Customer Reviews

Verdi - Otello / Pavarotti, Te Kanawa, Nucci, Rolfe-Johnson, Solti

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the typical marketing blow of the multinationals to squeeze money out of listeners.Put together stars and "voila' les jeux sont faites". It does not always work that way and this time in fact it did not. This recording finds Pavarotti completely out of place. Otello is not for his delicate strings of lyric tenor,very often the emission must be "di forza" and Pav shows clear limits. The voice also sounds quite "exploited" and ultimately this is a flop. Te Kanawa is a typical Mozart soprano with magnificent voice and technique but her phrasing, in a dramatic opera like Otello, sounds dull and aloof a sort of a luxury Anderson or Ricciarelli. Totally miscast even if the voice is beautiful, think of Tebaldi or Freni and clearly Te Kanawa as Desdemona can go packing fast and furious. Nucci is the only one who is in the right place and he knows what to do. Great performance from this probably last verdian baritone, even if the voice is sort of "small" not a Cappuccilli or Bastianini volume to say. Nevertheless thumbs up for him. Solti conducts the Chicago Symphony the way he knows, drawing magnificent sound and even if his Verdi frequentations were rare and not always great, this is one on the good side of the range, the best remaining, to me, his superb Ballo with Pavarotti, Price and Bruson. In conclusion a half baked, if not less, marketing attempt by Decca. Still if we think that these days the same Decca are trying to push Bocelli in some wretched opera recordings, this Otello at least was done by professionals occasionally miscast.

As forgiving as the world was to the great Pavarotti, this Otello was ill-advised on his part. The voice and interpretation are completely off track--having a big lyric tenor still puts you in the category of a lyric tenor, not a heroic one. Pavarotti knew it, and he went through the experience with maximum anxiety. I happened to talk to the overseer of the project from the CSO's side, an he called it the biggest headache (actually, he used a stronger word) in his long career. I eagerly bought this prestige Otello when it first appeared in 1991 and found myself cringing, primarily because of Pavarotti, but Leo Nucci joins Aldo Protti in the roster of bad Iago's who try to bluster their way through a part they cannot actually sing.

Te Kanawa made a specialty of Desdemona, as have many Mozart-Strauss sopranos whose lyric voices are on the strong side. She's not Italianate in style, which didn't seem to bother adoring audiences -- sheer beauty of voice will get you a long way. But for me the memorable Desdemonas have been real Verdi-Puccini singers like Freni, the singer I turn to in this role on records. Te Kanawa and Pavarotti don't walk through their parts like preening stars, but their performances are certainly concert bound; you won't find yourself transported to La Scala on opening night. As for Solti, whose experience in opera was as extensive as Bohm's or Karajan's, I have no argument with his conducting, or wit the superb Chicago Sym.

At the time the Gramophone bent over backwards to plead on behalf of Pavarotti as a "sincere and serious musician," asking readers to forget his larger-than-life pop persona. the reviewer claimed that the tenor was in best voice by the time he made tis recording in Carnegie Hall after a nerve-racking Chicago debut. Let's grant all of that, however doubtfully. to my ears he sounds like what he was, an aging superstar tenor who was goaded into undertaking a role he didn't know and put very little effort in, besides hauling out his well-honed (and considerable) professional skills.

I came late to this recording, having, I now think, paid too much attention to its detractors. Even if Pavarotti's vocal lay-out is fundamentally wrong, he does not come a cropper as poor old Carlo Bergonzi did in his one attempt and I find much which is very musical and moving - especially, of course, the love duet. And key moments like "Abasso le spade!" are pulled off pretty well, because he has so much squillo in the voice.

My bugbear should be Leo Nucci, whose rise to fame I have never understood. Although he was actually quite good when I first heard him live at Covent Garden in the early 80's, the voice quickly deteriorated, but he is much better here than I have heard him elsewhere since: the customary bleat and slide and the weak top are less in evidence than normal and he characterises really intelligently, inflecting the Italian as acutely as usually only a native speaker can. He bellows a bit in the "Credo" and often sounds rocky, but is probably no worse than the rather bluff Aldo Protti in the old Erede and Karajan versions, I think.

Both Te Kanawa's lovely Desdemona and Rolfe Johnson's vivid, beautifully sung Cassio are distinct advantages - the latter a huge improvement over the habitual whiners who seem always to be cast in this role, which really needs a virile, military voice, if Cassio is to be a credible rival. Te Kanawa always sang beautifully for Solti and delivers a tender, moving performance, spinning her famous pure tone to very touching effect and soaring wonderfully in the ensemble concluding Act 3. Unfortunately, the Emilia is blowsy and screechy.

Solti and the Chicago forces are great. I cannot conceive why people say that the Chicago S.O. could not "do" opera; under Solti's steady yet propulsive beat they play beautifully and the climactic moments really come off because Solti in his latter years became better at avoiding the cheap thrill approach and went more for the slow build.

Audience noise at this live performance, a bit of carking and nose-blowing notwithstanding, is minimal and the sound is excellent, with the voices slightly too much to the fore but not annoyingly so.

This would never be my first choice "Otello"; there are too many great contending sets waiting in the wings and featuring true Otellos with the requisite baritonal heft, such as Del Monaco, Vinay and Giacomini. Even among live performances I might prefer the 1959 Tokyo recording with Del Monaco, Gobbi and Tucci (see my review), boxy sound and all, on the super bargain Opera d'Oro label. My favourite studio set remains the old Erede on Decca with Del Monaco and Tebaldi, and of course Toscanini with Vinay is indispensable - but as a devotee of both Pavarotti and Te Kanawa, I am still happy to make room on my shelves for this performance.

Contrary to reviewers below, I agree with the Penguin Guide - I actually find this to be a very memorable reading. I recommend it highly. I have Chung's Otello which I also like very much. It's hard for me to choose between the two. If you want one, maybe the Chung should be it but you miss out on some things in the Solti.

Don't bother with this recording. There are so many good recordings of "Otello" that it does not make any sense to buy this one. Placido Domingo's recordings are all preferable, especially with Levine (RCA) and Chung (DG).

Luciano Pavarotti's performance is troublesome. At times he manages some truly beautiful and musical singing, but the voice is not really big enough to fit the score. At other times times he can easily be mistaken for self-parody; his singing is so affected you can almost hear him waving his white hanky around. Leo Nucci's woofy and uncontrolled singing is torture most of the time, despite his strong grasp of the character.

Kiri Te Kanawa had a huge success onstage in this role early in her career, but it was a few years too late for her to record this. Te Kanawa is not really a great Verdian, and she does not naturally take to the music with quite the same ease as she does with Mozart or Strauss. However, she does contribute thoughtful singing here, filled with nuance and loveliness, and much of the Te Kanawa magic is there, in spite of her costars, whom she consistently outclasses.

Solti does little to improve on his earlier recording or "Otello". There are times when he achieves real atmosphere and drama from the orchestra and singers, but at other times it all sounds ready to fall apart. Taped live in a series of concerts that were Solti's farwell performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, this "Otello" was recorded as a document of an event intended to crown his career. It is rather sad that it is so mediocre.

I learnt a lot about Otello from this recording. In fact, I rate it higher than the Chung recording. While Chung goes very fast in the sections, in the slow sections, he is actually slower than Solti. So Chung's conducting is more 'variable' - the range of speeds wider. You may think that Chung's is faster (because his fast sections are fast) but Chung actually clocks in slower overall than Solti. Solti's conducting, on the other hand, is more constant in tempo. Solti's tempo doesn't change a whole lot so the whole opera sort of flows from one section to another. So while you feel the tension actually slackens in the slower sections in the Chung set, you don't find it to be the case with Solti. That's why I rate Solti higher - because you listen to the opera and your interest is there all the time - you don't find the tension slackening. I don't find Pavarotti inferior to Domingo on recording. There's not much to choose between the 2 Desdemonas. The Chicago Symphony Chorus is better recorded than the Paris chorus. I like them better.

It may not be one of his greatest roles, but if you can manage to get the image of the Fat, Bearded, Italian Opera singer out of your head, Pavarotti sings a very believable Otello. Desdemona was one of Te Kanawa's signature roles, and this recording demonstrates why. She has a very vulnerable, pure, innocent, not to mention incredibly rich voice...absolutely perfect for this role. Leo Nucci portrays Iago for what he is: A corrupt and blackhearted man. Nucci has a very rich, creamy, dark-chocolate sound. I wasn't expecting to find Anthony Rolfe-Johnson in a Verdi recording...He usually doesn't venture past the 18th century...but he does a wonderful job, and that's all that matters. The chorus is lovely too...just listen to track 14 on disc 1 when they are showering Desdemona with flowers and affection...some of the loveliest operatic chorus music is in that scene. So don't hesitate to buy this recording.

I'm not crazy about Solti's Verdi recordings. Although they are very highly praised, and always well done, I don't usually respond with sympathy to his emphasis on on rhythmic punctuation at the expense of the flowing lyrical melodies that Giulini brings out so well. This recording is something really quite different though. Pavarotti is a wonderful Otello, and in spite of what many reviewers have said, not inexperienced in the role (he had made a film version years ago). He is a first rate tenor and always has been, even if he doesn't sound like Domingo. I think he is far superior to the performance Domingo gives with Solti on a DVD released by Kultur.

Solti gave several 'concert' performances of Operas towards the end of his career, and I believe they are in many ways preferable to the studio--they gain the qualities of a live performance with a constant pace, without the interuptions of takes. The performers have the ability to shape an entire performance, but don't have to worry about the distracting stage sounds and potential dead spots on stage. Also they can focus on singing instead of acting. I think the quality of sound is superb (I can't imagine what another reviewer was thinking) and the setup guarantees balance from the performers. I also am frustrated at criticisms of performers like Nucci: It's the difference between people who are interested in drama and those that think everything should just be pretty. He's a very dramatic Iago. I'm actually not crazy about Te Kanawa--she's a good singer, I just don't think she is quite the singer everyone makes her out to be--certainly not on the same level as Pavarotti and Domingo. She does a decent job in the role, although she is not very good on the DVD.

I like this recording almost entirely because of Pavarotti. His voice is just so wonderful to listen to, and while he might not be the Otello for the theatre, he certainly makes for an excellent recording.

One would think that nothing can go wrong with this cast, but nevertheless the recording is disappointing in many ways. While Te Kanawa sings beautifully as expected and Pavarotti is truly impressive, Nucci's Iago is dreadful during the first act and improves only slightly in the course. This is a live recording, and the amount of coughing and nose blowing from audience (and, apparently, the cast !) is beyond what can be accepted. Some nice voices in the minor parts and Solti's courageous conducting cannot conceal the miscasting of a major role.

This is one of the great Otelos on record. Pavarotti adds little touches of character and nuances of tone to bring Otello to life in a way that is totally different from Domingo. Yes, Domingo owns the part of Otello but that doesn't mean that other artistes cannot add their own individual touches to the role. And Pavarotti does just that! His is a formidable Otello that can hold its own with Domingo's Otello. I don't understand all this Nucci bashing. In the opera house, he might have a voice that is rather too small for Iago but on record, he sounds fine to me. Kanawa's lovely tone is ideal for Desdemona. Her top notes are a shade thinner than it was when she was younger but it doesn't really affect the performance. Finally, Solti's conducting is excellent and so are the Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus. In fact, I came to this set from the famous Chung Otello. And I didn't find this version inferior to Chung's version. Some aspects of this version is better than Chung's while some aspects of Chung's is better than this. So the two complement each other nicely. Unfortunately, Otello is kind of jinxed on record - there is not one version that is totally satisfactory. But this version (like Chung's version) is definitely one of the more satisfying versions on record.