Customer Reviews

Puccini: Turandot

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it is true that is not in the category of the recordings mentioned by the other reviewers,but you are talking about all time greats,against all every other recording pales.But if you listen carefully, the orchestra and the chorus are excellent, Lando Bartolini has a virile timbre, and you have to remember that at this time he was 63 years old, Felipe Bou does a great job as Timur,as Armando Ariostini in the role of Ping,the ensemble of Ping,Pang and Pong is very good as is Francisco Heredia as Altoum.It is true that Giovanna Casolla and Masako Deguci are not household names but they sing well,maybe Casolla forces a bit her voice and has a vibrato that someone could dislike ,but she is a very potent and menacing Turandot , and Deguci is not as sweet as others singing Liu,Tebaldi per example,but overall i liked them very much.I have 3 recordings of Turandot,and this can stand with them.Remember,it is only one opinion,your taste could be different,but first you have to listen,and if you like Turandot,this is a very good recording,in my humble opinion.

Naxos has brought us some wonderful opera recordings at their usual budget prices, things like a wonderful 'Barber of Seville' or 'Fidelio.' This is not one of them. It's not bad, but it's only average. It is done by a provincial orchestra and chorus and sung by second-level singers. The orchestra and chorus are actually pretty good. And the musical direction by Alexander Rahbari is excellent. But the principals - Giovanna Casolla, as Turandot; Lando Bartolini, as Calaf; and Masako Deguci, as Liu - are not world-class. Casolla has a big voice that threatens to go out of control at times, and that tends to become harsh and wobbly when forced. The same can be said for Bartolini. Deguci, as Liu, is acceptable but fairly generic both dramatically and in sound.

When recordings such as those with Pavarotti/Sutherland and Bjoerling/Nilsson are available with world class colleagues and for only a few dollars more - and with complete libretti as well - it would be a mistake to buy this issue, particularly if it's going to be the only 'Turandot' you are going to own. And if you already own one of the others, why would you want this one?

Scott Morrison

Somebody should sue Alexander Rahbari for omitting important orchestral textures on purpose. Puccini's Turandot requires a really large orchestra, but this orchestra is so small that the rhythms are so small you can barely hear it. I cannot believe Alexander Rahbari was a student of Herbert Von Karajan and it was his and Alexander Rahbari's fault that their Turandot recordings sounded so weak and omitted every rhythmic texture that should be in there. Gunter Neuhold should've conducted this Naxos recording instead. To compare Gunter Neuhold's and Alexander Rahbari's Madame Butterfly recordings, Gunter Neuhold's orchestra is much larger than Alexander Rahbari's and gives Puccini the ultimacy of his 1904 version of Madame Butterfly. I could tell that Gunter Neuhold is a much more capable Puccini conductor than Alexander Rahbari.