Search - Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart :: Evening With Cesare Valletti

A wonderful tenore di grazie

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 02/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Cesare Valletti (1921-2000) was known for his lyric tenor roles, and in these recordings was in his prime; unfortunately this CD could use remastering, especially in tracks 9 and 10 which were recorded from live performances in '55 and '58, but for me, the "old" sound becomes irrelevant when compared to the beauty of his voice and the artistry of his interpretations, or it could be ingrained, as opera was my music of choice as a child, and this is how it sounded way back then.
The earliest recordings are from 1950 (tracks 4-6) and the latest 1960 (tracks 13-14).Highlights for me are Donizetti's "Una furtiva lagrima" from "L'Elisir d'Amore" (recorded in 1952), with a final phrase that is sublime, the sad and lovely "Povero Ernesto...cerchero lontana terra" from Donizetti's "Don Pasquale" (1952), and an aria I was not familiar with before hearing this CD, "Pieta se irato sei" from Mozart's "La Betulia Liberata (a 1955 live performance).
Don Ottavio was a frequent role for Valletti, and his "Dalla sua pace" and "Il mio tesoro, intanto" from Mozart's "Don Giovanni" are lovely (a 1960 live performance).
If you do not mind the antiquated sound, this is a marvelous tenor from a golden era for opera. Total playing time is 63'02."

Brilliant talent, bad recording...

stretchyface | Utah, USA | 11/14/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Cesare Valletti has to be one of my favorite tenors ever to be recorded, but this recording doesn't do him the least bit of justice. All of the songs sound scratchy, muffled, quiet, and most frustrating of all, difficult to understand. I would still recommend this CD, but I was extremely disappointed that the sound quality was so poor. I do realize it is an old recording (Late 1950's-Early 1960's), but I've seen things come out of the 30's and 40's that sound worlds better than this. All in all, go for it. Just listen VERY carefully."