Customer Reviews

Verdi - Rigoletto / Sutherland, Pavarotti, Milnes, LSO, Bonynge

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the best Rigoletto on records, without a doubt. The performance brings the drama and brilliance of Verdi's opera to life. Sherril Milnes, in excellent voice, brings all the dimensions of the title role with both vocal splendor and dramatic instinct. Milnes' "Cortigiani, vil razza dannata" and the final scene are particularily heartbreaking, while his duets with Gilda are very tender. Milnes' high notes are superb; in his last phrase "La Maledizione!" the baritones even interpolates a higher ending than the one done by many Rigolettos. I cannot think of a better Duke of Mantua, vocally speaking, than Luciano Pavarotti. His golden sound, command of legato singing and brilliant high notes (up to D on this recording) makes his Duke a pleasure to hear, even when the character is so despicable. Joan Sutherland does not sound as youthful as we would like, and she does not sound much involved either. But she is great voice as always, with her perfect trill, brilliant high notes (up to E flat) and accurate cadenzas. Her duets with Milnes and Pavarotti are breathtakingly beautiful. The rest of the cast is very good. Richard Bonynge conducts with energy and balance between the singers and the orchestra. This performance is one of the great opera recordings of all time and a must for any music lover's collection.

I owned this recording on record about 30 years ago. In my full flush of youth, I could only find fault with Pavarotti, Milnes and especially Sutherland. Hearing it again on CD, I realize the stupidity of youth. This recording is thrilling in every way. Although it has been said that Bonynge is not a very dramatic conductor, he certainly contradicts that appraisal in this recording He truly rings every ounce of drama (along with tenderness) out of this wonderful opera.
The role of Rigoletto, I feel, was one of Milnes best-recorded portrayals. It is simply staggering to hear a truly dramatic and huge voice (as opposed to a lyric voice) sing this role. I've never heard Rigoletto sung any better.
Pavarotti is outstanding. When Luciano was singing in his prime, I rebelliously refussed to appreciate him. Now that his career is over and I listen to recordings from his prime, I realize what a treasure he really was--oh the foolishness of youth, on my part!
Joan Sutherland is another signer I've grown to appreciate more and more when listening to some of her old recordings. I grew up on Callas' Gilda and refused to appreciate Dame Joan's recording of the role. Now, I, once again, realize how silly one can be in one's youth. Sutherland sings Gilda wonderfully hitting every optional high note that has ever been thought of for the role of Gilda. And hit them she does!!. It's just thrilling! Her trills are fantastic, as is everything else that she does to and for the role of Gilda
Do yourself a favor and purchase this recording of Rigoletto. It doesn't get any better than this. If this ain't "Golden Age" singing, I don't know what is!

As a first opera, it would be hard to do better. Rigoletto has some of the best tunes in all of opera and Sutherland and Pavarotti are two of the giants of this century. As a Pavarotti fan, I especially enjoy this as a document of him at the full height of his powers, but the entire cast is superb. I'll have to defer to other reviwers for the more technical aspects, but I enjoy listening to this recording immensely.

Yes, this is the best recording of Rigoletto around. That is because of Sutherland and Pavorotti. To hear Gilda's music as it should have been sung, only Sutherland is the real thing as far as I'm concerned. Just listen to that long trill at the end of "Caro nome"...remarkable. And Dame Joan has the bigness of voice to soar above the orchestra with ease, which puts her at an huge advantage over all her rivals. Pavorotti really has no rivals as the duke. He offers youthful tone and breathtaking high notes. Perhaps Kraus sings more elegantly, but Pavorotti certainly had the more beautiful voice. Milnes is at his best as Rigoletto, and the high notes are no problems for him. Overall, there really are no Rigoletto out there that even comes close to this one.

What a choice recording! Here we find all three principals at the top of their powers. The real show stopper here though is the great Luciano Pavarotti. Here he is singing the high notes of the Duke of Mantua with great ease and security, including a High D at the end of the cabaletta "Possente Amor" (something one does not hear from this great Tenor today). Of the three recordings of Rigoletto that Maestro Pavarotti has made, this is by far my favorite. Sherrill Milnes, in his absolute prime here, is a very sympathetic Rigoletto, singing the role with much pathos, reminiscent of the great Leonard Warren on this performance. Dame Joan sings the music of Rigoletto's tragic daughter, Gilda, very beautifully. This recording is considered by many critics as, arguably, the greatest recording of Rigoletto ever made. One will not hear an argument from me. Bonynge's conducting is also very fine here. This would truly make a great primary recording of Rigoletto for anyone's collection.

Sutherland is a golden age Gilda. And you are not telling the truth if you said that you're not comparing her to Callas. If you are not comparing her to Callas, why are you mentioning Callas? As for sounding old, no Gilda sounds as old as Callas, and I don't mean that as disrespect. Callas is a great singer, she just has a very dark voice. But it no way interfered with her ability to sing Gilda. And she is very nearly as fine a Gilda as Sutherland.
Anyway, this is a super Rigoletto. Sutherland's voice is breathtaking in tone and bravura. She hits high E flats that overwhelms the listener with excitement. And her staccati and trills in Caro nome are lessons in bel canto. Pavarotti's Duke is superb. He also hits the high C's and D's beautifully, and he sounds fresh and young.
Milnes is also arousing as the jester. He also attacks all the optional high notes like Sutherland and Pavorotti. He even takes a high B flat. He should have tried to attempt spinto tenor roles like Otello or Pagliacci.
To sum it up, ignore the reviews of bias, immature bashers, and listen to Verdi's masterpiece sung by the true giants of opera.

This is a truly great recording. I don't agreed with the others who claim that Sutherland's voice is too mature to play Gilda. What do people what, a screechy, thin soprano voice? May I remind them that Turandot, a role that Sutherland recorded to perfection, was a child bride. The important thing is the phenomental technique, and lovely tone. And boy did she have ample power for the duets and the wonderful quartet. For me ,their's no better Gilda. The same can be said about Pavorotti's Duke. Brilliant, ringing high notes, gleaming tone quality, and even some decent coloratura after La Donna E Mobile. I'm not really a big fan of Milnes, but he is at his best here, as is Bonynge. This IS the best overall recording of Rigoletto.

Whenever I can listen to Pavorotti, and Sutherland, I'm in heaven. Unfortunately, the young singers of our day do not have the large voices of the great divas and divos of yesteryear. That's why the miracle of the gramophone was such a great discovery. Through that, we can appreciate the legends of Opera, Ponselle, Milanov, Flagstad, Del Monaco, Corelli, Gigli, Callas, Tebaldi, Nilsson, Price, and of course, La Stupenda Joan Sutherland and Pavorotti. Yes, this century yield unparallel greats in the human voice, and here in this vintage recording we hear two of the absolute greates!! Listen to the soaring high notes of Sutherland and Pavorotti, and you will wished that you were born two decades earlier to have heard them on stage. Yes, LIVE, these two were even more convincing and spectacular! This, and all Pavorotti/Sutherland collaborations will earn the highest recommendations, and they should!

Joan Sutherland's Gilda is the gem in this Rigoletto. I do not think she sound too mature for the role. I only hear beautiful sounds with lots of flawless coloratura executions that no other soprano in the catalog can match. With Pavorotti and Milnes, this brings back the magic of the golden era that today's opera singers lack.

This is a very great recording. Joan Sutherland is one of the greatest soprano of the 20th century, and if the person from greece will stop reviewing and bashing all of Sutherland's performances by saying she "sings with a tennis ball in her mouth" will PLEASE grow up, and leave her alone. For someone who don't like her, you sure buy a lot of her recordings :|