Customer Reviews

Pavarotti in Central Park / Luciano Pavarotti, Leone Magiera, Philharmonic Opera Orchestra

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No, Pav is not in good shape this time. Rondino al nido finale is lost. The Gospel Choir, what are they doing there ? Try " Pav. in the Park "(Hyde Park, London), voice is unsurpassed.

Sorry, but I have to disagree. I find nothing wrong with Pavarotti's voice - it's the quality of sound that's lacking. If one is expecting the lushness of the '90 & '94 3 Tenors Concerts (also done in "open air") it's not here. Neither is Zubin. The combined orchestra in Rome was huge and perhaps the ruins had something to do with the acoustics. The L.A. Philharmonic was also large and sounded wonderful in Dodger Stadium. I'd have to guess that this somewhat smaller orchestra is only part of the N.Y. Philharmonic (or is awfully crammed together!), and just doesn't have the flair, crisp definition and drama Zubin is able to coax out when he directs.

As for Pavarotti, his voice is fine - although I do wish he'd stop munching on things while singing - has to be a distraction! There are a number of arias I'm not familiar with and some of these do not seem to be his strong points. However, when he sings arias from the '90 & '94 concerts (his as well as arias from Domingo and Carreras) he's great. His E lucevan le stelle could use a bit more drama in the second half, I didn't care for the arrangement for 'O sole mio and he sings Nessun Dorma a little faster than usual. But OH, those high notes at the end! He takes a deep breath and hits his high B effortlessly, holds it for a loooong time, then drops down to the A and holds that, too. Actually, he hits ALL of his high notes in this recording well. The N.Y audience certainly loved him - MANY standing ovations. I almost didn't buy this because of the previous review, but my sister saw it on television, recommended it, and now I'm glad I did.