Customer Reviews

Verdi - Don Carlo / Corelli · Janowitz · Ghiaurov · Verrett · Wächter · H. Stein

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This performance is more like 3.5 stars, sometimes four. After listening to other complete five and four act version the cuts in this four act version were somewhat disconcerting. Both cuts in the second and fourth act Carlo-Elisabetta duets ruin the flow and interupt the drama for anyone who was heard the full versions. The finale also seems empty without the appearance of Charles V and Elisabetta's final scream. I also was not as impressed by the Philip-Inquisitor duet as other reviewers. In his attempt to be menacing Tavela resorts to screaming and towards the end his ranting leaves him breathless and you can hearing him panting during the lulls in the music. As this is an older, live recording the sound is spotty at times, but is decent overall. That all being said the rest of the performances are good and the energy of the live performance adds to the excitement. At this price this recording is worth buying for a Don Carlo fan.

Don Carlo is a problematic opera -- Verdi and French grand opera really didn't get on. The problem is too much material so cuts are needed and unfortunately, the best music, the most spectacular stage presentations and the coherent development of plot and character do not correspond, and muchthe latter is usually sacrificed. (This apparently started with the initial production which turned out to be unbelievably lengthy.)

However, Don Carlo does contain some really magnificent music. A satisfying performance requires five (and preferably six) really great singers with very strong voices, an enthusiastic orchestra and a fine chorus -- preferably one that is smoother than the principals.

This live recording has all these requirements. The title role was still ideal for Corelli towards the end of his career, and his singing is breath taking and one cannot ask for a bigger tenor voice. Shirley Varrett also may have been beyond her prime, but here she provides electric singing that lifts one from one's chair. Some of her low notes are chesty -- but this adds to the highly sinister portrait that Varrett paints of Eboli. Eberhard Waechter is magnificent as Rodrigo, his typically smooth and elegant singing poviding a nice contrast to the other two. Less memorable, though still supurb in some passages, is the Elisabeth of Gundula Janowitz. Her portrayal, marred by a rather dark timbre not too sitable for this role, seems almost routine in comparison with the others'. Nicolai Ghiaurov gives a suitably weighty Philip II, though not a performance that adds much to his character, and Talvela's grand inquisitor rounds out ably a satisfying cast. The Vienna chorus does a splendid job, and Stein just manages to control a Vienna Philharmonic that has abandoned gemutlichtheit in favour of red blooded playing.

The sound is remarkably good for a live recording. The Viennese audience is enthusiastic but well disciplined and in fairly good health. Their applause is not cut short -- the recording proceeds through curtain calls -- sometimes several of them -- where a typical radio production would fade to a voice over. Of course, one can cut this short with the remote zapper, a necessary step for repeated listening.

The booklet is farcically inadequate, wih no libretto and no serious indication of which versions are used and what is cut. But for the price, what can one expect? (Incidentally, my search for this recording turned up a version from Myto which appeared to be the same thing with different track indices and the addition of some other (non Verdi) material at a very much higher price. I have no idea what its booklet etc might be like.)

This is a very interesting recording of DON CARLO because it offers a terrific cast, great sound quality at a low price, but, sadly, the score is so abridged that one yearns for a more complete reading with most of the same cast.
We don't often think of Corelli in this role, but he is quite thrilling, particularly in his final duet. Gundula Janowitz and Eberhard Waechter, as Elisabeth and Posa, respective, are clearly out of their fach in this opera, but they get the job done, particularly Janowitz.
Ghiaurov, heard here in his prime is a booming, threatening Phillip, yet he turns introspective and delivers a great verion of his Act IV aria. His confrontation with the wonderfully sinister Inquisitor of Matti Talvela is the finest I've heard anywhere.
Clearly, though, the performance belongs to Shirley Verrett, who steals the show with her gutsy, thrilling Eboli. From her Veil Song, to her "Don Fatale" she thrills at every turn. If for no other reason, buy this recording for her.

Corelli a chanté «Don Carlo» sur scène mais n'a pas enregistré d'intégrale officielle. Cet enregistrement non-officiel d'une représentation viennoise de 1970 est donc un des témoignages accessibles que nous avons de lui. Et il y est comme on l'espère, superbe, solaire, inattendu même. Rodrigue est chanté par Eberhard Waechter qui n'est plus au meilleur de sa forme et qui est peut-être un peu trop germanique, surtout dans « Dio, che nell'alma infodere» ; c'est pourtant dans ce dernier air qu'il est le meilleur. Ghiaurov (Philippe II) et Talvela (L'Inquisiteur) sont parfaits. Verrett est une bonne Eboli si l'on excepte quelques intonations singulièrement poissardes. Cette version fait trois heures ; il s'agit de celle en quatre actes sans l'acte de Fontainebleau ni l'apparition finale de Charles Quint. Le cd ne donne pas le texte de l'opéra.

Il existe une version officielle de cette représentation dans la série «Orfeo d'or». Les autres versions non-offcielles avec Corelli sont des représentations à Philadelphie (1966) et au Met (1964 et 1972). Dans la version de 1964, Corelli est bien sûr excellent ; il est de plus très bien entouré et le chef est parfait (Adler). La version est celle en quatre actes de 2 heures 40. Cependant, le disque ne possède aucun livret, il est enregistré un demi-ton trop bas et en plus je crois qu'il ne se trouve plus guère (GOP puis Living Stage l'ont édité).

Unlike most of the other reviewers, I was disappointed with Corelli in this recording. I am a great admirer of his, and bought this recording primarily to hear him. He was not in good voice this evening- he forces especially in the first act; later on he improves, but this is definitely not one of his best recordings. Waechter is also very disappointing, and shouts his way through his part. The duet between them is the worst I have heard- compare it to Vickers/Gobbi or Bergonzi/Fischer-Dieskau, and you'll see why it is so disappointing.
Ghiaurov, as usual, gives an excellent performance, and the clash between Phillip and the Grand Inquisitor is the best I have heard- Talvella is superb, and the duet is far more dramatic than in the studio recording (Solti) with the same two artists.
Verrett is excellent as Eboli, and Janovitz handles her part very well.
It's worth buying this recording just to hear Verrett, Ghiaurov and Talvella.

This performance surprised me, for I've not been heretofore a fan of either Corelli (great voice but a clumsy musician) or Janowitz (great musician but a cold, almost disembodied voice). Corelli sounds terrific and sings with passion but without losing control and lapsing into tasteless bawling. Janowitz displays passion I didn't think she was capable of-at times she sounds almost like Freni; only in a few very high notes at the end does she resort to the sort of tight, instrumental tones which will pass in Bach and Mozart but not Verdi. Verrett is splendid, Wachter is surprisingly good; the lyric moments are a little beyond him after years of Jokanaans, but the big dramatic moments, i.e. the scene with Corelli, are terrific. Ghiaurov is alternately lyric and stentorian, and Talvela's Inquisitor is almost in the rug-chewing category: passionate instead of cooly malevolent. The smaller roles are handled well, including Judith Blegen as the Voice from Heaven and Edita Gruberova as Tebaldo (uncredited, by the way).The sound is wonderful stereo and the Vienna Philharmonic plays beautifully--the brass introduction to the first act has never sounded better, and Stein doesn't slam through the opera like Levine does. The auto-da-fe scene is bereft of much of the martial music,shortening it considerably; I was a little disappointed in this, though some may not mind--hard to tell if the music was eliminated in the performance or just to fit the opera onto three discs. The one real anomaly occurs at the end of the opera...the lines for the friar (Carlo V, Phillip's father), Phillip, and Elisabetta are omitted in favor of a quick orchestral conclusion...very strange, and judging from the tentative applause from the audience, puzzling to them as well, but not a detriment. Buy this and cherish it as the audience in this performance clearly did. Casts like this don't exist anymore!

Franco Corelli's career may have been on the downward slide by 1970 but it is hard to tell from this live performance. He is in full command of the role, with brilliant top notes and very little in the way of his infamous mannerisms that marred many of his later performances. What is truly terrifying is that he makes one of the hardest tenor roles in the Verdi canon sound EASY. There are few week links in this performance. Janowitz, Verrett, Ghiaurov and Talvela are all in fresh and youthful form. Horst Stein conducts a very sound performance: Not too slow and not too "blood and thunder". The weak link is Eberhard Waechter. In Mozart he was great, but dramatic Verdi is not his cup of tea. This role really needed a Merrill or a Milnes. He is OK as long as he doesn't have to sing WITH Corelli. To keep up with Franco he pushes his voice too much. He doesn't crack or splat, but it is obvious that parts of the role are taxing him. He is not horrible, but he isn't on fire like everybody else. The only live performance that I have heard that comes close to this is the legendary 1950 MET broadcast with Jussi Bjorling and Robert Merrill. Bjorling (the other great Don Carlo) and Merrill sing like gods and are surrounded by a golden-age MET cast but as usual with these early 50's broadcasts, the audio is listenable but not fantastic. Sound quality wise the 1970 performance is very good mono sound with surprisingly little audience noise. Since Corelli never made a commercial recording of "Carlo" that leaves you with broadcasts and performances. If you can tolerate the 4-act Italian version (I am not even sure Corelli ever DID the 5-act version) and you want a legendary tenor in one of his best roles, this is your baby.

Don Carlo has everything an Opera lover could desire---star-crossed lovers, jealousy, betrayal, intrigue, wonderfully crafted, exciting music! And what a cast! The combination of singers is wonderful. I have to say that of all the performers on this recording (they all acquit themselves beautifully), Shirley Verrett is my favorite. Her powerful and rich voice coupled with her artistic interpretation of the vain, beautiful, and emotionally volatile Eboli is intensely exciting.

This was my first recording but I was shocked while trying to follow the libretto how many cuts there were. I kept skipping through the libretto trying to find my place.

However, I love Corelli and Verrett who is dynamite as Eboli. It's in my cd player now for relistening. My favorite (for its completeness) is the five-act complete version with Alagna/Hampson/Mattila/Van Dam.

Last night I listened to a recording with Vickers/Brouwenstijn/Christoff/Gobbi that was absolutely thrilling (five acts). Christoff was absolutely riveting in this recording conducted by Giulini as Filippo and worth listening for that alone. I don't think there is a perfect recording of this opera with an ideal cast or complete score. So it's worth having several recordings of this opera.

I've bought this CD from a mere curiosity when I didn't know about this opera. I bought it just because I like Franco Corelli. The first time I played this set, I cannot help staying stood with my mouth open! After that I've got interested in this opera and bought another sets also. Just listen. And I could find the vocal dramacity of Shirley Verrett. She's exciting!! Although Janowitz sings pretty well, relatively her voice is not powerful like that of Callas, Tebaldi, Dessi or Caballe.