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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Il Tabarro Recording Ever, November 20, 1999
This review is from: I Pagliacci / Il Tabarro (Audio CD)
This recording of Il Tabarro is headlined by Leontyne Price, and Placido Domingo. It is stunning. I have never heard Giorgetta better sung, the voice is of course beatiful, and the characterization is rapturous. Domingo is the best conterpoint to Leontyne. The Pagliacci is wonderful as well. Caballe has got to be the best Nedda on record, and again Domingo brings down the house. You must have this recording!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A perfect coupling, wonderfully performed, September 9, 2011
This review is from: I Pagliacci / Il Tabarro (Audio CD)
I was delighted to find a cheap set of this splendid coupling, as although I have owned "I pagliacci" on CD for years "Il tabarro" has been far more scarce, so grab a copy if you can locate an affordable one.
Now forty years old, both sets present four great artists at their absolute youthful peak conducted by experienced conductors directing excellent orchestras and, in the case of "I pagliacci", a superb choir. Leinsdorf is skilled, flexible and expressive here, so anyone concerned that he might be in one of his periodic fits of perfunctory hastiness need not be concerned; he negotiates sensitively the swiftly alternating moods of this dark little melodrama and this responsiveness is neatly complemented by some judicious sound effects such as the tug-boat horns so that the mood-painting this opera requires emerges effectively. Both leading ladies are in prime voice, Price smokily seductive as the unhappy Giorgetta, Caballe floating ravishing top notes and delineating Nedda's desperate rebelliousness with unfailing vividness. Domingo is in sappiest, most youthful voice and Milnes darkly brooding in both roles - he always did festering menace rather well yet the voice per se remains smoothly burnished and beautiful.
While this "Pagliacci" has always been my preferred version alongside the old Callas/Di Stefano/Gobbi set conducted by Serafin, Leinsdorf's "Il tabarro" does not displace my absolute favourite set with Tebaldi and Del Monaco singing their hearts out under Gardelli and Milnes cannot rival Gobbi's subtler Michele. Nonetheless, they make a deeply satisfying pairing.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Pair of Unknown Treasures, December 1, 2008
This review is from: I Pagliacci / Il Tabarro (Audio CD)
I imagine most people don't know these two recordings even exist. They were done in that period when RCA was trying to find projects for two of their biggest money makers.
This "Pagliacci" is early for Domingo. He did it better later on. But his youth and somewhat lighter timbre work to his advantage here. And, he has Caballe as Nedda. Talk about peaches and cream! Unfortunately, Mr Milnes is not terribly idiomatic, at least to my ears.
The "Tabarro" here is a different matter. I don't know if Price ever sang the role in the house, but she is absolutely on fire here. This role lies perfectly for her voice and dramatic as it is, she crawls around inside of it and hurls it out to us, magnificent, exciting sound on top of sound on top of sound. Simply put, one of Ms. Price's crowning achievements.
I always though it was odd that both of these recordings, which were not paired in the LP days, by the way, came and went so quickly. And, strangely, the same holds true for their CD incarnations. Pick them up if you can. They're great!
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