Customer Reviews

Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Recorded in 1975 and recently re-issued at a bargain price, this recording of "Barbiere" is hard to beat for sheer, sportive fun, with everyone involved sounding like they're enjoying themselves. Here you have Sills, Milnes, Gedda, Renato Capecchi, and Ruggiero Raimondi, all at the height of their respective powers, and the young James Levine, all bounce and go with the first flush of success, conducting. How to pick highlights from highlights? Well, how about Milnes with a "Largo al Factotum" to rival Merrill and Ruffo's recordings for sheer abandon? And then there's Gedda, with the most feather-light "Ecco, Ridente" I have ever heard. Alas, the recording includes a synopsis, but no libretto. No real loss, though, when you consider what you're getting for the price: A vibrant performance full of fun and great music-making.

I wish that I could speak more highly of this performance, as it was made by some of my favorite singers (and conductor). Alas, I can not. Milnes is a fine Figaro. Sills (I love her) should have recorded this role about 10 years earlier. Really unfortunately, I found Gedda's work painful. A fine, stylish tenor in his prime, he is well past it here.

Sometimes great talents come together and misfire. But, if you are a Sills fan...

On paper, this looks like a dream cast, but the reality proves unfortunate. BVeverly Sills, Nicolai Gedda and Sherril Milnes are some of my favorite singers, but here, Sills sounds fatigued (though her "Un Vene Poco fa" is charming and winsome), Milnes misses the finese of Figaro, and Gedda, sad to say, sounds old and tired. Renato Cappecchi is a miscast Bartolo, but Raimondi is an imposing Bartolo, if without the nuances that Zaccaria brings to the role or the sheer glee Ramey and Montarsolo do. Levine's tempi are plodding, and Fedora Barbieri shows up in a cameo as Bertha, compleatly ill-equiped. If it were not for Sill (who can do no real wrong) and Raimondi, I wouldn't even bother looking at it. 2/5

I was really looking forward to a rousing "Barber" and I enjoyed it very much. The recording doesn't have the robust audio that I was hoping to hear because it apparently was done without the benefit of current technology and hasn't been remastered.

I only have a handful of complete opera recordings in my music collection, and even though I am a huge fan of symphonic and chamber music, much of opera still mystifies me. However, I have loved "The Barber of Seville" for decades. I used to have an RCA recording on cassette by Erich Liensdorf and Robert Merrill that I would play over and over again in my office and in the car. I must admit that for years I enjoyed the music and singing without even looking at the libretto or knowing the story line (my Italian is very limited, even though I am half Italian and took two years of Italian in high school).

Several years back, I finally wore out my casette recording as it became garbled and finally snapped. I was in the market for a CD recording of the same RCA version but it was a bit expensive for me, so I bought this one by Levine, The LSO, Gedda, Milnes, Sills and company. To my mind, it is a fine recording; crisp, clear and light, much like the crisp, clear Italian language and appropriate for such a cheery, sunny and beautiful opera.

Parts of the Barber of Seville have been used in cartoons, so if you grew up on Bugs Bunny or Tex Avery, you might already be familiar with the famous Overture and Figaro's "largo al factorum". The irresistable and sometimes beautiful melodies, however, go on without end. There are several parts that showcase vocal fireworks as well, such as the duet between the Count and Figaro at the end of Act I. And some songs are quite touching and lovely, such as Rosina's "Una voce poco fa" at the beginning of Act II.

The entire opera is light and crisp like Mozart's Magic Flute or Bizet's Carmen and very unlike the heavy, drawn-out and brooding operas of Wagner, Mussorgsky's Boris Godonov, and even some of Verdi's long, drawn-out blood-baths where everyone dies at the end. In short-The Barber of Seville is music to have fun with. After all, it is suppose to be a comedy.

As long as the retailers keep this recording down to mere 8 or 9 bucks, it will remain an affordable and capable rendition. There is no libretto but I understand that all popular opera librettos can be obtained on line. The liner notes, do however, include a scene-by-scene description of the general episode that is taking place.

The London Symphony Orchestra and conductor James Levine seem to handle the sophisticated yet lovely and catchy music of Rossini with just the right amount of English polish.

It is very difficult for me to give this recording a 4/5, as it really is deserving of a 5/5 most of the time. The singers were the primary reason I chose to buy this one, and they deliver spectacular performances. However, a few parts of the music are changed to accomodate some of the voices. For example, Beverly Sills gives a spectacular performance, as expected, though the role of Rosina was originally written for a mezzo-soprano. The music is not played in a higher soprano key, but generally sopranos may or may not improvise about a third or so higher during a lot of the fast melismatic runs, characteristic of Rossini, as well as many traditional placings of the part on a higher note in the chord that would ordinarily be given to a soprano. Because of this, a purist might be disgruntled not to hear the role sung exactly as Rossini wrote it, but Sills's performance is still a spectacular one that I'm proud to own on recording. In addition to her, Swedish tenor Nicolai Gedda sings the role of Count Almaviva beautifully, and Sherrill Milnes's voice never fails to please me, having always been a fan. However, the role of Figaro is generally intended for a lighter, lyric baritone voice, and Milnes is well known as one of the great dramatic baritones of the twentieth century. It may not sound exactly as the role was originally intended to have sounded, but I really couldn't care less with this recording. Milnes hits all of the optional high notes gloriously, including Gs and As, which are very difficult notes for a baritone to sing well, especially as strongly as Milnes can. The kind of voice for which Rossini originally wrote the part is rarely the kind that also has the physiological capabilities of actually singing all of the notes well. The way it's written makes Figaro a very hard role for any baritone, and Milnes pulls it off well. Perfect Figaros are pretty hard to come by, and I really don't know of any recording currently available that has one. Here, however, Milnes's performance with the voice for which everyone knows and loves him is still great, and I still love to listen to it.

In addition to the three leads, Renato Capecchi gives a great performance, actually playing the role of Dr. Bartolo as a "basso buffo", as intended, while still being singing it very well. Other recordings often cast fuller, stronger-sounding basses, who, though have a great sound, do not often have the color that is really appropriate for the role of Bartolo. Although it may be a less-powerful, more comical-sounding voice, this role is not easy to sing, particularly due to very fast notes that require impeccable ability to relax the jaw. Ruggerro Raimondi also gives a very good performance as Don Basilio. However, I'm afraid Fedora Barbiere doesn't really sing the role of Berta as well as I would say is professional recording material; although her voice is a beautiful color that is appropriate for the role, parts of her aria in the second act are flat, (though this is mostly forgivable, as the part she is singing is very difficult to sing perfectly in tune, and only a trained musician is likely to catch it) and she does not take an optional high note at the end of it that I would like to have heard, and there was one part where she is supposed to sing a high A, but she takes a lower note. If you're singing something that's going to be put on a professional recording and you sing something other than what's printed in the score, it damn well better be to make it sound more impressive, not less. A live performance may be a forgivable place to not hear a high note, printed or optional, but a professional recording like this one, in my opinion, should have them all, and they should be sung well. Overall, however, I am very pleased with this recording's cast. Musically, it's an absolute joy, under James Levine's baton.

The only thing that really makes me have to give this recording lower than 5/5 is that Count Almaviva's last aria before the Act II Finale is omitted. This is a traditional cut, and one would rarely hear it in live performance or see it on a video recording, but a CD recording is something I like to buy so that I can have the complete work. I was very disappointed not to hear the aria. There are also a couple of places I noticed in the Act II Sextet and then the Trio where the part that is ordinarily to be sung by Rosina in harmony with the Count is transposed down and given to Figaro, and Figaro's part is similarly transposed and given to Rosina with some soprano-range improvisation. This is not really that much of a problem, as it is interesting to hear it done this way, but it is certainly not traditional, and for that, there may be some out there who will not appreciate it. For the most part, though, the musical changes are pretty traditional and probably wouldn't even be noticed by anyone who doesn't know the score really well.

Overall, this is definitely a recording worth adding to a collection. It is fun to listen to, and it's also a lot cheaper, due to the fact that it comes in a smaller CD case with no libretto booklet. Those who don't know the opera that well might not like this about it, but once you've gotten to know the piece really well, it becomes something you aren't that disappointed not to find with the recording anymore. It is a very good recording, though I can't promise it's the only one I'll ever buy.

It is a great pleasure which what I hear this wonderful recording of Rossini's masterpeace, vividly conducted by a young James Levine and sung by a cast of first-class singers including Milnes, Sills, Raimondi and the unsurpassable Gedda as Count Almaviva. This production has not lost anything of it's freshness since over 30 years!

Yes, this recording from 1975 boasts an illustrious cast who could sing Rossini with good humor and technical vocal brilliance. Beverly Sills is the finest Rosina if you prefer to hear a soprano in the role and not a mezzo-soprano, Nicolai Gedda as Figaro is in energetic form, Sherill Milnes strays from his villain personae to a love struck Count, and Ruggero Raimindo delivers a well-executed performance as the music teacher. EMI has reissued this with digital remastering. Though at this time Beverly Sills, Nicolai Gedda and Sherill Milnes were quite frankly past their prime, they deliver all the goods for this particular opera. Despite the fact it has an uncomplicated, breezy plot and is full of sparkling humor and a happy ending, the music Rossini wrote is not easy to sing. It requires a singer of real bravura and Mozartian acrobatics. Much of Rossini's music reminds one of Mozart opera buffa had he continued to write that way. Get this recording if youre a fan of Beverly Sills, who sounds great next to Nicolai Gedda ( she sang with him in Massenet's Manon, Thais and La Traviata). They have fine technique and it's absolutely gorgeous when push comes to shove. The direction of James Levine as conductor is fresh and spirited. For a more accurate-to-Rossini's time recording get the one with Marilyn Horne as Rosian and or the charming Spanish mezzo-coloratura soprano Teresa Berganza.

I thoroughly recommend this recording. It may be a relatively old one but the soloists are splendid and a sparkling orchestra. Altogether a lovely, jolly romp.

This recording is definitely one with an all-star cast, primarily with Sills/Milnes/Wunderlich. Sills roll as Rosina is definitely one of her signature roles and her coloratura and vocal color are perfect for the role. Milnes, while having a lot of weight in his singing does an excellent job. In comparison, I prefer that recording of Thomas Hampson as Figaro as he is much more light and lyrical in his approach. The only thing that I disagree with is that he sings entirely in his chest voice with no head voice on his higher notes which makes it a very wide sound. Wunderlich is impeccable and shows off his voice withing all of the pieces. In all, this is definitely a recording that is worth purchasing and at an inexpensive price. Also the tempi which James Levine chooses to use throughout is very fine and he keeps the music moving, and is an example of his early days as a conductor. I would also reccomend, as a contrast the Hampson/Hadley recording of Il Barbiere di Siviglia....it is another 'must-have' for listening and to add to anyones opera collection!