Customer Reviews

Donizetti - L'elisir d'amore / Alagna, Gheorghiu, Pido, Opéra de Lyon

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

 

 

From the opening bars of the preludio, Pido sets the stage for a lively, well paced, well fused and electrifying performance of Donizetti's intoxicating opera, L'elisir d'amore.

Leading the stage is Roberto Alagna as the love plagued Nemorino. I find Alagna's voice rich and warm, but the well known La furtive lagrima, is lacking when compared with the likes of Pavarotti's recordings. I concede that I have not listed to the Pavarotti, Sutherland and Bonynge set in full, but Pavarotti's widely found recordings of this beautiful, if slightly out of place, solo, certainly stand out a lot more. Despite this, Alagna does a brilliant job, portraying the lovesickness that plagues Nemorino, in a comically pitiful way.

Of stand out performance, yet again, is the amazing Angela Gheorghiu. From the passion and thrill of Verdi to the comical bel canto of Donizetti, she has an amazing grasp of not only the music, but the character; a virtue that I find so vital in opera. She has a dreamy yet strong and powerful voice that floats above the soloists and chorus. Effortlessly reaching high notes, she portrays the true tease that Adina is.

Simone Alaimo does a superb job as the "itinerant quack" Dulcamara. He conveys the fun and deciept of the role with ease. His voice glides effortlessly with the orchestra in his opening solo. The duet (Quanto Amore) with Adina, is exceptional: gripping!

Roberto Scaltriti offers a fine performance. Elena Dan plays a fine supporting role, offering a beautiful voice and lead for the opening chorus, but sadly, tragically died soon after the recording.

Of exceptionally high standard is the chorus. The singing is fresh, crisp and well balanced - not too overpowering. They portray the lively and happy atmosphere of the village, and fuse together with the orchestra and soloists to give an outstanding performance.

Recorded in 1997, this latest Decca set offers a modern, well balanced sound. At mid-price, this is a bargain. An excellent recording offering the vital interpretation of drama and excellent grasp of music that opera so desires and requires.

This version of Elisir is simply the best recording in many years. The opera moves at a brisk pace and the singing by the cast is simply brilliant. Angela Gheorghiu (who is Romanian NOT GREEK!!) delivers yet another brilliant performance. Her voice is powerful and clear, once again defining herself as the finest soprano of her generation. Roberto Algana is a wonderful Nemorino, playing the role with a brilliant flare. I do however agree with other reviewers that his Una Furtiva Lagrima lacks the passion of Pavarotti's version(s). Despite this minor flaw his voice is in fine form, combining warmth, power and his usual perfect intonation.

Special praise must also go to Simone Alaimo who captures the comedy of Dulcamara as few have done.

Simply put a must buy.

This is, in some parts, the greatest studio performance of 'L'elisir'. Those parts include the humor of the whole ensamble, and surely the singing of Romanian godess Angela Gheoghiu. There's more passion and drama than in many other version, as well as intelligence. Every bar from Ms Gheorghiu is astonishing. Just listen to the duets with Nemorino, and you'll understand why she's today's star and the future of soprano singing (You just can't have missed her Violetta). This one's just as engaging, though totally different in style.

Her male companions, then? Well. Alagna fares just as well as he can - the other reviewer is unjust when blaming him for the somewhat strange 'una furtiva lagrima', since this recording uses a version, by the composer himself, written a third below the version we're used to hear, also with different variations. And that may be a great miss to what might have been just an unbelievable performance.

No, The main roles are perfectly played - not since the mid 70:ies has this opera done so well - look out for an obscure version with Carreras and Pritchard from Covent Garden - that's the only version to beat this one. Those two are the most engaging versions. Lovers of Pavarotti may object - But if not listening to the single arias, remember what I've explained above about the special version on this one, I find this preferrable in style. And comparing Gheorghiu to Sutherland, is hard. La stupenda is more aristocratic, Gheorghiu more genuinly funny. And both voices are greatly beautiful, as you all know.

Pido is interesting at times, though his was the bad idea of bringing forth the 'new' version of 'una furtiva...'. He is sometimes also rather hurried, sometimes too fast for my taste. Another minor objection to this recording may be the singing of Scaltitri, he simply breakes his lines too often for my taste. But the darker voices are generally very good.

To round of - if you want a perfectly home-listeable version of this funny opera - this is perfect for you. Considering the males - If you just want the 'arias', you might prefer the Pavarotti/sutherland version, also on Decca. And the ladies are even more a matter of taste. The Pavarotti/Sutherland/Bonynge is more 'perfect' - This is more funny. Clearly recommended.

This recording of Elisir is simply the best in many years. The opera moves at a wonderful pace, and The singing is simply superb.

Angela Gheorghiu(who is Romanian NOT GREEK!!) delivers another brillian performance. Her voice is clear and powerful as well as sweet when needed. She has yet again demonstrated that she is the foremost soprano of her generation. Roberto Alagna(her husband for those who do not already know) is a wonderful Nemorino. His voice is melodic and strong, which combined with his perfect intonation truly make him the fourth tenor. The one flaw in his performace however is his rendition of Una Furtiva Lagrima which lacks the passion delivered by Pavarotti or Domingo.

As for the rest of the cast: Simone Alaimo as Dulcamara is fantastic. He captures the comedy of the Doctore as few before him have. His mastery of Dulcamara's difficult opening solo, leaves the listnener breathless.

Roberto Scaltriti as Belcore is a nice compliment to the rest of the cast. He more then holds his own. For the definitive Belcore however, listen to the Great Leo Nucci in the Pavarotti-Battle version.

Eva Dan's Gianneta shows glimpses of her wonderful voice and leaves one wondering what might have been.

In Summary this this is a wonderful recordin of this captivating opera. A must have!

This performance is set in the 1920s or 30s, but retains all of its style, vitality and humor. The performances range from acceptable to excellent (this CD version is the both the Penguin Guide's and Gramophone's recommended recording for this opera - so you can take the critical reviews of the singing here to be out of the mainstream).

Perhaps the star of this show, however, is the excellent directing and camera work. In all, this exhuberant production brings all the joy and excitement of this thrilling opera to life.

I agree with previous reviewers about the quality of Mr & Mrs Alagna; they are ideal for their roles, singing with charm, humour and great beauty of tone. Otherwise, however, this set is seriously flawed by the relatively weak casting of the other three supporting roles. I mean no disrespect to Elena Dan (Gheorghiu's sister), who died shortly after this recording, when I say that her performance is sadly anaemic; Alaimo is merely adequate in what should be a tour de force of the kind Geraint Evans makes Dulcamara; worst of all is Scaltriti's throaty, strangulated tone as Belcore - if you watch the video of him in this role you will see that he sings consistently out of the side of his mouth and this muscular constriction will explain his rapid disappearance from the international scene.

Otherwise, it all zips along nicely under Pido and the Alagnas really make credible, sympathetic characters from their roles, all the time singing beautifully, but the Pavarotti/Sutherland version is preferable - a recording made when they were both at their absolute peak and better supported than in this later Decca set. (For those tolerant of "historical", live sound, I recommend the 1976 Gala set with Carreras matchless under Pritchard, and Evans at his most ebullient reprising the quack doctor - see my review.) There has never been a wholly satisfactory recording of this elusive opera; many like the 1952 mono Cetra set with Valletti, Noni and Bruscantini (now successfully re-mastered), or the 1967 Bergonzi/Scotto/Taddei live recording on Opera d'Oro, which has tolerable sound and, to my ears, a rather shrill Norina in Scotto - but the Bonynge remains the best choice overall for a modern recording.

This was the first version of L'elisir that I ever listened to, so I might be influenced by that, but I think that this recording is nearly perfect. Stylistically speaking, the ensemble performance is marvelous. There's comedy, but not over-acting; beautiful singing (with certain exceptions), but more substance than a canary-fest. The conducting is brisk and lively, but the music is given room to breathe; the tempo is a living, breathing thing, and flexes to fit the mood of the particular phrase.

Roberto Alagna is my favorite tenor of all-time, so of course I love the timbre of voice. As for portraying Nemorino, I have to say he does a very admirable and charming job. His performance is straightforward and honest. You might hear Nemorino's that are more "acted out," but I find Alagna's simplicity likeable, and fits the simplicity of Nemorino very well. Also, he sings an alternate version of "Una furtiva lagrima" which I like very much (better than the classic Pavarotti rendition, actually).

Belcore is sung with pomp and haughtiness, as besuiting the character, and the Dulcamara is a fine example of buffo, in the leagues of Alessandro Corbelli's Dandini.

Now we come to the part where I explain why, even though I love this recording so much, I can only give it 4 stars. The reason is, in a word, "Gheorghiu." She is probably the most overrated soprano in the history of opera -- the second would probably be Renee Fleming, but at least Renee Fleming is capable of carrying a pitch in a bucket (ok, Renee has her good moments, but I have yet to hear a single second of Gheorghiu's singing that justifies one-thousandth of her hype). There is no word to describe how much I hate her voice (something like "with the fire of a thousand suns"). Still, having said that, I have to concede that she's a good actress. For my ideal recording of L'elisir, I'd probably want everything exactly the same as this, except an alternate-universe version of Gheorghiu that can actually sing. It is really terribly unfortunate that she is so god-awful, because her awful timbre and utter lack of pitch is the only thing standing in the way of my unrestrained adulation of this recording. Well, to be fair, apparently the producers were afraid of having Gheorghiu put to shame by a Giannetta that could actually sing, so they found a soprano that is equally awful for Gianetta. In the intro chorus with Giannetta, she always reminds me of a rooster crowing, which is perhaps appropriate, considering this opera is set in the country.

In short, get this recording for the male leads. They are probably the best ensemble you'll come across. And try to ignore the women.

I have to admit: I bought this recording under pressure. I needed an uncut version of "L'elisir" for a directing project and it was the only available one that I could get my hands on quickly. I was pleasantly surprised by the clarity and momentum of the orchestral work under Evelino Pido; and Roberto Scaltriti and Simone Alaimo as Belcore and Dulcamara respectively are fine. But the set's main attraction and selling point (presumably), the Alagnas as Nemorino and Adina are, in a word, awful. Are coaches, teachers, conductors, AGENTS so afraid or awed by this star couple that they are cowed to the point where corrections regarding style, musicianship and diction simply go unsaid? Their shortcomings in those areas make this recording basically unlistenable. I'll spare everyone anything like a comprehensive list of the things about their substandard performances that I find objectionable. One has only to hear that, between them, there are probably not enough notes sung in tune to make up even one of Mr. Donizetti's infectious and beautiful tunes. It's a disgrace, really. How was it possible that this recording got released to an unsuspecting public?