vickers in his full-voiced portrayal of the titular anti-hero may find Anthony Dean Griffey's tenor light and reedy by comparison. Nonetheless, he is compelling in his portrayal of Grime's anguished internal pre-occupations, and the rest of the cast brings theatrical and vocal specificity to their roles as inhabitants of The Borough. Patricia Racette gives a heart-wrenching performance as Ellen Orford, the widowed school mistress who tries to befriend the embattled Peter. John Doyle's stage direction is strong in developing the characters, and in maximizing the dramatic impact of the choruses, but is often rendered static by the constraints of the uniwall black on black set. The real heroes, though, are conductor Donald Runnicles and the incomparable Met orchestra, who capture Britten's miraculous sonic evocation of the sea and its parallel storms in the minds of those who, like the fisherman Grimes, try to eke out a precarious livelihood from it.
3834712
From the esteemed Erato recording company comes an interesting and beguiling performance by the 27 year old piano virtuoso H&eacute;l&egrave;ne Grimaud and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under the baton of David Zinman in 1997 playing works by George Gershwin and Maurice Ravel. These works sonically complement each other very well and present a balanced-mood listening experience. In fact, Ravel and Gershwin formed a friendship during Ravel's triumphant visit to the USA. Ravel even admirably 'quoted' Gershwin during the "Perpetuum mobile" movement of the "Sonata for Violin and Piano in G Major" where we hear echos of "Rhapsody in Blue". Grimaud was already an award-winning globally-acknowledged young individualist when these were recorded.

Gershwin's two most famous works, "Rhapsody in Blue" which was commissioned by famed jazz big band leader Paul Whiteman and "An American in Paris", recalling his visit to the "City of Lights" were single movements with multiple themes and rhythms within each work. But "Piano Concerto in F" (major) is written in a more formal classical music format with 3 movements: the soaring, multi-tempo Allegro movement with its beautiful melancholy main theme gives Grimaud and orchestra a great large-scale sonic canvas; the languid, bluesy Adagio-Andante con motto movement with piano figurations that are heavily quoted in jazz solos of today (or was Gershwin the one being influenced?); and the urgent bombastic Allegro agitato uniting previous themes, all three movements getting a marvelous musical ride by Grimaud and company. It is a soaring, beautiful performance from Grimaud supported and complemented by Zinman and the BSO.

Ravel's "Piano Concerto in G" was dedicated to and premiered by famed pianist Marguerite Long and its 3 movements are annotated as Allegramente, a whimsical, mostly uptempo, at times explosive movement seemingly influenced by Ravel's introduction to jazz in New York and the blues in New Orleans during his USA tour; the 9 minute Adagio assai, a gentle dissonant waltz, full of swirling pensive reveries and raindrop figurations, and is my favorite movement; and the uptempo Pesto movement has more orchestral whimsy and restless repetitive figures for the display of Grimaud's virtuosic pianism, seeming to end prematurely. Ravel almost 'disconnects' the pianist's left and right hands at times, mesmerizingly flying in different directions.

Today, H&eacute;l&egrave;ne Grimaud is viewed as a supremely potent pianistic iconoclast with her own vision of how to approach a piece, and 17 years prior, during this chapter of "The Erato Story" she was no less adventurous, reveling in the music of both Gershwin and Ravel with the BSO. The sound for both piano and orchestra has a somewhat distant aspect, inviting this listener to turn it up, pulling one into the sonic ambience of the performance, and if that is what Erato intended, it works. Kudos to Mlle Grimaud, Mr Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. One of my favorites, this one gets My Highest Recommendation. Five ENJOYABLE Stars. (6 DDD tracks; Time-54:47)
4281325
This is a complete recording of "Norma", without the usual stage cuts which disfigure most other recordings including all of those featuring the singer who is for many the ultimate High Priestess, Maria Callas. The cuts are not large but for completists that is recommendation enough, especially given the starry nature of the 1973 cast.

However, the singing per se is good enough reason to acquire it, even if there is for me some small taint of the assembly line approach to recording which could afflict the industry in its heyday, when complete recordings were being churned out with gay abandon to a receptive and increasingly affluent LP market. There is no doubt, for example that there is more excitement, glamour and allure to be found in Caball&eacute;'s live recording a year or so later when she faces down the Mistral in Orange, partnered by Jon Vickers, but the sound there is nowhere near as good, of course and as a studio recording this one could hardly sound better for its era. It is on three CDs when it could have been fitted on to two and has been well remastered; however, this latest incarnation comes without a libretto. The previous, 1988 issue had one but for some reason ascribed four Acts to the opera (it has but two) and was confused about the scene numbers; never mind.

Not everything about Caball&eacute;'s singing is ideal, she can sound generalised compared with Callas's exquisitely subtle and thrillingly dramatic word-painting and when she sings forcefully her tone can turn harsh and some of those irritating little glottal catches intrude, but of course her floated, soft singing is a dream. Domingo is in youthful, sappy voice, only just squeezing out his one top C in his opening aria but otherwise very acceptable, if hardly as visceral as Corelli or Del Monaco. Cossotto  as Adalgisa consciously and effectively softens her naturally big, brazen tone in order to convey her naivety and  vulnerability; she blends well with her co-star in those vital duets, although in "Opera on Record", reviewer Andrew Porter waspishly but not entirely inaccurately describes their partnership as the sound of "two big, healthy girls jogging along in full, splendid cry"! Raimondi is a fine Oroveso, a little lighter than the usual bass in that role but affecting and authoritative. The two British supporting singers are ideal, especially Kenneth Collins as Flavio, a celebrated tenor in his own right.

Cillario's conducting is unobtrusive and he gives his singers space to bring out the beauty of Bellini's long, legato line. The Ambrosian Chorus - ubiquitous in major label recordings for twenty years from the mid-sixties onwards - do their usual impeccable job.
4970204
At the wake of Maria Callas' explorations into the bel canto repertoire, great sopranos such as Joan Sutherland, Leyla Gencer, and most importantly, Montserrat Caballe, dominated the Italian repertoire during their careers to revive the forgotten operas of Donizetti, Bellini, Verdi, and Rossini.  I say that Caballe is the most important of these three post-Callas sopranos because more so than any of these divas, she epitomized the true bel canto style needed to make her characterizations come to life.  Sutherland had an excellent technique, but her characterizations were sadly lacking in verve, and Leyla Gencer was too often in an undesirable state of voice despite her thespian histrionics.  Montserrat had both, and she championed the great operas of Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini, Massenet, Wagner, Strauss, Mozart, Giordano, Pergolesi, and all the other great, almost-unknown composers who became part of her core repertoire, if there was any at all.  Her excellent technique allowed her to continue assuming roles that displayed her magnificent artistry well into her 70's...up to today!  Yes, she is still singing, and in fact she is going to be starring in a role in the Vienna Opera next year.

This recital shows Caballe in the repertoire that was arguably her best.  Although I found her compelling in some Verdi, I thought that she lacked the spinto sound needed to set those Verdi roles on fire.  In this recital, Caballe shows her knack and ability to make the earlier Verdi operas shine.  She had a coloratura facility that was simply astounding for an instrument of her particular smoothness, beauty, and timbre, and I believe that her excerpt from Aroldo is a must hear.  Her Donizetti is brilliant as well, a highlight being the Parisina and the Belisario excerpts.  It makes us wish that there were a Belisario lying around somewhere with her singing.  Her Rossini makes us hope for an Armida and a Tancredi.  This recording finds her in superb voice, much more so than many of the recordings of her latter years that find her singing with a trademark Caballe bleat.  For people who love bel canto and tasteful singing, I think this is a recital that anyone should own.