Search - Angelo Mercuriali, Franco Piva, Mario Spina :: Mascagni - Cavalleria rusticana / de Los Angeles · Corelli · Santini ~ Leoncavallo - Pagliacci / Corelli · Gobbi · Amara · von Matacic

This recording "kills"!!!!!

Rod Tierman | 08/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording is just brimming with excitement. Franco Corelli is phenomenal as both Turridu in Cav and Canio in Pagliacci. Mario Sereni gives a very excellent reading of Alfio, the jealous husband in Cavalleria Rusticana. Victoria De los Angeles is a very fine Santuzza, though, possibly, a bit to light voiced for the role. Though her interpretation may not be as interesting as Maria Callas, Lucine Amara turns in a very credible and fine performance as Nedda, the unfaithful wife of Canio. Tito Gobbi is probably, to my ears, the finest and most believable Tonio on record, realizing both the lyric and dramatic moments in the score, flawlessly. Gobbi's "Prologo" is equal to none in this performance, singing the interpolated High A flat magnificently in this recording (he sings the written F in the Callas/Di Stefano recording). Corelli, especially in the I Pagliacci, simply exudes animal magnetism and his voice is so virile and fresh. This recording (the Pagliacci) was the one that heralded in the great Corelli to the American public as this was his debut recording to a major recording company. His "Vesti la giubba" and "No Pagliaccio non son" are both show stoppers. Both Santini, in Cavalleria Rusticana, and Matacic, in I Pagliacci, conduct very exciting and energized performances. This recording has all the spark and excitement of a live performance, but without "theater noise". This recording IS verissimo opera at its very finest. The stereo sound is excellent. Any lover of true Italian opera should own this recording"

Text Book Bel Canto Technique. . .

Opera-rater | Fayetteville, AR | 12/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Corelli is a God: never has anyone had a command of Bel Canto

technique like him. Some complain that he is loud and vulgar. Well,

that is a complaint that has been made about Verdi, Italian Opera, and

Italian culture in general. I am in complete envy of anyone who might have heard him in the theater. Can you imagine what kind

of frisson this "loud and vulgar" voice could have created? Not to

mention his stunning sex appeal. THE tenor of this century, but

divine in a different way from Callas. His SINGING is the key to

his glory: completely free, squillo beyond human understanding, and

because of his completely free upper mechanism, his breath control

was simply stunning.



These recordings are must have-s: De los Angeles is a young, vulnerable Santuzza (unlike the dangerous reading that Callas gives it). Instead of perpetrating the death of Turridu, the Santuzza of de los Angeles seems to have stumbled innocently into the situation. Her disclosing of the affair of Turridu and Lola to Alfio is the hurt confession of a young girl, as opposed to the crafty reading that Callas

gives the scene. The conducting of Sabatini is urgent and propels the

drama forward. Cavalleria is a strange piece architecturally: it sometimes gives the impression of being an oratorio with its extended

orchestral passages and choruses. Of course, Corelli in the final

scene leave no piece of scenery un-chewed, but his noble tone makes

him a sympathetic Turridu. Unlike the Turridi-s of De Stefano and Pavarotti, Corelli turns Turridu into a confused adolescent, rather than a mature man making selfish choices.



As for Pagliacci: the Canio of Gobbi is searing in its intensity, and

the Nedda of Amara (again, compared to Callas, ALWAYS one

must compare to Callas) is youthful and rather un-complex, though

beautifully sung and completely convincing. Of course, Corelli is

THE Canio, brooding, sullen, frightening. He does not come across

as middle aged (Vickers), but a virile man in his prime, "fatto cornuto"

by his wife.



As recordings come and go in and out of print, snatch this up NOW.

I have 4 recordings of Cav/Pag: my understanding of these pieces would not really be complete without this one.

"

Dear Franco Corelli, we miss you so VERY much

J. Luis Juarez Echenique | Mexico City | 05/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the finest I Pagliacci of the stereo era. The star is obviously the great Franco Corelli, whose voice is nothing short of a miracle. His Canio is very humane and moving. Lucine Amara is only O.K., but Tito Gobbi is a real presence as Tonio. The late great conductor Lovro von Matacic makes everything that can be done for this opera. EMI of course has the earlier Di Stefano/ Callas recording, the classic version of I Pagliacci, but this 1961 recording is important and well worth having. If you want digital sound, the finest I Pagliacci is a BMG recording featuring Vladimir Atlantov, Bernd Weikl and Lucia Popp. It was recorded by Eurodisc in the mid-eighties and now is in the Ariola budget label. It is certainly superior to both the Domingo and the Pavarotti more recent efforts."