Customer Reviews

Donizetti - L'elisir d'amore / Alagna, Devia, Spagnoli, Pratic̣, Provisionato, Viotti

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

 

 

Since this recording was made before Roberto Alagna became a big star, few people bought it, and it is a shame, because it's probably, nay, certainly, the finest digital version of this delightful opera. Alagna is a fresh, winning Nemorino, and you can hear his voice at it's absolute best here. Compared with the DECCA remake, good as it is, this is even better. Here you have a more spontaneous, more genuine and more endearing chap. Mariella Devia, one of the few truly great sopranos of our day, is sensational as Adina, no other Italian soprano since Renata Scotto is as distinctive and interesting as Devia. This is a voice that you will never forget, and she readily understands the real Donizetti style. Mrs. Alagna in the DECCA recording, is nowhere as good. The Belcore and the Dulcamara are splendid, the conducting spirited, but it's Alagna and Devia who make this recording very important indeed.

Devia and Alagna are superb on this recording!

Devia's technical virtuosity amazes me every time I listen to another recording of hers! This is an artist who has complete control of her breath and voice. She can blast the most exciting high note or diminish it and maintain the colour and especially firmness of the sound, which is such a rarity among bel canto sopranos of any generation! Scotto had a similar sound but her voice spread unattractively at forte, plus it was never as plush and round as Devia's. Adina is a role Devia still sings on stage and on this recording she's heard in her prime, giving us one of the best accounts of the role in studio. Interestingly, she's one of the few who made me realise that Adina is not a schoolgirl but a young lady. It's also a great treat that the reconstructed version of Adina's aria is sung here. The melody is less pure but more spectacular and suits Devia perfectly!

Alagna was a pleasant surprise. Caught here in his absolute prime, his voice has a Pavarotti-like squillo (ring) and Carreras-like warmth, which is wonderful indeed. He also phrases magnificently and his characterful Nemorino is most convincing. The other male singers let me down unfortunately. Both Spagnoli and Pratico are, and sound too young to be Belcore and Dulcamara respectively. They sing very well but I really prefer heavier low voices in these roles. Maestro Viotti conducts a bit slowly for my taste at times but since he is following the critical version of the score, I guess he knows what he's doing.

There's an abundance of good Elisir recordings on the market. I still prefer two of my live ones (the Bergonzi/Scotto and Pavarotti/Grist) for their spark but I will often listen to this set for Devia and Alagna.

This is a wonderful performance throughout and "historical" in a sense : this is one of the too rare (studio) recordings of wonderful Italian soprano Mariella Devia.

Why this recording slipped uner the radar despite being well reviewed is a mystery to me. It is a charming recording a charming work. If you have only heard Alagna on his later recordings of dramatic roles this will be a very pleasant surprise. The sob isn't in his voice and the top rings freely. He is genuinely moving works well against the coolness of Devia who is as solid as they they come. Spagnoli is a virile Belcore rather than a buffoon. The comedy works much better when he is a legitimate competitor for Adina's affections.

The recording has a lovely quality with a lovely bloom on the chorus and cymbals but an engaging focus on the solo voices. No one is trying to hard on this recording and the result is quite beguiling and very succssful.

I do prefer the original cover though.

Being that this is my favorite opera, I finally got around to buying this recording. I was particularly looking foreward to it since I truly enjoyed Alagna's performance in the Decca set with Angela Gheorghiu. Now that I have listed to this recording multiple times I must say that it is avarege at best. It is not close in to the Decca set, and is not better then either of the two Pavarotti offerings(ie with Kathleen Battle, or Joan Sutherland).

Alagna's performance is very good here. He really has a good feal for the character of Nemorino. Further more his rendition of Una Furtiva Lagrima on this recording is World Class!!. It is comprable or better then anything you may have heard from Pavarotti, Domingo or Carerras.

Devia is a good Adina. She has a nasal quality to her voice that I have never cared for. For those who rate her as the finest Italian Soprano in years, all I have to say is Wow. Her performance lacks the spirit and fun that you hear for Gheorghiu, or Battle.

Spagnoli's Belcore is simply terrible. He is so flat and there is no emotion or bravado in his performance. Patrico's Dulcamara is very good. He does a fine job with this role.

There are some truly poor parts to this recording however. First of a Viotti cut out the second half of the opening trio featuring Nemorino,Adina, and Belcore. This is one of the high points of the opera, and to cut it short is simply a terrible blunder. Second the chorus is too loud. There are several occasions in which they drown out the main performers. This really detracts from the entire opera. Lastly is the production quality which is dreadfully poor considering that this was a studio recording and not a live performance. Too often I found myself changing the volume on my cd player. In my opinion if you find yourself having to do this, the production quality is simply poor.

Ultimanly I would say that ths reocording is worth buying just to hear Alagna's version of Una Furtiva Lagrima, however there are other recordings available which are clearly superior.