Verdi: Great Operas from La Scala (DG)
pgaron
DG 21-CD budget box set?
http://www.arkivmusic.com/albumpage/219809-E556-5
pgaron
Randy Lane
Good, sometimes very good:
The Rigoletto is definately the best of the bunch, though some quiver
at the sound of a fishcow doing Verdi. Scotto and Bergonzi should
encourage anyone to tolerate fishcow if he grates on their ears
though.
The Trovatore under Serafin has been a stable in the DG catalog since
it was first released. I've seen it resurface on CD in at least 4
different packagings prior to this one. Bergonzi and Cossotto are
quite memorable and warrant repeated listening.
I really like the Don Carlos, with Boris Christoff. The supporting
cast may not be as good as the EMI recordings with Christoff and the
same conductor, but the sound is much better. Many find Santini's
direction uninspired. I beg to differ. He lets teh singers provide teh
inspiration.
I've also always like Abbado.s Bocanegra, though I would never part
with the Gobbi/Serafin EMI set.
Abbado's MacBeth is very fine. Not quite as intense as Muti, but
Abbado brings out more subtlety in the score.
So-So:
Abbado's Aida never catchers fire.
The Votto Traviata isn't bad, but there's many finer recordings for
next-to-nothing.
Dreadful:
The Ballo is one of the worst opera recordings I've ever heard. If you
buy the set, do yourself a favor and destroy the Ballo disks before
you're even remotely tempted to play them (or some one else does).
Especially if you own fine audio gear. Fine audio equipment should
never be made to play the likes of this. That's downright abusive.
pgaron
> On Jul 8, 5:25 pm, pgaron <pga...@my-deja.com> wrote:
>
> > Any opinions on the quality of the opera performances included in this
> > DG 21-CD budget box set?
>
> >http://www.arkivmusic.com/albumpage/219809-E556-5
>
> > pgaron
>
> Good, sometimes very good:
>
> The Rigoletto is definately the best of the bunch, though some quiver
> at the sound of a fishcow doing Verdi. Scotto and Bergonzi should
> encourage anyone to tolerate fishcow if he grates on their ears
> though.
I had to think about that "fishcow" for a bit before it finally
dawned on me! I'm slow on the uptake.
Thanks for your comments on the various performances.
pgaron
Randy Lane
Like other similar Universal issues, I'm pretty sure the set does not
have any librettos. And Universal doesn't even give you a CD-Rom with
the texts, or allow you access to texts and commentaris via the
internet. If you do not own librettos/translations, that could be a
factor too.
A good box to supplement and existing collection, but probably not
good a a main staple. I say the same for the 44 CD Complete Mozart
Opera set Decca (another Universal affiliate) just released. And I
know it will be true of the 20 CD Dorati Haydn opera set coming next
month.
I think EMI had a similar Verdi set out a few years ago, but with
complete booklets/etc. From recollection that set was far more
interesting artiistically also.,
JAC
texts for the operas.
The best:
RIGOLETTO would be my vote for the all-round best recording of the
opera. (And yes, I'm unrepentant about admiring the Fischer-Dieskau
Rigoletto, even though the voice is of an unconventional structure for
the role.) Kubelik conducts in an absolutely idiomatically "right" way
(definitely not of the "look how different I am and what unexpected
details I've found!" school, thank goodness), nobody does it better.
And the rest of the cast -- Scotto, Bergonzi, Cossotto -- is
irreproachable.
MACBETH is certainly a contender for most recommendable recording,
though others will prefer others. But I love Abbado's strong,
colorful, atmospheric approach and Verrett's lean, musical Lady M.
SIMON BOCCANEGRA won awards when it first came out, partly because it
was (many of us felt) the first studio recording of the work without
disastrous flaws. One might quibble with the weight of Freni's &
Carrerras's voices vis a vis their roles, or with the depth of
Cappuccilli's involvement, but overall it's awfully good.
The good:
TROVATORE is not in my top 2 or 3, but it's a solid job with some
intriguing elements: the appealing voice and style of Stella, the
promise of the young Cossotto, the idiomatic slancio of Bergonzi and
Bastianini, the unexpected fire of the veteran Serafin's conducting.
The not-bad:
TRAVIATA? we've certainly had worse. It's not a travesty, but honestly
I can't get excited about it. I even feel as if Scotto (at this early
stage) ought to be more interesting than she is, and Bastianini is
pretty brutal with the cantabile.
AIDA has been surpassed by other recordings in a number of ways. This
is probably the best of Domingo's 4 recordings of Radamas, at least.
Never heard 'em:
BALLO, CARLO, REQUIEM
JAC
Simon Roberts
JAC says...
>Never heard 'em:
>
>BALLO, CARLO, REQUIEM
I agree re the ones you have heard. I don't think I've heard the Ballo or Carlo
either (if I have, I can't remember anything about them), but I have heard the
Requiem, which I wouldn't recommend. Aside from an exciting Dies Irae (but
then, how often do you hear a performance that isn't?), Abbado's conducting is
pretty dull throughout (his best recording of this piece is probably the
Edinburgh Festival video featuring Margaret Price looking at who-knows-what off
to the side during most of her solos) and the choral singing is dominated by a
ragged mess of sloppy vibrato. Some of the soloists turn in good performances
(I vaguely recall some lovely quiet singing from Ricciarelli), but most can be
found in better contexts than this.
Simon