Living at the Opera

The 70s saw a renewed interest in Verdi’s Vespri, but it’s this May, 1978, live performance from the Maggio Musicale in Florence which satisfies our emotional cravings for another of the composer’s musical feasts. And conductor Riccardo Muti makes sure we get a complete meal. Starting with a commanding and intense reading of the overture to the vengeful choral outbursts of the Sicilians’ massacre of the French, Muti is in total control of all his forces. His overall passion for this opera guarantees a great performance.

Although soprano Renata Scotto had sung the role of the duchess Elena previously, she arrived in Florence with a vocal presence new to her interpretation. Here she is so completely committed vocally and dramatically to the role, her singing takes on an emotional charge that she sustains throughout the work. Renato Bruson’s Monforte shows again the singer’s ability to sing every marking and note completely.  He is able to shower the role with every emotional expression Verdi demands  from his baritones. Bass Ruggiero Raimondi’s unique approach to Procida covers every piano and forte Verdi thought of giving his patriot. Raimondi’s scenes with Scotto are particularly lovely and searing; their understanding of Verdi’s intentions bring total satisfaction. Tenor Veriano Luchetti as Arrigo is not able to meet every vocal challenge as his three collegues do,  but he keeps up dramatically. He does hold up his end vocally, however, in the long and heartfelt final trio with Scotto and Raimondi. It is one of Verdi’s most unusual and musically interesting sections in an opera filled with distinctive musical flavors. Even the audience’s hearty reactions seem to follow Muti’s expert guidance. This Vespri is live opera at its most rewarding.

Gala GL 100.611 3CD 

Giuseppe Verdi, October 9/10, 1813 - January 27, 1901

Renata Tebaldi can be found on a number of recordings of La Forza, all of them live except one studio version on London/Decca. The soprano always had a great success with the role of Leonora both in Italy and at the Met and seemed to enjoy taking on one of Verdi’s most tormented heroines. Most times Tebaldi had no problems with any of the vocal and dramatic hurdles in her portrayal. Possibly the Italian Diva’s best rendition can be found on a performance from the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, taped on June 14, 1953 under the baton of Dimitri Mitropoulos. His conducting is both poignant and dramatically propulsive; the famous overture is quite a vivid and full-scale interpretation.

All the performances have an inspired feeling about them due mostly to their outstanding vocal and dramatic output that on this day showed why Forza aways needs great singers to be fully appreciated.

Mario Del Monico’s Alvaro shows the vocal prowess coupled with a warm execution which his fans knew he had and can stand up to any scrutiny his detractors put forth. Cesare Siepi’s Padre Guardiano is vocally sturdy in expressing one of Verdi’s most compassionate paternal figures making the convent duet with Tebaldi an opulent experience. Both Fedora Barbieri’s cushiony lilt in her Preziosilla and Renato Capecchi’s insightful vocal acting as the cynical Fra Melitone show the overall strength of this cast. If Aldo Protti’s Don Carlo did not always express the sonority we like to hear in this role, he still made a solid contribution when needed. In 1953, Tebaldi had all the vocal and dramatic resources Leonora required, allowing her beautiful sound to ring out and completely capture all the vocal drama she loved to invest into this role.

This performance can be found on the Archipel label-ARPCD 0126 which, unfortunately, may be out of print.

Now that the Rossini revival has passed the quarter century mark, it seems fitting for the opera world to take a look at performances before the advent of critical perusal of Rossini’s operas. One such look leads us to his Mosè recorded for RAI in Rome on June 27th, 1956. This is the Italian version of the French work, Moise et Pharaon listed in the notes as a Melodramma sacro in quattro atti.

The committed cast offers some exciting singing at times that could meet today’s vocal scrutiny. Bass, Nicola Rossi-Lemeni’s sound is a little woolly but he makes an imposing biblical leader. Tenor, Agostino Lazzari gives a good account of Elisero but is unschooled in Rossinian technique. The compramari raise the vocal level with soprano,Rosanna Cartieri as Sinaide, bass, Plinio Clabassi as Osiride and Anna Maria Rota as Maria.The two artists that stand out are soprano, Anita Cerquetti  as Anaide and  baritone, Giuseppe Taddei  as Faraone whose impressive vocals compliment Rossini’s multifaceted scoring and would be welcome on today’s stages. Tulio Serafin conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the RAI with a sure hand, giving Rossini’s music a bit of Verdian energy especially in the closing music expressing the parting of the Red Sea.

1995 Eklipse Records Ltd. EKR P-10

There are two live recordings of the opera with Renata Scotto, one from Palermo in 1968 and the other, much preferred here, from Venice in 1970. One finds Scotto on firmer vocal ground in the latter hitting most of the High Cs and Ds head on that are scattered throughout the score. This vocal security allows her to give a fully realized interpretation of the heroine’s emotional turmoil in a role filled with dramatic declamation and touching arioso, two musical characteristics that Scotto was always able to fully project.

For a concise view of the tangled, somtimes bewildering libretto see John Rosselli’s The Life of Bellini in the Musical Lives series from Cambridge University Press. The performance is on Opera d’Oro OPD1261 2CDs.