Leoncavallo: Pagliacci

Barry McDaniel (Performer), Sherrill Milnes (Performer), Ruggero Leoncavallo (Composer), Nello Santi (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Montserrat Caballé (Performer), Plácido Domingo (Performer), Leo Goeke (Performer), Peter Hall (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Barry McDaniel, Sherrill Milnes, Montserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, Leo Goeke, et al.
• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Nello Santi
• Composer: Ruggero Leoncavallo
• Audio CD (July 28, 1998)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000009NJ2
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,222 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #4 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Caballe, Montserrat
  • #7 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Featured Performers, A-Z > C to G
  • #34 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Operettas

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best recording available., September 21, 2002

By 

D. R. Schryer (Poquoson, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (Audio CD)

Leoncavallo was inspired to write his two-act verismo opera Pagliacci by the phenomenal success of Mascagni's one act verismo opera Cavelleria Rusticana. While Pagliacci is not quite as seemlessly beautiful from beginning to end as its almost-perfect predecessor, it has nevertheless established a solid place for itself in the repertoire of most-popular operas. Pagliacci begins with a beautiful prologue sung by the clown Tonio who informs us that we are about to see (or, in the case of this recording, hear) a play which reveals that even clowns have deep emotions. On this recording the prologue -- and the role of Tonio -- are gorgeously sung by Sherill Milnes, one of the finest baritones of the past half century. The tenor role of the clown Canio is sung by the great Placido Domingo at the top of his form. Canio's unfaithful wife Nedda is quite capably sung by soprano Montserrat Caballe. Although I am not normally a fan of Caballe, this is one of the finest performances I've heard her give. The conducting by Nello Santi is outstanding. Pagliacci is not one of my favorite operas, but this recording of it has won me over thoroughly. I recommend it highly.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Pagliacci, December 12, 2003

By 

Dominic (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (Audio CD)

This is a very fine recording of Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci." There aren't too many negatives to note concerning it, but there are enough to merit a four-star rating instead of a five.

For a brief synopsis: Leoncavallo wrote this one act opera about clowns and the real story behind the stories they perform, as the previous reviewer mentioned, in contrast to the mindblowing success of Mascagni's one acter, "Cavalleria Rusticana." For those who aren't too familiar with opera, these two are easily two of the most famous one act operas, and are frequently performed together in place of a full length opera with intermissions representing the end and beginning of the new opera as opposed to the new act.

There are several themes to this opera, which I'll lightly touch on. Canio (Domingo) is the jealous husband of Nedda (Caballe), who is secretly admired by Canio's fellow on-stage deformed clown, Tonio (Milnes). Trouble ensues.

Domingo and Milnes are and were very famous for their tenor/baritone combination in many operas, and show that excellence in this recording of Pagliacci. Milnes' Prologue is outstanding, his high notes ringing clearly yet with soft power. Throughout, he shows versatility and power, yet enough softness when dealing with Nedda for the part (apparently not enough, though..). Domingo's voice is perfect for this role, his "Vesti la giubba" (recently made famous in that annoying car commercial) is outstanding. I've had the privilege to see him on stage on several occasions, and his acting is incredible, as opposed to say, a Pavarotti---he carries that over here as well, you can feel him getting into the role (he even does the crying at the end of "Vesti). The repeated "il nome" is more screamed than sung by Domingo, which was an interesting touch, I thought, denoting the rage of a betrayed husband instead of the refined calmness. Caballe is an above average Nedda, but not perfect. Her aria is sung well, and her duet with Silvio (McDaniel), Nedda's secret lover, is beautiful. The chorus is another slight disappointment---they are often times weak and even mispronounce words on several occasions (one would think that if they had been louder, no one would have noticed), but they get the job done.

Physically, this is a pretty nice set. At $10.99, this is easily a bargain---look at any other operas and you'll be paying upwards of $45 for three cd's, here you are paying less than a third of that for one. It comes in an attractive case, with, as I mentioned, just the one CD. Again, the price is very good, you get a little over 75 minutes of music (very clear, by the way) on one CD for $11, whereas you might pay $18 for another with, say, 50 minutes. The enclosed booklet isn't too shabby---it's got the complete libretto with English translation in a nice typeface on glossy paper, and isn't some libretto that has been copied on from another piece of paper. It provides a summary in several languages, but no introduction or other commentary.

Overall, this is a great price for a great recording of "Pagliacci," so buy it. Enjoy.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent performance of a punchy opera, March 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (Audio CD)

By far Leoncavallo's most famous opera, "Pagliacci" may not be the most subtle and refined of all verismo operas, but when a world-class cast comes together, as in this recording, the result is highly satisfying. Domingo may not be the best Canio ever (Caruso seems to be pretty unbeatable) but he is by far the best one on a modern set. His loud, high notes (of which there are many) are thrilling and he portrays Canio's agony successfully. Caballé, not a singer you would immediately think of in a role like Nedda, offers an excellent performance, in wonderful voice and bringing some much-needed charm into this opera. Milnes is a really superb Tonio, especially in the famous Prologue, which really keeps you ready for the drama to come. McDaniel is adequate as Silvio. The chorus is good, not quite up to their usual standard in this RCA series, but they aren't bad. Nello Santi, however, provides excellent support for the singers and drives home the power of this opera in a magnetic reading. The packaging must be noted, too. Even though this is a single-CD set, it still comes in a slip-case with a libretto booklet. RCA has done an excellent job remastering this, and it can be recommended with confidence to all listeners.