Search - Gaetano Donizetti, Bruno Bartoletti, Fenice Theater Orchestra :: Donizetti: Roberto Devereux

The best Roberto Devereux CD`s available

Jiri Zika | Prague, Czech republic | 09/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you still look for the satisfying and definitive recording of this Donizzeti`s treasure - which demands is not easy to fulfill, go for this recording!!!

It is live recording from Theatre la Fenice, Venice. The sound is exceptionally good, with really only a few disturbances, generelly almost the studio recording level. And the cast is dream/like. If you know and like Caballe`s later perfomance from Aix-en-Provence available both on DVD and CD, imagine, she is even better /much better for me/here, I do not know if her first presentation of this extremly demanding role. I was looking for ideal Elisabetta since I have dicovered Roberto Deverux music, and I found her here! Montserrat Caballe showed on this CD set she was real Bel Canto Queen and the only who could replaced Maria Callas /already retired at the time recording was taken/ in the big dramatic Bel Canto roles /I know, comparing of two great-est sopranos is rather silly as we all know Montserrat had different voice and approach/. But similar to Maria, she reigns the stage from the beginnig to the famous end aria. She is truely GREAT as a queen, aristocratic, noble, emotive enough, but without a mark of vulgarity, hysteria and yells, the way Elisabeta is performed too often nowadays /Dimitra Theodossiou etc./



Sara sang by Laura Londi is perfect, passionate, warm, sad in proper moments, and really beautiful however almost unknown voice /my first experience to listen her here/



G.Raimondi singing Roberto is the weakest of the leading roles /but only compared with the ladies, we would dearly wish to have one such tenor here in Prague!!/, he simply was not world-class tenor anymore at that time, but still well acceptable.



Nottingham of Mario D`Anna could have a little stronger voice to express all his fury but generally performes the role of betrayed husband well.



B.Bartoletti conducting is generally slower and surprisingly slow from time to time, but I respect individual and personal approach, we do not look for a different recording of the same opera to get the same, and his aproach does not interfere with the action.

I must not forget the orchestra - the sound and music here are the most enjoyable from all my recording /all live ones - Gruberova, Mora from Barcelona Liceu 1990, Caballe, Carreras Aix-en-Provence 1972, Gencer, Bondino, Naples 1964/, I have discovered many detailes here I had no idea about from those sound worse recordings.



GO and buy this /for me/ THE BEST Roberto Devereux CD. For the best direction and detailed acting and production and excellent singing too but much worse sound quality - try Houseofopera or Premiereopera for Theatro Liceu Gruberova+Mora Barcelona 1990 production, unfortunately never commercially released/?/however professionaly taken.

"