Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gioachino Rossini, Edo de Waart :: Frederica von Stade Sings Mozart & Rossini Arias [Hybrid SACD]

Wonderful, But ...

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 08/20/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This hybrid SA-CD derives from a recording made by Philips in 1975. At that time quadraphonic recordings were supposed to be the coming thing, and Philips made many recordings in four-channel sound, but the actual sound issuing from phonograph records at that time simply couldn't accommodate what was actually contained on the master tapes. Back then these performances were released in two-channel sound, but recently a group of former Philips audio types have now formed a new company, PentaTone Classics, which is in the process of releasing in SA-CD multichannel (actually four, rather than the possible five, channels) stereo, allowing us to hear the original sound as it was intended.



Frederica von Stade was thirty when she recorded these Mozart and Rossini arias and the sound of her voice is simply lovely. I've always adored her sound even when I was aware that her technique, particularly in coloratura, was a little deficient. Her 'Una voce poco fa,' for instance, is beautiful sounding but doesn't have the kind of vocal fireworks we've come to expect from coloratura mezzos who have come on the scene since the 1970s. Still, her silvery, 'smile in the voice' sound is endearing here and elsewhere in these arias. She does better in the slower, more lyrical passages. Her pearlescent pianissimo must be heard to be appreciated. 'Nacqui all'affanno' from Rossini's 'Cenerentola' is delicious even with its sometimes approximate fioriture. The recorded sound itself is exemplary. One can hear clearly the orchestra (the Rotterdam Philharmonic under Edo de Waart) behind and below her. At times, though, her voice almost disappears into the orchestral sound mass. This happens, for instance, in the soft beginning of Desdemona's 'Willow Song' ('Assisa a' piè d'un salice' from Rossini's 'Otello').



Almost no one in her era commanded pants roles quite the way von Stade did. Her slim figure and believable acting made her an adorable Cherubino, and I am completely satisfied with her 'Non sò piu' and 'Voi, che sapete.' I don't recall whether she ever sang Sexto in 'La clemenza di Tito' (or Vitellia, for that matter) but the two arias of those two characters are also quite satisfying for their acting with the voice. As for Zerlina's 'Vedrai, carino,' I've rarely heard it so well done.



So there are pluses and minuses in this issue, but the pluses outweigh the minuses and this CD makes for a mostly satisfying experience.



Scott Morrison"