Customer Reviews

Aida

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This particular recording of Verdi's "Aida" has provoked a great deal of discussion amongst opera-lovers and critics alike since its release in 1970. Much of the furor centered on the American operatic diva Leontyne Price, universally regarded as one of the greatest Aidas ever, and this, her 2nd recorded performance of the role. Most become mired in subjective comparisons between Ms. Price's vocalism and interpretation on the legendary Solti/ Decca "Aida" made in the '60s, and this recording, released on RCA in 1970. There is little need for such debate. "Aida" has enjoyed no greater performer of the role than Leontyne Price! Here, Ms. Price's voice has grown notably darker in color, the middle voice heavier and lusher in texture. Her lower voice has more bite (and more chest)and husk. The upper voice hasn't lost much(vibrancy),and has gained a creamier, velvety richness that yields sublime soft 'pianos'("Numi pieta"..."O Patria mia"...the Nile Scene...and "O terra,addio") and produces the 'con forza' neccessary for the climaxes in the opera. Ms. Price has stated that the key to performing this role(for her)is in recognizing that Aida is a Royal Ethiopean princess, and that attitude is prevalent in her performance here. The conception is grander, more regal, and pointed in relation to her earlier assumption with Solti. The diva uses her impressive vocal 'palette' to color the texts, illuminating the various dramatic situations expertly, no more so than in the Nile Scene where Aida must express sorrow in the aria, joy, then revulsion & terror in the duet with Amonasro, and then seduce Radames into duplicity. Ms. Price reigns supreme there, and is triumphant throughout in this recording. Comparisons be damned, Leontyne Price is unbeatable as Aida on recordings. Her Radames, tenor Placido Domingo, has recorded his role (3) times. He sings here with a youthful vitality that's appropriate for the ambitious Egyptian captain in love with Aida. Mr. Domingo's voice is darkly beautiful, with a distinct vibrancy in his middle voice that blossoms into a firm, full-bodied spinto upper voice that 'rings' on top. He's ardent in the love scenes, heroic in the climaxes, and uniquely successful at portraying Radames' vulnerability, making Aida's seduction in the Nile Scene and "Celeste Aida" more convincing than usual. Mr. Domingo's use of 'mezza voce' is never more appreciated than in "O terra addio", the opera's finale, where he & Ms. Price sing a soft, glowing "farewell" to earth that is heartbreaking. Mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry recorded the role of the Egyptian princess Amneris once before this performance. This role is one of her most famous creations, and she demonstrates the reason for such acclaim here. Ms. Bumbry's voice is sable- rich in texture, with a dark, pulsing middle voice, powerful high notes, and a deep, resonant chest voice that's singular in its beauty. 'Amneris' is a three-dimensional character in Ms. Bumbry's hands, and vocally, the mezzo-soprano is superb at presenting the crafty, volatile, passionate nature of Aida's nemesis. Ms. Bumbry's voice alternately purrs beguilingly, snarls with fury, urgently pleads, and is plaintive when the drama demands it, all on display in her Act III duet with Mr. Domingo,and the explosive Judgement Scene that follows. She is a magnificent Amneris. Baritone Sherrill Milnes added the role of Aida's father 'Amonasaro' to the stellar list of Verdi roles he's renowned for with this recording. His portrayal is also more youthful than usual, but loses none of the dignity and stature that Verdi invested in the music. Mr. Milnes uses his voluminous instrument with a musical intelligence that is largely missing in his rivals' interpretations. His singing is nuanced, purposeful, & incisive, utilizing the strong, firmly- voiced middle to contrast with a superior upper extension, that balances his weak lower register(though not a great factor in this role). Mr. Milnes' duet with Ms. Price in the Nile Scene sizzles! The role of 'Ramphis' is intoned by basso Ruggiero Raimondi, whose vocalism is well-produced but static. (With rare exception, so are his rivals.) Maestro Erich Leinsdorf lacks the imaginative 'spark' that could have lifted this performance to definitive greatness, and instead, conducts a 'practised', thoroughly competent, and musically correct account of this GRAND opera. We are most fortunate that the cast is able to bring their own artistry & vision to the proceedings, and not be too influenced by the maestro's equanimity with the score. This recording has been re-mastered digitally, and the sonics are quite lively and true. There are indeed other more creatively- conducted performances, that feature 'Aidas' of great vocal beauty (Caballe, Milanov,Tebaldi,L.Price) & other superlative artists ( Cossotto,Simionato,Barbieri/ Bergonzi,Corelli,Tucker/ Merrill,Gobbi,Warren), but this performance has something its rivals don't: a sterling quartet of quintessential Verdians that includes 'Aida assoluta' Leontyne Price!!
NOTE:
Opera fans and critics' opinions can vary greatly at times because the Art form itself is prone to subjectivity & personal taste. However, there are certain technical and musical demands, most often created by the composer and/or "tradition" that are unavoidably objective, and with rare exception, are executed by the performers on this recording. I would urge fans and critics alike to demonstrate said 'taste' when reviewing any particular performance on this website (and elsewhere). One can disagree with an artists' output without being disrespectful, cruel, or, (far-worse) distortion, bordering on dishonesty. Love them or hate them, these performers are all artists, and merit respect- if not admiration. Basta!

Leontyne Price recorded a lot of Aidas, and the best one is problably the 1963 Met recording with Bergonzi as Radames and Solti on the podium (Myto). Though, if you don't like bad sound and coughing contests, you must hate that disc-set. Then, if you want to hear the best Aida ever, you have to buy this beautiful RCA recording; Leinsdorf does a great job, although he's not the most talented conductor of the century, and Leontyne Price's singing is just as good as it gets. Listen closely to her "Ritorna vincitor!": that's what "ARTIST" means. Domingo and Bumbry show they're worth their popularity; Raimondi and Milnes complete the triumph with great performances.

This is one of my favorite recordings of Aida. FIrst of all if you're looking for a recording of this title you simply must have one with Leontyne Price in the title role, no one else can match her in this role. The names Aida and Leontyne Price are synomonous. Domingo is also a great Radames and he has truly been the verdian tenor of our times. Bumbry is also such a dynamic voice and sings Amneris like no one else. My favorite moment in the opera is durnig the duet "pur ti riveggo", when Price sings " In van tu no potressti" She is so great. Buy this recording I did and I am incredibly happy with it!!!

We'll make this a short list. Price is still characterful but the highs are scooped or ducked, the lows are gusty to the point of raspiness. I have no idea what Leinsdorf is doing with the score--he seems to change concept as if this were done in a string of sessions, and none of his decisions seem to stem from dramatic or musical requirements. I have even less of an idea why RCA would want the London Symphony for this project, the trombone and trumpet-playing is so out-of-character for Verdi that I wondered when I first heard this 30 years ago if we actually had Verdi or if Leoncavallo had wandered in from somewhere and why. Maybe the LSO was just easier to deal with than the capricious Rome Opera musicians. (Yes, they can be very noisy and hard to handle).

On top of it, no one else in the cast is really very good. If it matters, all the liabilities are nicely enhanced by the beautiful sound and wide stereo spread.

Go for Price's rapt Rome version under Solti, Milanov's heartfelt Rome version with Perlea, Tebaldi in her glorious and idomatic, nonstudioish Rome version with Erede. Try to find the inspired Gilda-Cruz Romo at the Orange Festival under Schippers (if you can stand the bad tenor), Mary Curtis-Verna, Callas, Ricciarelli, Giannina Arrangi-Lombardi, or one of those old Stella Roman tapes from the Met. All of these have their own virtues of greatness.

But not this. Record some of the better parts (you'll know where they are) and trade this thing in.

When I bought this recording, I expected to love it, because I was looking at the cast list: Price, Domingo, Bumbry, Milnes, Raimondi, Sotin ... I played it, and it failed to meet my expectations. There are certainly better Aidas than this. Price is certainly the ideal Aida, and there is no one I would rather hear in the part; but by the time she had made this recording in 1970, her voice was slightly passed its prime. It is still a great performance, but I could imagine an even greater one. Domingo is ideal as Radamès, though I think he is slightly better on the 1974 Muti recording. Bumbry is a good Amneris, though not quite subtle enough for me. Milnes is a superb Amonasro and Raimondi a chilling Ramfis. But the main problem lies in the direction of Erich Leinsdorf. His tempi are much too fast in several important places, notably in the Triumphal Scene, and I simply don't respond to most of his conducting in the rest of the set. So although this set has a starry cast with lots of beautiful singing, it can't really be ranked among the best recordings of this opera.

In the booklet accompanying the original 1970 LP release, producer Richard Mohr stated that this AIDA was RCA's fourth effort in twenty years. No doubt the driving reason for the repetition was that they had just lost to London/Decca the rights to their 1962 recording, a classic with Price, Vickers, Merrill and conducted by Solti, and they were anxious to keep a Leontyne Price AIDA in their catalogue to stay competitive. They should have been more careful to make sure the end product was worthy of the attempt.

The first mistake RCA made with this set was their choice of conductor. Erich Leinsdorf, a conductor capable of brilliance in the theatre, makes a distorted, psychadelic mess of the opera with his careless, erratic pacing. At times the orchestra seems to be caught off guard by his sudden bursts of speed, and at other times almost lulled to sleep by his lethargic baton.

For her part, Leontyne Price was still the best Aida to be heard, but in this case her sensitivity to the conductor was not an asset. Contrary to the views of some critics, her voice is even more luminous than before, with a greater consistancy from top to bottom and there are many exquisite moments, passages that can leave the listener breathless. Certain dramatic points have also been refined to greater poignancy. Sadly, as in all her collaborations with Leinsdorf, the beauty is twisted, spoiled by exaggeration.

The other performers are left to their own devices and are successful to varying degrees. Domingo, in his first recording of the role sounds young, virile, fearless, everything Rhadames should be. Although he would later refine his interpretation both dramatically and vocally, there is really nothing to find fault with. Bumbry and Milnes both have a great time showing off their voices and sound glorious, but their characters are, for the most part, little more than skin deep. Sotin and Raimondi fill their roles very well, making the most of their meagre dramatic possibilities, and the other minor roles are all adaquately filled, with one exception. Joyce Mathis makes a delicious High Priestess in the first act, her voice glowing, radiant and pure. Her singing in this part makes me wonder where she disappeared to.

As for the recording itself, RCA seemed to be moving into their "dark, woody" period. All their recordings from this era that I've heard literally remined me of the dark wood wall paneling so popular at that time. All brightness of sound is played down in favor of the darker elements, robbing the sound of part of its spectrum. The aural staging, another factor that is crucial to the virtual experience of opera on record, is unexciting and routine. In short, it sounds like this recording was produced on auto-pilot, mechanically great but with no flair.

Finally, to add insult to injury, this recording is at full price. If it had delivered more of what its cast list promised, it might have been worth it. As it is, this version is not a first choice, definitely a less than "celeste" AIDA. (Note: This particular release on CD is the one to get if you DO want this recording. The newer re-issue of this AIDA by RCA/BMG in their "Opera Treasury" series is to be avoided because of its exceptionally poor sound quality; all the vocal and instrumental climaxes are overdriven, like someone turned the input level up too high on the recording equipment. It's worth the extra money for the better sound.)

Nadie va a dudar de la sobresaliente interpretación de Leontyne Price en el rol de Aida, uno de sus papeles más recordados. Generalmente la crítica encuentra mejor esta versión que la de Price con Solti en Decca. Personalmente yo prefiero la versión de Decca, tanto en la interpretación como en el sonido. Solti hace una lectura mucho más contundente, vigorosa que Erich Leinsdorf. La Price en ambas está SOBRESALIENTE.

Compre Sir Georg Solti/Leontyne Price