Un Ballo In Maschera (Price/Verrett/Bergonzi/Merrill/Flagello/Leinsdorf)

Verdi (Artist), Price (Artist), Bergonzi (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000003EQ0
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #326,063 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #60 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Price, Leontyne

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Un Ballo in Maschera: Prelude

2. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 1: Scene 1: Posa In Pace, A Bei Sogni Ristora

3. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 1: Scene 1: Libero E Il Varco A Voi

4. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 1: Scene 1: Alla Vita Che T'arride

5. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 1: Scene 1: Il Primo Giudice

6. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 1: Scene 1: Volta La Terrea Fronte Alle Stelle

7. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 1: Scene 1: Signori, Oggi D'Ulrica

8. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 1: Scene 1: Ogni Cura Si Doni Al Diletto

9. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 1: Scene 2: Zitti! L'incanto Non Dessi Turbare

10. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 1: Scene 2: Re Dell'Abisso Affrettati

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 2: Ahime! S'appressa Alcun!

2. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 2: Odi Tu Come Fremono Cupi

3. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 2: Seguitemi - Mio Dio!

4. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 2: Ve', Se Di Notte, Qui Colla Sposa

5. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 3: Scene 1: A Tal Colpa E Nulla Il Pianto

6. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 3: Scene 1: Morro, Ma Prima In Grazia

7. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 3: Scene 1: Alzati! La, Tuo Figlio

8. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 3: Scene 1: Eri Tu

9. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 3: Scene 1: Siam Sloi. Udite!

10. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act 3: Scene 1: Dunque L'onta Di Tutti Sol Una

See all 24 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE GREAT "BALLO" RECORDINGS, January 1, 2000

By 

"lesismore26" (Chicago, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Un Ballo In Maschera (Price/Verrett/Bergonzi/Merrill/Flagello/Leinsdorf) (Audio CD)

This is probably the best sung of all the versions of Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera". In vividly remastered stereo sound, the whole performance is a grand reminder of the caliber of singers who regularly appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in the 1960's. Leontyne Price's magnificent soprano found its greatest outlet in the music of Verdi, and the long and flowing lines of this role suit her voice perfectly. The sheer sound of her shimmering top C's and B's (especially at the end of the gallows aria in Act II and in the duet which follows) is awesome, and her particular dramatic temperment is ideal for this great role, held by many to be one of the most difficult in the entire Verdi repertoire. Carlo Bergonzi sings Riccardo with all of the beauty and refinement that established his reputation. Perhaps his is not a terribly dramatic interpretation, but it is certainly a pleasure to listen to. Robert Merrill, on the other hand, is a very convincing Renato, easily surpassing his previous recorded performance with Toscanini a decade or so before, and his voice on this recording is actually firmer and more solidly based. The Ulrica of Shirley Verrett is also impressive --- with some good spooky-sounding tones as well as the dramatic involvement one has associated with this great artist. Reri Grist is a pert and peppy-sounding Oscar whose small and bright voice is exactly what this role calls for. Erich Leinsdorf may not have been the most potent Verdi conductor, but he paces this performance well, and provides his examplary soloists with plenty of space. If you want a fine performance of this opera, and if stereo is a consideration, then I would recommend this recording without reservation. Another good option, albeit in good monophonic sound, is the classic EMI set with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, and Fedora Barbieri ----- all of them outstanding, though the performance would have probably been even better had Tullio Serafin conducted rather than the reliable but ordinary Antonino Votto.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite the Holy Grail, February 22, 2000

By 

William T. Clegg (Pocatello, Idaho United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Un Ballo In Maschera (Price/Verrett/Bergonzi/Merrill/Flagello/Leinsdorf) (Audio CD)

Leontyne Price, Carlo Bergonzi, Robert Merrill, Shirley Verrett...Looking at the cast list for this recording, the mouth waters. Who could ask for a dreamier "Dream Cast" for one of Verdi's greatest operas than this? And for their part, the cast delivers what they promise. Price is glorious in the part of Amelia, creating a suitably disturbed heroine with a voice of gold. The top notes are wonderful. Bergonzi also does some very fine singing, with his exemplary Verdian phrasing shining through as usual, although he doesn't manage to do much with his characterization other than be generically heroic. Robert Merrill dishes up a few surprises as Renato. Of course his voice is glorious and full, but what makes this an extraordinary performance is Merrill steps out of his routine baritone mode and creates a charater that lives and breathes. I have yet to hear a more three dimensional Renato that also satifies the vocal demands of the part. Reri Grist is perfect for the part of Oscar. Her character, her voice...what more can I say? And then there's the Ulrica of Shirley Verrett, totally believable and satifying in every respect. One would not expect less from this excellent artist.

So why did this recording only merit four stars? It vied to be in the class of the Callas/deSabata TOSCA and the Ludwig/Klemperer FIDELIO and didn't make it. So much of this recording is ravishingly beautiful with moments to treasure, but it is a flawed masterpiece. Leinsdorf's conducting is chiefly to fault. He does wonders with the lyrical moments of the opera, but then there are moments that it seems he doesn't really know what to do and so he speeds through to get to something that he's sure of. He also encourages hammy melodrama in place of real feeling. One wonders what more Price would have done with Amelia had she been in the presence of someone like von Karajan or Solti.

Another snag in the fabric of this recording is the odd production it recieved. The voices are either in your lap or back in a cave somewhere, which wouldn't really be a problem if they were there at a logical time. The sound itself is exemplary, clear and full.

If you're looking for a good pre-digital, stereo recording of this opera, then you probably won't find one better than this, although the Domingo/Muti effort comes close. However, this opera is still searching for its Holy Grail where recordings are concerned.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Belle of the "Ball(o)s: Bergonzi/Price head a Stellar Cast of Verdians, July 3, 2006

By 

Donizetti's Kid "ebolene" (NYC, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Un Ballo In Maschera (Price/Verrett/Bergonzi/Merrill/Flagello/Leinsdorf) (Audio CD)

There are many fine versions of Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera available to Opera-lovers world-wide. The most treasurable ones are to be found on live broadcasts and/or pirated performances, captured within the Opera house. This opera seems to benefit from Opera's outward trappings (i.e. scenery,lighting,costumes, make-up and of, course, a live audience)as the featured artists almost uniformly sing with a more heightened sense of urgency, intensity, and searing vocalism than is apparent in their studio output. For example, L.Price, Bergonzi, and Merrill -the leading principals on this recording- can also be heard together in a METOPERA broadcast from the mid-60's,(the same time period for this recording) that practically sizzles with electricity, and yields the kind of grand vocalism and individuality that placed them amongst the greatest Verdians of all time. The conductor (F.Molinari-Pradelli)whips up a potent energy in orchestra and chorus, that serves as a catalyst for all that follows. While the METOPERA performance is not widely available in the U.S.A, this RCA recording, with the stellar additions of Verrett and Grist, is a treasurable souvenir of the live performance - and a defintive performance in its own right.

Italian Carlo Bergonzi(the sole non-American principal in this cast)remains one of Opera's most musicianly tenors, especially in the works of Verdi (rivalled only by the ubitquitous Placido Domingo).While both made a specialty of the role of Riccardo, it is Mr.Bergonzi who seems the better-suited to the vocal demands. His timbre is of a lighter cast, sweeter in the softer moments, and yet is more than equal to the most dramatic passages in the Opera. While he employs the "traditional" chuckles in the "E Scherzo" (needless and unconvincing), elsewhere he sings with enviable legato, elegant phrasing, and nobility throughout. He is dramatically alert, contrasting the role's innate buoyancy with the gravity and maturity that comes later. Mr. Bergonzi excells in this role and performance. Pre-eminent Verdi soprano Leontyne Price likewise made Amelia one of her great roles. She invests the role with a femininity that is more pronounced than her otherwise illustrous rivals. Her voice is more than usually dusky in the lower middle (unapparent in the broadcast perf.), but serves the drama quite well as a result. Ms. Price's voice soars radiantly in "Consentemi Signore" (ActI) and masterfully copes with the huge vocal demands of the Act II scena, topped by a sterling high C in the cadenza. Her duets with Mr. Bergonzi are passionately sung (though missing the competitiveness that made the broadcast so enthralling), and she sings "Morro" with plaintive beauty. Throughout the opera, Ms. Price's upper voice is sovereign, produced with vibrant tone and silvery spin. She's able to meet the demands that the heaviest music makes on her plangent middle voice, perhaps not as successfully as her best rivals, namely Milanov/Arroyo/Nilsson, but her overall performance both dramatically and vocally is superior and magnificent. Baritone Robert Merrill, at the time of this recording, was a stalwart in this opera. His dramatic involvement here is actually more engaging than in the past, and his portrayal of the betrayed Renato is forceful, yet poignant. Mr. Merrill was blessed with one of the most beautiful baritone voices ever, and, though in the later stages of an incredible career, he still retains much of the vocal bloom that made him a mainstay at the MET and elsewhere. His is a wonderful contribution. This performance becomes unbeatable with the addition of the other two principals. Soprano Reri Grist, internationally-acclaimed as one of the finest soubrette coloraturas of her era (one of the greatest Zerbinettas)) made a speciality of singing the 'trouser' role of Oscar. Her pure, crystalline voice wholly reflects the irrepressible & mischevious spirit of the Count's page. What's more impressive however, is the soprano's ability to capture and register Oscar's graver nature, whether battling his innate mistrust of Renato at the Ball, or in defending the fortune-teller Ulrica in the first Act of the opera. Her voice soars beautifully with Ms. Price's in the opera's final ensemble as well. Even without the traditional interpolations/cadenzas ( a conductor choice), Ms. Grist is quintessential in this role. The artist Shirley Verrett enjoyed a successful career first as a mezzo-soprano, then graduated to a stellar career as a dramatic soprano. Indeed she debuted at London's Covent Garden in the role she sings here -Ulrica- and nearly twenty years later sang the role of Amelia at La Scala in Milano. Here Ms. Verrett sings a role written for and usually associated with contraltos, including the great American Marian Anderson, who debuted at the MET in 1954, becoming the first African-American soloist to sing there. Ms. Verrett was never a contralto - neither are nearly all who sang the role after the late 50's- but sings most impressively in this performance. She is renowned for her dramatic insights, and her fortune-teller is commanding and even regal. Ms. Verrett's voice is properly dark, if not as refulgent as her recorded rivals, but has a much richer hue, wider range, and her vocal palette is more distinctive as well. She is a younger-sounding Ulrica than one usually encounters, perhaps explaining the charisma that enthralls her younger followers that include the sailor Silvano and pageboy Oscar. The two bassos, Giorgio Tozzi and Ezio Flagello contributions here are primarily vocal, but they sing the role of the conspirators Sam and Tom with tonal beauty and commitment. The singular drawback in this otherwise supreme performance is the conducting of Maestro Erich Leinsdorf. His conducting is seemingly indifferent, and the musical attenuations of this colorful Verdi score are too often ignored by this eminent conductor. There are so many details that he fails to illuminate, and the propulsive nature of the music is only intermittently observed. While disappointing in a performance with such a superb cast, Leinsdorf's leadership is more than adequate, and in no way diminishes the rightful legendary status of this recording, whose merits continue to be praised some 40+ years later. Some of the many fine versions of this opera include the Muti/Arroyo/Domingo-Solti/M.Price/ Pavarotti; and live MET performance with Milanov and Bjoreling, but this "Un Ballo In Maschera" performance should be the one in your collection. Have a Ball!