Customer Reviews

Verdi - Il Trovatore / Domingo · Plowright · Fassbaender · Zancanaro · Nesterenko · Santa Cecilia · Giulini

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am not normally inclined to write reviews, but I feel that I must improve upon the previous two reviewers. One has not even heard the recording, and one may as well not have. The libretto is in German, Italian, French AND English. There is no need to worry about that. The insert is actually very interesting. Maybe if the previous two reviewers had actually read it...

As for the music itself, this recording is certainly one of the best on the market. It is probably the closest to what Verdi originally had in mind. In preparation for this recording, Giulini spent a lot of time going over Verdi's original autograph. The tempo is marginally slower in a number of spots, but this reflects Verdi's original tempo markings. Only in one part do I fell it takes a little away from the dramatic buildup, but this is a really rather minor point. The slower tempo allows the performers a bit of space to explore the musical line more, and often with surprisingly good results. Giulini recognizes Verdi's genius and submits to it and the performance is wonderful.

The singers are also in top form. The first reviewer (who wrote a very good review) is correct in saying that Plowright is not as good as Callas (in the Karajan recording) but she can still sing very well. There is nothing lacking in her performance. Domingo is much better here that he was in the RCA recording (with Mehta). Zancanaro gives a compelling performance as diLuna and many of the other roles are filled very well.

There are very few, very minor, problems with this recording, most of them stemming from the slightly slower tempo, but these problems are admirably made up for in other aspects making one of the best performances of the work ever.

This recording is easy first choice for the modern listener, though fans of the old will want to keep Karajan and Callas nearby, only for Callas' incredible performance. Giulini does an incredible job and there is nothing, including the previous two reviews, that should keep one from buying this set. A perfect recording, and extremely enjoyable.

This is a most untypical but drop-dead gorgeous Il Trovatore. First of all the aristocratic conducting of Carlo Maria Giulini. His reading is slower than usual but never drags, he shapes everything beautifully and makes great music of Verdi's tunes. The Azucena of Brigitte Fassbaender is also very untypical. She doesn't spark the fireworks like a Cossotto or a Barbieri, but she sings well and knows what her role is all about. This recording made Rosalind Plowright an international star and I rather like her Leonora, but it would be foolish to pretend she is the league of a Callas, Milanov or Price. Domingo sings much better here than in his previous RCA Trovatore, and if he is not a natural Manrico like Corelli or Martinelli he is certainly very fine. But to me the best singing in this set comes from the marvelous italian baritone Giorgio Zancanaro, who has one of the finest singing lines of our time. His aria with the marvelous support of Giulini is Verdi singing at its best. All in all this is one of the finest Trovatores available. In the digital era only Levine is a serious rival, mostly because of his better Leonora, but Domingo is in better voice here.

This is a very special recording of a much-loved masterpiece! This "Il Trovatore" is something that every Verdi lover should add to his collection for many reasons. First of all, the work is presented in its entirety and exactly as written! All the second verses of the cabalettas are included (something quite rare) and the singers sing the notes exactly as Verdi wrote them (with the cadenzas etc.). Maestro Giulini studied very carefully Verdi's autograph score and he used slow tempos in his recordings but these slow tempos absolutely agree with Verdi! They may surprise you but be sure this is the way Verdi wrote this wonderful opera!
In addition to all this, we have 5 wonderful singers in the main roles! Placido Domingo, then at his absolute peak of his career,gives us an exciting and heroic Manrico, one of the best on record. He sings "Di quella pira" an octave lower than usual (Verdi wrote it this way) and doesn't keep the high note in the end very long (again like Verdi wrote and under Giulini's instructions) but his is a totally compelling performance of the cabaletta! He is very lyric and gives us a quite persuating Manrico.
Rosalind Plowright may not be a Callas or a Price, but she sings with involvement and absolutely correctly. Hers is a beautiful voice, quite low (she later sang mezzo roles such as Amneris) but her top notes are thrilling also.
Brigitte Fassbaender sang the role of Azucena for the first time in this recording and her portrayal of the gypsy is thrilling. Her technique is faultless and her voice in perfect form.
Giorgio Zancanaro was one of the best baritones in the 80's and 90's and this recording absolutely justifies why. His rich voice matches very well to the part of di Luna and gives us a terrifying portrayal. Bravo!
Finally, Evgeny Nesterenko is plainly thrilling as Ferrando. Listen to his prologue and you will understand why.

All in all, I must recommend this set to every Verdi and opera lover! It offers an exciting musical experience!

This recording of Verdi's Trovatore, made in the 80's, should not be your first choice for a Trovatore recording, despite a beautifully sung interpretation by great singers- Placido Domingo (in his third recorded Manrico), Rosalind Plowright, Birgitte Fassbaender and Giorgio Zancanaro. Conductor Carlo Maria Giulini, late in his career, conducts with utmost delicacy and a slow, leisurely pace, revealing his old age as compared to the vigor he conducted with in such earlier recordings as Mozart's Don Giovanni and the EMI Don Carlos with Domingo, Caballe and Milnes. However, it is a beautiful reading of the score, and sounds considerably darker and more haunting than other conductor's treatments - like the supercharged Herbert Van Karajan for instance or Zubin Mehta.

The CAST: Giorgio Zancanaro [Count Di Luna) ** Rosalind Plowright [Leonora] ** Brigitte Fassbaender [Azucena] ** Plácido Domingo) [Manrico ** Evgeny Nesterenko [Ferrando] ** Anna di Stasio [Ines] ** Walter Gullino [Ruiz] ** Alfredo Giacomotti [An old Gypsy] ** Aldo Verrecchia [A messenger).

Enough has already been said about the flawed vocal technique and interpretation of Leonora by soprano Rosalind Plowright, who has of course retired and other than this recording, is found as Leonora Di Vargas in Forza Del Destino. A British soprano, she possesses a huge, lyric voice but she has been criticized for thsi Leonora because it's considerably underpowered next to the more razzle-dazzle Leonoras of Maria Callas and Leontyne Price. For me, only Leontyne truly satisfies as the best Leonora. Plowright has some things in her favor however. Her account of the role is mature, beautiful and controlled. Instead of succumbing to melodrama, she remains the most cool Leonora ever performed. Consequently, she masters all the slow cavatinas - Tacea La Notte, D'al Amor Sul Ali Rosee and the Miserere scene. For the Miserere scene, however, she self-consciously sings like Maria Callas, lowering her voice to reveal a chest register that is not as good as one would like. In fact, throughout the more dramatic portions of the opera, she imitates Callas quite well, though admitedly she's better than Angela Gheorghiu in the recent recording with Roberto Alagna. But on the upside, Domingo sings what many have come to believe is his finest Manrico on recording. His voice at this stage in his career was darker, more mature and able to produce subtle tones. He has lost the freshness and vitality of his RCA 1970 Manrico with Price and Milnes. I don't think this is his best Manrico, though there are terrific moments such as the famous "Di Quella Pira" which stands out from all others because Giulini followed Verdi's original instructions. Manrico's aria is supposed to be dramatic but written in mezzo di voce and therefore Domingo sings the aria without the glorious high top, stepping it down octaves lower than usual and does not sustain the high note that finalizes the aria. This, however, does not detract from the intensity of the moment, but alas Domingo sounds like he's done with singing Manrico by this point. And indeed he never sang Manrico on recording after this. This is not his best Manrico (the one with Leontyne and Sherill Milnes is) but it is a very handsomely sung interpretation. Is there anything that Domingo does not sing beautifully ? This one's for Domingo fans.

Birgitte Fassbaender had a flexible, lyric mezzo soprano voice and she has done excellent operatic roles that range from Prince Orlofsky from Strauss' Die Fleidermaus and Charlotte the heroine in Massenet's Werther. But Fassbaender is primarily a lyric mezzo soprano and does not possess the "nastiness" and "bite" for the role of Azucena, the vindictive, witch-like Gypsy who gets her revenge on the Count Di Luna at the end of the opera. Fassbaender, therefore, is consequently miscast as Azucena and is lackluster next to the Azucenas of Fiorenza Cossotto and Dolora Zajick- whose account of the role on the Aprille Millo/Domingo Trovatore is unrivaled. Fassbaender does a lot of beautiful things with the music for Azucena but is totally miscast. You have to be a fan of hers in order to appreciate her Azucena. But I think it's purely experimental of her part to sing this. Even Elena Obraztsova scored better success as Azucena.

Finally, Zancanaro is an outstanding Count Di Luna, perhaps even outshining Sherill Milnes. He is into his character, sing with fine Verdi musicality and his bass voice is expressive, huge and handsome. Zancanaro is less admirable as Scarpia which he sang in a recording with Carol Vaness. This role is better suited to his lyric voice. The truth about this recording's merits are that the singers are lyric, as is the conductor's reading of the score. But if you prefer more dramatic and fiery Trovatores, look elsewhere. Try these:

The Maria Callas Trovatore (inevitably)

Any Trovatore with Mario Del Monaco as Manrico

Leontyne Price, Franco Corelli, Giuletta Simionato, Ettore Bastianni/Karajan

Leontyne Price, Placido Domingo, Fiorenza Cossotto, Sherill Milnes/Mehta

Aprille Millo, Placido Domingo, Dolora Zajick/Levine

Katia Ricciarelli, Jose Carreras/Sir Colin Davis

This is a most untypical but drop-dead gorgeous Il Trovatore. First of all the aristocratic conducting of Carlo Maria Giulini. His reading is slower than usual but never drags, he shapes everything beautifully and makes great music of Verdi's tunes. The Azucena of Brigitte Fassbaender is also very untypical. She doesn't spark the fireworks like a Cossotto or a Barbieri, but she sings well and knows what her role is all about. This recording made Rosalind Plowright an international star and I rather like her Leonora, but it would be foolish to pretend she is the league of a Callas, Milanov or Price. Domingo sings much better here than in his previous RCA Trovatore, and if he is not a natural Manrico like Corelli or Martinelli he is certainly very fine. But to me the best singing in this set comes from the marvelous italian baritone Giorgio Zancanaro, who has one of the finest singing lines of our time. His aria with the marvelous support of Giulini is Verdi singing at its best. All in all this is one of the finest Trovatores available. In the digital era only Levine is a serious rival, mostly because of his better Leonora, but Domingo is in better voice here.

As my reviews are usually "long", I decided to make this one very short, but clearly deliniate where I feel this recording falls for a recording of "Il Trovatore" with Placido Domingo.

This is Truly a Great recording of one of Verdi's earlier masterpieces. Everything is Very Good, or Better, from all of the singers, and also the orchestra, and, of course, Maestro Giulini's conducting (could he ever turn in anything that was not "the Best?"). And, if you have space for several recordings of this opera, it belongs in a large collection.

However, I personally need to interject the statement....."But, don't forget Domingo's earlier entry with Price and Milnes under Zubin Mehta!" I think one starts first with this recording for a Domingo "Il Trovatore". For a "Best" recording, I would look to the past, perhaps to Callas' effort on EMI, or the RCA with Bjoerling, Milinov, and Warren.

This was my first ever opera purchase as a gangly 17 year old twenty years ago and now, as a sophisticated silver fox, I still find it magical.
Some critics found the tempi quirky (Di quella Pira is an interesting example) but I think they are part of the reason that the recording is so intense. It is a dark opera and this recording accentuates this. Moody and depressed...in a good way. It is recorded in a rather reverberant acoustic which somehow suits the mood of the opera, and is especially suited to Plowright's voice. Now with a bit of vocal knowledge I can hear the strain in the voice and there is a feeling of something not quite right in he top notes, but what beauty and musicianship- she is virtually incandescent at times. Even the discovery of Leontyne Price failed to diminish my fondness for her performance. Zancanaro is, as nearly always, tremendous. He is the most satysfying singer I know in Verdi. His "Il balen" is like having chocolate cake in the bath with a martini. If you don't know his voice, then it is time you made the effort.

Fassbaender is fascinating. Thrilling and quite mad. All her scenes have such dramatic presence. I bought the CD as a youngster because I knew of Domingo. He is of course excellent. He doesn't own this opera's notes like Corelli did but there lots of other grappling hooks in his utility belt, and when he introduces to friends such as his co-stars.......

Whenever I listen to it I relive a little bit of the excitement of discovering opera for the first time. We all look back fondly on our first....don't we?

IL Trovatore

Giuseppe Verdi - music
Salvatore Cammarano, Leone Emanuele Bardare - libretto

Carlo Maria Giulini
Coro e Orchestra dell' Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Chorus master - Norbert Balatsch

Giorgio Zancanaro - Il Conte di Luna
Rosalind Plowright - Leonora
Brigitte Fassbaender - Azucena
Placido Domingo - Manrico
Evgeny Nesterenko - Ferrando
Anna di Stasio - Ines
Walter Gullino - Ruiz
Alfredo Giacomotti - Un vecchio zingaro
Aldo Verrecchia - Un messo

(Deutsche Grammophon - Digital recording - 1984)

Brilliant performances on an equally brilliant digital recording.
This set deserves a Sixth Star!

I agree with everyone else about what a gorgeous recording this is. No, it's not hyper-dramatic, so it presents a valid alternative view to the received wisdom about this work, which seems to be to pull off the gloves and go for every bit of drama that can be wrung from the score. I genuinely am mystified by the carping about Plowright. She's not a singing actress à la Callas, but really, who is? I find her effective and convincing in her own terms. The recorded voice you will hear coming out of your speakers when Plowright first starts singing in ACT 1 is GORGEOUS, abetted by an exceptional recorded acoustic The recorded sound has beauty and sheen and balance throughout the opera. Sure, Callas is emotional and gripping in everything she touched, but she never produced such a basically beautiful sound as Plowright.

Verdi - Il Trovatore / Domingo · Plowright · Fassbaender · Zancanaro · Nesterenko · Santa Cecilia · Giulini is a 1984 Polydor International recording starring Placido Domingo in the role of It Trovartore. Carlo Maria Giulini conducts the Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Chorus master is Norbert Balatsch. Roger Parker has written a well-written and informative essay entitled "Tradition and Innovation in 'il Travatore'". Roger Parker has also written the synopsis. The lyrics are available in German, Italian, English and French. Placido Domingo is amazing in the role as Il Travatore. A very fine recording that I immensely enjoyed. Highly recommended indeed. 5/5.