Search - Zandonai, Stella, Bottion :: Conchita

Zandonai's breakthrough

Eric D. Anderson | South Bend, IN United States | 01/15/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's a pleasure to have this work available in a commercial release. It's a beautiful, well made verismo opera by a composer of great skill and imagination, and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves verismo. Unfortunately, it's hard for me to judge the work in dramatic terms, because, like so many realeases of rarities, it contains no libretto. (Did they print one up for Conchita's recent run at Wexford? If you know, please contact me!) The recording is clear, but isn't in lush, modern sound. And in my opinion, Conchita, not suprisingly, doen't quite measure up to the astonishingly rich, original music of Zandonai's masterpiece, Francesca da Rimini. Both of these qualifications are made more obvious by the excerpts from "Francesca" which are included as the filler for this album in a more lush, more recent recording under Nello Santi. But these extensive excerpts, which include most of the operas best moments are another major reason to buy this album. They're performed with a great deal of excitement and passion. Thanks, Gala! Now let's see more of Zandonai's fourteen operas on disc!"

A TRULY EXCITING DISCOVERY

Alfredo R. Villanueva | New York, NY United States | 03/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET ALL FOUR OF ZANDONAI'S OPERAS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AND THERE IS NOT ONE I DO NOT LIKE. I CONSIDER HIM THE BEST, EVEN BETTER THAN MASCAGNI. I FIRST HEARD SELECTIONS FROM "CONCHITA", SUNG EXQUISITELY BY GLORIA DAVY AND INCLUDED IN THE COMPLETE RECORDING OF "ROMEO AND GIULIETTA,". IN THIS 1969 LIVE RECORDING, ANTONIETTA STELLA IS IN REFULGENT VOICE. SHE IS PARTNERED BY ALDO BOTTION, WHO DOES NOT HAVE A NATURALLY PLEASING TENOR VOICE BUT SINGS INTENSELY AND WITH CONVICTION. THE MUSIC IS RIP-ROARING VERISMO, THE STORY MIGHT BE CALLED "CARMEN" WITH A HAPPY ENDING. AND AS A BONUS, HIGHLIGHTS FROM ILVA LIGABUE'S MAGNIFICENT "FRANCESCA DA RIMINI," ABLY PARTNERED BY RUGGIERO BONDINO'S PAOLO. LISTEN TO IT, AND YOU'LL BECOME ADDICTED TO VERISMO, AS I HAVE! IT MAY NOT HAVE A LIBRETTO, BUT THE SOUND IS UNUSUALLY GOOD."