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A reference historical version of Rigoletto

06/24/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Arkadia's collection 'The 78s' has done an excellent job in the difussion of historical recordings. The collection is not a mere reproduction of 'old recordings': most of them have to be qualified as 'reference recordings of great historical value'. This version of 'Rigoletto', recorded as early as 1930, is not an exception to the rule. Here we can appreciate the great Riccardo Stracciari in one of the roles that made of him one of the leading italian baritones of the first decades of the XX century. Unluckily, he was already at the end of his carreer when he recorded this Rigoletto, but in spite of some vocal limitations his characterization is great. The second reason that makes this recording a 'reference' is Dino Borgioli's Duke of Mantua. This excellent italian tenor would have been better known had it not been for the extraordinary number of outstanding tenors after the era of Caruso. Mercedes Capsir was also a leading voice of her times, and her coloratura technique is impecable, but her voice does not sound beautiful at present (Unfortunatelly for many sopranos Maria Callas radically changed tastes). Ernesto Dominici composes a good Sparafuccille and so does Anna Maseti Bassi with Maddalena. Lorenzo Molajoli conducts well the Scala Orchestra and Chorus. The quality of the sound is quite good for the time. To summarize: In spite of the high number of excellent recordings of Rigoletto, this is one of the few reference versions that should be part of any complete opera collection. It is the document of a mythic baritone, of an excellent tenor, and of a style of singing Verdi that is probably very close to the original interpretations."

Wonderful Verdi!

Peter Hilliard | Roslyn, PA United States | 01/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this album (actually not this particular album, but this performance remastered similarly on an Italian label) because I am a big Riccardo Stracciari fan. I got hooked on him when I picked up a sampler of his work. His 'Largo Al Factotum' would give anyone a run for their money. I was so utterly captivated by this Rigoletto that I have started to look into the other performers and Molajoli's other work (his Falstaff and Trovatore are also gems!) . As the other reviewers have stated, this is a really important recording, and I might add that with the sound restoration, it would rival just about any other Rigoletto out there. Admittedly, it doesn't sound as polished as today's recordings (you can tell it's a historical performance) but the singers today don't sound like this either. Buy it NOW or don't call yourself a Verdi fan."

I second Demarco.

Charles Weinstein | Austin, TX USA | 09/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I agree with all of the comments made by Mr. Demarco...Any serious collector of opera should own this recording."