Customer Reviews

Verdi: Attila / Raimondi, Stella; Muti

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

 

 

I came to this opera first through the Phillip's recording with Deutekom, and I really enjoyed the opera. I wondered why I had never heard it all my life (not even on the Met broadcasts) as it is really quite an excellent work that really moves forward at every turn. The coloratura demands of both the men and the leading lady are not that exceptional. Even if Odabella's introduction aria is quite a show stopper, she has nothing really more difficult than that the remainder of the opera. There is another studio recording with Cheryl Studer, which is wonderful as well. However, let us get to this recording. It is a live recording and with that comes the usual uneven miking, the audience noises (which never bother me), and sadly, in this recording no clapping (a live performance lacking the clapping, yet containing all the audience coughing is really weird; let us hear their reactions to the performance at hand). The orchestral conducting is very good, and the subtlies of the music are brought out well, which in my view supports the singers in their interpretations of the characters. I never had the occasion to hear Antonietta Stella in real life, but have heard a few of her recordings. I have an old Deutches Grammaphone recording of Trovatore with her singing in it, and it is wonderful. So, this is the closest I can come to experiencing her live. I was not disappointed, but I see her much as I see Aprile Millo, a wonderful singers with tons to offer who somehow seems to be overshadowed most of the time by other singers, some who do a better job, but most who don't come close to what she has to offer. Stella's voice is truly a wonderful lyrico spinto, and unlike what Tebaldi was doing at that time, she doesn't force her voice to achieve what she wants, and her higher notes are truer. Her vocal focus is astonishing, as is her protrayal of Odabella. There are flaws, to be sure, and that is with her coloratura. It is clean, for the most part, but one feels the music slow down when very difficult passages occur, though the basic musical line is not ruined at all. The men do a wonderful job as well, and one really feels this Attilla could have ruled the world, if he wasn't stopped in his tracks, and really was the "scourge of God" as he was felt to be in Europe at that time. Early Verdi always has some crudities, but I have to admit, I love them, as they add tremendous excitement to the work. This is a very excellent recording considering its origins (a live performance). There are precious few recordings of Attilla out there, and well, this is by far the better live recording out there (I have another one that is from a group of singers I have never heard of, they were recorded live in Attilla and later in Il Corsaro; neither recording is worth it, even though they were very cheaply priced; the singing in both of them is simply screaming to pitch with no finesse at all; if you must have a live recording of Attilla, buy only this one and don't be deceived by others out there).

The role of ATTILA dominates this opera. There is a tremendous amount of 'music' in Ruggiero Raimondi's voice, in this performance, which made the listening compelling. I actually purchased it to hear Antonietta Stella, so Raimondi's performance + Muti provide a bonus. Also, although it's 'live', the recorded sound is excellent, rich and full. From their inception, I have been grateful to Opera d'Oro for providing us with so many live performances that would otherwise have been lost to us.
This one is a winner!

This is a must for lovers of Verdi opera. Beautifully recorded, solidly and stirringly conducted. Good soloists. Raimondi is an especially fine Hun.

This is an absolutely TERRIFIC recording of a first-rate Verdi opera. It truly is a shame that this opera isn't performed more often. But then again, every Verdi opera should be so lucky as to be recorded at such a high artistic level, with an absolutely terrific cast giving an impassioned, thrilling performance. Bravo to Muti and the RAI Sym. Orch. & Chorus for assembling and bringing us this stellar recording.

First, there's no libretto included with this CD, so if you don't already have one, you'll be lost. The sound is only marginal and it appears to be a live recording (or there were some noisy people coughing in the background - no applause howerver). There are damn few recordings of Attila available, so you have to take what you can get but I'd be happier with a full-priced, more-professional version.