Search - Gioachino Rossini, Onissim Bron, Anatoly Orfenov :: La Cenerentola

Angelina parla Russo

Igor Sutherland | Great Britain | 05/04/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bearing in mind that it must have been recorded in the late 40s- early 50s, it was probably the only complete recording ofCenerentola available at the time, recording which offered a truecoloratura mezzo-soprano in the title role, until some time later Teresa Berganza decided to record the role in the original language. Notwithstanding the somewhat "faded" reputation of Russian singers to-day, this is a jewel of a performance and gives one an opportunity to taste the standards of singing in post-war Soviet Union. Dolukhanova is a true Rossinian singer (i.e. doesn't fake the runs), and shows that one can sing Rossini in Russian and still make it funny and touching. She proves that coloraturas were not as seldom on the Russian stage as one is led to believe - take as an example Firsova's Ludmila (Voce della Luna) and Rosina (Dante Lys) and Maslennikova's Gilda (Myto). Her Cinderella is certainly as good and often, better than many Italian alternatives. If not for the Iron Curtain, Dolukhanova would certainly have been one of the leading figures in the music world. Her unforced and stylish singing is marked by intelligence and enjoyment - just listen to her O quante lacrime which found its way into the first act from La donna del Lago and enjoy singer's revelling in the sparkling music. It is a matter of speculation whether she really was a mezzo rather than a soprano - the voice quality suggests both. Wherever the truth lays, later on in her career her solid technique allowed her to extend her repertory to lyrical soprano territory. Though Dolukhanova is an obvious star in this recording, other soloists are also good, particularly Orfenov as Don Ramiro - he is certainly more Rossini-aware than his more famous compatriot Kozlovsky). Belov also offers absolutely splendid voice, almost too beautiful for such a character as Dandini, and Poliayev's Don Magnifico is a true buffo if somewhat, top-shy.This is a good studio recording sound and the voices are placed very close to the microphone. This combined with the singers' impeccable diction, one can certainly understand every word they are singing. The booklet is typical of Myto - very helpful, offering some insights into the singers' careers, so little known in the West. As most recordings of that era this Cenerentola is cut, scaling the number of CDs in the set down to two. But then, it is the quality one should be after, not the quantity. END"