Search - Maria Chiara, Vpo, Roh :: Decca Recitals (Dig)

Italian Sunshine and Glory!

Gautam Rajadhyaksha | Mumbai,India | 01/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Maria Chiara is one of the most neglected Lyric-spinto soprani of the last quarter of the 20th century.And one wonders why.Could it be the DECCA/LONDON,the label that recorded her in the seventies,abandoned her to keep their reigning Diva Renata Tebaldi happy?This 2CD set bears testimony to the fact that Chiara and Tebaldi had similar repetoires and,to a large extent,the same glorious Italian timbre and tone.

This release contains everything Chiara sang between 1971 and 1977-3 recital discs for Decca which include arias by Bellini,Donnizetti,Boito,and especially the verismo composers and Verdi.Chiara's well schooled voice which could hit the top notes with equal mastery as she could float the delicate pianissimo notes,is all beautifully demonstrated in this generous compilation.

The 'Anna Bolena' and 'I Puritani' arias are approached with correct musicality rather than with dramatic urgency, but then onwards there is hardly anything that can be faulted.The 'Mefistofele'aria is haunting,all the Verdi pieces are done with the precission of a German but with the soul of an Italian.Her Liu,Mimi,Manon,Angelica are a delight.But what is noteworthy in this set is her singing of the Verismo composers.Araia from 'Iris','Lodoletta'are rare and Chiara's handling of Catalani's 'L'Orelei' aria 'Amor,celeste ebbrezza' is a lesson in dynamics, vocal power and beauty(compare this with Frances Alda's classic).And none after Milanov,Callas,Tebaldi and Price have performed 'Son Giunta' from 'Forza' with such melting tones and dramatic impact.

Decca's 'kiss-and-make-up'Aida with Chiara and Pavarotti(released in 1985 when both Tebaldi and Sutherland were retired)is good but it's a shade past Chiara's best years. A few pirates float around and they all make me wonder why her 'Attila','Simon Boccanegra','La Forza del Destino' were never legally recorded. Her Arena di Verona 'Aida' in 1980 captures Chiara at her best. Decca still has in it's archives Wolf Ferrari's one-disc comic opera 'Il Segretto di Suzanna'with Chiara and Weikel which it should release soon.

Till the time one discovers more Chiaras,this 2 disc set is a must for every lover of Italian opera.It also sharply points out that Chiara stands out in her generation or the one that followed,as the finest Italian voice since Tebaldi.

"

A beautiful voice, good technique

Timothy R. Carpenter | Philadelphia, PA | 06/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, in 1971 Maria Chiara had a lovely voice and a solid technique which allowed her to shape and mold phrases, sing softly in all registers and negotiate both high and low-lying phrases musically. I can understand why she was acclaimed for her Aida: the two arias are well sung and dramatically believable. The approach to the often dreaded high C in the Nile scene is confident and serene; she even manages a breath without disturbing the phrase and floats the high note beautifully. The Puccini arias, especially those of Liu, are sung the way I want to hear them: full round tone with attention to diction, mood and the meaning of the text.

I didn't enjoy the rest of the recital as much. I found the Bellini and Donizetti arias bland; the Anna Bolena scene seemed especially long. Also, the voice seems to change over the course of the recital and my suspicion is that it's not due to the repertoire. In the middle recital the customary high note at the end of the Verdi Bolero is eschewed and there are fewer high notes, less soft singing and less accurate pitch. The tessitura of the (later) verismo arias is lower, the pitches tend to hang just under center and there are a lot of glottal shocks. (Think Monserrat Caballe or Magda Olivero.)

Responses to a singer's sound is individual and often empathetic. Ms. Chiara's singing doesn't strike me as having much "face" or individuality as many of her contemporaries. Not wanting to be hasty in my judgment, I've listened to this recital three times and parts of it repeatedly, but it's not one I will listen to often, if ever. You may find her more interesting than I do."

Decca should have used her more; A charming lyrico-spinto.

Armindo | Greece | 07/16/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I actually didn't like the early recordings ('72-3) as much as I liked the later ones ('77). She sounds almost afraid to use her full voice in those early sessions and the tone sounds rather hooty and unsupported.



But what a transformation five years later! I'm very, very impressed by that voice and it's a shame Decca didn't record some of the rare verisimo operas, arias of which we hear on this double recital. Wouldn't it be great to have a youthful Wally, an Iris, a Loreley, a L'amico Friz or a Lodoletta and to pair Chiara with Aragall? She could easily have replaced the otherwise great Caballe in some of her verisimo attempts, like the Chenier. Chiara is one of the few I can think of whose La mamma morta is stylistically correct and vocally sumptuous. No wonder she was hailed the successor of the legendary Tebaldi.



(A note for the previous reviewer by the way: By the time Chiara made these recordings, Tebaldi had virtually retired so I don't think Decca would have had reasons to keep her happy and secondly, Sutherland hadn't yet retired in 1985.)



Singing bel canto and verisimo and managing both was already popular at the time but this wasn't Chiara's territory in my opinion but it's interesting to hear the difference. Verdi fares much better and she often sounds lovely (e.g. Simon Boccanegra aria).



I will often listen and enjoy many arias on these recitals, especially the verisimo items and warmly recommend them to those who enjoy a juicy Italian lyrico-spinto voice."