Customer Reviews

Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana ~ Levine

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mascagni wrote Cavalleria Rusticana as an entry in a competition for a one-act opera. His entry not only won the competition but quickly became a phenomenal success -- and deservedly so. Cavalleria Rusticana is a genuine masterpiece and one of the few operas which is beautiful from beginning to end with no dry spots. In this outstanding recording the principal roles are sung flawlessly, and with both beauty and passion, by tenor Placido Domingo and soprano Renata Scotto. The supporting cast is also quite good and James Levine conducts the National Philharmonic Orchestra (an all-star British recording orchestra) superbly. If you have come to think of Cavalleria Rusticana simply as an old "warhorse" which merely serves as the stablemate for twin-bill performances with Pagliacci please listen to this great recording with unbiased ears. You will discover that Cavalleria Rusticana -- despite it relatively short length -- is one of the most beautiful operas ever written.

Mascagni's one-act opera "Cavalleria Rusticana," derided by many after its premiere as being crude, low-class and unworthy of survival, has indeed survived changing operatic fashions to become one of the world's most popular operas. I find it to be an interesting work, not on the highest level of art but an interesting conflict between an unrepentant philanderer and the wronged husband who eventually brings him down.

Over the years there have been many recordings of this opera, from Callas-DiStefano to no less than 2 versions featuring Jussi Bjorling, 2 versions featuring Franco Corelli, plus versions with Del Monaco, Domingo, Pavarotti, etc etc etc. This mid-'70s entry didn't sound all that good when it was on vinyl, but now that it's been through the digital remastering phase it sounds pretty excellent.

Domingo sings in a fairly monotonous, snarly manner, but this suits Turiddu to a T; plus, he was in fabulous voice. Renata Scotto, who at this stage in her career was definitely on the downslide, does have some odd, unfocused and/or wobbly notes, but her interpretation is second only to the legendary Lina Bruna-Rasa on the old Gigli version, and here James Levine conducts much better tempi than Mascagni himself who s-l-o-w-e-d the opera down as he got older.

The real "find" and surprise in the set is Pablo Elvira, a fine baritone who only spent a couple of seasons at the Metropolitan Opera, as Alfio. He sings both dramatically and incisively; listen to his "Il cavallo scalpita," it is the briskest AND finest on records.

Overall this set is much better than the vastly overrated Milanov-Bjorling-Merrill recording on RCA, mostly because Milanov, though in excellent voice, simply sounds too heavy and matronly to be taken seriously as Santuzza. Scotto, for all her vocal problems, sounds terrific.

What a great performance of this opera! Scotto and Domingo make this recording truly come alive. The supporting cast and orchestra are also very good. Before I heard this recording, I was not a fan of Italian opera, but now I can't get enough of it. Renata Scotto's voice is powerful, yet not overbearing and screeching like many other prima donnas. Placido Domingo steals the show with his flawless interpretation of Turridu. Although a fairly short opera, Cavalleria Rusticana is pure Italian drama that deserves more recognition. A "must have" at a great price. Please don't pass this one up!

There may be many more famous versions of this opera, but THIS is the one to get. In through-composed operas such as this, where continuity and cohesiveness are especially vital to the dramatic flow, there is a touch some conductor's have which allows them to unify the music in a truly magical way. Levine has that touch, and the principals, domingo and scotto do also. Domingo gives a dramatically gripping performance which is better than his later one. Scotto has such a knack for dramatic nuance and subtlety that after listening to her santuzza probably a hundred times, i still find it interesting! Her wobble isn't really an issue, and she truly "lives" the role. She is a rare performer who's characterization realllly makes a difference. Also, the sound of this recording is remarkably "real" in terms of volume, echo, etc. I never really noticed these things until I listened to domingo's later recording which is recorded too close and has a disturbing digital glassiness. So basically, if you want a first, or second or third recording of CAV, get this!

My first experience with Cavalleria Rusticana was not a good one; I bought the legendary Pavarotti-Freni-Varady Decca recording and was thoroughly disappointed by the uninvolved singing, the painfully slow conducting and the HORRID sound quality (how a mid-70s Decca recording could be that atrocious is beyond me!). I was so disappointed that I wrongly assumed that it was the opera itself at fault and I did not pursue the matter further for a good ten years!

So, with some little trepidation, I purchased this relatively unknown recording on the recommendation of a friend who was also unsatisfied with the aforementioned Pavarotti-Decca aberration. To my utter surprise, it was as if I was hearing "Cav" for the very first time and the whole opera just jumped to life!

The youthful Placido Domingo and Renata Scotto, the peasant couple Turridu and Santuzza respectively, will just blow you away! And even James Levine - that most unpredictable of opera conductors, to say the least - rose to the occasion and conducted Mascagni as if his fate really lay in the balance! The 1970s Ambrosian Opera Chorus in harness with the National Philharmonic Orchestra (a band of elite British recording musicians) produced such an utterly idiomatic sound that you would swear that you were standing right in the middle of late 19th century Sicily!

An atmospheric and sonic cou de gras!

Please snap this up before RCA decides that this recording is no longer any real competition for Domingo's Later DG recording with Sinopoli and Baltsa (arguably in better sound but entirely lacking in passion and youthful fire). The thought that future generations might miss out on this masterful achievement is abhorrent in the extreme!

All in all, this is the real Mascagni Cavalleria Rusticana: an amazing performance with amazing singers and an amazing orchestra & chorus led by an inspired conductor...

...and all this in great analog sound at super-bargain price?!!

What in the world are you waiting for?

PS.

Just in case you were wondering, YES, Domino's early 1970s RCA Pagliacci (together with fellow superstars Caballé and Milnes!) is FAR superior to Decca's Pavarotti-Freni set. Acquire these two recordings and you will have a stupendous "Pag & Cav" duo to last several lifetimes! Your children's children's children will also be very pleased that you were thoughtful enough to preserve these monumental recordings of one-act Italian opera for their future enjoyment.

Surprise Surprise! This RCA recording of Mascagni's Cavalleria does not come with Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. Traditionally, these two crowns of verisimo opera are on the same bill, but James Levine and the New Philharmonia provide us with an account of the work that is so operatically gratifying and dramatic that it stands alone as a great work in itself. Placido Domingo and Renata Scotto star as the tragic couple Turiddu and Santuzza, baritone Pablo Elvira as the wronged husband Alfio and Jeanne Kraft as the adulterous Lola. The emotional impact of the opera lies in the characterizations of Turiddu and Santuzza. Fortunately Domingo and Scotto sound great together and really live their roles. Domingo sounds dark and masculine, with a rich voice that essays all the lyrical portions with bravura. He is a man who has fallen out of love for his wife and fallen for the wife of another...to his demise. Scottos Santuzza is overtly dramatic and often she is screaming rather than singing but for this role it's perfectly ok. Her Santuzza is supremely dramatic, eventhough it lacks beauty of tone. Caballe has done fine Santuzzas and my favorite is Elena Obrazstsova's portrayal. Levine conducts the score with aplomb. The music is soaring with religious fervor in the Easter Parade Scene - "Ineggiamo il Signor e risolto" (Hail, the Lord ha Risen) and in the confontation scene with Turiddu, Santuzza and the slutty Lola is electrifying. The finale is unbeatable. A must have for fans of this opera as just one opera. Domingo is in great shape and his teamwork with Scotto is grandiose.

So far as rating this recording, I cannot add to the earlier five-star reviewers' praise, but recently I compared this 1978 Cavalleria to his two later efforts in 1985 under Pretre and 1989 under Sinopoli. The precis is that the first version is the best. A few details follow:

Levine, 1978: compared to traditional readings from La Scala, Levine takes daringly slow tempos, putting a strain on Scotto vocally. It's brave enough for a natural coloratura soprano to attempt Santuzza, a role whose low-lying range has attracted many mezzos, including the two who join Domingo on his later versions. In addition, Scotto was in her mid-forties and not exactly sweet-sounding. But she was a master of verismo style and delivers and wrenching account of Santuzza, full of passion and defiance. She's the only singer, bar Callas, who makes me believe in the character's desperate jealousy. Domingo is in excellent voice for his brindisi and farewell to Mamma Lucia, delivering an account as passionate and free as any by Corelli or di Stefano. The only flaws in this mesmerizing recording, which for years was the only one I ever needed, are a weak Lola and Alfio, and RCA's thin, shrill sound, which hasn't improved on the reissue.

Pretre, 1985: This version, now reissued at budget price paired with Pagliacci, was the soundtrack to a ilm by Franco Zefferelli. the sound is a considerable improvement over Domingo's first outing, but its advantages stop there. Domingo's Turiddu remains first-rate, and his voice has filled out somewhat, but otherwise, Scotto inspires him to greater heights than Obraztsova, whose throaty, Salvic delivery gives Santuzza a matronly air. She is the deepest of mezzos for the part, a telling virtue in the chest voice but nowhere else. Pretre's conducting is rough and wayward, although it must be admitted that Cavalleria is too easy for a conductor ever to blow. Levine's slower tempos seem to have caught on.

Sinopoli, 1989: Far better than its immediate predecessor, Domingo's third Cavalleria finds him in equally good voice in the middle of his maturity. Sinopoli's tempos are very broad at times, sapping the duet of visceral impact and excitement, and DG's recorded sound is echoey and overblown to a distressing degree. Sheerly in terms of voice, Agnes Baltsa is the best of the Santuzzas, capable of easily reaching the low notes while sounding like a dramatic soprano on top. the tone is also beautiful, which can't be said of her two rivals. sinopoli's dragging tempos do her no favors, however, and overall he turns this into a somewhat distended affair.

Love. Betrayal. Family. Honor. Dishonor. Trust. Distrust. It's pretty hard to believe that every single one of these well-known themes are in an opera that lasts for only one act. Cavalleria Rusticana, created by Pietro Mascagni, became one of the benchmarks of verismo operas. These types of theatrical compositions deal with ordinary people in ordinary places. There are no Gods or Valkyries, no princes or princesses, no talking foxes or fairies, just normal men and women who work for a living. Cavalleria Rusticana has an average length of about seventy minutes (depending on the conductor's choice of tempi), and is filled with shock and heartbreak, especially in the ending. It's not excessively dark and twisted, but it still gives us a more accurate take on the real world. As for the music itself, it's wonderful. Mascagni has created some dazzling vocal solos, as well as some intriguing instrumentation. It's an overall satisfying operatic experience, but I can't help but envision the ending to The Godfather Part III whenever I listen to the Intermezzo.

At first, I was a bit skeptical about James Levine's conducting. Ever since his broad interpretation of Wagner's Der Ring Des Nibelungen, I would be a bit concerned about his other performances of other operas. Well, it turned out that that concern was actually a bias. This is an intelligent reading. The softer sections are peaceful when they should be, and the lively sequences are cheerful when they should be. There is an undeniable power that is found in this rendition, and I have to say that I'm very proud that I purchased this CD. Of course, we have to thank the orchestra, also. The now-disbanded National Philharmonic Orchestra must have known this opera very well. Sure, they not like the Berliner Philharmoniker, but they did an excellent job here. Not only did they perform the theatrical piece, they reveled in it. The strings, the woodwinds, the brass, the percussion, it is indeed perfection. Levine and the National Philharmonic Orchestra make this a worthy addition to my growing collection of classical music and opera.

But let's not forget the soloists. Even though there are technically only five singers (a tenor, a soprano, a baritone, and two mezzo-sopranos), this is a solid ensemble. There is a reason why Placido Domingo is so famous: it's because he's an astonishing tenor. It's also evident here as he performs as Turridu. This is a very 2-dimensional character, and I do believe that Domingo understands that. It's a very "dry" voice that remains convincing for the sort of character that Turridu is. Renata Scotto as Santuzza . . . what can I say? It's a fabulous performance. I can't seem to find a single flaw. There's no doubt that she's one of the finest sopranos for these sorts of Italian operas. The rest of the cast is certainly worthy of mention. Pablo Elvira as Alfio, Isola Jones as Lola, Kean Kraft as Mamma Lucia, and even Anne Simon as the brief, non-singing role of a Peasant Girl complete this great ensemble. Sensational singing throughout.

With this 1978 recording of Cavalleria Rusticana, you really can't deny that it's an excellent performance. The conducting, the singing, and the orchestral playing are almost perfect. Kudos to RCA for this brilliant re-issue of a brilliant verismo opera.

Grade: A

Many swear by this Levine recording with Scotto and Domingo; it is very dramatic and beautifully played, but, despite her histrionic abilities, Scotto's raw top bothers me, Pablo Elvira's Alfio is ordinary and even a little under-powered, and Levine does not bestow upon this music the last ounce of flexibility and affection it ultimately requires - thus the Intermezzo does not "swoon" as it should. I listened carefully and admired much that I heard but Domingo does not provide the brute, animal passion of Del Monaco in the 1961 Serafin recording with Simionato and Cornell MacNeill (see my review) or the plangent incisiveness of Bjorling in the intermittently available 1957 version conducted by Erede with the dream team of Tebaldi, Bjorling and Bastianini, all in top form. This is undoubtedly very fine but, as we know, the best is the enemy of the good and you get a more authentic, better sung and more idiomatically played "Cav" if you go with the older recordings.

I became interested in hearing this opera in its entirety after hearing the Easter hymn on another CD. Then I saw a recording of The Metropolitan Opera's 1978 production with Placido Domingo and conducted by James Levine - both of whom are part of this CD - and had to have a recording of it. I'm glad I chose this one. All of the singers are in top form and really act the parts as well as they sing them. Renata Scotto makes Santuzza a sympathetic and not pathetic character. Placido Domingo's Turiddu is a cad without becoming crass. Special kudos to Pablo Elvira as Alfio and Jean Kraft as Mamma Lucia. James Levine keeps a tight reign on the singers and National Philharmonic Orchestra and as the opera moves toward its tragic ending he increases the tension and the drama. The only bad thing I have to say about this recording is the voices are overpowered by the orchestra. They seem far away at times but I'm willing to live with this for such a fine recording as this one.