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Original Language: Italian
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Corelli, the enigma,
By A Customer
This review is from: Corelli a Man a Voice: A Man, a Voice (Great Voices 5) (Hardcover)
I have been a fan of Corelli since I first heard his glorious instrument. I have even had the extraordinary honor of dining with the living legend, and have an autographed copy of this very same book. So while it is now a most treasured possession of mine, I will say that the previous reviews of this work aren't entirely incorrect. Nor are they completely accurate, either. I will only take issue with a couple of points made in previous reviews. The first dealt with imperfections and annoyances in the live recordings included with this book. The reviewer was bothered by the obvious voice of a prompter feeding the tenor his lines. This was and is a very common practice in major opera houses all over the world. The Metropolitan Opera still uses them to this day. The fact that they were caught on tape only highlights the fact that these were recorded without the benefit of permission. This doesn't bother me, and shouldn't bother anyone else. The second observation made by another reader is that Corelli lacked subtlety. I would challenge this reader to listen to Mr. Corelli's live recording of Romeo et Juliette in Philadelphia. His italian mannerisms not withstanding, in the aria "ah leve toi soleil" he sang the most exquisite B-flat in the history of opera, bringing this note down to such a diminuendo, it was barely audible...truly breathtaking. Add to that the "e lucevan le stelle" from this very book's recording, and you couldn't possibly accuse him of this "lack" with a straight face. No, the writing isn't very good. And quite frankly, what was said about it in other reviews is spot on. But you must understand that the hallmark of Mr. Corelli's life outside of the stage is privacy. I wouldn't expect any writer to successfully probe this man's life. But the wealth of information present in this book's dicography as well as the performance chronography contained within are worth the price of admission alone. Add to that a wonderfully chosen selection of live recordings (even more exciting than his studio ones if you ask me) and you have a resource that no Corelli fan should be without.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A mixed bag (but see review),
By
This review is from: Corelli a Man a Voice: A Man, a Voice (Great Voices 5) (Hardcover)
Franco Corelli, who sang from 1951 to 1975, was the greatest tenore di forza of the postwar era. A powerful and exciting singer, never a subtle or refined one, he had his detractors, but there can be no argument about the quality of his voice. Now comes what I believe is the first book about Corelli in English (a translation of the Italian edition of 1990). I have been an admirer of Corelli, a collector of his recordings, and a follower of his career since the late 1950s, so I opened this book with considerable relish. Alas, it is a very mixed bag. It consists of five distinct and readily separable parts. First, a compact disc is included, containing an excellent and generous collection of Corelli operatic arias and duets, 21 wide-ranging and well-chosen "live" selections, recorded from 1954 to 1968. Second, there is a "biography" by Marina Boagno, 227 pages of text. Third, there is a surprisingly copious section of 120 photographs of Corelli in his various roles and at various stages of his career. Third, there is a chronology of his career by Gilberto Starone, detailing year by year just what roles and concerts he sang, when and where. Fourth, there is a discography, also by Starone, including all known Corelli studio recordings as well as pirated or "live" recordings, of which there are many. The CD, the section of photographs, the chronology, and the discography are all conscientiously done and sufficiently useful in themselves to recommend the purchase of this book to anyone who admires or is interested in Corelli. The fly in the ointment is Ms. Boagno's "biography," which is not a biography at all, but a bizarre grab-bag of excerpts from reviews of Corelli performances and a patchwork quilt of comments by his colleagues and critics, with extended commentary by Ms. Boagno. While some of the review excerpts and quotes from colleagues are interesting and revealing; Ms. Boagno's commentary rarely illuminates and often reads like padding. Whether the fault is hers or the translator's, the writing is inept, verbose, awkward, and mostly dull. As a "biographer" she hasn't even begun to do her homework: anyone buying this book in search of biographical information about Corelli will be disappointed; we finish the book knowing almost as little about Corelli the man as when we began it. Indeed, there is an almost complete lack of biographical facts, dates, objective data and information; there is nothing here of the rigorous, objective, well-researched biography which would command respect. Instead we get a longwinded, rambling, subjective and always defensive commentary on Corelli's voice, career, roles, and singing habits; there is no probing intelligence at work here, just a fan uncritically defending and "puffing" the object of her adulation. Corelli deserved a better book than this. So, for anyone interested in undertaking a responsible biography of the great tenor, the field is still wide open. But if you like Corelli the other parts of this book make it worth owning.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Magnificent voice, tortured man,
By A Customer
This review is from: Corelli a Man a Voice: A Man, a Voice (Great Voices 5) (Hardcover)
There's little I can add to the reviews previously given. I also felt that the author spent too much time "explaining" Corelli. How sad I felt for this man who couldn't enjoy the gifts he had been born with. A man who brought so much joy to those of us who heard him and still doubted himself as a performer.I respect his privacy but would have liked to have known more about his private life, does he have children, being married to a soprano, etc. No one need ask what toll all that stress has taken on him. The last pictures of him in his 70's clearly demonstrate it. I love the CD despite the prompting heard in the background. That and the picture album are worth the price alone.
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