Customer Reviews

Renata Scotto & José Carreras Sing Giuseppe Verdi

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

 

 

With all due respect to the previous reviewer, it appears that he has missed the point.

By about a mile.

The title of this set is not "Highlights from 'I Lombardi alla prima Crociata' conducted by Eve Queler" nor even "A Rational Selection of Verdian Gems." No, this is "Renata Scotto & José Carreras Sing Giuseppe Verdi." And that is exactly what you get.

What we have here is an extensive set of bleeding hunks of various live (and presumably pirated) performances of Verdi operas in which Scotto and Carreras appeared--not necessarily together--which Gala happened to have on hand. Admittedly, devoting 17 out of a total of 44 tracks to "I Lombardi" and its French incarnation, "Jérusalem," seems a tad excessive, but it's all good stuff.

Really.

If I were trolling for a generous serving of Scotto and Carreras warbling their hearts out in live Verdi performances, this would be the very thing. My concern would be for the singers, not the assorted conductors or even the sound quality--within limits. That being the case, I think that this recording is worth five stars for anyone seeking what it offers.

I purchased this recording a number of years ago, before the more recent Metropolitan/Levine/Pavarotti/Anderson recording was available. Although Carreras and Scotto are fine here, the real downfall of this recording is the conducting by Eve Queler. Although Ms. Queler deserves plaudits for bringing many overlooked operas to the concert stage via her Opera Orchestra of New York, she has never developed the ability to draw out inspired playing from instrumentalists under her baton and her tempos are sometimes odd. Please spend the extra dollars and by the much better Levine-conducted recording.