Search - Verdi, Caniglia, Caselli :: Forza Del Destino (Highlights)

Splendid "Destiny"

Edward Albert | Philadelphia, PA, United States | 07/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Now THIS is Italian opera! Please: If you only know opera recordings made in the digital era, do yourself a favor and get this FORZA! At a true budget-price, you will get highlights from one of Verdi's finest works, and you'll discover some of the most thrilling Verdi voices of all time. Recorded in 1941 with the super stars of the day, this remastered CD has excellent sound: the voices are so brilliant, you'll feel them go through your body. Maria Caniglia is the perfect Verdi soprano. You'll hear traces of Tebaldi & Milanov in her sound, but Caniglia is more exciting than either of those two great sopranos who followed her in this repertoire. Perhaps you've been thrilled by the virile tenor voices of Corelli, Tucker, Del Monaco and Filippeschi; but wait 'till you experience the sound of Galliano Masini. The core of his voice is just electric, and like all the other singers on this recording, must have rung heroically into the biggest opera houses of Europe. The excellent baritone, Carlo Tagliabue (1898-1978), had a beautifully-produced, masculine sound; his singing is a model for all subsequent Verdi baritones to admire. His recording of FORZA in the 1950's (opposite Maria Callas) is over-shadowed by the splendor of this earlier achievement.The basso, Ernesto Dominici, heard in the brief role of the Marchese, is a glorious example of dramatic bel canto sound: a large voice with both flexibility and bite. The conducting of Gino Marinuzzi propells this work forward with committment to the text and passion for the operatic voice. Like the principal singers, his name may not be familiar to you, but his talent can withstand comparison to the most celebrated names in his field."