Alfredo R. Villanueva | New York, NY United States | 01/04/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"THE GOOD NEWS: THE MUSIC IS LOVELY, THE SOUND IS CLEAR, THE CHORUSES STRONG, THE CONDUCTING BRISK. THIS 2 CD RECORDING CONTAINS MASCAGNI WORKS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN RECORDED PREVIOUSLY, AS FAR AS I KNOW. AMONG THEM THE LOVELY "APOTEOSIS DELLA CIGOGNA, AND TWO COMPLETE OPERAS, SUNG BY LOCALS. ANTONIO DI PALMA BRINGS CLASS TO "PINOTTA"--HE HAS ALSO RECORDED ITS EARLIER VERSION, "IN FILANDA". "ZANETTO" IS BROUGHT TO LIFE BY RITA LANTIERI AND AMBRA VESPASIANI. BUT A HORRIBLE SOUND IS HEARD BOTH IN "PINOTTA" AND THE LEOPARDI SYMPHONIC POEM: GLORIA GUIDA BORRELLI, WHOOTING AND WHEEZING LIKE A TERMINALLY EMPHYSEMIC MAMMA LUCIA. REALLY, AN INJUSTICE TO THE COMPOSER AND THE OTHER PERFORMERS. BECAUSE OF HER THIS RECORD DOES NOT RATE HIGHER. SEARCH UNTIL YOU FIND IT CHEAPER. THANKS TO OUR DISASTROUS ECONOMY, WE ARE BEING HIT BOTH IN THE EAR AND IN THE POCKET BY THESE EXPENSIVE IMPORTS."