Search - Jerome Hines, Calvin Marsh, William Olvis :: Giuseppe Verdi: Macbeth

With all due respect to Mildred Allen...

bart_thomas@mindspring.com | 04/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Scanning through Amazon at some of the recordings I particularly cherish, I was amazed to find that the ONLY review of this recording was written as a bow to Mildred Allen. With all due respect, Ms. Allen appears in the infinitesmally small role of one of the three apparitions [I know this only because I had to go to the recording to verify it], and I would challenege anyone who had never heard Mildred Allen, or someone who had never sung that particular role, to distinguish which apparition she was. Ms. Allen--again, with all due respect--is a very small and, yes, complimentary addition to what may be arguably be the only recording of this opera worth owning. The cast has yet to be surpassed in the studio or, in my experience, in the opera house. Warren, Rysanek, Hines and Bergonzi were at the very height of their very distinguished musical and dramatic talents. Although Maria Callas is often credited with a great portrayal of Lady Macbeth, I would vehemently argue that Rysanek's is more effective, both dramactically and vocally [and I qualify this by saying that I never particularly cared for her outside of German opera]. If it is your desire to own a recording of this opera, please do yourself a favour and ignore DDD versus ADD arguments; flashy cast lists and any recording containing any cast you might happen on in the theatre today. Listen to what Verdi can do when an ensemble is an ensemble and when operatic performers perform and don't just sing. There really was a time when the Metropolitan Opera was the greatest theatre on earth for more reasons than that they had the most money. This recording proves it."

Superb!!

heidi123456789 | Chicago, IL United States | 09/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a superb recording!! All the principal singers are in peak form. You will find it hard to surpass Leonard Warren as Macbeth. His voice is deep and powerful. His characterization appropriate. Rysanek is highly dramatic as Lady Macbeth. And she sings her high D flat full-throated. No screechy singing - just a full, glorious shimmering voice at a high D flat!! Jerome Hines is marvellous as Banquo. His voice is deep and powerful too, sounds a bit like Warren's voice. Conducting is excellent and sound is great. In wonderful stereo and no tape hiss. Very highly recommended."

ALL TIME BEST

L E WILLIS | Salt Lake City, ut United States | 02/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording, in my opinion, is the overall ALL TIME BEST recording of this opera. I think this is an under rated Verdi opera. The music is very dramatic and listenable. It follows the story quite well also. The musical direction is perfect especially for the age of the recording. The direction is clear and energetic. Now, for singing. There are no words to describe Leonard Warren. I have not heard this recording since I was a teenager. I finally found the CD and listened to it the other day. Leonard Warren still sends chills. His large dramatic voice lends itself well to Macbeth. He gives power to the role where most other baritones just gives weakness. His voice is glorious. No other can match his incredible voice. As a far as Leonie Rysanek, I absolutely love this singer. I saw her in her "declining" years at the Met years ago in Electra and her voice was very youthful and beautiful. She is the finest Lady Macbeth ever. Her voice is even, her high notes are not pushed and over produced. She uses her beautiful voice well and I don't find myself cringing like I do with so many of today's voices. This truely is an era where singers took time to really learn to sing and you can hear it in this recording. Leonie is dramatic without sacrificing her voice. She uses many different colors, again without sacrificing her voice to do so. In addition, Lady Macbeth is a soprano role and should be sung by a soprano and not a mezzo no matter how high a mezzo can screatch up to the high notes. Jerome Hines is dark, musical, strong, and, well, perfect. You just couldn't get any better than that. If you are looking for a recording that is completely perfect, this is it. Yes, it has the slightly older sound that is quickly forgotten within seconds. They did a very good job in transferring this to CD. This is the second recording I have of this opera. The first is with Birgit Nilsson, another incredible recording with Nilsson and the orchestra as the stars. The Macbeth is okay and from there it goes down hill. But it is worth the price just for Nilsson. However, this recording of Warren and Reysanek is the best. I will never get tired of listening to these great artists. I wish we had them today."