Search - Verdi, Cerquetti, Ortica :: I Vespri Siciliani (Turin 1955)

Vespri Finally

Daniel Mitrano | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | 12/04/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The good--Cerquetti owned one of the more fabulous Verdi sopranos of her time and wasn't unwilling to use it with gusto. She throws herself into the singing and delivers a performance of excitiment. Ortica,though not ideal in technique, offers drama and doesn't disappoint dramatically. Tagliabue and Christoff clean their musical and vocal plates with relish even if their parts aren't as big. Rossi keeps the music together without offending or inspiring. The bad--1955 Turin broadcast of a live performance, need I say more? It's clear enough, however, to keep our interest in this piece. The ugly--the ballet is omitted, either in the performance itself or, as I suspect, by the label company to keep it confined to two CDs. There are other cuts, but only die-hard fans of this opera need to worry. If you are a Cerquetti fan, it's a steal."