4.0 out of 5 stars
Worth it for Herlea alone - but there's much more on offer, October 11, 2011
This review is from: Forza Del Destino (Audio CD)
Given that this set is available on Marketplace very cheaply indeed, it's worth buying even if you are merely curious. Please take my word for it that it's worth it for the glorious baritone of Nicolae Herlea alone but also as an engaging performance of the opera as a whole, presenting the Romanian State Opera as a compnay with strength in depth at the time of the recording of this studio broadcast in 1970. The sound is excellent ADD. Neither the orchestra nor the conducting is of the finest quality, Litvin being really rather leisurely and deliberate, but he is clearly in sympathy with the music and the drama doesn't drag. The chorus is lusty and the soloists often outstanding - and I am not just talking about Herlea, who must surely have possessed one of the most beautiful post-war baritones. Ludovic Spiess had a hefty, slightly strenuous spinto tenor and despite a tendency to gulp was good enough to attract Karajan's attention to sing at Salzburg, serve as principal tenor in Zurich and enjoy an international career in the major opera houses. He sings an impassioned, stentorian Alvaro but is not without subtlety. His fifteen year international career was cut short by damage to his vocal cords. Soprano Maria Nistor-Slatinaru had a major voice very reminiscent of that of Sylvia Sass; she had a smoky timbre, intensity of utterance, evenness throughout her range and the ability to sustain a considerable breadth of phrase even though the voice spreads on top notes. The rest of the cast is excellent, including two first rate basses and a characterful baritone as Melitone; the only dubious singing comes from a rather laboured, matronly Preziosilla - a role I never much enjoy in any case.
I have many versions of this epic opera but will still find room for this one on my shelves as it is a good ensemble recording featuring some major voices headed by Herlea.
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