Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
absolute perfection!, February 25, 2000
This review is from: Verdi: Don Carlo (Milan 1977) (Audio CD)
This is a rare occurrence when even the critics agree - this IS the best Don Carlo available. First, the score: it is the five-act version, which includes all the music Verdi wrote for this opera, except for the ballet which does not really add to the action and can be found on other CDs. While the composer was later satisfied with the four-act abridged "action-packed" version and even wrote that it would be "more practical [...] and better from artistic point of view", we the fans want to hear as much of our favorite composer as possible. Those agreeing with Verdi's statement can find a fantastic recording with many of the same principals under Karajan's baton on EMI. But they would sorely miss the Fontainebleau scene. This is a live recording but one hardly notices it, the sound is very well balanced, there are no annoying coughs, and the clarity is exceptional. Claudio Abbado revels in orchestral beauty of the score, but never does his orchestra overwhelm the singers. Those looking for um-pa-pa style of conducting will not find it here; the broad and colorful palette, highlighted by warm strings and clear wind sound is a marvel. The principal and even supporting roles are brilliantly cast; it seems as each artist was "born" to sing his or her particular role. José Carreras is a powerful, heroic, simply dashing Don Carlos, his natural gift for romantic singing setting him strikingly apart (and above) even from such greats as Corelli and Vickers. We have come to expect the ethereal beauty of Carreras's love duets, and it will come as a surprise to many that his fortissimo notes are that strong, particularly without the benefit of studio settings. They are clear and ringing, engagingly projected forward, yet never loosing that splendid glowing timbre that characterizes all of his singing. He is accompanied by artists of equal vocal grace and appeal. Mirella Freni's angelic voice can take commanding and regal overtones, and at the same time she comes across as subtle and vulnerable heroine, a very sympathetic character. No wonder Ms. Freni could be so wonderful as Verdi's most beloved leading lady - Aida. Lately, several recordings and performances featured a spinto soprano as Elisabetta. I am not the one to say what's right or wrong, but to me only a voice such as Freni's (or Caballé's) can be effective in the final duet, interrupted by Philips's thunderous "Si, per sempre! " Speaking of Philip, this set has the best one that ever was - Nicolai Ghiaurov. I am a huge fan of the Bulgarian bass who prefers to stay away from spotlight, and after listening to his breathtaking "Ella giammai m'amò" you will be too, I am certain. Following the beautifully played introduction, he opens one of the best basso arias slower than usual, emphasizing the lyrical aspects of it, truly immersed in King's sincere love for Elisabetta and his sincere sorrow; but then he is all grim resolve and relentless fury, subsiding again into hurt and regret. I had to listen to it several times over - it's spellbinding. Baritone Piero Cappuccilli is one of the finest masters of Verdian line; his legato passages are flawless and his powerful voice is ideal for heroic Rodrigo. He has a show-stopping death scene, which he delivers with impeccable style, no gasps, no snarling, just warm, beautiful, heartbreaking sound. He and Carreras deliver a fantastic Friendship duet, readily resembling the one of Merrill and Bjorling. Elena Obraztsova, a Bolshoi Star, got lots of applause during this performance. For one, she has the highly spirited Bolero and then it's off to "O don fatale". Her Eboli is very unusual, almost masculine is sound, with powerful chest resonance, no vulnerability or even doubt there. She clearly brings out Eboli's "bad side" so to speak. A more charming Eboli can be found on Karajan's set - Agnes Baltsa, and Giulini's - Verett. But for strong, darkly seductive portrayal turn to Obraztsova. Finally Evgeny Nesterenko, another Bolshoi star, is cast here as the Grand Inquisitor. He is a very fine bass, no doubt, but he has to sing opposite Ghiaurov and he just does not seem as all-powerful as Philip describes him to Rodrigo. On recordings now not available, this role was taken up by Martti Talvela, and the ocean of sound he and Ghiaurov awoke together literally shook the house down. Interestingly, in 1985 Claudio Abbado cast Ghiaurov in this role for his DG recording of French version. Having said all that, I think Nesterenko is a solid commanding Inquisitor still, with wonderful breath span and booming low F. Overall, this is more than just impressive recording. Despite the fact that it's live, it's the very best. Maybe it can be surpassed in the future, I am certainly looking forward to that, but it has not been equaled as of yet in terms of drama, vocal luster, and absolute dedicated and affectionate involvement from all the artists.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fine memento of what must have been a great evening at La Scala, September 6, 2009
This review is from: Verdi: Don Carlo (Milan 1977) (Audio CD)
It's a pleasure to come late to an opera recording and find already posted on Amazon.com several detailed, intelligent reviews from informed people who write cogently and persuasively. I find myself in agreement with most of what has been said already and even appreciate the reasons why the "Voice Lover" awards only three tepid stars; much of what he says is true. This leaves me less to say, other than to comment on a few issues. I agree that the sound is a bit woolly and lacking definition; it's not at all bad for a live recording but not as clear as other comparable live sets such as the 1970 Vienna performance conducted by Stein, the 1972 Metropolitan broadcast conducted by Molinari-Pradelli (both with Corelli and in clean mono), or, above all for live sound, the 1992 La Scala set with Pavarotti, conducted by Muti - but the latter is only the four act version. There is no doubt that the singing, playing and conducting here is first rate but perhaps the muddy sound contributes to a certain lack of sparkle; just occasionally there is a hint of dullness in the proceedings. However, I don't think I have heard Freni sing better; her beautiful lirico-spinto soprano is ideal for conveying the quiet desperation of the hapless Elisabetta. She manages to suggest "les larmes dans la voix" without ever sounding maudlin and she has sufficient power to phrase broadly and grandly. Carreras is in his best pre-1980 form, plangent and affecting, although his reluctance to sing quietly and a tendency to push might be pointing forward to future difficulties. Obratsova really is such a ham; that big, booming voice is suggestive more of a harridan than a seductress who could have caught the eye of a refined, sensitive monarch, but her voice is undeniably handsome and thrilling in a crude kind of way - and she can actually sing all the notes, unlike some Ebolis (although she runs out of breath at the climax of "O don fatale"). Nesterenko is not especially idiomatic as the Grand Inquisitor; he goes through a strange, strained, semi-parlando patch in the famous exchange with Philip and pales beside interpreters such as Talvela or Hines. Cappuccilli is as he always is: dependable and nobly long-breathed without any special insights or beauty of tone - and as with Obratsova, there is more than a whiff of ham about some of his artistic choices - though the audience likes him. Ghiaurov successfully reprises his most famous role but you can hear him sing just as well in several comparable recordings, especially the studio Solti set.
In short, for reasons of sound and the performances of individual artists, I am happy to have this La Scala recording as the most complete five Act version of "Don Carlo" available (including the great extended ensemble lamenting Rodrigo in Act 4, using the same music as in the "Requiem"), but more as an adjunct to other sets. It does not replace favourite recordings such as those mentioned above, the Giulini, the Haitink, the live Salzburg Karajan performance or even the two old Santini studio recordings.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A (qualified) success, September 5, 2000
This review is from: Verdi: Don Carlo (Milan 1977) (Audio CD)
I like this recording, but it is far from flawless or "absolute perfection". To temper Mr Ettinger's effusiveness... The recorded sound is in stereo but uncomfortably dry. The stage mikes are close up on singers, not the ideal perspective, and little if any hall ambience cushions the voices, presumably because La Scala was packed and its natural reverberation absorbed by the audience. Freni is near-perfectly cast as Elisabetta, both vocally and histrionically. Carreras, always the firebrand, sings mostly "forte", but relentlessly loud is eventually fatiguing. Be that as it may, he is still among the most thrilling Carlos. You can get Ghiaurov many times over as Philip, so he is not a deciding factor in obtaining this set. Suffice to say, he owns this role (in the absence of Christoff). Cappuccilli's Rodrigo is not a stand-out, but neither is he objectionable. He is always musical, solid, and stylish. OTOH, Obratsova is somewhat objectionable in that her Eboli is definitely NOT "sexy" (remember, she's supposed to be a courtesan) and her Italian is somewhat curdled. Likewise Nesterenko's diction. Nevertheless, his Inquisitor is acceptable if undistinguished. Other pluses: I insist on having the Fontainebleau Act, and this performance has it. When shorn of Act 1, the opera is maimed because musical references heard in later acts to the sublime love duet of the opening scene are without point of origin. You get a hint of Rapture, without having had full exposure to it - the lovers' first meeting out on the grounds of the castle - and lacking that experience (in cut versions), you cannot fully savor its memory. Furthermore, this production contains ALL of the Act 5 love-duet (frequently cut of its exhilarating "Go to Glory" section), and this too is ESSENTIAL Verdi, without which the opera is rendered even more skeletal. Abbado's conducting is alert and much more involved than his soporific studio French-language integral (DGG). In short, I like this performance as a viable alternative, with additional "frissons" because Live, to the complete 5-act Giulini recording (EMI). La Clarissima
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
