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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
HIGH STAKES, 22 Feb 2008
Now that Pavarotti is singing, doubtless in a solo role, in the heavenly choir, I felt it was time to add his Trovatore to my collection, to accompany the great Rigoletto in which he also stars with Sutherland under the baton of Bonynge. At the height of Sutherland's illustrious career there were occasional murmurs of objection from those reluctant to accept her husband bundled (as they say in the software world) with her in some kind of package deal. Myself, I thought he handled Rigoletto admirably. Verdi at this particular stage is far from lacking in subtlety, but Rigoletto is not yet Falstaff, and that is even more true of Trovatore. Nuances are just not the name of the game in this wonderful opera. Trovatore is either 'in your face' or it is nothing, and Bonynge seems to me to have got the general idea very well indeed. Verdi had just been dealing with a distinctly experimental book in Rigoletto, and for all I remember he may have been looking already at an even more risky project in Traviata. Presented with a libretto that parades the whole caboodle of melodramatic Italian opera seria he probably experienced a sense of liberation and was in his element with the safer and less controversial themes of burning at the stake, incinerated infants, gipsy curses, duels to the death, suicide from a poison ring and choruses of nuns.
There are five principals in this opera, not two. Ferrando is sung by no less than Ghiaurov, his is the first voice we hear so he has to make a good impression, and unsurprisingly he performs beautifully. The Azucena is Marilyn Horne who has to satisfy our demanding standards in Stride la vampa! and the di Luna is Ingvar Wixell who has to do the same in no less than Il balen. Nothing short of alpha will do for such established and heavenly favourites, and I feel that both artists succeed rather well, in these numbers and elsewhere. Leonora is of course Sutherland, and older Verdians will know what to expect. As a technician she is little short of incredible - just listen to D'amor sull'ali to hear what I mean - but one has to be able to live with her odd diction, although at this period of her career she was at least articulating words clearly. This is a great voice, I'm in no doubt, and a great singer, but a bit of a specialised taste all the same.
Alone of the five principals Pavarotti is singing his own mother tongue. That fact conspires along with everything else that he brings to role of Manrico in creating something awesome. I am going to be replaying this great set often, I can tell, but the solo numbers that I shall look forward to most are the likes of Di quella pira and Ah si, ben mio. This is a voice among voices, a voice for the ages, but a voice used with artistry in both the dramatic and the expressive senses. The seemingly effortless power must have taken strenuous practice, but in the end this man was born to sing, and born to sing Manrico. Any slight `edge' that I might have detected round the baritone voices I do not detect in the vicinity of Pavarotti, so perhaps it wasn't the recording after all. In general the recording, from 1977, is not bad at all although one could tell that it has not been done just last year. Balance is good, the powerful ensembles at the end of each scene are in good focus, the choruses of various kinds are effective and the orchestral tone is good too. In the last analysis we are not considering a concert of soloists, with or without accompaniment, we are considering an operatic drama. It takes stamina. How often do any of the voices come down from the top fifth of their register, how much respite do they get in some scenes (notably the finales), and how often is the style anything less than strenuous? I remember how Montserrat Caballe once expressed it - `For Verdi you need so much VOICE.' This lot have it, and they know how to use it.
On a short third disc there are some ballet numbers that Verdi, ever the servant of his public, inserted for Parisian performances. On this stylistic note, it probably ought to be mentioned that Sutherland and Horne embellish their solos somewhat with occasional trills and even flourishes suggestive of mini-cadenzas. Handel would have expected this kind of thing, and I don't believe Verdi would have objected in this context, although it would not have done for Gilda much less Violetta. The full libretto is provided with English translation, and the short essay by William Weaver is given the full polyglot treatment. This essay is quite interesting and it is pleasant to find `gipsy' rightly spelt for once, but I would take respectful issue with the view that Trovatore is a `narrated' opera. Goodness me, there is plenty of stage action here. What I think Weaver means is that a newcomer to the story could usefully invest half an hour into understanding the large amount of background history that has happened off-stage. My own idea of a narrated opera is dear Smetana's Dalibor, and I recommend that earnestly to the entire opera-loving public. Get the flawed but marvellous performance from Krombholc with another great tenor, Blachut, in the title role. Smetana had, in my own opinion, real dramatic talent, but he could have done with lessons from Verdi in how to bully librettists, and sadly he had to do his best with what I call a narrated opera, one in which nothing happens.
But Pavarotti - as someone sings here `I hear a voice from heaven.'
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1 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Maestro - the ballet - now ! " , 18 Oct 2007
there are three main reasons why I recommend on this CD and version of IL TROVATORE :
1. this is IL TROVATORE ! the wonderful opera that was composed by Giuseppe Verdi. an opera with a wonderful plot and an unforgettable Music.
2. this is a wonderful, and in my opinion the best version of the opera. it features Luciano Pavarotti as Manrico, Joan Sutherland as Leonora, and Marilin Horne as Azucena. beside the wonderful singing, under the conducting of Richard Bonynge, this opera sounds really enchanting.
especially in part like ""Verdi! le fosche notturne spoglie" or in ""Di quella pira" when you can hear the pinch of the strings.
3.this version contains every single note of the opera, and furthermore, it Includes a bonus CD that contains the Ballet music that was composed by Verdi for the Paris performance of IL Trovatore in 1857.
the Ballet music was on the LP edition of this version, and was omitted on the previous edition of this version, but on this version it is included. in most of all other versions of IL Trovatore, the Ballet music is not included. and i must add, that the Ballet Music is wonderful to hear.
unfortunately, i do not find the words to complete my Review, but i must say i really recommend on this wonderful version of this wonderful Opera.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
At last!, 23 Jul 2008
Does it take the death of Pavarotti to finally reveal the greatness of this recording? He is brilliantly ardent, singing at the very height of his powers: at turns meltingly subtle and heroically sumptuous vocally. One feels there is no stopping the man. He could sometimes be unsubtle, but never here - and the golden beauty and power are unfailingly at the service of the music. Sutherland's final scenes are some of the greatest singing even she has committed to disc: ravishing tonal beauty, heart-rending projection and glorious top notes (interpolated or not - they souind right, and that's the thing). But it all hinges on the conductor in this piece and Bonynge does not disappoint. His is a very masculine, white-hot interpretation but also possessing much delicacy and inward feeling. He secures wonderful reults from his great recording orchestra. This is vintage Bonynge/Sutherland/Pavarotti/Horne, a dream team for this kind of inspired middle Verdi. The ballet extras are similarly inspired, making the reissue a top choice for anyone interested in truly great operatic red-bloodedness. Superb sound and useful notes.
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~ Giuseppe Verdi
~ Joan Sutherland
~ Gaetano Donizetti
~ Giacomo Puccini
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