Customer Reviews

Verdi - Aida / Arroyo · Domingo · Abbado

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a version of Aida to treasure the quality of sound is excellent and the atmosphere that is generated electric,I have four other versions and find this my favourite the singing is just outstanding Domingo and Arroyo are both in fantastic voice but special mention must go to Cossotto who completely gets into the role of Amneris, this is true Verdian singing at its best you really feel all her conflicting emotions, wonderful stuff,Cappuccilli and Ghiaurov are both ideal for their roles singing beautifully and I've not heard a better sung King than that of Roni ,firm and regal, Abbado is in such good form pacing this Aida with such elan and not forgetting the la scala orchestra who have this music in their blood. BUY IT!

Aida is my favorite opera and I have heard most recorded versions and been to many live performances. This CD captures a particulary good performance and is worth buying both for the price and the quality of the singers. I don't agree with other reviewers about the quality of the sound. The voices are not well balanced against the orchestra. It almost sounds like the singers were too close to the microphone. I found it hard to find a comfortable volume for listening. Maybe the fault lies in the digital remastering, or maybe I just got a bad CD. Addendum: I have had a chance to listen to this recording several times since I wrote the above review. It really is an excellent performance, and I got used to the sound quality. It is definitely worth buying and it gets better each time I listen to it.

Aida is one of those operas that seem defy studio recordings. This live performance may indeed be the best overall recorded performance available. Very few sopranos manage splendid renditions of both "Ritorna Vincitor" and "O Patria mia", but Arroyo does indeed nail both of them. Domingo and Cossotto are both a little loud and unsubtle, but there's no denying their commitment(not to mention glorious singing). But ultimately it's Abbado who makes this performance very special. He manages to reveal all the beauty of Verdi's orchestral and vocal writing while keeping the theatrical vitality abundantly alive.

I'll admit -- I bought this AIDA because I had seen Martina Arroyo on THE ODD COUPLE as a child. That memory stayed with me.What I DIDN'T expect, was to have one of the finest AIDA's that there is! Arroyo is FANTASTIC in the title role, her voice having no problems, except the occasional dropout which is the fault of a live recording, not her. Domingo is devastating, and their duets send chills. The recording is STEREO, which only adds to the forces of La Scala.Cossotto is perfectly suited to Arroyo's voice, and sings with passion. Abbado might just have conducted the BEST version of this that we have now. I find myself listening to it constantly, and am going to purchase more operas with Arroyo.

Unlike some, I have no troubles with the sound of this recording, even on very fine equipment. I guess that is my copy of this work.

I found it to be a very vital recording of AIDA and I judge it firstly by a very refreshing discovery: the first act trio, when Radames, Amneris, and Aida sing together (just after Celeste Aida). For once this music is clear and precise. Each part is clearly heard and nothing sounds muddy or out of tempo. I have another live recording with Domingo and Tomowa-Sintow, and this little introductory trio is total mush, as it is in most recordings (including the studio ones). Either Aida is singing so loud nothing else comes through, or it just sounds like a bunch of mush. Here, we are treated to extremely clear sound, each part clearly and completely sung, and the balance between voices and orchestra such that nothing is lost.

Some complain of the quicker tempi, but if one compares many life recordings of this work, the tempi are not that bad. It seems in performance Aida is conducted a bit faster than in the studio. I have found that none of the subtle moments are lost, nor are any of the nuances blurred.

The singers are exceptional. Arroyo is so underrated as a singer, especially in this role, and for once we actually get to hear what made her voice so special. Her voice has never been captured well in any of her studio recordings, and often sounds completely uninvolved and lifeless. Well, that is definitely NOT the case when hearing her live. She is very involved in the role, even adding to it (after all, Aida is not that well developed of a character, she is either pining away for home or for Radames, and well, we really don't get much more out of her, and for most singers that is about all we hope to get; Arroyo at least adds more depth even to those limited elements of character). She makes the duet with her father memorable. Some may complain that she doesn't sing a pianissimo high C in the O Patria Mia aria, which she doesn't (few singers have, and only one has followed Verdi's instructions, and that was Zinka Milanov; all others either sing it all forte, or they do as Caballe and sing the entire passage in super delicate pianissimo, which is not what is asked for in the score; one sings the line piano and gradually crescendo until the C itself, which is then sung not piano but rather delicately then faded away, Verdi requires the singer to NEVER rush the line either, few Aidas have ever rushed it). Yet, to my ears, who really cares. Like the high B flat at the end of Celeste Aida, there is not a tenor in a thousand who has ever sung it pianissimo as required by the score, not even Caruso. No one ever gripes about that, so why gripe about it in this aria. Even the great Callas never sang it pianissimo.

Domingo is finally an involved Radames, to me. I have all his studio recordings of this work, and even though he sings them all exceptionally well, they are not always that involved to me. The voice is great, but something seems to be missing. Usually he is very involved in all his singing, so I wondered what it could be. It is possible that that is the rebalancing of the engineers that cause that? However, in live performance he is anything but uninvolved. He is super, and I would venture to say, this is by far his best recording of the role. The live performance with Tomowa-Sintow is equally exciting, but this one is just that much better.

I have to admit that Cossoto has never been my favorite Amneris, though she is super in the role. I have seen her live a number of times, and the voice is wondrous and full of emotions, but she is about as wooden in the acting department as Pavarotti. I guess I really loved this performance because I didn't have to watch her perform the role. For once I could just let her voice carry me away with all the wonderful acting imaginable (that I would never actually witness on stage) and I could imagine her listening to the judges in the judgment scene (which is very distracting when watching her, for she seldom gives any indication she is even listening, it all appears like she is just counting her measures so she comes in on time) and imagine her horror at the sentence, and her desperate anger when Radames is led away. One seldom sees that when she performs, but when listening to her sing the role, one is instantly drawn to what should be happening before our eyes.

The other singers were more than adequete, they were wonderful and involved. Yes, this is an Aida where everyone sings the high notes and really lets them fly, but they sing all the notes and fill them with all the wonder, feeling, and involvement possible making this a really exciting evening.

Now the conducting, to me, has nothing to be ashamed of either. Abbato is a marvel. As I said, his tempi are quicker than some, but his reading of the score is very detailed and filled with delicate treasures and masterful supporting of the singers and the chorus. The balance is wonderful and inviting. He is not just accompaning his singers as some conductors, nor is he overshadowing them with his own vanity (like Karajan is so fond of doing, the star of any of his performances is not the composer, but the conductor himself, and that is what he wanted it to be), rather, he is there creating something touching and memorable with them.

Is this the best recording of Aida out there? I really don't know, but of all the recordings I have (which include many live recordings, including those with Maria Callas) I would rate it quite near the top of the list, and definitely on the short list if I were to choose 5 of my recordings to be included on that list.

This CD was one of my first purchased opera recordings, as the price fitted for someone who was only nominally interested in opera, but it got me firmly hooked. The vocal dynamics of all the leading cast members are excellent, with Domingo providing a vibrant Radames, and Arroyo showing excellent control in O patria mia. The balance of the orchestra between the triumphal march and arias like Celeste Aida is spot on. However I find the sound quality a little poor on this recording, with a few garbles. I also wish that there were three discs, as the two disc split happens directly in the middle of Act2 Scene 1 as Amonasro is about to enter into his solo. For the price, though, it can't be beat.

This was ABBADO's greatest performance conducting. DOMINGO and ARROYO, at early and late stages of their careers at the time of this recording (1972), were perfectly matched and generated an intensly moving and superior vocal performance in the roles of RADAMES and AIDA, respectfully. The live recording, which is very good, demonstrates the electricity of a "great" performance at La Scala. Even if you are not an opera fan, BUY this recording. You will be soon......

First the disclaimer - I'm new to opera and not an expert on sound quality. That being said - I simply can't listen to this CD. There is something about the sound that isn't right. It's like static or white noise or something that is especially prevalent when there is singing. Again, I'm not a sound quality expert, I just know something about this CD makes it bother me and I can't listen to it. My wife, on the other hand, doesn't notice the stuff that bothers me at all, so take that for whatever it's worth. Regarding the opera - it seems fantastic. The music sounds great and the voices do to. I'm definitely going to buy another Aida CD. I just can't listen to this one. I recommend finding a different recording.

Anyone looking for a music critic who knows a great deal about music better look for a different reviewer. What I know about music is this: I know what I like and what I don't like. I have loved Aida for over sixty years. I am crazy about Verdi. If I don't like a piece of music, no use wasting the time reviewing it. For me music, like the other arts, is purely subjective. For example, you may like Bach; I won't waste my listening time on him. Purely subjective.

Those who ahd trouble with the recording of this cd have my sympathy. It is terrible to spend money on a favorite thing and find it is poor in quality. Money is an important factor for me. I knwo I like Verdi, I recognize the performers, and the price puts this in line with my budget. If your criteria are the same, buy this. My recording is fine--no problems of a technical nature. If you don't like opera, you won't like Aida, no matter what recording or which performers. One suggestion, don't pay attention to reviewers, any of them. If you like it, it's good. If you hate it, its bad. Simple fact of life. You can pretend, but who benefits from that? Only the company that sells the music to you.

I feel confident in saying this, Buy this, listen to it, enjoy it. Money well spent.

With Domingo and Arroyo taking the leading roles, and Abbado conducting, you'd have every right to expect an engaging performance. But the sound quality is so low that the performers are difficult to enjoy. The vocalists sound as though they are singing through several layers of waxed paper, while the orchestra seems to be phoning it in over a cheap handset. Overall, the sound quality approximates that of an early transistor radio. What a shame, since, no doubt, the actual performances were quite wonderful.