Search - Verdi, Caballe, Tucker :: Il Trovatore

More Than Caballe

William S. Levison | Valdosta, GA United States | 04/08/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Those who purchase this recording only to hear Caballe in an opera that she never recorded commercially (as I did) are in for a pleasant surprise: not only is Caballe spectacular (Milanov paid her the ultimate compliment, claiming that Caballe reminded her of a "young me"), but Tucker is her match, the mezzo is excellent, and Schippers conducts excitingly. On the minus side are the truly dreadful baritone and the muddy live-performance sound. And sometimes Schippers' performance gets a bit TOO exciting; the conductor forces Caballe to take her first-act cabaletta at warp speed. On the whole, worth far more than its modest price."

Why can't singers perform this way now??

Darla's Boy | New York City | 03/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I also bought this CD to hear Montserrat Caballe sing the role at this early stage of her career and was pleasantly surprised by not only the quality of the recording, but the quality of the whole performance. I wouldn't say that Mario Zanasi is horrible, but he sounds like a tenor and a little wimpy for this role. Franca Mattiucci is an exciting Azucena and Richard Tucker is an intelligent Manrico. As a previous reviewer stated, Schippers does pace Leonora's first act cabaletta at breakneck speed, but she amazingly keeps up with it. Her "D'amor sull'ali rosee" in the last act is to die for... what control and beauty. If you're like me and are frustrated in finding an overall satisfying recording of this wonderful opera, give this a try. It's not the "ultimate" recording, but for the price, it's certainly a worthy addition to your collection. And... it begs the question, "why can't we find a Leonora like this today??""

Muy buena version historica.

Annio mozartiano ;) | España | 06/04/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"El sonido de esta función en directo, grabada en 1966 en Florencia es bastante bueno, lo que ayuda a disfrutar de una versión que cuenta con los alicientes de una MONTSERRAT CABALLE en estado de gracia, que brinda una Leonora de antologia. A su lado, el nada despreciable Manrico de RICHARD TUCKER, con una interpretacion bastante memorable redondea una grabacion donde destaca tambien el noble Conte di Luna de MARIO ZANASI y la mas que suficiente Azucena de FRANCA MATIUCCI. Si sumamos al Ferrando de lujo de IVO VINCO y la direccion inspirada de THOMAS SCHIPPERS, con un coro y una orquesta que rinden al nivel deseable obtenemos un muy interesante Trovatore, digno de escuchar para cualquier aficcionado que conozca y ame la obra."