Today

Back2Back Opera

In our back2back opera session which starts round noon we have some very interesting and wonderful treats...

Verdi
La Traviata
With: Pilar Lorengar, Giacomo Aragall, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Dir: Lorin Maazel.

Talk about something whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This recording is something of an odd paradox. It has tended to be rather overlooked by distributors, somewhat dismissed by critics - and adored by music lovers. The recording was made while this cast was in the midst of of a run of performances in Berlin - and it shows. Though a studio set, an immediacy and frisson of live performance crackles throughout. Lorengar's fluttery vibrato is not to all tastes, DFD is not, in the eyes of many, a Verdi singer. But somehow, Lord, this all just works, and works beautifully. The baritone's timbre reeks of patrician elegance, which, as contrasted with Lorengar's earthy timbre, makes the class conflict of the second act achingly true. Her Violetta is heartfelt and heartbreaking and Aragall's dark, manly timbre makes for a deeply satisfying Alfredo. The comprimari are delightful. The conducting is propulsive, alive, and dramatically resonant throughout. One can point to all sorts of deficits (with validity) to each vocal and instrumental contribution, however although individual elements are not each in of themselves the best out there the end result here is, oddly, what is possibly the most enjoyable overall of the many recordings of the opera. Certainly one can point to a number of other classic sets, with more idiomatic casts. One can adore Callas, Scotto, Sills, Cotrubas, Zeani (and I do, all of them) or the superior leadership offered by the Serafins, Mutis, Karajans and Kleibers of the world; but if I had to grab one Traviata as I ran from a burning building, it just might be this one. An excellent set and one of my top favorite opera recordings.

 Donizetti 
Anna Bolena 
With: Elena Suliotis, Marilyn Horne, Nicolai Ghiaurov Dir: Silvio Varviso.

I think of Suliotis as of somebody else than "the new Callas" of the years 1965-1971, as she was sort of hailed at that time. Yes, she did sing several famous Callas roles and yes, she shared a good deal of Callas' artistic temperament, but I think that she deserves an independent appraisal, in which her voice and singing should be evaluated for their intrinsic qualities - good and bad. Suliotis was an unusually exciting, energetic and involved singer with a lovely and generally smoothly produced dramatic soprano timbre, most fabulous contralto-like low notes, a certain degree of vocal agility, an often brilliant knife-like attack on high notes, and a most luminous and exquisite pianissimo singing in which notes, superbly linked together and produced with absolute purity, sounded like an aural equivalent of a delicate string of finest pearls exuding a life of their own. Her dynamic shading was no less impressive, and the often noble and touching character she was able to bring to music, the fiery artistic temperament and vivid involvement with text should never be discounted.

On the other hand, she did lack a proper bel canto technique (inability to trill, uneasy and studied passagework, lack of polish or even precision in melismas, etc.) or a solid vocal training, for that matter. At times, one can clearly hear that notes are not certainly placed or ideally focused, she lacks good breath control and thus tend to "chop" certain long phrases, the tone can sound hollow and glassy, without proper support (especially in the middle register), the top is occasionally wiry and edgy, some of the high notes are unabashedly scooped... and so on. However, in my personal view, these flaws are generally balanced by the many rare qualities Suliotis generously displayed in her all too brief prime. Few singers have had that particular type of sound matched with an unusual artistic temperament - the soprano was a rara avis indeed - so, in retrospect, one should perhaps be more tolerant of the shortcomings.

It is such a pity that she burnt out so quickly. But I guess this was the price to pay, and I am almost convinced that, for her at least, there really was no other way.

Puccini
La Fanciulla Del West
With:  Birgit Nilsso, Joao Gibin, Andrea .Mongelli. Dir. Lovro Von Matacic.

In terms of recording and vocal quality, this 1959 Fanciulla is exemplary.The role of Minnie suited Nilsson. This role is very difficult and loaded with high notes. These high notes are child play for Nilsson.For power and vocal gleam Nilsson has no peers. Joao Gibin as Dick Johnson sings with accuracy,style and passion. Sparks between Nilsson and Gibin are great. Andrea Mongelli in the role of Jack Rance is strong. Mongelli has a beautifull voice and is an exellent singing actor. Lovro von Matacic account of the orchestral score is excellent and "Bravo " to the Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scalla. I will be clinging and playing this recording often. EMI is to be congratulated and commended for finally reisuing this superb recording.

Berg
Wozzek
With: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Evelyn Lear, Karl Böhm.

This great, classic studio recording of Berg's first opera. I love the Mahlerian score, especially as presented in such a sympathetic recording. The warmth of both Bohm's conducting and Fischer-Deiskau's wonderful voice, and the chemistry of the two principles still comes through forty years later. True, Fischer-Deiskau is perhaps too sane and vocally balanced for his part,but his performance is still one of the greatest because of the genius of his vocal coloring. Though both Abbado and Barenboim present more of the complex inner voices of the score more successfully in their live recordings, this studio version still holds its own due to the great performers and because the studio mix balances the voices with the orchestra perfectly, allowing us to hear all the vocal parts even in the loudest moments. See Werner Herzog's film of WOYZEK for an interesting presentation of the original play by Georg Buchner.


Night Music
Apart from the complete works for piano of Mompou and Enescu we have a spcial opera treat.

Wagner
Lohengrin
Live from Berlin 1942
With: Fraz Völker, Maria Müller, Margarete Klose, Ludwig Hofmann Dir: Robert Hege.

Enjoy...