Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Giuseppe Bamboschek, Cesare Curzi :: Giovanni Martinelli: His Last Otello

Martinelli's Final Bow as the Moor a Mixed Bag

Warren D. Moulton | Chicago, IL United States | 01/25/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Verdi's Otello was one of the great roles of the celebrated Italian tenor Giovanni Martinelli (1885-1969) and this final performance, given in Philadelphia in 1948, is well worth having. The recording, as well as the performance itself, is a mixed bag, running the gamut from exquisite to truly bizarre. At age 62, Martinelli is still in fine form as the Moor, although given to a much more declamatory style than one is accustomed to hearing from the tenor in his prime. The tenor occasionally transposes to suit his aging high notes but the voice rings true for the most part...the opening "Esultate!" is remarkable and as fine as anything recorded by the tenor during any period of his career. The "Si, pel ciel" gets off to a brilliant start but completely comes apart toward the end due to coordination problems. Otello's Act III monologue suffers similarly...Martinelli enters a bar early on Jago's "Cassio e la", leaving him hanging out to dry on the final "O gioia!". Martinelli is forced to resort to declamation to finish the aria. On the other hand, Otello's death aria is beautifully and heartbreakingly sung by the tenor. Did he know that this would be his final performance as the Moor? Martinelli is surrounded by an uneven cast and a rather dubious sounding chorus. Cesare Bardelli's Jago is brilliant. This singer possesses a true Verdi baritone which he uses to great effect. The "Era la notte" in the second act is one of the finest I have ever heard. His performance is particularly incredible considering that he might have been slightly under the weather that night...he can be frequently heard clearing his throat. On the other hand, the Desdemona of June Kelly leaves something to be desired. Her thin soprano simply does not fill the requirements of the role...Kelly might be better suited for Nanetta in Falstaff. In Kelly's defense, portions of her music (particularly the third act duet with Otello) seem to have been transferred at too high a speed and her two fourth act arias, which she may very well have sung quite beautifully, are omitted. Bamboschek's conducting does very little to help the singers which strikes me as a bit odd...he was one of Martinelli's favored accompanists during the latter part of the tenor's career! As a final note, it should be mentioned that the prompter is in fine voice throughout the performance! Martinelli's voice may be an aquired taste, but for a remarkable document of a great tenor of the Golden Age in the twilight of his career, this CD is a must have!"