Verdi - Falstaff / Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Hendricks, Gonzalez, Valentini-Terrani, Giulini

Giuseppe Verdi (Artist), Carlo Maria Giulini (Artist), Renato Bruson (Artist), Barbara Hendricks (Artist), Lucia Valentini-Terrani (Artist), Leo Nucci (Artist), Katia Ricciarelli (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 13, 1984)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001G4L
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,157 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Falstaff: Act I - Part One: 'Falstaff! Ola!' (Falstaff)

2. Falstaff: Act I - Part One: 'Sei polli; sei scellini... So che andiam, la notte' (Falstaff)

3. Falstaff: Act I - Part One: 'Ma e tempo d'assottigliar l'ingegno... V'e noto un tal, qui del paese' (Falstaff)

4. Falstaff: Act I - Part One: 'L'Onore! Ladri!' (Falstaff)

5. Falstaff: Act I - Part Two: 'Alice. Meg. Nannetta' (Alice, Quickly, Nannetta)

6. Falstaff: Act I - Part Two: 'Fulgida Alice! amor t'offro... Quell'otre! quel tino!' (Alice, Quickly, Nannetta, Fenton, Ford)

7. Falstaff: Act I - Part Two: 'In due parole' (Ford, Fenton, Nannetta, Alice, Quickly)

8. Falstaff: Act I - Part Two: 'Pst, pst, Nannetta... Labbra di foco!' (Fenton, Nannetta, Alice, Quickly)

9. Falstaff: Act I - Part Two: 'Undrai quanta egli sfoggia' (Ford, Fenton, Alice, Nannetta, Quickly)

10. Falstaff: Act II - Part One: 'Siam pentiti e contriti.. Reverenza!' (Falstaff, Quickly)

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Presenteremo un bill... Giunta all' Albergo della Giarrettiera' (Alice, Quickly, Nannetta)

2. Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Gaie comari di Windsor' (Alice, Quickly, Nannetta)

3. Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Alfin t'ho colto, raggiante fior' (Falstaff, Alice)

4. Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Quand'ero paggio' (Falstaff, Alice, Quickly)

5. Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Mia signora!' (Quickly, Falstaff, Alice, Ford)

6. Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Vien qua. Che chiasso!' (Nannetta, Fenton, Ford))

7. Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'C'e. C'e. Se t'agguanto! Se ti piglio!' (Ford, Quickly, Falstaff, Fenton, Nannetta, Alice)

8. Falstaff: Act III - Part One: 'Ehi! Taverniere! Mondo ladro!' (Falstaff)

9. Falstaff: Act III - Part One: 'Reverenza. La bella Alice... Quandro il rintocco della mezzanotte' (Quickly, Falstaff, Alice, Ford, Nannetta)

10. Falstaff: Act III - Part One: 'Brava. Quelle corna saranno la mia gioia!' (Ford, Alice, Fenton, Nannetta, Quickly)

See all 16 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sparkling "Falstaff", April 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Verdi - Falstaff / Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Hendricks, Gonzalez, Valentini-Terrani, Giulini (Audio CD)

"Falstaff" is not Verdi's greatest work, but it is undeniably a masterpiece. In this live 1982 recording under the wonderful Carlo Maria Giulini, all the musical forces combine to make this a Verdi recording to remember. Renato Bruson in particular is exceptional as Falstaff, singing with gorgeous tone and natural feeling for the character. Giulini believes he is the perfect Falstaff, and it is hard to disagree. Ricciarelli as Alice is very good, mostly producing beautiful sound despite some infrequent harshness, Leo Nucci is an almost frighteningly intense Ford, Dalmacio Gonzalez is ideal as Fenton and Barbara Hendricks is excellent as Nanetta. It's Giulini, though, who makes this into a great recording. He shows an instinctive feeling for the riches of Verdi's score and directs everyone to perfection. The booklet is very generous, with many black and white photos from the performances. It might also be pointed out that almost all of the lead singers are Italian (Bruson, Ricciarelli, Valentini-Terrani, Nucci, etc.), and just seem to me to have a better feeling for Verdi than non-native singers. Buy this "Falstaff"!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb recording and great cast and conductor!, December 16, 2002

By 

Rosomax (Boulder, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Verdi - Falstaff / Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Hendricks, Gonzalez, Valentini-Terrani, Giulini (Audio CD)

This recording really has it all! First, we hear the great maestro Guilini conduct one of his signature operas. You can definitely hear all rehearsing that's gone into this performance - every passage is incredibly crisp and every intonation of the characters is perfectly echoed by the orchestra. Somebody said this is a recording with a smile. How true! The artists just had a lot of fun while performing this work - a sign of great mastery of its vocal demands. The sound is spacious and I could hardly tell it was a live performance. DG provided a very informative booklet with great pictures, but, alas, no artist bios.
Renato Bruson as Falstaff is a dream come true. I've always thought of Rigoletto or Rodrigo as his best roles, but he has a natural gift for comedy as well. (For instance, he recorded Don Pasquale and it's hilarious!) What Bruson brings to this role is a touch of sadness; his Falstaff is not just a fat old rascal, but also a rather likable 3D figure. Plus his dark baritone voice is really beautiful, rich and velvety with perfect breath control and superb legato line. Katia Ricciarelli is also surprisingly adept at comedy, I am so used to hear her in dramatic roles, it's a pleasure to hear her gorgeous soprano applied here. Young Barbara Hendricks as Nannetta is just delightful, sweet and witty. Lucia Valentini Terrani as Quickly is a perfect casting choice, no wonder poor John falls for everything she tells him. Leo Nucci's baritone is very different from Falstaff's and their duet in Act 2 is fabulous. Everyone in the cast is top notch, they just can't be given enough credit in these few words.
With most recordings someone usually finds a weak link. With this one, it would be next to impossible. While there are some wonders still available, e.g. with Tito Gobbi in title role, this one deserves to be in the top 10 best all-around performances of all time.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous Falstaff, October 29, 2000

By 

J. Luis Juarez Echenique "pepechenique" (Mexico City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Verdi - Falstaff / Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Hendricks, Gonzalez, Valentini-Terrani, Giulini (Audio CD)

Some people have described Giulini's Fastaff as "unsmiling". It certainly isn't. Giulini conducts with great love and passion, and if this isn't the funniest Falstaff available, it is one of the most gorgeous and well sung. Renato Bruson in his absolute prime sings like a (verdian) god even if Gobbi and Taddei are more characterful. Ricciarelli is lovely as Alice and Valentini-Terrani great fun as Miss Quickly. Leo Nucci matches Bruson well as Ford. All in all this is a most handsome Falstaff and worth every penny.