Customer Reviews

Verdi - Don Carlo / Sylvester, Millo, Furlanetto, Chernov, Zajick, Ramey, Plishka, Battle, MET, Levine

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A few years after his impressive staged Don Carlos recording at the MET, Levine gathered some of the best singers of the early 90s hoping to create an equally great studio recording. Well, the result is not nearly as idiomatic as his earlier effort but it's still a valid and noteworthy Don Carlos. Levine's orchestra is now even more dominating and occasionally too loud. It would have worked wonders if there was only the orchestra but he sometimes forgets the singers and simply overpowers them.

Michael Sylvester in the title role was a pleasant surprise. Though never matching Bergonzi's or Domingo's musicality or perfect Italian, Sylvester is rarely - if ever - a bland Don Carlos. He also has a brighter, easier top than both of the aforementioned legendary tenors which offers interesting outbreaks.

While watching Levine's earlier video Don Carlos, most purists note that a bigger voiced Elisabetta than Freni is needed and Millo, the most promising spinto of that time, is often mentioned as the one who could have pulled it off. And here she is! Stronger than Freni, fresher than the past-her-prime Tebaldi, more involved than Caballe. I like her strong middle voice, the warm low notes and the often impressive high ones. On the downside, she too often looses control of her vibrato and some of the highest notes are squally. I generally have mixed feelings about her singing here. She does however convey the Queen's sadness effectively.

Dolora Zajick, acknowledged as THE dramatic mezzo of our time is an Eboli with great high notes and equally superb lower register. This is indisputably a great role for her. Perhaps Levine is also to blame but I didn't find her as exciting as her predecessors. I bet Levine had great expectations about his baritone and basses. Chernov is much better than Levine's earlier choice (Quilico), both dramatically and vocally but I'm still not impressed enough. Moreover, just like Sylvester and Zajick his Italian is seldom convincing. Furlanetto and Ramey are a great asset to this set though the performances of Ghiaurov and Christoff still haunt me. As for the minor roles here, these are luxuriously cast!

Don Carlos is such a complicated and wonderful opera. One recording is never enough so if you already have the earlier recordings give this one a listen.

I'm among those who rank "Don Carlo" (known in its French version as "Don Carlos") as Vrdi's grandest grand opera and a masterpiece in that genre. It wasn't easy for Verdi to set out a final version, and when he did, arriving at a relatively compressed, tense four acts, he surgically removed some inspired music, particularly the opening scene in the Fontainbleau forest where Don Carlo declares his doomed love for his step-mother, Queen Elisabetta. Collectors can hear almost every note that Verdi discarded on two pirate recordings under Abbado from the 1970's -- the best one is from La Scala, 1977, with Jose Carreras and Mirella Freni in fine form). Otherwise, each conductor in the various studio recordings has made his own selection from the four-act and five-act versions.

A true lover of this opera will want five acts, so for me it comes down to three excellent stereo versions, each of which has its strengths and weaknesses. As every reviewer is fond of repeating, there has never been a perfect "Don Carlo," or for that matter, one that casts two ideal lead singers for Don Carlo and Elisabetta.

Solti (Decca) -- This set from Covent Garden has been esteemed since the day it appeared. We get five acts, but the first, the Fontainbleau scene, has been shorn of the opening woodcutters' chorus. Solti's conducting is strong and idiomatic; he doesn't drive the music at all. His tow leads, Carlo Bergonzi and Renata Tebaldi, are well matched. Bergonzi has a smallish voice but impeccable style. Since Tebaldi was in her late phase, she is rather cautious at times, and matching her with a less than powerful tenor was a discreet choice. both are on the same page in traditional Verdi style. they are the most natural pairing I've heard. The two great bas roles, King Philip and the blind Grand Inquisitor, are superbly done by Nicolai Ghiaurov and Martti Talvela in their prime. Theirs is the most frightening confrontation since Gobbi and Christoff on the old mono set from 1954 (EMI).

As Evoli, Grace Bumbry is well cast. Her naturally feminine delivery is touching, and although she's not as sharp in the demanding coloratura, the lack of hardness in her voice comes as a relief. The Royal Opera orchestra and chorus play beautifully -- as their chief conductor, Solti had them whipped into shape -- although sheer numbers are lacking in the great choral auto da fe scene. Decca's sound is as vivid and clear as anyone would wish. The usual complaint about Solti's set is that Fischer-Dieskau is miscast as Rodgrigo and vocally out of is depth. I am no fan of F-D in Verdi, and there's nothing Italianate about his delivery, but I'd count this his best outing in such roles. He's not right in his death scene, but elsewhere his undoubted artistry counts for a lot.

In all, this remains a strong set, very much worth hearing. The real question here is whether Tebaldi sounds a bit too worn and Bergonzi too cool for the desperate, ardent Carlo.

Giulini (EMI) -- In 1970 Covent Garden produced another outstanding Don Carlo under Giulini. We get five acts but once again with the opening woodcutters' chorus cut out. When you consider how good the Solti was, it's surprising that the Giulini swept the field, but it did, and the initial acclaim has barely subsided. For once EMI's sonics are better than Decca's, being very natural and spacious, especially in the latest remastering for Great Recordings of the Century. Domingo and Caballe are in best youthful voice for the two leads. Sherrill Milnes is vocally an outstanding Rodrigo; better still he reins in his bad habit of oversinging and histrionics. The orchestra and chorus are as good as they were under Solti, and Giulini is even more stylish.

but dare I say it, this is a gloomy production. Domingo needs to be more ardent, and Caballe is droopy and detached. Added to this is Giulini's gravity, which allows for almost no unbridled passion and joy. Don Carlo is a tragic opera, and most of the characters are sad most of the time. Still, I've never grown excited over this famous set. Verrett was an accomplished Eboli, but she verges on the leather-lunged and aggressive. Giulini's slow tempo in the Veil Song rob it of charm. Neither Raimondi's Philip nor Giovanni Foiani's Grand Inquisitor sound old enough or sufficiently menacing.

Overall, one cannot deny the quality of Giulini's recording, which has stood the test of time a shade better than the Solti because of its young voices. but I can't say I've ever been enthusiastic about it.

Levine (Sony) -- At the Met nowadays one gets to hear Andrew Porter's expanded five-act edition that includes as much of Verdi's music as possible. Here Levine restores the woodcutter's chorus, so instead of beginning with hunting horns, the Fontainbleau scene begins with somber peasants foraging for kindling. Yet as gloomy as that sounds, Levine's account is the most exciting and varied of the three versions. He conducts the huge choral scenes with tremendous force and virtuosity -- there's not the slightest doubt that the Met orchestra is miles ahead of the royal Opera. By relieving the tragedy, Levine gives us the most theatrical and least exhausting performance.

His problem in the early Nineties was casting. Aprile Millo was the Met's stand-in for a great Verdi soprano, and here she does some of her best work. As long as she can sing softly and tenderly, Millo holds her own against true divas on the scale of Tebaldi, but she tends to be cautious in the big numbers. 'Tu che le vanita' is a major letdown. But her Carlo, Michael Sylvester, does quite well. His smooth, smallish voice is close to Bergonzi's, and although Sylvester falls down on style, he never embarrasses himself. All of his singing is enjoyable. As Eboli, Dolora Zajick turns in the best performance I've ever heard, sharply defined and tremendously virtuosic throughout.

The rest of the cast is filled out with Met stars of the period. Vladimir Chernov was an acclaimed Verdi baritone for a shockingly brief while, but his Rodrigo stands up with the best. As Philip, Furlanetto has a gorgeous lower register and exudes regal authority. Ramey is an impressive rival to the king as the Grand Inquisitor, and Kathleen Battle is nothing less than divine when her voice floats from on high as the angel at the climax of the auto da fe scene. It's a small moment but quite thrilling.

The Met's production of Don Carlo is so stunning visually that reviewers usually steer buyers to a DVD of it, which boasts Domingo as Carlo. I find the audio set just as thrilling theatrically. Levine goes a long way to making up the deficits of his singing cast.

In the end, there's no clear winner. The strong aspects of one set compensate for weaknesses in the other two. But a word must be put in for Pavarotti, who undertook Carlo as almost his last new role in 1992 for the opening of La Scala. He cracked a high note, and the boos were heard around the world. What was missed is that after his publicized disgrace, which was hardly deserved, the great tenor went on to sing the role magnificently. You can hear him on EMI in that very production, recorded live, under the vigorous Muti. Pavarotti is in miraculously good voice for this late in his career, almost rejuvenated, in fact. His passion and perfect Verdi style outstrip all the tenors on the rival sets, including Domingo. sadly, nothing else about the production comes anywhere near his standard -- the other leads vary between good enough and sorry. But if you want to hear what can be done with a role that is notoriously difficult, Pavarotti is very much worth seeking out.

I have seen the Met's production of Don Carlo twice, ironically both within a week. A production of Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos had to be cancelled within a few hours of the performance; the lead soprano was indisposed, her sub was ill and the company could find no one to replace her. So Don Carlo was quickly mounted and did not start until an hour and a half later than this long opera would normally have begun. I did not get back to my home in New Jersey until four in the morning, and I could not have cared less. This was one of the most thrilling performances I have ever attended of any opera or play. I already had a ticket for a performance the next week; it had a different cast, but as good as it was, it was not the equal of that first one. It had an urgency and sweep to it that made it special, probably because Levine and his cast were all so enthusiastic about what they were doing. Is there anything on CD as good as that special night? Yes, it's this performance conducted by Levine. Aside from Paul Plishka, the singers are different but just as good, and so is Levine. He is the best Verdi conductor the U.S. has ever produced. I have heard quibbles about the sound, but I have heard the same stuff about Levine's vivid recording of Eugene Oneigin on DG. Opera is drama; it only works well if it is thrilling, just as Shakespeare's plays are first and foremost dramas and not just poetry. This recording has it all, including Michael Sylvester as Don Carlo and Samuel Ramey as the Grand Inquisitor. James Morris played that role at that wonderful performance and Samuel Ramey is just as chilling. The whole cast give committed and memorable performances.

This CD is one of the best all-round Verdi opera records of our time, made by the strong Metropolitan forces, the old-timer Verdi expert James Levine and soloists as good as Ferruccio Furlanetto, Michael Sylvester, Vladimir Chernov and Metropolitan Verdi heroine Aprille Millo. There are several excellent Don Carlo CDs, and therefore it is not an easy task to choose, but if you really like the sometime agressive, sometime beautiful orchestra sound, the dark bass of Furlanetto, or perfect record quality, then this is the version you are looking for.

Although not as well known as some other of his operas, such as Aida and La Traviata, Don Carlo is a major Verdi opera. And it is treated as such in this recording. For one thing, the opera is presented essentially complete -- including the first act which is omitted from many recordings and performances. Everything about this recording is done well. The conducting and singing are very good and Millo -- perhaps the greatest dramatic soprano to emerge in decades -- is oustanding, as is Ramey. If you like big dramatic operas and you're not yet familiar with Don Carlo you would be doing yourself a favor to get this recording.