Customer Reviews

Idomeneo

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

 

 

I am in agreement with Robert Levine's review on the Classics Today website: this is a performance that makes many of the right choices, including omitting some of the boring recitatives and Arbace's two nondescript arias, and making Idamante a mezzo role - especially when you have the twenty-five year-old Jessye Norman on hand to sing it. In fact the trio of lead female voices could hardly be better: Heather Harper - especially lovely and moving in the famous "Se il padre perdei" - and Rae Woodland - delightful in "Idol mio", despite her relatively light sound - deliver impassioned, beautifully vocalised performances as Ilia and Elettra respectively and although Norman has not yet developed the full power of her maturity, it is already a majestic, creamy sound coupled with more a dramatic inflection of the text than was sometimes the case in later years when she would sail on, stately as a galleon, and fill the hall with sound without bothering too much about acting. Colin Davis had already proved his Mozartian credentials in "Idomeneo" with his celebrated earlier studio recording, but this is a fuller edition of the score - without being pedantically complete, as I say above - and arguably better sung. The sound is really excellent stereo - just a little tape hiss and the odd audience cough in what I presume was a concert broadcast - and Davis controls the vocalise embellishments which later became obtrusive while pacing every thing judiciously. The supporting cast are undistinguished and the tuning of the RAI is occasionally a bit suspect but they are more than serviceable and seem at home in the idiom. I don't remember the splendid overture in Gardiner's version making me sit up in the same way; in fact generally speaking I find this performance by Davis considerably more involving.

I have left discussion of the eponymous role until last as I suspect that for some the casting of Gedda might be controversial. I readily admit that I find this admired artist to be inconsistent; perhaps this is inevitable over such a long career singing music in so many different styles and languages. I like him very much in some things, whereas in others his vocal failings and the basic colour of his voice can grate. He is presumably in his prime in 1971 and despite some trademark unsteadiness and bleatiness elsewhere, copes admirably with the coloratura runs of "Fuor del mar"(falling off the trolley only once and that fleetingly; this was, after all, a live performance). He concludes the aria with a heroic top A and great trill. For me, and despite their merits, in competing versions Pavarotti could not cope with the vocal demands, Domingo had the wrong voice and Richard Lewis was past his best, whereas both Gedda and Rolfe Johnson in the Gardiner recording are clearly well suited to the demands of the role of Idomeneo.

If you want or need the libretto, treat yourself to the Opera d'Oro de luxe "Grand Tier" edition; otherwise the standard super-bargain edition is a steal. "Idomeneo" is now rightly rehabilitated within Mozart's output as a great opera and for me, repeated listening to this spirited and vocally polished account confirms that there is not only much music of surpassing loveliness but also real depth of feeling - how could this not be, despite the stilted libretto, in an opera by Mozart centred on an awkward father-son relationship?

Long neglected by the music world, Idomeneo is now recognized by many experts to be Mozart's first operatic masterpiece, most recently by David Cairns in his insightful new book "Mozart and His Operas". After Idomeneo was first performed in Munich on January 29, 1781, it did not catch on and was eventually forgotten, partly because of changing tastes towards opera seria. But after listening to this energetic live interpretation conducted by Sir Colin Davis, it's difficult to understand why! The opera tells the story of Idomeneo, the King of Crete, who after surviving a shipwreck, must sacrifice his son as a tribute to the Greek god Neptune. The tragic relationship between Idomeneo and Idamante has often been viewed as a reflection of Mozart's strained relationship with his own father Leopold at the time. Although the accoustics aren't perfect on this recording, you can really get a sense of what it must have been like to witness the debut of this remarkable opera in the theatre more than two centuries ago. Nicolai Gedda is really terrific as Idomeneo, and the haunting aria "Padre, germani, addio" is really powerful. This three-disc set offers a first-rate performance for a low price, and should be required listening for anyone interested in Mozart's operas.

Gedda did extremely well for the Idomeneo role. Jessye Norman was very good for Idamante as well. The sound quality is good considering it is a live version. If you like Nicolai Gedda, this is one of his good recordings.

I first bought this recording because my school was putting this opera on and I wanted to hear all the choral numbers, because I was in the chorus. I was never really happy with it before, but looking back on it and listening again, I actually really liked the music. Jessye Norman is in fine form on this recording, and the part of Idamante sits well in her range. Heather Harper is an enchanting Ilia, and Gedda sings "Fuor del Mar" with all the rage of a foamy sea. The sound quality isn't too bad either. Sometimes it moves a little slower than one would think it should, but the music is good for people really into Mozart.