Recommend recording -- Verdi -- Rigoletto
j (Yeah just a letter, deal with it.)
of Verdi's Rigoletto. E-mail it please.
Thanks,
j
Leonard Tillman
LT
"A spoon cannot know the taste of soup, nor a learned fool the taste of
wisdom. "
Dan
Yes I know a lot of people here hate it. I think it's the best out there and
the tempos are perfect, the high notes are placed only on the appropriate
arias (the Duke's mostly) and Cotrubas is the best Gilda ever. The music is
dark and dramatic and there is a lot of substance to this Rigoletto, not
just pretty singing.
Dan
"j (Yeah just a letter, deal with it.)" <jamesm...@attbi.com> wrote in
message news:dhGx9.97027$wG.3...@rwcrnsc51.ops.asp.att.net...
Mike Richter
Rubberband Girl
Anna di Stasio and Agostino Ferrin. The weak link is Ferrin's Sparafucile, but
everyone else is fantastic.
Rubberband Girl
Matthew B. Tepper
letters to be typed in news:3DC75402...@cpl.net:
> "j (Yeah just a letter, deal with it.)" wrote:
>>
>> I would appreciate some input. I would like a recommendation of a
>> recording of Verdi's Rigoletto. E-mail it please.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> j
>
> Stracciari, Borgioli, Capsir.
Great singing, but silly woodblock (representing Gilda banging on the
door to the inn) in the final act. ;--)
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
My personal home page -- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/index.html
My main music page --- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/berlioz.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
Top 3 worst UK exports: Mad-cow; Foot-and-mouth; Charlotte Church
David7Gable
>It has a great Duca, a great *singing* Rigoletto and a good Gilda.
Merrill is a singing Rigoletto with a gorgeous voice, but not an especially
insightful, musical, or distinctively acting one. And he's in fresher voice
under Perlea with Bjoerling. What ruins this set for me, though, is Solti's
unnuanced and unidiomatic if industrial strength conducting.
-david gable
David7Gable
I've always been curious about this set, since I admire all three principals.
I think all three could have turned in stunning accounts of their roles at
their best and in their primes. But are MacNeil and Gedda really still in
optimal vocal condition here? If they really are--and others on this newsgroup
have ventured to say they aren't--I really need to hear it.
-david gable
David7Gable
If I could only live with one Rigoletto--God forbid!--it would probably be the
RCA set with Berger, Merriman, Peerce, Warren, and Tajo with Renato Cellini
conducting. My main reason for preferring this set is Cellini's dynamic and
flexible (within bounds) conducting, but the cast strikes me as well nigh
ideal. But then so do a number of other performers of each of the principal
roles. (Rigoletto has been lucky on records of both studio and live
performances.) I would hate to be without Bjoerling's Duke from the 1940's
live Met Rigoletto under Sodero (or his RCA recording, for that matter),
Gueden's Gilda from the Decca set under Erede (still haven't gotten around to
picking up the live New Orleans set with Warren and Gueden), Taddei and Neri on
Cetra, the Kubelik set despite my reservations about Fi-Di's Rigoletto, etc.
Then there are Stracciari, Borgioli, and Capsir. Callas-Di Stefano-Gobbi looks
better on paper than it is: Serafin is a bit past it and insufficiently
animated, and Di Stefano shows signs of more strain than I like. What a pity!
Only a few years earlier and he would easily have been the best imaginable
Duke. I'll have to settle for Pavarotti, Bjoerling, and Peerce.
-david gable
Leonard Tillman
>Great singing, but silly woodblock
> (representing Gilda banging on the door to
> the inn) in the final act. ;--)
There is that flaw, - but when reaching that scene, you can always
supply your own specal-effects (not too loudly, - avoid neighbors'
complaints.) I reccommend a naturally hollowed troll-noggin, struck by
a croquet mallet repeatedly for five minutes minimum.
That having been said, I'd get the Peerce/Berger/Warren on a Naxos
cd.
(And the Stracciari/Borgioli/Capsir.)
Elizabeth Hubbell
>
[Geof.Riggs writes]
A very useful retrospective from Mr. Gable. I'm sure "j" will find it
quite helpful. Thanks.
For me, there are two sets front and center that I now regard as head
and shoulders above the others: in chronological order, the Cellini and
the Serafin.
Cellini imparts rare energy and naturalness to all the phrasing, and,
since he has two sterling voices in Warren and Berger, it's fortunate
that his conducting enhances their "straight-ahead" vocalism, which
manages to combine expressive spontaneity with genuine musicality.
The Serafin set may catch this distinguished maestro in somewhat too
reflective a mode for some, but, contrasting as it does with Cellini's
approach, I still find it just as valid in its own way. I find a wealth
of insight in this set, all of which strikes me as emotionally honest,
frankly. No question Gobbi and Callas are more "thought-through" than
Warren and Berger, but I find them no less moving for that. In fact,
Gobbi's Rigoletto is one of the most searing and emotionally naked
readings I know. Its inspired intimacy is its greatest asset, IMO. The
character stands before us as a unique individual with Gobbi, whereas
Warren makes of it a primal archetype. Both are thrilling.
Both sets have stirred me deeply, but, in the final analysis, the
alchemy between father and daughter in the Callas/Gobbi is so
affectingly real, IMO, that this Serafin would probably remain my main
choice. Clearly, it's regrettable that both sets have some of the
traditional cuts of their time, and the choice in Dukes constitutes a
tough face-off between a sternly disciplined musician in superb shape
with an effective but not too sensuous voice (Peerce on the Cellini) and
one of the vocal wonders of the past century in uneven form (Di Stefano
on the Serafin). But the dash--however sloppy--of the latter doesn't
fit that badly, IMO, with the highly fleshed-out stage picture of the
Serafin set as a whole, which I find a triumph of enacted narrative.
To "j" I would say that the glory of these two sets is that each one
succeeds in projecting a self-contained musical/dramatic world with no
serious distractions from the drama itself. That is an accomplishment
that no other set has quite pulled off, IMO. (A few others have come
awfully close, but the Kubelik, a brilliant reading, for example,
founders on an overly manipulated reading of the title role that, IMO,
falls into the self-conscious trap that Gobbi manages to avoid, while
the Molajoli, with Stracciari one of the finest protagonists ever,
founders on an abrasive Gilda, IMO, while the earlier "live" Warren set
on Naxos with an incandescent Sayao and Bjoerling, founders on sup-par
choral work, IMO, so crucial in this opera, and so it goes.)
I wish I could say that I find any of the more recent uncut sets
competitive in this respect of a self-consistent dramatic world, but I
frankly don't. Sure, the Solti and the Bonynge sets are O.K., with no
downright disastrous flaws, IMO, but they won't keep you on the edge of
your seat the way I find both the Cellini and the Serafin can do.
My two cents,
Geoffrey Riggs
www.operacast.com
[courtesy cc of this r.m.o. response also sent to "j"]
David7Gable
>woodwinds, so I it's for Callas admirers rather than for a first
>recommendation.
Oh, I agree. Serafin really is a disappointment there. He still knows what
he's doing, but the energy of the early Ballo or Requiem are gone.
.>I guess Solti is hard to beat in
>his care for details.
That's precisely where I could not agree less. His phrasing is overly smooth
and slick, and he hardly inflects when phrasing at all. He certainly doesn't
dig in deep and etch Verdi's phrases as they unfold. You may not mind that.
You may like it. But to say he cares for details of phrasing . . . you must be
talking about some other Solti.
-david gable
David7Gable
Geoffrey, I'm as big an admirer of both Gobbi and Warren as you are, but don't
you think there are others in their league as well? Taddei, for example.
By the way, I'm glad to see that somebody else appreciates Renato Cellini and
for the same reasons I do. As for Serafin, I disagree to this extent: I don't
think the comparative slackness of the Callas-Gobbi set is entirely due to an
introspective approach. I think it's an unfortunate consequence of Serafin's
aging. Somewhere in the mid-50's, his performances lost a lot of the vitality
they had always had. Still, his performance on the Callas-Gobbi set has its
virtues. Distinctive phrasing of a kind that has long since vanished for one.
One thing I will say in defense of the Bonynge set: Pavarotti!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-david gable
Mitchell Kaufman
> Geoffrey, I'm as big an admirer of both Gobbi and Warren as you are, but
> don't you think there are others in their league as well? Taddei, for
> example.
I'm not Geoffrey (last I checked), but I'll chime in here anyway.
I recently bought the Warner-Fonit reissue of Taddei, Pagliughi,
Tagliavini (Questa is the conductor, IIRC). It sounds good. They do a
nice job on the Cetra stuff.
It seems that Taddei was having trouble with his high register even as
far back as the early '50s. That said, he's probably no worse in that
regard than Gobbi, and he gives a vivid performance. The rest of his
voice is rich and expressive.
With Tagliavini, it's the usual good news-bad news. The good news is
when he can coo softly in that Gigli-esque half-voice. The bad news
is...when he can't.
Pagliughi, I'm afraid, is past it. Neri's Sparafucile is tremendous. The
conducting and playing is pedestrian.
> By the way, I'm glad to see that somebody else appreciates Renato Cellini
> and for the same reasons I do. As for Serafin, I disagree to this extent:
> I don't think the comparative slackness of the Callas-Gobbi set is
> entirely due to an introspective approach. I think it's an unfortunate
> consequence of Serafin's aging. Somewhere in the mid-50's, his
> performances lost a lot of the vitality they had always had. Still, his
> performance on the Callas-Gobbi set has its virtues. Distinctive phrasing
> of a kind that has long since vanished for one.
Among the Warren sets, I prefer the '45 Met broadcast, where he's in
optimal voice, and Bjoerling is simply terrific. Good sound on Naxos,
too (and I like Sodero's conducting). Nothing wrong with Cellini, but
I'm just not a Jan Peerce fan.
I'm afraid I just can't get into the Gobbi, Callas, and it's mainly
because of di Stefano, who bawls his way through. It's not even so much
a case of vocal deterioration (though by the time this was recorded, the
rot had set in) as it is of slovenliness and bad choices; he comes up
just about as short on the Callas Mexico City performance from '52, when
he should've had the role in his pocket. (He flats on the final high
note in "La donna e mobile" in both the first attempt *and* the encore.)
> One thing I will say in defense of the Bonynge set: Pavarotti!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's probably the best compromise among the stereo sets, but that's not
saying much.
MK
Elizabeth Hubbell
>
> Geoffrey, I'm as big an admirer of both Gobbi and Warren as you are, but don't
> you think there are others in their league as well? Taddei, for example.
[Geof.Riggs writes]
I hear you. Certainly, there are not one but three interpreters who are
in the Gobbi/Warren league: Taddei, Tibbett and Stracciari.
But Taddei is saddled with conducting (Questa's) that--IMHO--is nowhere
near as distinctive as either Cellini's or Serafin's, Tibbett is in
so-so sound with a humdrum Duca in '35 (Jagel, who's certainly O.K.,
but.......) and missing patches in the transcription or with a better
Duca in '39 (Kiepura) on a completely intact aircheck with even worse
sound(!), and Stracciari, as I've indicated previously, seems stuck with
an uninviting (IMO) Gilda.
Two protagonists vie, as vocalists, at the
Gobbi/Warren/Taddei/Tibbett/Stracciari level: Bastianini and Merrill.
But, although I find both of them to be sincere and feeling singers, by
no means cold or indifferent, they still lack the variety and sense of
adventure the other five bring to this, IMO. Still and all, the
Bastianini interpretation is found on a solid enough set in general
under the always energized Gavazzeni, while the Merrill interpretation
is found respectably conducted by Perlea with a Bjoerling in
uncharacteristically so-so voice (for more on Bjoerling, see below) or
unidiomatically conducted by Solti with a Duca (Kraus, also found on the
Gavazzeni) who is expert enough with the music but tonally, IMO,
unseductive.
> One thing I will say in defense of the Bonynge set: Pavarotti!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh absolutely, that's one of his finest recordings, no question. I
suppose, though, that my own preference among Dukes would be Bjoerling,
who, *in* *'45(!)*, is also found in more congenial company than
Pavarotti is in the Bonynge set--generally creditable as the Bonynge
lineup is.
I referred to my finding Bjoerling quite disappointing on the Perlea,
but, IMO, he is utterly breathtaking on the Sodero broadcast from '45!
In referring to this set previously, with its strong lineup of
Warren/Sayao/Bjoerling, I mentioned its somewhat slapdash choral work,
which cannot measure up to the Robert Shaw Chorale on the Cellini or the
La Scala chorus on the Serafin. But this '45 aircheck shows all its
three principals in fine form, IMO.
Pavarotti's Duke is excellent, but Bjoerling's '45 Duke remains
incomparable, IMO.
BTW, I keenly recall that you also much admire Jan Peerce's Duke on the
Cellini set.
I'd like to take the liberty, if I may, of following up on an exchange
we had some while back concerning Peerce's and Bjoerling's Duke.
Perhaps, you may not have had time to offer further reflections at the
time, but there was a piquant suggestion you made that I frankly found
irresistable;-): compare Peerce and Bjoerling in some passage from this
role. I hope you may have the opportunity this time to offer some
reflections on what emerged for me as most salient when comparing these
two artists, both in fully representative vocal form, in the opening
recitative introducing the "Parmi veder":
==============================================================
David7Gable wrote:
>
> [Geoff. Riggs writes]
> > I
> >only wish [Peerce]. didn't seem (to me anyway) so relatively monochromatic,
> >compared to the dazzling kaleidoscope of color I personally find in
> >Bjoerling.
>
David7Gable wrote:
> I'm not sure what you mean by a dazzling kaleidoscope of color. I like Peerce
> and Bjoerling both enormously--they're certainly among my very favorite
> tenors--but I wouldn't describe either one of them as exhibiting a dazzling
> kaleiodscope of color. Can't think of whom I would so describe either. If
> anything, Bjoerling's sound is smoothly consistent. I certainly don't hear "a
> greater range of shading" in Bjoerling. As usual, though, we're up against the
> limits of this sort of forum. What you need is a couple of bars of sung music
> so that you could point to just exactly what it is that you mean. Not that
> you're going to talk me into disliking Peerce!
[Geof. Riggs writes]
I concede the smooth and unbroken delivery of Bjoerling. So for
"color" I should, perhaps, have simply stayed with "shading" instead
and left it at that. For in truth, what dazzles me is a wider range of
nuance anyway. That does not necessarily translate to keener
commitment as such. There seems, in fact, more urgency, for one thing,
in Peerce (thanks to the superb Cellini?). But urgency is one thing and
nuance is another.
Granted, "shading", rather than "color", takes away from something
purely innate and suggests something more conscious instead. But I am
not unhappy with such a trade. You see, unlike Mr. Gable, I do indeed
hear a greater range of shading in Bjoerling, although, like Mr. Gable,
I also feel that both tenors have left us fine readings of this role and
both are heard at or near their best in these two sets--which makes it a
fair comparison, thank goodness.
I still don't feel that it's hard to show that Bjoerling brings a
greater range of shading to this music. I deliberately opened the score
at random to see whether I'd land in the middle of some passage for the
Duke. The first try landed me in the middle of a choral passage, but
the second landed me in the middle of the Duke's opening recitative to
his "Parmi veder", opening Act II. I immediately played both B's and
P's renditions of this recitative. Here's what I heard:
Both B. and P. practically catapult themselves into the opening words of
"Ella mi fu rapita". There's lots of energy in both artists here. It's
what develops out of that which gets so fascinating.
At "E dove ora sara", Bjoerling makes a more abrupt switch from a
primarily declamatory stance to one where tenderness gains the upper
hand, marked by a suave legato at "angiol caro", "in questo core",
"costanti affetti", and so on. This happens hand-in-hand with a
not-too-pronounced-but-certainly-present-and-accounted-for softening of
dynamics, resulting in a gradually more and more inward delivery, until
finally he seems to project a deep respect, almost a quasi-stillness, at
"spinto a virtu", ending with the words "talor mi credo" emerging quite
meditatively.
Peerce retains much of the crispness of the opening lines in these
phrases. He is still so agitated by finding Gilda missing that the
ensuing reflections that seem to exert such a calming effect on
Bjoerling only bring on more anguish in Peerce's case. It is certainly
highly compelling in Peerce's case, and the heightened anguish does not
preclude a heightened legato in Peerce's case as well. But a word like
"questo" in "questo core" emerges marginally more emphatic in this kind
of delivery than in the Bjoerling option. Moreover, it results in less
of a contrast, since Peerce is tying the keenness of these sentiments
closer to the near-outrage at the opening of the recit--outrage at "his"
conquest being snatched from him. Not ineffective nor unfelt, but less
contrasted. Sung this way, the words "spinto a virtu" become as
crackling as the Duke's words at his entrance. There is moreover, no
appreciable softening of dynamics, and the turn on "cre..." of "credo"
is hearty enough to accomodate an aspirate.
Bjoerling veritably startles when roaring back for the second "Ella mi
fu rapita". Especially surprising, after such suave phrases, is the
emphatic raised pitch on "...di..." of "ardiva". Then, after a quite
emphatic "vendetta", Bjoerling's sudden piano for "Lo chiede il pianto"
seems to convey a world of tender comfort and pity for the absent
beloved. One can legitimately question whether or not the Duke, a cad
anyway, should be expected to project such abrupt changes of
sensibility, leading almost to the supposition that, amidst all the
Duke's predatory urges, he can also care deeply for another human
being. But the cabaletta "Possente amor" (and, yes, the cabaletta is
missing, as usual at this time, from both these recordings) makes it
clear that the Duke is, in fact, more taken with Gilda--takes her
(marginally) more seriously--than with most of his conquests.
Moreover, I stated that I was dazzled with Bjoerling in this
performance, and I meant it. It is rather breathtaking just
experiencing the many shifts of mood Bjoerling is distilling out of this
music. It is a tour-de-force not least because this recitative can come
off as quite frantic (it is also quite brief), making it all the more
remarkable that, amidst all this vocal fury at Gilda's disappearance, a
singer can have the sheer discipline to still pull off immacculate
pianissimi and changes of mood on a dime. I recognize that a number of
the later Bjoerling recordings, not least the Perlea Rigoletto, hardly
suggest this kind of quick-change-artist. But here, in 1945, Bjoerling
could pull this off with consummate ease.
Peerce is much more the eager rake, and, for that reason, it is just
possible that Verdi might have preferred him. I confess, though, I
simply find Bjoerling more interesting. In the close of the recitative,
Peerce is towering at "Ma ne avro vendetta", arguably more compelling
than Bjoerling here, in fact, spitting out "vendetta" like cannon
shots. This fury translates to an almost brooding "Lo chiede il
pianto", conveying implacable resolve not to let this imagined
infraction against his happiness go unpunished. Again, highly
effective, but it bears more of a family resemblance to the Duke's
opening lines than the Bjoerling treatment. Also, the dynamics do not
soften here either. Peerce has not "travelled so far", so to speak, by
the time he's ready to imagine his beloved's tears in the aria itself.
====================================================================
Cheers,
Geoffrey Riggs
www.operacast.com
[courtesy cc of this r.m.o. response also sent to David Gable]
David7Gable
>just about as short on the Callas Mexico City performance from '52, when
>he should've had the role in his pocket.
Mitchell, have you heard the live Mexico City Rigoletto with Di Stefano,
Valdengo, and Cellini? I can't remember who the soprano is, but if these three
are all on--and I admire all three of them at their best immensely--it will be
well worth hearing.
-david gable
verd...@webtv.net
Mitchell Kaufman
> Mitchell, have you heard the live Mexico City Rigoletto with Di Stefano,
> Valdengo, and Cellini? I can't remember who the soprano is, but if these
three
> are all on--and I admire all three of them at their best immensely--it will be
> well worth hearing.
Nadine Conner. I've heard excerpts. Vocally it's the best of di Stefano's three
Dukes I've heard, but what I've heard I still wouldn't exactly call "elegant;"
somehow the role brought out all his worst instincts. BTW, on the Bongiovanni di
Stefano discs, the sound of this broadcast is pretty rough and ready.
MK
David Baker
> I would appreciate some input. I would like a recommendation of a recording
> of Verdi's Rigoletto. E-mail it please.
>
Whats really interesting with the recommendations here is that they
are all very old recordings. Are there no new ones around?
it does appear to neglected by record lables compared to other verdi!
Elizabeth Hubbell
[Geoff. Riggs writes]
I would guess it comes down to the unfortunate neglect by a number of
record companies of the most viable Verdi baritones of today. Like it
or not, certain operas really do depend on one or two singers for
ultimate effectiveness, and Rigoletto is a prime example of this. The
work, in certain respects, is merely (and I don't say this pejoratively)
an odyssey for the Verdi baritone. It is *the* vehicle for the Verdi
baritone par excellence.
Today, Paolo Gavanelli and Mark Delavan are relatively obscure as
contracted artists for any serious Verdi series on a commercial label,
yet, arguably, they may be the most viable Verdi baritones today when it
comes to solid legato, steady tone, rich range of coloring, and true
economy of the breath.
I have been lucky enough to attend Gavanelli's Rigoletto in person at
the MET, and I can assure everyone, FWIW, that when the great climaxes
come in this role, Gavanelli is capable of pulling out keen and roomy
tones at the top of the baritone range without compromising legato and
genuine musical expression. He is the musician's musician, but with
technical resilience and vocal plenty to boot. He picks his spots in
terms of climaxes with artistic care, but he always musters the needed
resources for such moments with consistent success, always being the
musical actor in the process. His Rigoletto is not available
commercially, SFAIK, but his stamina in Verdi can be attested by
sampling his "live" Nabucco, recorded commercially, which I strongly
recommend to everyone here.
Delavan's recent debut at the MET as Amonasro was quite a remarkable
triumph. I spoke with a few old-timers that night, many of whom
seriously believed they had not heard such rich colors in person from a
Verdi baritone since Leonard Warren! Whatever, I can attest that his
Amonasro in person was certainly thrilling, but Amonasro lies somewhat
lower than Rigoletto and some of the other "usual-standard-issue" Verdi
baritone roles. To me, the more indicative experience was Delavan's
galvanizing Macbetto at NYCO. Here was a luxurious flow of open,
telling tone at a high tessitura the likes of which one would want in a
Rigoletto. I'm not sure whether or not Delavan has sung Rigoletto
somewhere else already, but his Macbetto that night indicated a
sovereign ease with this rep that I personally have not experienced
since the late Matteo Manuguerra (incidentally, Delavan's Trittico this
season indicated, if possible, an even roomier and freer instrument
today). Unfortunately, his presence in the current CD catalogue is even
sparser than Gavanelli's.
Two "possibles" in the role that might be nudged that way are Dwayne
Croft, whose instrument is getting richer and richer, and Thomas
Quasthoff. Imponderables lie in both directions, admittedly. Croft,
with his remarkable Rossini Figaro and his current success as Ernesto
(Pirata), seems very much geared toward the classic bel canto, while
Quasthof has yet to be heard in any Italian rep at all. But the
instruments these two artists possess are certainly tantalizing. At the
very least, they might be viable for the occasional Verdi *recording*,
if nothing else.
Dmitri Hvorostovsky's Rigoletto was recently heard "live" over the
Internet opposite Laura Claycomb's Gilda. His Act II was deeply
affecting and long-lined, with a legato and dazzling vocal coloring that
were amazingly beautiful. But he tended to over-gruff the outer acts by
a bit, IMO, perhaps as a function of his voice (and I've heard
Hvorostovsky in person, though not as Rigoletto) not having quite the
sonorousness and amplitude of a Gavanelli or a Delavan. Hvorostovsky's
presence in the CD catalogue is less sparse than Delavan's or
Gavanelli's, so some may expect him to be making some significant Verdi
recordings during his career. However, right now (and I realize that
one must never say never), even were he to cut a few more Verdi notches
on his belt, I cannot imagine Hvorostovsky's attaining quite the easy
abandon of a Gavanelli or a Delavan, notwithstanding a beautiful voice
per se.
A look at the discographies of the earlier Gavanellis and Delavans can
be startling: Stracciari (way back in the 78 era[!]), Taddei, Warren,
Gobbi, Bastianini, MacNeil, Milnes, Cappucilli, Bruson -- *all* were
granted their studio outings in Rigoletto. In fact, Merrill (and why
not?:-) garnered two! Suddenly, with Manuguerra, the companies lost
interest--or conscientiousness, since the occasional sets continued
coming out with second-stringers (IMO) like Nucci and Weikl. The
neglect of Manuguerra's Rigoletto by the record companies was a real
shame, and it looks as if Gavanelli's may now share the same fate
(although a DVD has now come out with, apparently, a lot of "techie"
gremlins:-(
This has been a long answer to a short question. But the bottom line is
that the great (and potentially great) Verdi baritones of today are not
being invited to the recording studios with the alacrity of yore, IMO.
Whether this is out of simple disinterest (by the recording companies),
outright ignorance, stupidity in the actual choosing of constant
second-stringers, more unfavorable marketing conditions in general,
whatever, remains a whole other topic. Pertinent to this thread is
purely the apparent fact that more recording doors were open to those
born to do a superb Rigoletto a generation or so ago than to those, like
Gavanelli and Delavan, eminently capable of equalling such achievements
today. As I say, a shame.
Cordially,
Geoffrey Riggs
www.operacast.com
Roger White
<<What's really interesting with the recommendations here is that they
are all very old recordings. Are there no new ones around?>>
Sure, but so what; the old ones are better.
Think good wine.
~ Roger
Elizabeth Hubbell
[Geoff. Riggs writes]
In all candor, I cannot agree. While I might be the first to single out
the Warren/Cellini and the Gobbi/Serafin as the most satisfying
all-round sets, I believe the newer "wines" are simply not being
properly "distributed" (see my previous posting).
Respectfully,
Geoffrey Riggs
www.operacast.com
L2131
Leonard Tillman
>Philips recording conducted by Sinopoli, with
> Bruson, Gruberova and Shicoff.
Beautifully sung by three fine principals, but IIRC, this version is
come scritto (a la Muti).
A drawback to those wanting the customary
"interpolated highs".
LT
"The aristocrat is the democrat ripe, and gone to seed. "
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Roger White
I don't have this one, but I'm pretty sure I've heard it. My impression
was, really fie performances from all the leads (Shicoff is terrific);
and interesting, basically satisfying conducting - *with one exception*:
as I recall, the "Si, Vendetta" duet is taken at an almost grotesquely
slow tempo, the slowest I've ever heard anywhere. Only in the final
musical coda do things pick up. Thought it darn near ruined an
otherwise very nice recording.
BTW, does anybody know what Verdi's markings are in regard to this duet?
My personal notion is that it should indeed, begin slowly, then
gradually increase, so that the final phrases are really fast and
furious.
Wonderfully exciting curtain to the act.
~ Roger
Roger White
<<...really fie performances...>>
I haven't gone medieval - just writing when I should have been in bed
asleep.
:-)
~Roger
David7Gable
Yes. According to the critical edition published by Ricordi/University of
Chicago Press, "Si, vendetta" is marked Allegro vivo, its coda, Poco piu mosso.
In other words the coda should be played slightly more rapidly, but no gradual
accelerando is indicated.
-david gable
Roger White
I bow to Verdi's concept of the duet.
But I still think Sinopoili's sluggish tempo of this urgent dialogue was
not what the Maestro could have had in mind. Other than that though, an
above average recording, IMO.
~ Roger
Leonard Tillman
>Thanks, David.
>~ Roger
Fine recording, that. -- But in the duet, the pairing of Gino Bechi
and Lyana Grani is unsurpassed.
Others (Stracciari/Capsir, Bastianini/Scotto, Warren/Berger, and a
handful more) can, at best, approach or equal the intensity.
LT
Richard Loeb
"Leonard Tillman" <tapef...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:20941-3DC...@storefull-2278.public.lawson.webtv.net...
Leonard Tillman
>Where is that recording - I am a Bechi fan
> "Leonard Tillman" <tapef...@webtv.net>
> wrote in message
>news:20941-3DCB5124-304@storefull-2278.p
>ublic.lawson.webtv.net...
>From: comes...@hotmail.com (Roger
> White)
>Thanks, David.
>I bow to Verdi's concept of the duet.
>But I still think Sinopoili's sluggish tempo of
> this urgent dialogue was not what the
>Maestro could have had in mind. Other than
> that though, an above average recording,
> IMO.
>~ Roger
" Fine recording, that. -- But in the duet, the pairing
of Gino Bechi and Lyana Grani is unsurpassed.
Others (Stracciari/Capsir, Bastianini/Scotto, Warren/Berger,
and a handful more) can, at best, approach or equal the intensity.
LT "
-----------------------
The Bechi/Grani "si vendetta", and "O veglia donna questa fior" duets
were on at least a couple of his rare LP-imports long ago.
I haven't yet found this "Si vendetta" duet on CD, though it most likely
exists in that format....so far eluding my google searches.
-- They weren't fruitless, however.
This album has 14 gems, including his "Quel vecchio maledivami" duet
with Tancredi Pasero (the best, IMO). :
http://shopping.yahoo.com/shop?d=product&id=1921615186&clink=dmmu.artist
LT
"A person who's polite to you, but nasty to the waitress, is not a
polite person"
David7Gable
>not what the Maestro could have had in mind.
It most certainly was not! Verdi asks for Allegro vivo and then even more at
the coda.
-david gable
Matthew B. Tepper
letters to be typed in news:LtGcneal4Zg...@comcast.com:
> Where is that recording - I am a Bechi fan
For he himself has said it, and it's greatly to his credit, that he is a
Bechi fan!
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
My personal home page -- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/index.html
My main music page --- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/berlioz.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
Top 3 worst UK exports: Mad-cow; Foot-and-mouth; Charlotte Church