Search - Math Dirks, Sigmund Cowan, Pietro Mascagni :: Mascagni: Nerone

WORTH A REVIVAL

Alfredo R. Villanueva | New York, NY United States | 01/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I MUST ADMIT I WAS PREDISPOSED AGAINST THIS OPERA, GIVEN MASCAGNI'S CONNECTIONS TO MUSSOLINI AND THE FACT IT WAS DEDICATED TO THE DICTATOR. HOWEVER, A READING OF THE LIBRETTO, WHICH IS QUITE FAITHFUL TO NERO'S STORY AS IT HAS COME DOWN TO US, COMPLETE WITH BLOODY END, READS AS LESS A PAEAN TO FASCISM THAN ALMOST A FORESHADOWING OF ITS ENDING.



BONGIOVANNI. A LABEL I HAVE COME TO COLLECT AVIDLY, OFFERS ONCE MORE A SUPERB RECORDING OF A NEGLECTED OPERA. THE SOUND QUALITY IS EXCELLENT.

GIORGI TCHOLAROV IN THE TAXING TITLE ROLE IS OUTSTANDING, AS IS LYNNE STOW PICCOLO AS ATTE AND FOR THAT MATTER ALL THE OTHER PRINCIPALS. THE MUSIC IS BREATHTAKING--I WAS PARTICULARLY BLOWN OVER BY THE SOPHISTICATION AND COMPLEXITY OF THE SECOND ACT ORCHESTRAL INTERLUDE.



THEREFORE, I MUST RATE IT FIVE STARS AND RECOMMEND IT AS A MUST HAVE FOR LOVERS OF VERISMO AND OPERA IN GENERAL."

Virtually Unknown Mascagni Opera

ALFRED H. Harris | Prunedale, Ca. | 03/29/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A fine performance of an unjustly neglected opera by Mascagni. I dont know why people today are generally only interested in music they know! The duet between the two women competing for Nero is a high point in the score. 200 years ago people ONLY wanted to hear something new. Nowdays its increasingly rare to hear anything other than about 50 standard operatic works, few of which have been written within the last 100 years. The only reason for not giving this excellent performance five stars would be to hear one of our superb dramatic sopranos,like Karita Matilla, in the role of Atte. I would also recommend a comparison of this work with Boito's treatment of the same subject."