Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Tullio Serafin, San Carlo Theater Orchestra (Naples) :: Verdi: Il Trovatore

VOICES WITH SACRED MEDITERRANEAN FIRE....LIVE!

jfmaniaci | Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia | 08/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Whether you buy this historic live recording of Il Trovatore, the Verdian masterpiece, on the Pantheon or IDI label, the result is the same: a feast of bel canto and squilli (Lauri Volpi), masculine energy and cavernous notes (Elmo), lyricism and fiery acute notes (Callas), nobility and feline bursts (Silveri). Add to it a lively and fast-paced score conducted by Serafin at the San Carlo Opera House in the winter of 1951, in front of an audience warmed at first in Act I and gone berserk with enthusiasm at the end of Act III! This makes the difference between a pretty, faultless but inanimate studio recording and one taken live, which has atmosphere, glorious singing from the real stage and audience participation. The orchestra sound is not hi-fi, far from it at times. However, the voices soar cleanly and radiantly above the orchestra. The inevitable coughs are all there but who cares! You could not care less if you were a diehard fan of CALLAS or LAURI VOLPI and lover of a live showstopper where dramatic phrasing abounds: "il figlio mio" (a desperate Azucena in Act I), "all'armi" (a heroic troubadour in Act III), "Manrico" (a dying Leonora in Act IV), and "orrore" (a mesmerised Count Di Luna in Act IV). This historic, highly artistical recording is a treat for all fans of the divina Callas when she was 27 years of age, singing with ravishing, sure and youthful tones as I never heard her before. A treat also for all fans (including me) of Lauri Volpi, an unmatched Manrico, at 58 years of age, for pure mezza voce, bel canto and heroic top notes. His memorable "Pira" and famous squillo "All'armi", bringing the house down with enthusiasm, is difficult to describe unless you purchase the CD. In recalling the 1951 performance in Naples, Lauri Volpi, a highly cultured but forthright tenor (a Roman), commented: "The Neapolitans forever want a piece of liver or larynx before they can be moved"!"

THE CALLAS-LAURI VOLPI GLORIOUS CONNECTION...LIVE!

jfmaniaci | Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia | 08/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I took an intelligent gamble by purchasing the Verdian masterpiece recorded live and issued by IDI in early 2001. The performance was at the San Carlo Opera House in Naples on 27 January 1951. The expected cons were: poor sound, coughs, and uncontrolled applause. The pros: to hear the soloists' voices without the miracles of studio electronics, enjoy the atmosphere, applaud with the audience, get a great feeling and say "I was there that night". Keep the CD play volume down, avoid surrounding effect, use bass adjustment, be patient with a few inevitable coughs and the cons will almost cease to be a nuisance. As I hoped, the gamble paid great dividends. It was an exhilarating and memorable night! The audience warmed and became enthusiastic as early as Act I!One of the most loved and known operas, Il Trovatore has a complex musical texture, setting endless traps to the singers. It calls for four voices of absolute strength, able to soar above a resounding score, kept by the conductor Serafin at a lively and urgent pace. All of them were: Callas, Lauri Volpi, Elmo and Silveri! Hear, indomitable fans of the divina Callas! A splendid and ravishingly young Leonora on the photo (27 years of age at the time), smiling and holding hands with the legendary Lauri Volpi, the greatest Manrico ever to grace the stage and the most loved tenor in postwar Italy. Callas' phenomenal "multiple" voice, lyrical, light and dramatic was at her youthful prime and flowed divinely in " Di tale amor"in Act I, to hit acute notes throughout "D'amor sull'ali rosee" in Act IV, with no trace of what detractors call the Callas wobble. Lauri Volpi, a fiery and agile Manrico, was at his poetic best and the crowd went buzzing at the troubadour song in Act I. His "Pira" and famous squillo "All'armi" in Act III were like a message sent to the moon!!! It brought the house down with wild shouts of "Bis, bis"! Elmo, the fatal gypsy Azucena, reflected the spirit of vengeance with masculine energy and cavernous notes. Shouts of "Brava, brava" accompanied her "Stride la vampa". Silveri, originally a bass turned baritone, the evil Count Di Luna, was vocally noble and resonant in "Il balen". What an assortment of powerful and frenetic ensemble in the finale of Act II!"

The most glorious Trovatore ever recorded

Emma de Soleil | On a holiday In Ibiza, then back to the UK for stu | 05/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Leonora was a role Callas sang first in Mexico (A recording survived) and when she re-studied the role with her mentor Tullio Serafin her Leonora grew even more intense, brilliant and dramatic. This recording was made in 1951, live in Italy. The cast included not only Callas but Italian tenor-legend Giacomo Lauri Volpi who had partnered Callas as Edgardo previously. Cloe Elmo, an underrated dramatic mezzo sang Azucena and Paolo Silveri sang di Luna. The performance comes to life through Serafin's impeccable conducting, Callas' perfect Leonora and Laur Volpi's Italianitate Manrico (Not to everyone's liking maybe but in our days such dramatic tenors do not exist!). Callas deepened her already fascinating Leonora, adding some thrilling acuti, colours and an even steadier legato to her singing than in 1950. The "Mira d'acerbe lagrime" can only be compared to Ponselle's or Gadski's, so magnificent is Callas' singing. And the angelic pianissimi in "Prima che d'altri vivere" are simply divine.
Lauri Volpi, then at the end of his career delivers a natural, dramatic and passionate performance of Manrico. Outsinging del Monaco and others in the tender phrases in "Ah si ben mio" he gives proof that even the biggest voices are capable of gentle singing. His partnership with Callas is intense, he adored her and never quit praising his young colleague when asked for his opinion. Elmo and Silveri may not be Warren&Simionato (Callas' partners in 1950) but in those times they may not have been Nr. 1s but they would be today. Elmo's dark timbre is perfect or Azucena, Silveri delivers a Verdian, noble de Luna. In short: The greatest live Trovatore ever recorded."