Customer Reviews

Rossini - The Barber of Seville / Roberta Peters · Leinsdorf

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

 

 

The first thing a great recording of Il Barbiere di Sviglia MUST have is a great Figaro (naturally) and this recording serves up that order in fine fashion. In my humble opinion, Robert Merrill is one of the finest Figaros of all time (the only other Baritone who rivals Merrill is Tito Gobbi on the fine recording with La Divina, Maria Callas). The advantage of this performance over Gobbi's, this is a more complete performance (ALL of the music is virtually intact. No cuts on this recording). Almaviva is sung masterfully here by Cesare Valletti. Valletti possessed the perfect voice for this role. His coloratura is absolutely flawless here, every run and cadenza being sung very cleanly and musically. Now for the controversial part. Does one prefer their Rosina sung by a coloratura or by a Mezzo (as originally written)? If your taste leans towards a coloratura, I think you will be most delighted with Miss Roberta Peters here. Her "Una voce poco fa" will literally make your heart skip a beat. I don't feel that Peters ever sounded better (with the possible exception of the Rigoletto with Merrill and Bjorling)on a recording. If one leans toward a Mezzo-soprano, might I suggest the recording with Teresa Berganza and Ugo Benelli (who also makes a very impressive Almaviva) on the London/Decca label. Giorgio Tozzi is a very rich sounding, impressive Don Basilio. "La calunnia" is sung to perfection. Ferrando Corena is a very comical Dr Bartolo. The conducting of Eric Leinsdorf is very masterfully done here. This is truly a "golden age" performance of one of the all time masterpieces of the operatic world. This is a Barber to own.

It's funny how some "classic" recordings might be classic but they arent necessarily good introductions to an opera. For example, the Maria Callas/Tito Gobbi/Luigi Alva Barber of Seville is often thought to be the classic recording of Rossini's comic gem. While I agree that recording is unique, it's also extremely cut, and it goes for a drier, more "subtle" humor.
OTOH, the Leinsdorf recording, with a cast of Cesare Valletti, Roberta Peters, Robert Merrill, and Fernando Corena is well-sung, relatively complete, well-recorded, and most of all has a freewheeling sense of fun that I think perfectly captures the charm of this opera.
Roberta Peters was a high, light soprano. Her voice can sound a bit glassy and colorless, but her Rosina is lively, virtuostic, and properly spunky. The only caveat is that like some sopranos she transposes "Una voce poco fa' up to F, while the aria IMO is much more charming in its original key of E. Cesare Valleti's Almaviva is more caressing than dazzling (unlike Juan Diego Florez), but unlike many Almavivas he actually sings the whole part. He does not cut his final aria "Cessa di piu resistere."
Overall, I'd say none of the individual singers on this recording are necessarily the best, but together this is a great ensemble recording, and I highly recommend it as an introduction to the opera. To opera, in fact.

I've owned this on vinyl for decades, and it seldom comes any better. Most of you know that, being familiar with Roberta Peters in her prime, along with Valletti, Merrill, Corena, and Tozzi. This is one of the most balanced casts ever assembled. I happen to like both approaches to Rosina- high in the stratosphere vocalizing and the more down-to-earth approach of Teresa Berganza. In Cesare Valletti, we have one of the finest Almavivas since the days of Fernando de Lucia. Valletti gets right into the meat of this character, with Nicolai Gedda being the only modern Almaviva to rival Valletti's voice. (I can't wait to hear Florez sing this!) What can one say about Robert Merrill? If he didn't love singing Figaro, he's done a fine job of fooling me. I do not agree with all of his interpretation, but this is one of the finest baritones having fun with a role that deserves it. (He has formidable competition here: Stracciari is incredible as Figaro. He had one of the most glorious high baritone voices you could ever want to hear and he's darned funny as Figaro to boot. Then there's Sherrill Milnes, who had a voice to rival Stracciari's formidable instrument and the same sense of fun.)

Then there are the not so minor roles of Bartolo and Basilio. Corena had a powerful, rich voice used here with a sense of character that's almost impossible to surpass. Has anyone ever had a better voice for Bartolo? Not in my memory! Giorgio Tozzi's Basilio is one of the glories of this performance; a rich, colorful voice with great beauty of tone... all at the service of one of opera's funniest `villains'. Leinsdorf does a fine job capturing the ambience of Barbiere, so I find it hard to go wrong with this recording...

So now it's time for a little rant and rave... One of the reviewers chided Corena and Tozzi for going over the top, speaking of them like dogs who were caught digging holes in the neighbors' gardens. (What must he think of Capecchi? I shudder to think of it!) The Barber of Seville is not a dusty old museum piece, it's a comedy about very human people going about their businesses with wacky results. This opera somewhat resembles a train wreck in the making, with boxcars full to the brim with maniac clowns. I love it when the singers get into the meat of their characters. Combining it with glorious voices and breathtaking singing only adds to the joy. Corena's performance of Doctor Bartolo IS over the top- which is what is needed- Bartolo is a very over-the-top man. Three cheers to Fernando Corena!

Opinions on how Barbiere should be performed vary sharply. Being an opera buffa I think it should be funny and I prefer a high soprano in the role of Rosina, I find it suits the character better and I honestly believe Rossini would not mind one bit. Transpositions, interpolations, cuts and additions of all sorts were common practices in his days and Rossini himself was notorious for using material from one opera into another. That said I absolutely love this recording. All principals are in top form. They sings beautifully and are delightfully funny. Chorus, orchestra and conductor join in the fun. The sound is clear and atmospheric and the text, I believe, absolutely complete. Highly recommanded.

All right, this might not be the greatest recording of Rossini's masterpiece, and maybe it's not even in the "Top 10", but I'm sure anybody would have lots of fun listening to Merrill's witty singing and brave improvvisation. The other singers (Valletti most of all) also make this set the funniest "Barbiere" ever recorded. If you're a religious Rossini's admirer, you may prefer the classic Abbado recording with Hermann Prey; if you're just a music lover, don't miss this one.

My favorite Figaro is Stracciari on the famous 1927 recording. This recording is in some ways similar. Its a bit too broad but its got big heart. Its a theater interpretation not an academic exercise.

I like robust baritones as Figaro - like Stracciari, Bastianni and Merrill (in that order). They are always better for me than even the the very best of the lighter voices like Prey, Hampson, and Allen (again in that order). Merrill - if you've read either one of of his autobiographies - is a real quicksilver, fun loving guy. A real live Figaro. Type casting.

Tozzi or Signore Legato is just wonderful as Basilio. He is rather like the the 1948 Basilio recorded by Italo Tajo, but of course with a major voice. I like to play Tozzi's Basilio against Ramey's for friends. Tozzi's sound is better and his interpretation is miles beyond Ramey. Strangely as the greatest Rossini bass of the century Ramey is nowhere near the best Basilio. Only Ghiarov is better than Tozzi - more voice. Burcheladze with even more voice shows that voice isn't enough.

This recording features the great Fernando Corena - the basso buffo of the century. No one else is close. Remember that the other famous basso buffo Salvatore Baccalone always sang the easier aria 'Mano una Folio' not Rossini's own 'Un Dottore'. Here Corena sings the whole thing - something you will never hear in the theater. Corena is like Birgit Nillson. When she retired if we had known there wouldn't be a replacement for more than 20 years now, we might not have let her go. There has been no successor to Corena.

Lastly - how about Calvin Marsh? In any other house other than the Met in the fifties he would be the Figaro.

Valletti unfortunately is not so good. The voice never sounds settled.

I don't care if its impure. I like Peters as Rosina. This is the way it used to be done, with a beautiful little high coloratura. Peters makes much more sense in this part than Callas. There. I said it and I'm glad.

I think the mezzo vs high coloratura soprano as Rosina is irrelevant when considering the merits of this recording. This is almost a complete reading of the score which benefits from the casting of most of the original cast of a production that was still relatively new in 1958 when the recording was made.

All the soloists have the bel canto style nailed down. The Figaro of this recording is Robert Merrill and his voice is caught in all of it's prime time state. Simply gorgeous golden tone here that is richly masculine with an easy upper register. The rest of the cast, the conducting and playing of the Met Opera orchestra and chorus are perfection.

Although there is some minor master tape related problems, and they are really minor, RCA's Living Stereo process is remarkable. This edition's sonics are an incredible improvement over RCA's original CD release.

I found this a good recording considering the age, good performances from all concerned. It was good but not as good as The Barber with Prey, Alva,Dara,Berganza conductor Abbado one of my favorites. Still I give it 4 stars.

If you remember a fameous Bugs-Bunny cartoon that features the "Largo al factotum" aria - yes it is this recording with Robert Merril and Leinsdorf. The overture is perhaps a bit generic for the quality that usually accompanies Leinsdorf, however everything else is top of the line! The recording quality is good and Roberta is just as sexy and beautiful as in anything else. Be aware that this version of The Barber of Seville utilizes the coloratura traditions. For those of you that are unfamiliar with this term (coloratura), this refers to a style of singing that is very "colorful" or very technically virtuosic. With this opera, colortura versions are a combination of adlib and traditional nuances realized at the discression of the performer.

My favorite Figaro is Stracciari on the famous 1927 recording. This recording is in some ways similar. Its a bit too broad but its got big heart. Its a theater interpretation not an academic exercise.

I like robust baritones as Figaro - like Stracciari, Bastianni and Merrill (in that order). They are always better for me than even the the very best of the lighter voices like Prey, Hampson, and Allen (again in that order). Merrill - if you've read either one of of his autobiographies - is a real quicksilver, fun loving guy. A real live Figaro. Type casting.

Tozzi or Signore Legato is just wonderful as Basilio. He is rather like the the 1948 Basilio recorded by Italo Tajo, but of course with a major voice. I like to play Tozzi's Basilio against Ramey's for friends. Tozzi's sound is better and his interpretation is miles beyond Ramey. Strangely as the greatest Rossini bass of the century Ramey is nowhere near the best Basilio. Only Ghiarov is better than Tozzi - more voice. Burcheladze with even more voice shows that voice isn't enough.

This recording features the great Fernando Corena - the basso buffo of the century. No one else is close. Remember that the other famous basso buffo Salvatore Baccalone always sang the easier aria 'Mano una Folio' not Rossini's own 'Un Dottore'. Here Corena sings the whole thing - something you will never hear in the theater. Corena is like Birgit Nillson. When she retired if we had known there wouldn't be a replacement for more than 20 years now, we might not have let her go. There has been no successor to Corena.

Lastly - how about Calvin Marsh? In any other house other than the Met in the fifties he would be the Figaro.

Valletti unfortunately is not so good. The voice never sounds settled.

I don't care if its impure. I like Peters as Rosina. This is the way it used to be done, with a beautiful little high coloratura. Peters makes much more sense in this part than Callas. There. I said it and I'm glad.