Customer Reviews

Handel - Serse / von Otter, Norberg-Schulz, Piau, Zazzo, Tro Santafe, G. Furlanetto, Abete, Les Arts Florissants, Christie

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Anne Sofie von Otter launches splendidly this performance with one of the loveliest "Ombra mai fu" ever recorded. She is so good in the title role that even the excellent Carolyn Watkinson in the old CBS version is put in the shade; but there is much else that is wonderful here, Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz and especially Sandrine Piau sing like angels, and watch out for Lawrence Zazzo, one of the most promising young countertenors around, they all are ideal in their roles, giving characterful and lively performances. But it is the great William Christie and his matchless musicians who deserve the highest praise, they turn Serse which in the wrong hands can sound less than inspired, into a very beautiful score. The Malgoire recording is nowhere as well played, and the McGegan recording is nowhere as well sung.
This gets my vote as the best opera recording of 2004, followed closely by Alan Curtis Deidamia (Virgin)and Lotario (DHM). Handel was very lucky this year.

The competition for this recording is not exactly stiff. Malgoire's 1970s effort is a worthy complete recording with some superb singing from Carolyn Watkinson in the title role, though some less than distinguished singing from others. McGegan's recording had a ham-like David Thomas as Elviro, perhaps going a little further than taste demanded, and Judith Malafronte as a rather non-descript Serse.

This new recording from William Christie and Les Arts Florissants is a joy to savour and, although the booklet says it is a live recording, there is thankfully little off-stage interruption/noise, and few indications of audience participation unlike the recent Dynamic recording of Vivaldi's Rosmira Fedele, or even the Munich Serse on Farao.

The orchestral playing of Les Arts Florissants is impeccable, though Christie has not resisted temptation in beefing up the sting lines with anachronistic recorder lines. At least he avoided doubling everything with a chamber organ (Rene Jacobs take note). Christie has not always made the transition into Handel that easily - his Orlando was received in a lukewarm fashion I believe - but his sure touch is evident here in judiciously chosen tempi and his dramatic flare at just about all the right places.

As far as the singers go: Larry Zazzo is utterly convincing as Arsamene - heroic in Si la voglio, and a pathetic but still virile lover in some of Arsamene's more limpid music. His diction is superb, as is his sense of dramatic awareness - perhaps easier to put across here in a live performance. Antonio Abete is thankfully not a Ham as Elviro, although perhaps his descent into falsetto in the opening to Act 2 will wear after repeated listening. He is a good actor by all account, and the obvious enjoyment of this buffa role is more than adequately put across to the listener. Giovanni Furlanetto as Ariodate is a sure-footed general in the best traditions. Silvia Tro Santafe is a robust and fiery Amastre - the wronged betrothed of Serse. Sandrine Piau is a vixen-like Atalanta, and probably the best on disc so far. Her duet with Zazzo in act three fairly races along in a spectacular display.

As Serse, Anne Sophie von Otter has a much fresher sound than she did on Minkowski's Cesare (as Sesto) - perhaps it has something to do with being in the title role ? (see her Ariodante for Minkowski) She treats the classic opening to the opera with due reverance, and carries off the superb faster arias with minimal re-writes in the da capos, which perhaps makes them fresher given some of today's tendency to recompose. The only weak link, for me, is Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz as Romilda - I did not like her in Tamerlano and here she also sounds out of place - for me her voice just sounds too 'old' and heavy for the part of Romilda.

So, a superb all-round live recording which does much to cement Serse as a jewel in the current Handel firmament. If you only buy one Handel opera it has to be this one. Snap it up while you can.

I cannot compare with any other recording of this opera, since this is the first time I have heard it complete. I bought this because Von Otter is, for me, a guarantee of a good recording, good performance AND good acting. I must say this recording is better than I expected. You may not like live performances, but there's where you can tell if a singer is good or not or if you like him/her or not, better than in any studio recording.
I have two other Handel's operas with Von Otter in the cast, and they are superb and I highly recommend this trio : Serse, Giulio Cesare and Hercules.
Being a fan of Handel, I do hope Mr.Marc Minkowsky and Mr.William Christie keep up the good job of bringing back to life ALL Handel's operas with such good casts.

The benchmark recording for this opera is the Maureen Forrester recording on Westminster, unfortunately not available in CD as yet. Anne Sofie von Otter is very good as Serse and Elizabeth Norberg-Shultz is also very good as Romilda. But are they the equal of Mareen Forrester and the uniquely-voiced Lucia Popp. Perhaps the one clear difference in the two performances is the use of a counter-tenor vice mezzo-soprano for the role of Arsamene, Serse's brother. It show in the great duet, "Alma fiera" in the third act where the counter-tenor lacks the vocal fireworks to make this duet really rock. Clearly this is best Serse currently available on CD.

From the first notes I was captivated. The recording quality is very good and the singers keep to the always high demands of Mr. Christie.

If I have to define this recording in one adjective will be fascinating.

A DVD version will be very welcomed. Highly recommended.

Granted there are many footfall and other noises, so I guess I'll take the other reviewer's and Amazon's word that it was recorded live. But I don't hear any coughing or applause. Anyway, the voices are wonderfully recorded, with high fidelity sound and without any of the distortion or tinny, next-room quality that many opera DVDs have. So if it was a live performance, I'm guessing the singers were either standing in front of, or holding, high quality microphones. I was just blown away by the whole performance and thought it wonderful, both in terms of the artistry and sound quality.

I couldn't find the SPARS code written anywhere on the product or on the website, but it sounded like DDD to me.

On the whole this recording of Serse is elegant, committed, stylish, and a delight. Von Otter performs the "Ombra mai fu" with touching sensitivity. I can only surmise that the weakness of her performance of "Crude Furie," near the end of the opera, may have simply been a matter of tiring out before the end of a live performance.

Paula Rasmussen, in another live performance, available on DVD (Handel - Serse / Rasmussen, Piau, Bayrakdarian, Bardon, Hallenberg, Peirone, Lippi, Rousset, Les Talens Lyriques, Dresden Opera), brings all the energy and fire to "Crude Furie" that von Otter lacked. If you want drama, that performance is to be preferred over this CD.

Yet, this Arts Florissants CD has so many wonderfully musical sections that I highly recommend it as a companion to the above-mentioned DVD.

For the benefit of those who, like me, acquired their love of Handel at a time before "authentic," or period-instrument performances became the standard, I can add that William Christie downplays the most annoying of the mannerisms that musicologists believe to have been a part of Baroque practice. (To a fair degree, Christie avoids the trap of making every phrase rigidly obey a particular, presumably historically mandated, shape, a practice that makes me seasick after a while. Instead, he takes the more musical and creative approach of varying the phrasing a bit.) I still wouldn't mind having a recording that had the gravitas of an "incorrect" mid-to-late twentieth-century performance, but my "gravitas" is a younger person's "stodginess"; so I am content with this very musical performance, as well as the slightly more extroverted one on the Dresden Opera DVD.

EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE, RECORDED LIVE. MANY BEAUTIFUL AND INTERESTING MOMENTS --- SOME OBVIOUSLY AMUSING.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ONE LEARNS ABOUT G.F. HANDEL THE OPERA COMPOSER IS THAT HE KNEW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COMIC AND 'BUFFO'. IT IS A SENSE OF DEGREE AND INTENT-SOMETHING THAT MODERN PERFOMANCES SEEM TO LACK AND A SENSIBILITY IN MODERN AUDIENCES THAT IS WOEFULLY UNDERDEVELOPED, PERHAPS DUE TO THE VAGARITIES AND VULGARITIES OF MANY MODERN STAGED OPERA AND THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS.
SUCCESSFULLY PERFORMING WORKS LIKE SERSE REQUIRE IMAGINITIVE STYLE AND GOOD TASTE WITH BOTH VOCAL & INSTRUMENTAL VIRTUOSITY OR THEY CAN BE BORING AND DREADFUL. THIS PERFORMANCE MOST CERTAINLY IS NOT BORING OR DREADFUL MUSICALLY OR VOCALLY!!!
THE PERFORMERS DO MUCH LOVELY SINGING IN THIS "live" RECORDING-(I WISH I COULD VIEW THE PEFFORMANCE TO EXPERIENCE THE FULL EFFECT OF THEIR SINGING AND ACTING). THEY ARE A GREAT CAST AND WILLIAM CHRISTIE AT THE MUSICAL HELM IS BEYOND REPROACH.
I THINK THAT IN ORDER TO SUCCESSFULLY PERFORM ANY BAROQUE OPERAS NOWADAYS YOU MUST HAVE VERY GOOD STAGING IN ORDER TO MAKE ANY SENSE OF THEM. THIS IS CERTAINLY TRUE OF MR.HANDEL AND HIS CONTEMPORIES,PERHAPS EVEN MORE SO THAN IN THE WORKS OF SUBSEQUENT PERIODS OF COMPOSITION- MOZART, GLUCK,VERDI,---EVEN WAGNER FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!!!
"WE'VE COME A LONG WAY,BABY!"
PERSONALLY, I FIND THE FACT THAT THIS IS A LIVE RECORDING APPEALING, AS IN MANY WORKS OF THIS TYPE. IT HELPS TO GIVE PRESENCE AND ATMOSPERE TO THE PERFORMANCE AND THIS MAKES FOR A MORE ENGAGING LISTENING EXPERIENCE. IF THE PRICE FOR THIS IS LESS RECORDED VOCAL OR INSTRUMENTAL PERFECTION THEN THAT IS THE PRICE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STUDIO AND LIVE RECORDINGS- AND ONE WHICH ONE MUST PAY TO HAVE DOCUMENTS OF VITAL LIVE PERFORMANCES.
BOTH TYPES OF RECORDING ARE VALID TO MY EARS. BOTH HAVE THEIR ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES. THE MISTAKE THAT PEOPLE MAKE IS IN JUDGING THESE EFFORTS BY THE SAME EXPECTATIONS.
THIS ONE OF 'SERSE' IS LOVELY,TASTEFUL AND A MOST PLEASANT LISTENING EXPERIENCE. NICELY DONE-A SOLID**FOUR STARS**!

This is the worst opera recording I've ever bought and the first CD I have ever actually thrown out. I mean pitched in the trash! I waited months for this thing to be released -- couldn't wait to hear von Otter in the role and was mortified when I did. The lackluster, uninspired, behind tempo orchestration was one thing -- the singing, and I use this term loosely,was medocre at best. Von Otter performed a decent Ombra mai fu, but her Crude Furie, the aria I BOUGHT the CD for, was beyond appalling. Wobbly, off-pitch and ornamentation that drove me, ultimately, to the trash can. The rest of the cast isn't much better. Especially Romilda. Her throat is the vibrato capital of the world. Did they record this thing when everyone had the flu? I simply don't get how they could have released this recording. If you love Serse, as I do, go to The Celestial Audio website ( live opera recordings) and get the performance with Paula Rasmussen/ Elizabeth Futral and Brian Asawa.
That, opera lovers, is singing.

Bem...o que dizer dessa decepcionante gravação de Serse...Von Otter está lastimável como Serse...fiquei o tempo todo procurando a excepcional Dejanira de Hercules, e a adorável Cornélia de Giulio Cesare...onde foram parar a ornamentação, a sensibilidade e sentimento dos "da capo"...péssima...Norberg-Shultz deveriam ter se restrito a continuar gravando pra Naxos, assim seríamos poupados do seu vibrato horrível...Dois cantores apenas se salvam...Zazzo e Piau, o primeiro promete ser um melhor Serse que a protagonista da gravação, e Piau como sempre é adorável. O resto é o resto