Customer Reviews

Verdi: La Forza del Destino

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Verdi's "La Forza del Destino" is one of the most difficult of his operas to cast properly. The demands of the music for the 5 principals are quite formidable, and require a command of vocalism that only the greatest singers can offer. It further requires the leadership of an immaginative conductor to bring cohesion to "Forza's" somewhat sprawling score. This recording towers over the others in best meeting the aforementioned 'criteria'. Maestro James Levine demonstrates his mastery of the score throughout, creating intimacy in the more personal passages of the opera (no more so than in the moving Convent Scene), contrasted with the bustling energy of scenes in the countryside and battlefield. His conducting has the "sweep" and verve so neccessary to illuminating and energizing the overall (Russian-influenced?) darkness of this turbulent score. Tenor Placido Domingo is simply the finest "Alvaro" on record. The dark richness and power of his beautiful instrument captures the ever- changing and volatile moods of the tragic, star-crossed lover. Mr. Domingo's great musicality abets the drama, making "O tu che in seno" heart-wrenching. Elsewhere, he is ardent with Leonora, and passionate in his duets with Don Carlo. There is no one better. Leonora is sung by Leontyne Price, the pre-eminent Verdi soprano of the past 30 years. This is one of the diva's greatest roles, and we are able to hear why.
The vibrant and lyrical quality of the Schippers "Forza" (1964) has been replaced with a throbbing, darker, heavier sound in the middle, and a lower voice that's alternately chesty or slightly raspy. Ms. Price's upper voice is sovereign and resplendent. She mixes gorgeous pianissimi with requisite forte high notes that are powerfully intoned. Throughout, the soprano is dramatically alert, bringing desperation and urgency to the Convent Scene, fear and uncertainty to her duet with Alvaro, and
sorrow and lamentation in her justly-famous singing of "Pace,pace mio Dio" ( with its ringing climax),and a soft, hushed intensity to the Final Scene as well. This is a great performance! Baritone Sherrill Milnes has likewise dominated his peers in the Verdi canon. His strong, virile singing of Don Carlo is well-suited to a role that is very monochromatic in dimension, but quite exciting musically. Mr. Milnes' voice here is resonant in the middle, slightly weak in the lower voice, and powerful in his wonderful upper voice (with some obvious strain at times), and he utilizes it with musicality, and a dramatic flair that is often more extroverted than introspective. His duets with Mr. Domingo are thrillingly sung, as is the "Urna fatale/Egli e Salvo" scena. Basso Bonaldo Giaotti is also a specialist in his role of Padre Guardiano, singing with warm, plangent beauty. He imbues his singing with authority, clarity, and strength, providing with Ms. Price, a Convent Scene of unusual conviction. Mr. Giaotti is not any less committed in the more static music of this role, and his firmly-produced bass is one of the finest on record in this music. Mezzo-soprano Fiorenza Cossotto rarely, if ever, sang the role of Preziosilla onstage,perhaps because its marginally a principal role, and/or due to its mostly unrewarding vocal demands. Few mezzos really succeed in this daunting music, that requires agility, range, and power. Ms. Cossotto is most admirable in those respects, though her upper voice is clearly taxed by the music in that area, and tonal beauty is only intermittently provided. Still, she is energetic, and, as always with this gifted artist, able to characterize with the detailed, intelligent, and insightful touches of the accomplished singing-actress that defines her art. The supporting and comprimario roles are also well-performed, featuring the outstanding Fra Melitone of bass-baritone Gabriel Bacquier. The John Alldis Choir, integral in this opera, sings gloriously, and the London Symphony Orchestra plays splendidly for Mr. Levine. This "Forza" remains the overall 'winner' amongst its competitors. While individual performances(Callas,Tebaldi,Milanov,Price,Arroyo/Shirley Verrett/ Bergonzi,Tucker/ Warren, Merrill/ C. Siepi, G.Tozzi/ Schippers, Muti) may rival those heard here, the sum of the performances in this "Forza" are unbeatable. Own THIS one!

I can't believe this set is 25 years old! It only seems like yesterday...but yes, this recording belongs to a long gone era when Verdi operas still could be cast with great singers. Everything pleases in this recording. Don Alvaro is easily Domingo's best Verdi role. His handsome dark tenor was made for this music, perhaps Bergonzi has an even better sense of line, but all-around, Domingo is the best Alvaro ever recorded. Sherill Milnes was in imposing voice in 1976, though Ettore Bastianini and Giorgio Zancanaro are more musical and interesting. Milnes anyhow, is never less than excellent. Since I just love Leontyne Price, I think she was still stupendous in the mid-seventies, though there is no denying that her voice was even more ravishing in 1964 when her earlier recording with Thomas Schippers was made (for her alone, another must have). Gabriel Bacquier and Fiorenza Cossotto are matchless as Melitone and Preciozilla, none better. You even get Kurt Moll as Calatrava! Levine may not be Mitropulous, but his conducting is first rate. Yes, all around, this is the best Forza del Destino.

La Forza del Destino, despite the several attempts to immortalize it on disc, has a discography devoid of any perfect recordings. It is an extremely complex work, with several extremely beautiful and exciting moments, and it is also very difficult to conduct and cast. The five principles needed for the opera require a mastery of Verdian singing, especially for the roles of Leonora di Vargas and Don Alvaro. The conductor is also faced with the challenge of setting the proper moods for the different setting that the opera takes place in. If the score is not as sophisticated as Aida, then La Forza is at least one of the most difficult scores to manage through due to the complex atmospheres Verdi requires of the conductor.

On to the recording's cast. I think no other recording of this Verdian masterpiece features such an amazing cast. Placido Domingo sings a definitive Alvaro with the passion and drama needed plus a voice in its most beautiful prime. I would say that after Corelli, he is my choice for Alvaro. Sherrill Milnes sings a Carlo with the venom needed and the vocal acting to make the role a memorable performance. I think that after Carlo Tagliabue, he is the ideal Don Carlo. Preziosilla is taken by the very charismatic and iron-lunged Fiorenza Cossotto. A truly memorable performance. Bonaldo Giaiotti isn't as ideal as Cesare Siepi in the role of Padre Guardiano, but his voice has all the gravitas needed and he sings the role quite well. Kurt Moll is luxurious casting in the small role of the Marchese di Calatrava, and Melitone is endearingly sung by Gabriel Bacquier. This brings us to the somewhat small weakness of the set--Leontyne Price's Leonora. Her high notes are radiant, the artistry is simply ravishing, and her sense of drama as the doomed Leonora is impeccable. However, her nonexistent lower register is problematic, especially in a role which often brings the voice down to those notes. Her diction is somewhat problematic too in this recording, with several of her vowels becoming "American". That aside, she is one of the most compelling Leonoras on disc, second only to Maria Callas as the doomed Vargas. I think the other Leonora of my choice would be Renata Tebaldi.

Levine conducts an energetic, exciting, and true-to-the-score rendition of Verdi's score. If there ever were an ideal conductor for this opera, it would be Levine at this stage of his career. He sweeps through the score with the necessary passion and gravitas which make this opera such a favorite among Verdians.

It might be worthwhile to burn your own hybrid perfromance, given that each of the major sets has something to offer. The very best conducting comes from Sinopoli on DG, miles ahead of Levine's brisk, often impersonal leadership here. Price was magnificent on her earlier RCA set under Schippers, compared to which, the older Price under Levine sounds tired and effortful at times. But Domingo's alvaro is much better than her tenor back then, the bawling, crude Richard Tucker. As for baritones, Milnes and Merrill are about equal, both inclined to shout and neither any great actor vocally. Callas is in a league of her own, but her set is in mono.

Now that there is no shred of a Golden Age left in opera, I suppose we won't see a better La Forza from a modern cast. The all-Russian one under Gergiev is inadquate vocally and has no idea of Verdi style (the excuse for that Philips recording from St. Petersburg is that Verdi wrote the opera on a commission from Russia and even went there to oversee the premiere.) The Muti recording on EMI is no competition since it features an aging and very overparted Mirella Freni, not to mention Muti's brutal conducting.

I keep hoping for a miraculous new recording and meanwhile enjoy the very good things existing on the sets I've menitoned.

Yes, the reviews speak for themselves. This is a fine recording of La Forza Del Destino, though possibly second only to the Thomas Schippers edition where we find a younger more powerful and fresh-voiced Leontyne Price taking on the role of Leonora with more passion and Italian fire. Here, she is too mannered, too restrained, as if holding back some razzle-dazzle virtuosity so as not to burn out her voice, which at this time in the 70's, was going into its last stage of splendor. Leontyne Price fans will want to get this album anyways, for she is still deliviring the goods, with gleaming high notes and soft pianissimo which are appropriately angelic and a deep and dark chest voice that no other soprano could pull of. Leonora, after Aida, was her greatest Verdi role. Just make sure to get the Schippers edition because Price is doing a superior job in that one. Still, this recording strong in other areas. These include:

1: Placido Domingo in terrific singing condition and proving as always that he is a cerebral and dedicated actor. As Alvaro, he focuses on the masculinity of the role, while at the same time showing us he, too, is swept by the "Forza" of destiny that dominates the mood of the opera. Fate holds Alvaro in its grip. All the arias give us something new to analyze- Alvaro is determined, strong-willed but he is also a mere mortal, with vulnerability. Domingo has a "soft" voice when compared to the stentorian tenors who seem to believe that a tenor has to shatter a million glasses in order to succeed -Pavoratti, especially. John Vickers was different. Like Mario Del Monaco, they used their huge voices to effectively portray the drama, not to show off. Domingo, blessed with light and dark registers, can most satisfy the roles of heroic lovers who are themselves victims of Fate well. I am in love with Placido Domingo's voice and I believe he is the tenor with the most integrity in the past 20 years.

2) Sherill Milnes can always be counted on to play a proper villain. While his voice can snarl and grumble like the Cowardly Lion sometimes, he never cheapens his performance. He understands that bass-baritones are even more complex than the often flat tenor lead. Here, Milnes is doing a terrific job and never falters. In solo arias, he shines with noble and frightening grandeur, and in duets with Domingo, they are a force not to be reckoned with.

3)The conducting by James Levine is a tour de force. The London orchestra brings out the fire in the score, even the Overture and the dotted "fate" theme is somehow more intense. There are moments of intense tension and quiet respite. The way the music accompanies the chorus in "La Virgine Del Angeli" is the best I've ever heard, with so much longing and spirituality which even surpasses bel canto or even Verdi style and reaches Wagner heights of religiosity. The score to La Forza is not a piece of cake. There are scenes of festivitise lead by Preziosilla (played here by the great Fiorenza Cossotto doing a heck of a job even if she is past her prime) and battle songs, crowd scenes, secular life, and the serenity of the Monostery. Verdi wrote a multi-faceted work, which would pave the way for the hits of Don Carlo and Aida. This trio- Forza, Don Carlo and Aida are his most complex operas. A conductor who really delivers a superb performance of Forza is to be admired. Kudos to Mr. Levine.

The RCA Red Seal are a high-calibre recording label and every opera lover ought to own the series. Red Seal has done the most to distribute and promote the classic and unbeatable performances of Placido Domingo, Leontyne Price and Sherill Milnes, whom I have already dubbed my favorite "Trio" of dramatic tenor, soprano and baritone. Other successful studio recordings of theirs are - Aida (conducted by Erich Leinsdorf and also starring Grace Bumbry) Tosca and Il Trovatore, in which Domingo/Price/Milnes were once again paired with the incomparable Fiorenza Cossoto. Cossoto is always the weakest in the bunch but please don't bash her. She was an old-school dramatic mezzo with a fine voice that after years of wear and tear was finally put on recording, even if she was past her prime. But many singers sound at least passable past their prime, and they are nothing to laugh at. I feel that some singers who sing past their prime are doing better dramatically if not vocally, and can manipulate the role with more subtlety. Singers who have done this past their prime were Maria Callas, Birgit Nilsson, Leontyne Price herself, Beverly Sills and Kiri Te Kenawa. So go check this Forza out. It's bound to impress you one way or another.

This is a wonderful recording of a masterpiece, don't have a doubt about it. There is only one small drawback: the soprano.
Leontyne Price is without doubt one of the greatest Verdi sopranos of all time. But in this -her second Forza recording- she sounds strained and has a great diction problem. You must get used to her voice and then you will appeciate her singing. Her bad habits -as her singing very hollowly the bottom notes and her diction problem- are here in their worst. Take for example her "Alvaro io t'amo Alvaro io t'amo" in the first act and you will get what I mean. But all in all her performance is very good and more than adequate (but compare her with Tebaldi or Arroyo on the rival Decca and EMI sets).
Secondly, we have Domingo at his first ever encounter with the demanding role of Don Alvaro. Surely, he sings magnificently and his dark voice is perfectly suited for Don Alvaro but when you compare him with the excellent performance by Carlo Bergonzi on the EMI set under Gardelli you see who is better. Bergonzi;s diction and passion cannot be matched...
Then, there is Sherrill Milnes. Truly magnificent in the role of Don Carlo and very persuasive (he maybe doesn't give enough depth to the role but there is not a baritone to date who gives...)
Fiorenza Cossotto is wonderful as Preziosilla and Bacquier very good and funny in the role of Fra Melitone. Gaiotti is just good.
Levine's conducting adds a lot to this performance. He and the LSO give a fantastic performance.
Concluding, this is a truly great recording of a masterpiece but as I said it could be better (maybe if it was recorded earlier in Price's career).

If you're looking for the undeniably best all around recording of Verdi's much underperformed masterpiece, then this is the right one. Conducted excellently by James Levine, this CD features the dynamic trio of Domingo, Price and Milnes. Domingo is fantastic as usual, and I would certainly have to agree with my fellow reviewer who said that Domingo is "by far the best late Verdi tenor the world has seen in the last twenty or thirty years." His portayal of Don Alvaro is crisp and well rounded. He hits all the high notes with ease and sings with undeniable passion. Milnes is incredible as usual, and the three great duets he shares with Domingo would make this recording worth purchasing even if for no other reason. However, there are many other reasons. Leontyne Price never ceases to delight, and despite her problems with diction sings gorgeously throughout the opera. In addition to the three leads, of special interest is the casting of the bass Bonaldo Giaotti in the role of Padre Guardiano. His voice is stupendous, with surprising richness and depth. His undeniable excellence is a very strong plus for this CD, and his Act II duet with Price is a work of supreme beauty. Also worth mentioning is Gabriel Bacquier, who makes the most out of the small role of Melitone, giving him a very distinct personality. About the only complaint I have is with Fiorenza Cossotto, in the role of Preziosila. I have never been a fan of her singing, and this recording does nothing to change my opinion. She is certainly competent, but that is about all that can be said. Her voice is strong, but unfocused, and her high notes seem pinched and forced, and even come close to shrieks at times. I would not say that she is BAD, she is just not particularly good, and her performance adds little to the overall quality. Even this, however, is not enough to dampen the excellent overall quality of the recording for which a lot of credit must go to Verdi's excellent music, which contains some of his most memorable melodies. So to conclude, if you want to hear strong performances by the world's top artists, backed by a good orchestra and conductor, then you've found the right CD.

I think people should be warned that even though this is a splendid recording in other ways, especially a golden performance from Placido Domingo, Leontyne Price, at 50 years old, is a bit passed her prime here. Her Pace, pace, mio Dio at the end is good (except for sharping the high pianissimo) but her voice in the rest of the opera seemed somewhat fragile, and she struggled with many of her high notes. Buying this recording would not be a waste of money, but you might be happier with the recording Miss Price made of this in the 1960's with Tucker, Merrill, Tozzi, and Verrett.

This recording of La Forza del Destino conducted by James Levine is a fine recording. Placido Domingo and Milnes are both in their prime vocally in this recording. Domingo sings up to high b flats and naturals without apparent effort. Sherill Milnes is not quite what one would expect for Don Carlo, but he throws in some great high notes and sings with great feeling to make up for it. However Ettore Bastianini is my favorite Don Carlo on records because of the great sound he had in his middle range. His voice is also heavier which sounds more convincing. This recording was made in the late 1970s. This is very important because Domingo and Milnes were both at the top of their games. Bacquier and Giaotti are also excellent on this recording. Bacquier is one of the funniest Melitone's. He even growls at one point in the opera. Giaotti always had a very bright sounding bass voice. His low f naturals are surprisingly strong considering he lacked the darkness that Ghiarov and Tozzi had. Unfortunatly I have to give this recording four stars because Price is not in her prime vocally. By this point in her career the vibrato was not as good, and the diction was not clear enough. Her earlier recording of this work is much better. James Levine studied with Georges Szell. One can hear it in the musical product he produces because the orchestra plays together and is very rhythmic. Levine also gets the orchestra to play expressively on this recording. His tempi work very well because they give the singers good lines to sing. I recommend this recording except don't expect Price to sound at her best.

If you are an opera fan or Verdi's.

To begin with - conductor James Levine: This opera is the most extrovert among Verdi's, a pure inspiration for Tchaikovsky to come, and Jimmy is the man to set things strait.
Of-course, he has the reliable Met's orchestra and choir under his botton.

Domingo is in very good shape - strong voice and dramatic presence.
Milnes is a very convincing as the headstrong son and brother who whants revenge.

Cossotto fits her part - she is one of these few singers who can sing strong enough to confront the choir and orchestra and still preserve apropriate lightness.

Price at the beginning is not so good, sounding wierd (like a sopranist), but is improving along the scenes and her final aria ("Pace") is this set's highlight.