"If you really want to hear some great stuff, and understand Aida in one of it's best records, you must listen to this one. The cast is really the best, first with the great Franco Correlli, performing with a master technique a role that is perfectly suited for his voice; Birgit Nilsson, with this big theater voice that develops Aida with great form and the great Mario Sereni, just the best Amonasro. Zubin Mehta, passionate as always. An Aida that will make your Collection a golden one."
Exceptional Aida
Chrysorrhoas | Ft. Laud, FL USA | 06/23/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"My opinion of this recording is biased because I was fortunate to sit through two days of rehearsals for a production of Aida that Maestro Mehta conducted "way back when..." Ms. Bumbry, who was also singing the part of Amneris in that production, was introduced to the orchestra by the Maestro as "Soprano" Grace Bumbry although opera houses at the time still referred to her as a "Mezzo soprano".
What makes this recording exceptional is its well-tempered even-ness: the voices are properly matched, the orchestra sound is intense but not overwhelming unlike the HVKarajan recording, and Tenor Corelli sings and splendidly ends the aria, Celeste Aida, as Composer Verdi wrote it and intended to be sung.
"
Grand Opera at its grandest
Michael F. Burdick | Chino Valley, AZ, United States | 08/20/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was lucky enough to purchase this performance as part of EMI's "Black Dog Opera Library" about 10 years ago. This came with a terrific booklet that contained everything about the opera, the performers, the libretto, etc., with color photos. It is a shame that EMI stopped this Black Dog Opera Library.
As for the performance, it is almost Wagnerian in mood. At the very beginning of the opera I could swear I was listening to Parsifal instead of Aida. I am a big fan of Zubin Mehta's conducting, and this performance should tell you why! All of the voices here are BIG and intense. If I must find something to criticize, it would be that Birgit Nilsson has too strong of a voice for a "slave girl". There are moments when she is a bit overpowering, and even slightly out of tune. But, I can only agree with the other reviewers that this is really a wonderful performance from beginning to end."
Verdi's Myth Comes to Life
Monica | Romania | 05/02/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A beautifully conducted Aida, which is rare, indeed: would you believe that the orchestral parts are made to sound like symphony? One of the atypical instances when the listener does not get bored and does not jump to the next track during the ballet scenes when listening to the CD, not watching the show.
Also Zubin Mehta belongs to a very small group of conductors who understand the importance of the Temple Scene. Here many conductors rush on, or do not place enough emphasis on the scene, apparently trying to get rid of it asap! Perhaps sometimes because they don't have the right singers to do it, as it is an extremely difficult moment. But this rendition is different.
Here, Verdi created his own mythology, it doesn't mater that he used the names of Egyptian gods throughout: both he and the librettist seem to have known little about Egypt, but aesthetically, this is a crowning achievement. Verdi, relying on singularly impressive lyrics, which is something usually unheard of at the opera, used his means (voices, harmony, modes) to beget the prayer to the creator god: "Vita dell'universo, Mito d'eterno amor" (life of the universe, myth of eternal love), "fuoco increato" (uncreated fire), "Tu che dal nulla hai tratto L'onde, la terra, il ciel" (Thou who hast created water, earth, and heaven out of nothingness). A crucial scene, in a splendid rendition, placing emphasis on Verdi's harmony and melodic line, bringing forth the sacredness. Although the chorus is a bit too loud by the end.
Wagnerian soprano Birgit Nilsson must have made enormous efforts, sometime successful, to master the role of Aida, aware that she was up against Franco Corelli. She does sing some beautiful notes, but she is very boring in "Ritorna vincitor" and in "Qui Radames verra . . . O, patria mia." In the Tomb Scene, she sings a beautiful "il ciel" (heaven) (G flat in piano), but without consonants in "Volano al raggio dell'eterno di" ([the wandering souls] are taking flight to the resplendence of eternal glow): she sounds "v....aaaaaa dell'eterno di," but the high notes, especially the B flat, are excellent.
Franco Corelli sings here one of his signature roles, with a very good rendition of the tremendously difficult "Celeste Aida," doing Verdi's morendo on the final B flat. The Tomb Scene is sung a bit unusually, with a more lyric voice. He sounds desperate in "dolor" (suffering) and does his diminuendi on "raggio" and "eterno di."
Mario Sereni is less impressive and not very nuanced in the terribly difficult and crucial role of Amonasro, and Grace Bumbry is too light for Amneris, a dramatic role she should not have tackled. And do not expect to hear Amneris' desperation when she warns Radames against the horrible fate awaiting him and blames herself for her jealousy. But at least in the Tomb Scene, she sounds good, singing a soft prayer, not with brutal and/or dark sounds as some mezzo sopranos tend to.
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Excellent Overall
F. Rupert | 04/09/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Aida must be the hardest of all operas to cast and record. Certainly it seems to throw record producers for a loop. Every recording has its issues, especially in balances. Don Carlo, which presents most of the same challenges, has fared much better in the studio. The 1970 RCA Price/Domingo/Leinsdorf Aida set should have been glorious, and in some ways it is, but it has a weird acoustic that no incarnation, LP or CD, ever overcame. It makes me kind of crazy to hear it.
I like this Mehta/Nilsson/Corelli Aida because it solves the balance problems quite well, and has a good cast. As one reviewer notes, Nilsson may be too heroic for the slave girl, but what a thrill to hear her sail into "Ritorna, vincitor" ! She has more volume to carry over the orchestra without forcing than any other recorded Aida, but she also scales things back very sensitively when she needs to. Her tomb scene is fine. Corelli seems to be a singer many love or hate. He sings his role well and has the stuff to carry through in the climaxes, but I don't find his basic timbre especially attractive. I like Bumbry a lot as Amneris, although she did developed the role more by the Leinsdorf Aida.
This recording is a fine Aida and you won't go wrong with it. The sound is excellent, by the way."
Track Listings (26) - Disc #1