Customer Reviews

Verdi: Un Ballo in Maschera

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Verdi's UN BALLO IN MASCHERA has been one of his perennial favorites since it was first performed and it is easy to understand why. The music is charming and it's plot about a King who falls in love with a married woman, almost causes her to be unfaithful which results in his death by her jealous husband, and the king's forgiving his attacker, is dramatic to say the least. It is also, interestingly enough, based on a true story. The action is supposed to take place in Sweden, but Italian censors feared that the death of a king could cause regicide in Italy, so the king became a royal governor in colonial Massachusetts and was renamed Riccardo. In most productions today, the action takes place in Sweden.

Luciano Pavarotti has a strong tenor voice that is well suited for the lead role of Riccardo, and his interpretation of the role in this recording is one of his best recorded performances. Margaret Price, a soprano not often associated with Verdi, sings Amelia and is probably one of the pleasant surprises in the set. Renato Brunson sings his role with fervor. We can feel both his anger and hatred in his interpretation of Amelia's jealous husband, also named Renato. Christa Ludwig plays the fortune teller Ulrica and we also hear the light and flexible voice of a young Kathleen Battle as Oscar, the page boy.

While there are other admirable recordings of this opera with tenors such as Jussi Bjorling, Franco Corelli, and Placido Domingo, and a reasonably good recording with Jose Carreras as Riccardo, this set, under the baton of Sir George Solti has it all: a fantastic cast, a wonderful chorus and orchestra, and a great conductor.

This is a great, great recording of perhaps Verdi's most tuneful opera. The whole performance is wonderul. Some think that Solti presses too hard in Verdi, but I like it. Even in Rossini, I like Schippers (Sills' Lucia) who puts some drama into the work instead of milk-sop conducting of some. Give me some guts, please!
Pavarotti was about to lose his interest in opera at the time of recording, and this is, I believe, his last great recording. He does act, sings some soft tones and is regal. A really great King (or Duke).
Margaret Price is absolutely gorgeous. I just love her singing, with beautiful pianissimos, excellent acting and rock solid high C's. The slow acent to the climax in the Act II aria is thrilling. Chesty notes follow with great easy and drama. Bravissima
Bruson: Simply put, one of the most beautiful voices in history. I can only describe it as lush, vocal velvet. He sings with great drama and depth of charactarization. I just LOVE this baritone.
Ludwig and Battle: Great. No problem. Both singe with accuracy and committment.
My favorite "Ballo" on disc!

The cast of this recording is simply wonderful. Margaret Price has one of the most beautiful voices in opera and is really under-recorded. She has a rich full Dramatic voice, and is perfectly suited to Amelia. ALL her notes are beautiful - ALL. Renato Brunson also has a wonderful Dramatic baritone sound, there is so much drive in his voice, it is a huge dark sound that is simply ravising (he's one of my favorite baritones). And like Margaret Price you can hear all the thought that is put into his singing of this role, he is very emotionally involved in his character. Ludwig is the best Ulrica on record, and Kathleen Battle is very enchanting Oscar, it is a joy to listen to such a secure singer in this role. Pavarotti while no longer in his prime as in the earlier recording with Tebaldi, at this point in his career in great voice. This is a definite recommend. Of all the Un Ballo's currently available this is one of the best!

This recording really has it all: a stellar cast, a great conductor, and a digital sound.
This version is the one where the main character is called "count" and Riccardo, not "King" and Gustavo. This change was due to political reasons that at the time did not make it "correct" to cast light on assasination of Swedish king Gustav. The music, I believe, is the same as in the original version, though.
Every member of the cast is very much involved here. What I found to be a very pleasant surprise is how much vocal acting Luciano Pavarotti could do at the later stage of his career. In his earlier recording the voice might have been a shade brighter, but here he is a truly torn-apart character, noble and gentle. Renato Bruson repeats his signature role of Renato (no pun intended). His warm, rich baritone and perfect lied-singer technique are a true pleasure to hear, particularly in the flowing lines of "O dolcezze perdute, O memorie...". I found Margaret Price to be a very convicing Amelia. I don't think it makes sense to compare her with Leontine Price solely based on their last names. Margaret has a completely different spinto instrument, maybe not as nuanced, but large and expressive, never shrill. Kathleen Battle and Christa Ludwig are luxuriously cast as Oscar and Ulrica. I found Ludwig the most sinister Ulrica on record due to the beauty of the voice and subtleness of expression, an appropriate combination for this often over-expressed character. Solti conducts with perfect tempos and a lot of vigor. To recommend a couple more sets, I would add Abbado/Domingo/Ricciarelli/Bruson and Davis/Carreras/Caballe/Wixell. I actually have 5 versions of this wonderful opera and each makes a different impact, these are just better recorded.

Solti recorded Ballo twice in his career: the first with Birgit Nilsson, Carlo Bergonzi, Giulietta Simionato and Cornell Mac'Neill, and this second recording with a most interesting cast that includes Luciano Pavarotti, Dame Margaret Price, Renato Bruson, and Christa Ludwig. In both casts, only the tenors, Simionato and the baritone in Solti's second have "real" Verdi voices, but in each case the cast remains committed to the text and creates one of the most compelling ensemble work in Verdi on records. Unlike Wagner and Strauss, there is not much in this opera that truly describes an orchestral tapestry on the scale of the great Teutonic works, but Solti's analytical style nonetheless proves to be a perfect match for this score as he reveals several details and instrumental transparencies that Italians normally muddle in the orchestral playground. Rhythmically, few other maestros get the pace of this work so naturally as Solti does here, the only Italians of which can come to this distinction being Riccardo Muti and Claudio Abbado. Solti is also able to color each phrase as he were a symphony, cushioning the singers and likewise the drama in a blanket that seems to highlight several of the histrionic elements in the score. Case point: the ensemble in Act 1 when Riccardo, Renato, Oscar, and the rest of the boys join in for the jovial chorus, Ulrica's chilling scene, and Amelia and Riccardo's rapturous love duet.

Solti's cast is likewise apt for the job even if they don't possess instruments more telling of the Verdi tradition. Dame Margaret Price is no soprano in the style of Tebaldi, Antonietta Stella, Zinka Milanov, or even Leontyne Price, but she brings her unique instrument to the part and sings sensitively, highlighting her lines with a Lieder sensitivity coupled to a natural feel for the language. Hers is probably the most feminine Amelia on records. Renato Bruson is no Bastianini, but he is an intelligent singer and makes the part of his namesake sound absolutely villainous without sounding like an absolute caricature. His Eri tu is one of the most beautifully vocalized and interpreted.

Kathleen Battle is an exciting Oscar, lovely of voice and fluent of coloratura. She as few others makes the part live with spice and vibrance. Luciano Pavarotti is a starry and touching Riccardo. He is not equipped with a dark tenor like Domingo or a honeyed, bronzen one like Bergonzi, but his lyric voice is a natural fit for the part and makes the most beautifully vocalized renditions of the character in recordings. Although he is not as probing as Domingo, his identification with the character and his fluency in the language allows the words to basically leap off his mouth. This is a Riccardo as no other singer would have sung or would ever sing him again. Ah, and how better to cap off a cast of all stars than to have the queen of mezzos Christa Ludwig sing the characterful and sinister Ulrica?

While this Ballo is not a classic in the line of more Italianate Ballos, it is an absolutely interesting and utterly convincing reading that should be part of every opera lover's collection. For Solti's detail-driven and lyrical conducting and a cast of true distinction, this is highly recommended.

Oh how wonderful it was to hear this recording. I was very anxious about buying this recording because I absoultely love the Maria Callas version, a role truly designed for her voice, and yet there came Dame Maggy Price. I have loved her since my first experience with opera which was the televion broadcast of her Aida with Pavorotti.

Well she didn't dissapoint! A truly new approach, a voice that found ease in the difficulties of the role and yet new exactly who Amelia really is. I can't help saying I love this diva. She has a much wider variety of tone colours, fortissimos and pianissimos than dear old L. Price. Whom I also love but just dosen't do it for me in this role.

However the biggest suprise was Pavarotti, who doesn't yell for once, a rare occasion for this singer. I usually hate Pav but not ths time and then when he sings with Dame Maggy the vocies the electricity and the passion are all overwhelming.
Brunson is a wonderful Renato, Christa Ludwing a trully different Urcila.

However I almost didn't buy this recording because of Kathleen Battle, oh she is disgusting. I recently saw a performance that put the whole operatic tradition to shame. However luckily the role is small, her vocie is young and fresh and the emotional extremes of Oscar are rather limited, just like Miss Battle.

Solti is big in his conception, but it all works well with the voices predominating and a clear sense of form and architecture emerge from his direction. Wonderful, absoultely wonderful. Dame Margaret Price shows why she should joins the ranks of Arroyo, Callas, Price, Steber, and Farrell. Bravo!

Given that his recordings of this opera, Otello, Aida, and La Traviata all have received a perfect 3 star rating from the Penguin's Guide (the latter scoring a coveted rosette), I find the characterization of Solti's Verdi recordings as "controversial" to be utterly bizarre...

First of all bravo Solti. I am very impressed with his reading of this score. He combines lyricism and nervousness very effectively. The Act II duet is a good example of those two qualities.
The cast is very good except Bruson. Luciano Pavarotti and Margaret Price do a wonderful job. Price's recording of the aria at the beginning of Act II might be the best. The phrase up to the high C is very good. Plus she sings with a lot of emotion. She is a very well rounded singer with repertoire ranging from Verdi and Wagner to Schubert which is impressive. Pavarotti's two recordings of Riccardo are both wonderful. He sounds a little bit better vocally in the 1971 recording. However this is still excellent singing from him. His musicality and expression were never anything to brag about, but he sang Riccardo so well when he was in his prime. It was a great role for his voice. Kathleen Battle is a very good Oscar, however I have trouble with her because she is such a rotten person. Christa Ludwig works very well for Ulrica. I could use a darker sound, but it is still very good. As for Renato Bruson I think the character Renato has to be sung by a Verdi baritone to be convincing. Bruson always sounded like a lyric baritone who was good for Donizetti and Bellini. Plus the high notes just don't cut it. He barely gets up to the two high G naturals. They are simply too weak. Verdi wrote both of these G naturals, so therefore they have to be there. Overall this is a great recording, but if you are a baritone you might want to try the recordings with Milnes, Bastianini or Robert Merrill.

I heard this recording on the internet radio station Viva La Voce, and although I much prefer the Un Ballo recording I own- Placido Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli, Renato Bruson, Elena Obraztsova/Claudio Abbado- this one is not all that bad and has a grand, sweeping effect, as if it were a more mainstream Verdi opera and not the minor one that it is. Un Ballo is not as popular as it once was although it still remains in the repertoire of some opera companies. The cast is the draw - everyone love Pavarotti (I don't) and he makes a passionate, bombastic Riccardo in this recording. Though Pavarotti's bright, blazing voice is not suited for Verdi which often calls for a daker voice, his Riccardo is his only passable Verdi performance. He made a terrible Manrico and Radames. If you're a fan of Pavarotti, this recording should be in your collection. Soprano Margaret Price has a beautiful, dulcet voice, with rich melodic tone and when she wants to she can step up the drama. But she's not my favorite Amelia nor do I feel she is really suited for Verdi or for this character. A lyrico-spinto voice is necessary for Amelia. The Amelias of Leontyne Price and Katia Ricciarelli are the best on record and set the bar high for excellence in this role. Renato Bruson has a gorgeous baritone voice, with masculine bite but all his critics were right in declaring he was not wholly suited for Verdi (if he sang Amonasro in Aida, Simon Boccanegro, Rigoletto or Germont- none of these must have been good) Bruson is a bel canto baritone and his voice is tailor made for Donizetti. His only one fine Verdi role was Nabucco. Here, although he sings with dramatic commitment, he falls short in greater musicality. But again, if you're a fan, you will eat it up and enjoy his performance. But even more miscast than Bruson is Kathleen Battle as Oskar. Miss Battle sounds like she's singing Susannah in Mozart's Le Nozze Di Figaro or Zerlina in Don Giovanni. Her voice is beautiful, let's not argue that, but it's not right for Verdi. She is no Verdi soprano, which is why she could never really command such roles as Violetta or Gilda. Hers is a very light and agile voice and although Oskar is a coloratura part, it does not sound well on Kathy's throat. Sorry. George Solti conducts with supreme dramatic force but there is rarely any beautiful moments. Only Pavarotti and Price shine in this one and if you're fans of theirs, this recording is for you.

Margaret Price has a glorious voice, and she sings with wonderfully flowing line. She is easily the main reason for acquiring this set, though I find Renato Bruson immensely satisfying too with a burnished tone and an equally seamless legato. But; but, Solti does seem to want to hog all the attention and as a previous reviewer has said, his Verdi was always controversial because he often imported his schooling from other idioms traditions, and whether the result was successful or not depends largely on taste. I think he's much better in his earlier set. And Pavarotti I find disappointing here. But Price, oh Price; she's wonderful.