Customer Reviews

Voce D'Italia: Arias For Rubini

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

After flirting with other repertoire and recording a crossover disc or two, the reigning Rossini tenor Juan Diego Florez returns to what he does best on this album: the florid, high-lying music of early nineteenth-century bel canto opera. The concept here is to evoke comparison with Giovanni Rubini, the tenor for whom this music was written, and it's hard to believe that Florez' predecessor was more facile or could negotiate the numerous coloratura runs with greater accuracy and ease. Florez doesn't actually go as high as Rubini was reputed to have done (high F)--he touches one E-flat above high C, but otherwise reaches "only" high D. On the other hand, he sings his high notes in full voice, something Rubini would not have done.

For fans who know what Florez is all about and have enjoyed his live performances (and I certainly am one) this album will certainly confirm their high opinion. The tenor's voice seems to have grown in size, and occasionally there is a hint of unsteadiness in sustained notes--perhaps fatigue due to his frantic international career? As I have noted before, with vocal gifts of such magnitude it seems almost churlish to wish occasionally for more differentiation of character or vocal color, since all of the music is so much of a piece. Did contemporary audiences demand the vocal acting abilities of a Callas from Rubini? My guess is not. Let's wish Florez a long career and continued vocal health--he's certainly become an indispensable fixture on the international operatic scene.

FOOTNOTE: As is the case so often with the bel canto composers, a listener can amuse him/herself by identifying music in the more obscure operas that was later re-used to greater fame. There's a big chunk of "Norma" in one of the tracks, for example.

I yield to no-one in my admiration for this Peruvian tenor superstar; his singing gives unalloyed pleasure to us canary fanciers whether live or on disc. I last heard him in the famous Royal Opera "Fille du Regiment" with Dessay, and he was terrific.

But let's be objective: the title of this CD is a tad misleading; in truth several of the arias here were either not specifically written for Rubini, or he was only tangentially or belatedly associated with them, singing them perhaps only once long after the premieres. We have little idea whether Rubini sounded anything like Florez though there's no reason why he should not offer this tribute to so influential a singer and I'm certainly not moaning about the singing; it's breath-taking for us - if not for Florez, whose ease of production is a thing of wonder. Nor is it the result of recording patchwork; Florez is just as capable of tossing off those fiendish roulades and stratospheric top notes in one recorded take as he is of doing them live. I don't really understand those reviewers who complain about pinched tone; the voice occasionally sounds a little strained but how could it be otherwise when Florez is singing in his lower register at the upper limits of male human performance - and without the mixed falsetto sound which marred Kraus' top notes and made him sound whiney.

Perhaps listening to this admirable CD in one sitting is a little too much to take; better to listen to a few tracks at a time to avoid auditory fatigue. Some have complained of a lack of characterisation in Florez' interpretations, especially when he is hopping from one opera to another, but I'm afraid I neither notice that nor really care; in any case just listen to the tenderness and variety of the third item, Donizetti's "Marino Faliero" (which was most certainly written by Donizetti expressly for Rubini and Florez sings it complete with a whopping full-voiced E flat), and you'll hear plenty to refute the accusation of sameness. That hint of strain which others can hear creeping into the highest notes is perhaps the price of the voice having acquired some darker colour of late. One or two top noters are not quite perfect, but to me he still sounds miles better than any other similarly voiced tenor around today. His is not the largest voice I have ever heard but it has such total concentration and purity of tone that it really carries in large spaces and I do not accuse the engineers of much knob-twiddling to enhance artificially the resonance of his voice production; his tenor really is cleanly focused and penetrating and in no need of boosting.

In many ways the first and the last items are the best, from the melodic genius of Bellini to the thrilling mastery of Rossini in "William Tell", in which Florez rises to all he demands of this most heroic of Rossini's tenor roles. The orchestra, chorus, supporting singers and conductor are exemplary. As for the solo singing, the elegance, the thrust, the plangency of the quieter passages, the sense of style and the pyrotechnics combine to make this a truly great recital album.

There is little wonder why people have dubbed Florez as Pavarotti's successor. In fact, more accurately he should be named as Alfredo Kraus' successor. From the first time I encountered this artist, Mozart's Mitridate on Decca, I was spell-bounded by the ringing, typically nasal, tenor voice, secure technique, and broad range: a splendid instrument of the highest quality! Now with a few releases under his belt, a wonderful recital 'Una furtiva lagrima', a Rossini arias program, as well as a simply stunning recording of Rossini's Matilde di Shabran, Florez has tackled the heart of the bel canto repertoire.

As most are aware, Rubini had a stupendous range, his notes in alt were phenomenal; the famous anecdote of interpolating a high F in Bellini's I Puritani caused a sensation at its Parisian premiere in 1835.

The program for this CD has been carefully chosen, the Rossini arias as always demonstrating vocal agility, the Donizetti/Bellini-utmost expression and those 'long, long melodies', as Verdi put it.

1.The defiance, the heroic tone in Il Pirata is the best on disc, surpassing Barnabe Marti in the famous full recording with wife Caballe.

2. One can detect the plea in the Elisabetta aria; at least equaling Bruce Ford on the Opera Rara recording (a favourite!!!! Another underrated tenor who should have taken on and recorded the role of Arturo in I Puritani, what a shame...), the Il turco in Italia aria having the right amount of 'bounce' for early Rossini, and the world premiere recording of a substitute aria for La donna del Lago simply stunning.

3. The Donizetti is a rarity, composed around 1835, is sung with the sweetest voice, perhaps Florez will revive the full opera????

4, Finally, and dear to my heart, are the Bellini Bianca and Rossini Guglielmo Tell arias. Even at an early age Bellini found his own voice among the Rossini hipe, this aria, as well as 'A tanto duol', and the soprano aria 'Sorgi, o Padre' are direct predecessors of the great Norma/Puritani arias. They contain the most beautiful lyricism. Florez certainly has the fine sense of line so important for the performance of Bellini, I cannot implore enough for him to record the Bellini operas-La Straniera needs a revival, and he would make the most ideal Elvino in La Sonnambula since Monti, and more recently Raul Gimenez (perhaps with Bartoli as Amina...listen to her excerpts on the new Maria album, she'll convince you!!!!). The Guglielmo Tell aria is the one of the most heroic arias I know in the bel canto repertoire, the character of Arnold the most taxing for anyone who has attempted. Gedda had the elegance on the Gardelli French recording, Pavarotti the Italianate heroism in the Chailly Italian version. Florez has both of those qualities!!! The legato in 'O muto asil' is beautiful, and then the high C's in the cabaletta are amazing!!! The supporting Academia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Roberto Abbado are fantastic, hmmm perhaps the Guglielmo Tell aria taken a little fast, but now I'm just niggling!!!

Congratulations, Florez deserves the highest praise, I'm sure that Rubini is looking down in deepest admiration!

Stephen (Melbourne, Australia)

JDF is better than ever technically in this album. The tracks are difficult stuff, and he even sings that huge trunk of 'William Tell' arias that hitherto only Pavarotti dared to assume.

It is now pretty settled that Florez is a class on his own - his Rossini, Donizetti, even Bellini, significantly surpassed Ernesto Palacio.

Even so, he remains pretty much 'himself' in whatever he undertakes. That is fine if you consider all the pros that this wonderful tenor possesses - brilliant technique, unusally good voice, and even over-whelmingly stellar stage presence. He virtually has them all. What remains for the ever craving audience is a big 'break' from all his good usual self.

An artist of top calibre never ceases to excel himself. With his virtually flawless singing, the only thing perhaps that JDF would want to conquer is his characterisation. Probably he would need to get a break from all his former 'beautiful' self - in tone, in portrayal, in looks, in virtually every sense, in order to develop a totally soulful, dynamic and multi-faceted performance style.

Florez is astounding in his agility. He is also a very sound musician. It is fair to say that he is in a class by himself in this repertory. All of this must be balanced by the effects of prolonged listening. After hearing a few selections, it is my feeling that this is not a beautiful voice. The sound becomes very "white" and nasal and this can be taken in small doses.

To be fair, others may enjoy this sound and my criticism may well be very personal. For those whose primary enjoyment in singing comes through agility and limitless high notes...very high notes, this will deliver.

With this recording, the sublime Juan Diego Florez firmly establishes his true vocal and artistic identity. He is arguably the great singer of his type who has ever inhabited this earth ---- or at the very least, the greatest of his type since the advent of recording. He is a true "tenor di grazia" with a florid technique that blows any other pretenter out of the ball park. Of equal importance, his is a voice of such sweetness and lyricism that one is doumbfounded to come up with an equal. My admiration for Alfredo Kraus is limitless, but not even he could approach this type of music on the same level as Florez. Of course, Kraus had a somewhat weighter voice, which enabled him to undertake roles like Faust, Hoffmann, The Duke in "Rigoletto", and Alfredo in "Traviata". At present, even these relatively "light" roles are beyond Florez. His is a voice that must never be stretched to included ANYTHING heavier than he's singing now - the intricate bel canto repertoire. This recording is testimony to that fact. May he flourish and thrive in the arena of Bellini, Rossini, and Donizetti for years to come. Virtually every item here is magnificently sung, and only makes one wish for more. If you purchase no other classical recording this year, this should be the one you get!

I bought this album because of the glowing reviews I read here and elsewhere, but I am hearing something far different from the other reviewers. Florez has a lovely mid and lower range, but unless he is singing rather softly his high notes are extremely forced.

When he pushes to high C and above, his sound is often totally strained.

Some of the climatic notes here are downright painful to listen to as the lovely mid voice sound thins out and becomes shrill. I honestly had the feeling if he sang like this often, he vocal equipment will be damaged beyond in repair in only a few year.

The Tenor from Peru is one of the best tenors in the world at this time;I feel that the selection of arias, could have been a lot better.I do recommend that when you see the name Juan Diego Flores, you pay a lot of attention.

Aside from missing the famous falsetto high "F," this guy has everything, including looks. I am pleased to have this recording. An outstanding artist for our time.

The undeniably remarkable Juan Diego Florez, in an homage to the famous bel canto tenor Rubini, here sings a program of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti rarities. Most of the great and consequently enduring tenor roles by these composers Florez has already recorded. In fact, only the Bellini "Sonnambula" and "Puritani" remain to be added to his recorded performances to complete what remains of the incontestably magnificent music for tenor in this repertoire. In the present CD, though, he mainly restricts himself just to rare arias that to my ears are less gems than repetitive and contrived musical boilerplate. It's for this reason, I suspect, most of these arias through the years have been justly neglected, if not wholly forgotten. Nostalgia, after all, has its limits.

The great Florez, sad to say, is currently stuck in a limited repertoire that includes only a handful of the greatest operatic roles; and as one reviewer has rightly suggested, the tenor currently lacks the vocal weight needed even for an Alfredo or Duke of Mantua.

Furthemore, as yet another reviewer has noted, Florez' voice is markedly beautiful in the present recording only in the middle register or when he sings softly. Here he does indeed convey an unusual and welcome warmth to complement his stratospheric vocal fireworks. The fireworks, however, in the form of acrobatic top notes are the problem. It was Rossini, it will be remembered, who first judged that the full voiced tenor high C was as ugly as the shriek of a belligerent capon. Florez' high notes, some even higher, verge off into the piercing and harsh, and after a time begin to irritate, much like a high-pitched dentist's drill. As the same earlier reviewer suggested, one hopes the marvelously gifted Juan Diego Florez does not wind up destroying his voice through repeated ventures such as this one.