Search - Verdi, Monaco, Carteri :: Otello

Great Performance

Miguel A. Maldonado | Massachusetts,USA | 05/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This version from the film is one of the best of the Otello recordings Del Monaco made. His 1954 studio version, conducted by Erede it`s the best sutdio recording ever! of this Tenor`s "Tour`De Forse" but this one is also great adding the voice of Capecchi to the role of Iago. Carteri`s Desdemona it`s only bested by Tebaldi. Del Monaco sang this role hundreds of times during his almost 40 years career, some say close to 400 times but I don`t think so, but there`s a lot of recordings of his "trade mark" role out there. If you are looking for one of his best`s this one will fill that need. Forget Domingo, Cura and others! You want a Dramatic tenor in this overlly Dramatic Role. Del Monaco is The Otello that Verdi dreamed off!"

Treasured by del Monaco fanciers

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 04/20/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For anyone who wants to experience Mario del Monaco's roof-raising Otello with a minimum of the tenor's "can belto" crudeness, this 1958 soundtrack is the best choice. Tamed by the demands of a film, he reduced his stentorian blaring, wich was viscerally exciting in the opera house but too brazen before the microphone. The result is less ear fatigue for the lisstener. Even scaled back, however, it's a huge voice, effortlessly heroic in scale. Del Monaco never exhibited much emotional range. He strode on stage and used his animal magnetism in a totally extroverted, old-fashioned way. This is Verdi as populist melodrama, reaching the highest balcony and shaking the rafters.



The composer expected much more, of course, and artful Otellos can be heard from Jon Vickers and Placido Domingo -- perhaps Ben Heppner will also go into the studio, or at the very least we will hear pirats of his impressive portrayal. But del Monaco owns a unique place in the history of the opera, and his fanciers own multiple versions of his signature performance. I don't find him moving at all, but this kind of stupendous vocal display earns its four stars.



As for the rest, Capecchi is uncommonly dull as Iago, lacking in malice and cunning. But he's a veteran with a solid, if unattractive voice. The Desdemona, Rosanna Carteri, is several notches beter. I haven't seen her in the film but on disc she's technically secure, touching, and a bit faceless. The tone of Carteri's voice is soft-grained with dark undertones, not a light, bright voice like Te Kanawa's. Tulio Serafin's conducting is accomplished, but much of his work is swallowed up by the muffled mono sound. The voices suffer, too, but the engineers kept the microphone right over del Monaco's head, and he emerges with maximum impact."