Customer Reviews

Wolf-Ferrari - Sly / Carreras, Milnes, Cantarero

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

 

 

This opera appears to be having a vogue as a vehicle for, how to put it tactfully, tenors in their declining years - Domingo is about to try it at the Met - and Carreras has been performing it at a variety of opera houses. This recording is taken live from a performance in summer 2000 at Barcelona. Taking a theme from Shakespeare's Prologue to 'The Taming of the Shrew', librettist Forzano prepared this tale of Christopher Sly initially for Puccini, who rejected it. Sly falls asleep dead drunk at a lowly inn, only to wake up in the grandest finery, victim of a practical joke.It all ends badly - and doesn't really add up, emotionally, dramatically or musically.

Wolf-Ferrari's music in this opera could be described as 'characters in search of an author' - it despatches the dramatic events efficiently enough, but with a lack of personality, or of real command of pacing.The invention, occasionally arresting, is in general short-breathed and fails to take wing where you would expect. The review in 'Gramophone' magazine mentions that the first act could almost be worthy of 'Falstaff' or 'Gianni Schicchi' - well, I beg to differ - there is more invention in 30 seconds of 'Falstaff', or 2-3 minutes of 'Schicchi' than here. The strange third act, almost totally a monologue for Sly, doesn't satisfy as a culmination: a work that starts out darkly playful suddenly becomes pure melodrama and this strikes me as faulty story-telling and inconsistent characterization.

'Sly' undoubtedly is a vehicle for a star tenor, and Carreras does sing with burnished tone, insight and great nobility (perhaps too much for a drunken sot!)and there are not too many high-lying forays that expose him. Sherrill Milnes retains his distinctive timbre, and does what he can with a role that yields diminishing returns, but comes a cropper whenever he ventures above the stave. Isabelle Kabatu as Dolly was perhaps exciting live, her thick timbre doesn't seems to record well and can be harsh and unlovely, though she seems to improve in the last act. Some of the cameo parts, mainly in the first act, are atrocious! The singers portraying John Plake and Rosaline - well, the latter almost sounds like a send up; don't they hold auditions in Barcelona? The orchestral writing is often austere, and some exposed passages don't bear scrutiny in this performance. Perhaps live, in the presence of a star performer this work can be compelling, but I don't rate it an interesting listen on CD.

There is a certain (self-inflicted) curse hanging over the music of Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari. He might not have been a first-rate composer - certainly the level of invention isn't comparable to that of Verdi or Puccini - but he was a good one. There is, however, one major obstacle. Where other late-romantic composer dealt in lush opulence and power, Wolf-Ferrari filled his orchestral textures with air and light. It is very effective and the result is often gorgeous in an airy, almost ethereally fragile way. But it also means that his music requires a lot from the orchestral players and recording; less than top-notch performances, and just a slight imbalance in the recorded sound, can completely ruin the effects, making his music come across as dull and thin and choppy. Unfortunately his status as a second-rate composer seems to ensure that first-rate ensembles will fail to pick it up, and it is doomed to be handed over to performers who seem unable to fully realize its qualities.

This issue doesn't avoid that trap either, which is a pity. The story of Christopher Sly is a familiar one; the libretto of Giovacchino Forzano is a rather merciless and bleak take on it, but Wolf-Ferrari makes amends with colorful and imaginative music, full of good ideas (even if none of them is quite on the level of Puccini or even Mascagni). In particular the first act is an ebullient affair, well structured scenically and consistently attractive musically. The rest isn't quite on that level, neither the libretto nor the music, but there are still many things to savor - even if Wolf-Ferrari's score would have benefited from playing down the pathos of the last act.

The issue at hand is a stage-production and suffers from this sonically. As for the performances, Sherrill Milnes is very good with a firm, beautiful voice and an authoritative characterization. Carreras is also very good, especially in the quieter singing, and he presents us with an in general noble and dignified Sly. His higher register seems sometimes a little hard, but I suspect that the poorly balanced sonics are more to blame than Carreras or his voice. The same goes for Isabelle Kabatu, although I am less sure that the recording is fully to blame in her case; still, she contributes some graceful and warm singing as well, especially (and perhaps curiously) in the later parts of the opera. The rest of the cast is, however, less than adequate suggesting that the whole production was intended as a vehicle for Carreras (and perhaps Milnes) and little else.

My main difficulty lies with the orchestral parts, however. While there is much beautiful playing, and while the performance is sensitively lead by David Gimenez, the sounds they produce are often a little dull and flat, and while the airy, stained-window-glass and rays-of-light qualities of Wolf-Ferrari's music sometimes shine through, there are too many stretches where the whole thing sounds less inspired than I think it in fact is. The problem is exacerbated by the dull sound quality, which is somewhat murky and poorly balanced - sometimes horribly balanced, in fact. A pity, for this could have been a very fine addition to the catalogue; as it is, it cannot be deemed more than merely serviceable.

"Sly" is a great opera that is overlooked and not produced as often as it should be. We saw Domingo sing Sly at the MET and was so impressed we bought this CD down in the gift shop! I like this CD production - the live aspect is good, in my mind. One can picture oneself at the opera house. I can't wait until there is another production to see this opera again!

A mesmerizing portrait by a still mesmerizing tenor! A gem of an opera, if you can, get the video too. It's AMAZING!