Verdi: Rigoletto

Nicolae Herlea (Performer), Stefan Petrescu (Performer), Giuseppe Verdi (Composer), Jean Bobescu (Conductor), Dorothea Palade (Performer), Valeria Savu (Performer), Bucharest State Opera Orchestra (Orchestra), Magda Ianculescu (Performer), Victoria Draganescu (Performer), Dimitrie Scurtu (Performer), Ion Buzea (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Nicolae Herlea, Stefan Petrescu, Dorothea Palade, Valeria Savu, Magda Ianculescu, et al.
• Orchestra: Bucharest State Opera Orchestra
• Conductor: Jean Bobescu
• Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
• Audio CD (August 20, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Vox (Classical)
• ASIN: B000001K5J
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #388,358 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Preludio

2. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Della mia bella incognita borghese

3. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Questa o quella per me pari sono

4. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Gran nuova!

5. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Ch'io gli parli

6. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Quel vecchio maledivami

7. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Pari siamo

8. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Figlia!

9. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Ah, veglia, o donna

10. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1. Giovanna, ho dei rimorisi

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2. Mio Padre!

2. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2. Schiudete

3. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. E l'ami?

4. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. La donna è mobile

5. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. Un di se ben rammentomi

6. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. Bella figlia dell'amore

7. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. Venti scudi hai tu detto?

8. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. Ah, piu non ragiono?

9. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. Della vendetta

10. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3. V'ho ingannato

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Romanian strength in depth in the mid-60's - and above all, Herlea, October 24, 2011

By 

Ralph Moore "Ralph operaphile" (Bishop's Stortford, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Verdi: Rigoletto (Audio CD)

The state of opera in Bucharest in the 1960's was obviously much healthier than the state of the country in general; as in the Soviet Union and other former Eastern block countries, great consolation was evidently found in the high quality of the nation's musical life. This recording, made in excellent if slightly reverberant stereo in the Marble Hall Studio, is cast with strength in depth from home-grown singers. Pre-eminent is the under-recorded international baritone Nicolae Herlea, whose powerful, vibrant voice with its quick vibrato and ringing top notes had been much appreciated at the Met when he made his debut as Posa the year before this recording was made:Verdi: Don Carlo (Metropolitan Opera). There is also an excellent all-Romanian 1970 "Forza del destino" with him as a formidable Don Carlo: Verdi: La Forza Del Destino (Complete)

While Herlea's vocal splendour and biting characterisation as Rigoletto are clearly the main reasons to acquire this set, his co-singers are more than competent. Tenor Ion Buzea has a big, slightly clumsy, throaty voice but he sings easily and ardently. He doesn't have the rakish charm the part requires but he does have all the notes including free top B's and B flats and sings them pretty straight in an open-hearted and committed manner that remains pleasing. The often-omitted cavatina "Possente amor" after "Parmi veder le lagrime" is included - in fact this is a complete performance, no cuts. There are two more Nicolaes and two good basses in Nicolae Rafael, who is an imposing Sparafucile with a good low F, and Nicolae Florei, a powerful Monterone. Magda Ianculescu, who reminds me a little of Antonietta Stella, gives us a rather large-scale and mature Gilda, who is supposed to be an ingénue, but she is thoroughly dependable with a big, luscious, evenly-produced voice. Her tone turns a bit acid in the famous quartet, when a purer, floatier sound is required. She is affecting in "Tutte le feste". The Giovanna and Maddalena are rather blowsy.

This, as you might expect, is an old-fashioned performance: tempi are somewhat deliberate and the final Act could be tenser compared with Serafin or Solti's mastery of the drama. Nevertheless, I cannot imagine either a novice or an admirer of Herlea being disappointed with this account. Orchestral playing and the singing of the chorus are excellent and idiomatic although sometimes the singers' - even Herlea's - Italian vowels could be more open. It cannot be a first choice but almost every recorded "Rigoletto" has drawbacks and this has fewer than most.

A previous reviewer marked this recording down because of a technical fault in his issue: a drop-out in track 4 on CD2. I have the GZ Classics version and it is has no problems; the sound is excellent throughout.