Uncut Rigoletto recommentations?
ebloch
ernie b
ebloch
Leonard Tillman
it an aria written for Maddelena (Mignon Dunn, here) that's seldom if
ever performed onstage.
Leonard Tillman
Mitchell Kaufman
Well, Kubelik's is *almost* note-complete, so let's throw caution to the
winds. The key to loving it or hating it is whether you're willing to
accept F-D's un-Italianate Rigoletto. I for one tend to find his Italian
performances interesting at the very least, and truly great, if
idiosyncratic, at their best (Falstaff, Macbeth); this one falls
somewhere in-between, and is at least worth hearing. As a first and best
Rigoletto, I'm not so sure.
Bergonzi is hors concours as the Duke, everything I'd want in the part
rolled up into one, and in his prime; Scotto was never a favorite of
mine, but she acquits herself well enough here; and Kubelik's is an
individual view, which isn't necessarily the Italianate way. That way
works, which is how it came to be traditional in the first place. (To
hear it at its best, try Sodero in the 1945 Met broadcast, heavily cut,
but otherwise, the best-sung and -conducted performance on disc.)
If Fischer-Dieskau and the rest of the somewhat off-center Kubelik
performance doesn't float your boat, I'd hold my nose and go for either
the Cappuccilli, Domingo, Cotrubas; Giulini (DG Originals) or the
Milnes, Pavarotti, Sutherland; Bonynge (Decca/London). The former is
eccentrically- conducted--often too slow, as in most of the big
numbers--but at least refects a point-of-view; the latter is the
equivalent of a blank slate. You pays your money...
Cappuccilli's is more of a thinking man's Rigoletto; the voice is dry
but still pleasant and functional; the singing is not particularly
imaginative or insightful, but intelligent and well-thought-out. Milnes
is the big, blustery American baritone with the clarion top and stock,
over-inflected interpretation. In the wide-open spaces of the Met it was
a knockout--you left with your head spinning, in a good way--but on
records, perhaps a bit too much.
Domingo is really all wrong for the part, but as usual attentive to the
score and unobjectionable, if dull; the highest notes are effortful
and/or blatantly spliced in ("Possente amor"). Pavarotti is almost
exactly the kind of voice the role requires, but sings with his usual
over-emphatic slovenliness. Those who like him will find him in typical
form here, and in good voice. Cotrubas is a touching Gilda, as she was
at the Met, but in both situations a tad past her best, fluttery and
imprecise. Sutherland, OTOH, is all precision, but as sleepy as her
husband's conducting. Vocally-speaking, her first (1962) recording finds
her in noticeably superior voice (the ending of "Caro nome" is something
else again), but at the height of her mush-mouthed period. Nevertheless,
one of the supremely great sopranos of the century, even if not
functioning at full-throttle.
Sound: the DG catches the company at the tail end of their
quality-sonics period, before the forests of mikes took over and ruined
everything; still, it can use an updated transfer, perhaps in the
Originals series. The Giulini is a typical product of DG's later period:
synthetic, plastic, flat perspectives, no air, no bottom end. The
Bonynge is Decca-average for the time, which means somewhere in between
a rotten recording like the Karajan Boheme and a spectacular piece of
work like the Mehta Turandot. Hard to believe these three recordings
were made by the same company at almost the same time.
MK
Mitchell Kaufman
to DG in the "sound" discussion refers to the Kubelik recording.
MK
Elizabeth Hubbell
Among the uncut Rigolettos, I've seen the Solti set sometimes
recommended as the best! However, personally, I tend to find the Solti
a somewhat hard-boiled reading, even though Merrill, Moffo and Kraus are
all heard at their very best.
Restricting our survey to the completer sets for the time being, I can
think of five additional sets right off. They each have different
weaknesses and strengths.
Earliest is the Cetra set from the mid-'50, featuring the towering
Rigoletto of Giuseppe Taddei. His colleagues are all fully in their
parts, all Italians, and capable of projecting a vivid feel of
red-blooded characters truly interacting with one another. The Gilda
and the Duke of Lina Pagliughi and Ferruccio Tagliavini were justly
celebrated, although Tagliavini shows some strain here in the last act.
He does do a respectable rendition of the usually cut "Possente amor"
cabaletta (Act II), even though he only does one verse. The conducting
is pretty pro forma. This set is in mono.
Next, from the late '50s, in stereo, is the Ettore Bastianini set, with
the young Renata Scotto and the young Alfredo Kraus heard as Gilda and
the Duke. Gavazzeni conducts an energized reading that may give
(relatively) short shrift to some of the poetry in the score (though it
still boasts a heartfelt, warm reading) but is highly effective as
theater. In fact, the sincerity and vocal glow from all are welcome.
As with the Cetra, we have only one verse of "Possente amor".
From the early '60s comes one of the best-conducted sets in the
catalogue, Rafael Kubelik's. Kubelik is the star of this recording.
All the cruelty and all the poetry in Verdi's astonishing creation are
integrated with a master hand. The drama unfolds clearly and inevitably
from all his principals. With the Gilda and the Duke of Renata Scotto
and Carlo Bergonzi heard in their prime, this could have been an ideal
set. However, many find its protagonist, the Rigoletto of Dietrich
Fischer-Dieskau, highly controversial. No question this is a
tremendously alert, musically imaginative reading. But his basic
instrument is not the type usually associated with this role. And IMO,
it lacks the richness and authentic Italianate legato of the more
idiomatic baritones cited above. Because of Fischer-Dieskau, I have not
taken that many opportunities to hear this set, frankly -- and I'm
paying for that now with my ignorance: you see, I'm a duffer;-), and I
no longer recall whether the fine Carlo Bergonzi is given both verses of
the "Possente amor" or only one. I know he's given at least a stab at
it, though.
Fourth is Sherrill Milnes's first Rigoletto from ca. 1970, with the
Gilda and Duke of Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti. Textually and
musically, this is one of the most scrupulously accurate readings in the
catalogue. It is literally complete, and the singers are all up the
task of presenting this as a score still rooted in the bel canto
tradition. Everyone is heard in their vocal prime. The conductor,
Richard Bonynge, shepherds his principals through every note of the
score, fulfilling every technical requirement. If this set lacks
anything, it would be individuality. Bonynge does not bring the kind of
imagination to the score that we hear in Gavazzeni and Kubelik.
A conductor who does just that -- and it's a literally complete reading
to boot -- is Carlo Maria Giulini. His 1979 set features Piero
Cappuccilli in the title role, Ileana Cotrubas as Gilda and Placido
Domingo as the Duke. Here, the shoe is on the other foot. While the
conducting is vivid and imaginative, it's now the singing that, aside
from Cotrubas's affecting Gilda, lacks individuality, IMO (and I'm
usually a Cappuccilli fan).
Personally, if I were to select one out of these five myself, it would
be the Gavazzeni: stereo sound, committed conducting, principals all in
their vocal prime -- and a healthy dose of showmanship<G>.
OTOH, if one insists on not just a more or less complete reading but on
one that is entirely and literally uncut, then the singing on the
Mllnes/Sutherland/Pavarotti set, however "uninflected" its conducting,
trumps, for me, the attractions of a more inspired Kubelik and/or
Giulini with a less consistent cast.
Going outside the prameters of complete or near-complete Rigolettos
altogether, I usually (even though I'm hardly comfortable with the
standard cuts of fifty years ago) derive greater satisfaction from two
classic sets in particular than from any of those others cited above.
Those two are both from the 1950s and are in mono: the Leonard Warren
set with Erna Berger and Jan Peerce as Gilda and the Duke, with Renato
Cellini conducting, and the Tito Gobbi set with Maria Callas and
Giuseppe Di Stefano as Gilda and the Duke, with Tullio Serafin. On
their own terms, I find nothing seriously wanting in either set --
_seriously_ wanting, that is: maybe neither Duke here is heard at his
very, very best, but they each supply enough of what they were each
distinctly capable of not to detract from the overall experience, IMO.
What is truly fascinating is the artistic integrity with which each of
these two recordings hews to its own individual vision of Verdi's
masterpiece. The Cellini offers superb energy and dynamism, while the
Serafin offers brooding mystery, intimacy and poetry -- and they both
work superbly!
Cheers,
Geoffrey Riggs (Assoluta Monster)
www.operacast.com/assoluta.htm
Mitchell Kaufman
> [from Geof. Riggs; not Eliz. H., my better half]
> Earliest is the Cetra set from the mid-'50, featuring the towering
> Rigoletto of Giuseppe Taddei. His colleagues are all fully in their
> parts, all Italians, and capable of projecting a vivid feel of
> red-blooded characters truly interacting with one another. The Gilda
> and the Duke of Lina Pagliughi and Ferruccio Tagliavini were justly
> celebrated, although Tagliavini shows some strain here in the last act.
Anytime I see a reference to this set, I feel the need to put in a plug
for the Sparafucile of Giulio Neri, who is here is about as deep, dark,
and menacing as bassos get. He's such a scene-stealer that his
performance alone almost justifies purchase.
All that having been said, my own feelings about this set, other than
the Neri Factor, are that Pagliughi is distinctly over the hill--there's
a '30s recording that captures her in more youthful form--and Tagliavini
is even a few years past it, and at any rate strained to the max by the
part: he really is almost a tenorino.
Taddei is dramatically alive and has a handsome middle voice, but--as
was almost always the case throughout his career--encounters a bit of
trouble up top. He tends to get a pass on this--a lot of us feel bad him
because he always got short shrift during his prime years. But it
matters in a role like Rigoletto, and you do miss the freedom on top of
the likes of a Warren or Milnes or Fischer-Dieskau (just kidding).
I agree that the conducting is negligable and generally rate the set a
disappointment.
MK
Valfer
and all. I cannot think of a better cast for this opera in an uncut
version.
Valfer
"ebloch" <ern...@phreaker.net> wrote in message news:<P5Fxc.101$TR1...@nwrddc01.gnilink.net>...
Leonard Tillman
cast and production, sung in Italian:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=72098&AID=10274126&PID=1401195
Fine cast, overall, - but Nicolae Herlea's a standout.
Leonard Tillman
OmbraRecds
>From: "ebloch"
Opera D'Oro's Rigoletto with Pavarotti, Paskalis, and Scotto. Very exciting.
PCB
OmbraRecds
>Fine cast, overall, - but Nicolae Herlea's a standout.
>
I think Herlea was an excellent singer.
PCB
Leonard Tillman
'Fine cast, overall, - but Nicolae Herlea's a standout.
Leonard Tillman"
>I think Herlea was an excellent singer.
One too-seldom mentioned here. Is there a recital-album of his in
existence?
Leonard Tillman
OmbraRecds
>
>One too-seldom mentioned here. Is there a recital-album of his in
>existence?
Probably on Suraphon LP. He recorded Traviata with the divine Zeani. Stupendous
recording.
Patrick
Leonard Tillman
It really is - I've got the highlights. Perhaps Academy Books on NYC's
E-18 nr. Fifth Ave. has it complete.
Leonard Tillman
OmbraRecds
>> Traviata with the divine Zeani. Stupendous
>> recording.
>
>It really is - I've got the highlights. Perhaps Academy Books on NYC's
>E-18 nr. Fifth Ave. has it complete.
It is currently available complete on the Vox label. It is a studio recording
in very good sound.
PCB
Sergio H. da Silva
the score. Cappuccilli is not very subtle but sings superbly, Cotrubas is
the ideal Gilda (she was a bit past her prime but her interpretation is
superb), Domingo a great Duke. Giulini as always knows what he wants with
the score.
2. Zancanaro,Dessi,La Scola/Muti: Zancanaro is a superb Rigoletto, Dessi a
full-voice Gilda and La Scola sings attentively. Muti is electrifying.
I love the Sinopoli recording as well, it is a strange reading though, not
for everybody and Muti is like that as well. Muti's second recording with
Bruson,Rost,Alagna is very good as well and more "standard" than the first
one but technically it is not very well recorded since it is live but maybe
a good choice as well.
"ebloch" <ern...@phreaker.net> wrote in message
news:G4Fxc.98$TR1...@nwrddc01.gnilink.net...
La Donna Mobile
This has now been up 24 hours, and no-one has made the obvious puerile joke.
I am so disappointed...:-))))))
John
certain age or NOT from the US would likely be uncut), but I refrained - no
more!
- John
"La Donna Mobile" <donna...@brixton.fsworld.co.uk> wrote in message
news:ca9t4h$9r9$1...@news8.svr.pol.co.uk...
Dr.Matt
La Donna Mobile <donna...@brixton.fsworld.co.uk> wrote:
>
>This has now been up 24 hours, and no-one has made the obvious puerile joke.
>
>I am so disappointed...:-))))))
All right, all right, we'll supply a mohel joke.
--
Matthew H. Fields http://personal.www.umich.edu/~fields
Music: Splendor in Sound
"Hey, don't knock Placebo, its the only thing effective for my hypochondria."
Brights have a naturalistic world-view. http://www.the-brights.net/
Leonard Tillman
>This has now been up 24 hours, and no-one
> has made the obvious puerile joke.
>I am so disappointed...:-))))))
There was - on another thread - a reference to "A-Mohel [qv.] and the
Night Visitors".
Leonard Tillman
La Donna Mobile
I already have English, French, Italian, Spanish and German dictionaries on
my computer table.
Sigh...
"Leonard Tillman" <tapef...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:7542-40C...@storefull-3338.bay.webtv.net...
william d. kasimer
Re Herlea:
> He recorded Traviata with the divine Zeani. Stupendous
> recording.
Tosca too.
Bill
Leonard Tillman
From: donna...@brixton.fsworld.co.uk (La Donna Mobile)
>My Yiddish just isn't up to it.
>I already have English, French, Italian,
> Spanish and German dictionaries on my
> computer table.
>Sigh...
Hmmm....Well, this article by a practitioner explains something of his
art and the ritual ceremony involved:
http://www.moheljoel.com/orientation.htm
LT
donpaolo
Rumanian Label, issued late 60's. I'll look around & if I still have them,
will let you know.
I attended his Met debut in Don Carlo w/Corelli & Tozzi - great performance
all around.
DonPaolo
"Leonard Tillman" <tapef...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:6733-40C...@storefull-3332.bay.webtv.net...
Leonard Tillman
>There were two - one of arias & another of
> songs. Both were on some obscure
> Rumanian Label, issued late 60's. I'll look
> around & if I still have them, will let you know.
I'd sure love to hear more of THAT voice. One of the most beautiful,
tonally.
>I attended his Met debut in Don Carlo
> w/Corelli & Tozzi - great performance all
> around.
With those super-voices, it had to be.
>DonPaolo
LT
Slrdsyj
performed?
- Wixell/Gruberova/Pavarotti (the film)
- Gavanelli/Schafer/Alvarez (Royal Opera House)
- Nucci/Mula/Machado (Arena di Verona)