Search - Gaetano Donizetti, Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Muti :: Verdi: La Forza del Destino

2Wonders, 3B casts, 1 nightmare and an idiomatic conductor

Armindo | Greece | 10/17/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Lets start with the wonders. The singer who made the greatest impact that night in Vienna was without a doubt, Franco Bonisolli. I really enjoyed his strong, ringing tenor voice which despite its power can be subtle and warm. He somehow combines Bergonzi's warmth and Del Monaco's/Corelli's power. I would easily line Bonisolli up next to previous legendary Alvaro of Martinelli, Gigli, Bergonzi, Del Monaco, Corelli. Closely behind Bonisolli that night in Vienna came the golden standard of Verdi bass singing of Cesare Siepi. I've heard Siepi sing this role much better and that's the only reason I say he wasn't no1. I thought it took him a couple of scenes to warm up and deliver his usual best, i.e. the richest bass voice you'll ever hear in Verdi.



The label B cast is by no means derogatory. For me it describes a singer whom on a good night I'd be honoured to see in a performance. Here it perfectly describes Paskalis and Bruscantini and often Cruz-Romo's Leonora. Kostas Paskalis recovers after a rough first scene, has moments of brilliance in Urna fatale and is superb in the duets (mostly with Bonisolli). Things only go wrong in my opinion when he lets drama ruin the vocal line but others may find this affective. Bruscantini has the voice but lacks a bit of the character here that is often so enjoyable with Melitone. Corena and Cappecchi were always so much fun. I had great expectations for Cruz-Romo. Recently I heard an Adriana Lecouvreur from Chile and like her a lot. Leonora di Vargas is such a demanding role though and so many sopranos fail vocally. Cruz-Romo sings some scenes like "La Vergine" and the finale beautifully with effective pianissimo. The big arias however are mostly forgettable. At the time, Arroyo would have been the ideal Leonora for this production. Preciozilla has to be my least favourite Verdi role but at least when the mezzo sings well I can say something nice about it. Joy Davidson did my head in. I have no idea who she is or what sort of career she had before of after this performance but here she is all over the place.



Muti's orchestra plays with nerve and spirit while the chorus could be much better. Good, clear sound quality. 4 stars seems too much but 3 isn't enough. Because of the good male cast and conductor I'm happy to give 4 stars. Still no competition for the Forza productions with Tebaldi's Leonora (53 Florence, 55 Scala, 58 Naples)."