Search - Antonio Caldara, Vincenzo Ciampi, Francesco Durante :: Los Angeles 1973 (Recital UCLA Campus 1973)

Vintage Luciano; you'll not do better in a recital setting!

Shaun Haywood | Austin, TX | 04/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Luciano Pavarotti was 38 years old when he gave this recital in Los Angeles, and this CD shows that this period was the zenith of his vocal production. Singing pieces that he literally learned how to sing with, his command of language, vocal technique and sheer animal magnetism makes this CD a must for any Pavarotti fan.



The voice is still supple and vibrant with the ardor of youth, but has enough reserves of power to show where his magnificent instrument would eventually take him...the spinto repertoire.



He is in top form and sings with musical sensitivity, which is sometimes lacking in his later recordings. This recording also allows the listener to experience his "true" voice in the intimate setting of a piano recital; one that is devoid of a studio influence, completely live and unaltered.



I cannot recommend this CD enough. If you love the tenor voice, and Pavarotti's in particular, you MUST have it."

A notable recital from Pavarotti's rpime, but bad pitch prob

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 11/27/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I am as enthusiastic as the reviewer below about Pavarotti's voice in 1973, which sounds as attractive here as one could want. The singer doesn't seem all that committed to the eight Italian songs, including several by Bellini, that begin the evening. He's noticeably more exciting in the Traviata aria that follows. From then on out, the selections form Respighi, Verdi (two I Lombardi arias), and Tosti (four songs sung with less gusto and more genuine feeling than on LP's various Neapolitan records) really communicate, and the audience is ecstatic.



Unfortunately, whoever made this "private" recording from his seat in the hall used an inferior tape recorder. The piano is afflicted with pitch wow and flutter. It's quite bad, especially in the first half; fortunately, Pavarotti's voice covers it up whenever he's singing. If you can abide this defect, all the enthusiasm a fan can muster is justified. The Tosti songs and the two encores from Rigoletto and Fanciulla del West had me cheering along."