IL TROVATORE (Verdi)

There are a lot of thoughtful remarks about this recording from other reviewers here. Although I know for a fact that different people hear differently, or love differently, the same recording, I think that this recording is an incomparable document of a certain style of Italian singing that was on its way out of singers by 1970.

Price, Domingo and Milnes - clearly not Italians - give luxurious, splendidly made performances. Some may prefer other examples of Price's Leonora, and if you're shopping for Price, then that may be an issue. But if you want the best stereo set of this opera, I really think this is still unmatched. The reason is that this recording is one of the last reliable documents of the Italian style of singing Italian opera - as opposed to the international style that we see and hear today. Apres... le deluge.

I am not a scholar or a critic, but it seems to me that this is a recognizably different kind of singing that is totally dominant in opera recordings before 1970 - all the way back to the beginnings of recorded music, characterized by a humane confidence in the nobility of operatic conventions. Even though, for its ethnic credentials, this recording features only the Ambrosian Opera Chorus and two actual Italians in the cast, those two singers - Bonaldo Giaiotti (Fernando) and Fiorenza Cossotto (Azucena) - create an axis with the chorus and Metha's assertive corralling of the orchestra into its particularly Verdian role of opinionated commentator to the action, that provides the unmistakable style and sound that is, unfortunately better represented by mono recordings.

I don't know if there are samples of Giaotti's first number on this site, or if a short clip would demonstrate this, but if you can, listen to the generosity and total comfort with Ferando's demanding music that allow him to shape a character totally out of the music. Similarly, Cossotto's first scene establishes her dominance as the musical and dramatic force that stabilizes the star-studded cast throughout the recording. She has a limpid mezzo that allows itself to be shaped by Verdi's music, giving us an Azucena who is just as clearly an Italian mama as a ethnically challenged nut - something impossible to understand without a sensitivity to the conventions of Italian opera, which this recording has. The Ambrosian Opera Chorus handle the inflections of their black-face gypsy music without the slightest irony, almost naively - which is an absolute must for the understanding and enjoyment of this opera.

The best thing about it is that it blends - all the talent on this recording is beautifully blended and shaped with the listener in mind - the notion that special attention should be paid to the fact that the listener is not in a theater but in his home (car?). In all this, the only wish I have is that Decca had recorded this, but don't let this criticism distract you - the sound is fine.

If you're looking for an exciting musically and dramatically thrilling recording of this most Italian of Italian operas, this is the one for you.

"Il Trovatore", chock-full of memorable melodies, a convoluted story that has duels, poisons, dungeons, beheadings, infanticide, fratricide, & immolations, demands only the (4) greatest singers available to meet the extraordinary musical and dramatic demands of this wonderful score. Recordings abound of this opera, yet it is quite easy to distinguish essential performances from all the rest. In my opinion, there are (3) that are unsurpassable: The Callas/ Karajan for the combined musical genius
of those two artists; the live L.Price/ Corelli/Karajan Salzburg Festival '62 performance, and this performance: the best overall 'modern' one available, & featuring (4) of the greatest Verdians of our time, singing at peak or near-peak form, with the youthful excitement from a great operatic conductor. First,
the American soprano, Leontyne Price, inherited the role of Leonora from her Verdian predecessor, the great Zinka Milanov, who sang the role for nearly 30 yrs. Ms. Price, who's recorded "Il Trovatore" (3) times commercially, has remained the 'standard' for the role ever since, especially in this sterling performance. Here, she uses the darker hues of her most voluptuous instrument. The 'middle' voice is sensuously lush, and full, and throbs, while the lower end is slightly weaker,and/or chesty. However, it is in the upper part of her voice that Ms. Price is incomparable. She soars to the stratospheric heights repeatedly with beauty, purity, and ease. The high B's and C's are 'spun', or ring out with clarity and dramatic purpose, and she captures the almost melancholic desperation of the doomed Leonora quite aptly. The 'coloratura' passages are not always as fluid, and
"Tu vedrai", a welcome addition, sung admirably by the soprano, is bettered by Callas/Karajan. However, Ms. Price's seamless legato, creamy soft 'highs' in the "D'amor" followed by her intoned urgency in the "Miserere", and the rock-solid "high C" that caps "Tacea la notte" are better still, and secures this diva's fame as the finest Leonora
recorded to date! The 'Trovatore' is Spanish tenor Placido Domingo, whose subsequent career places him among the greatest tenors ever - and the leading Verdi tenor of our time, with a nod to Carlo Bergonzi. This recording is the first of (3) that Domingo has recorded of the opera. Here, the tenor is truly a revelation, singing with an intensely vibrant, dark, and rich tone, smooth and evenly-produced throughout all his registers. It's the tenor's superlative phrasing that really distinguishes him from the competition however. His "Ah si.." and "Deserto sulla terra" have not been bettered by anyone else. The tenor is a bit less convincing in the most heroic passages of the music - "Di quella pira" - with its unwritten and
'infamous' "high C" but, as with Price, he's definitive in this role. Italian mezzo-soprano Fiorenza Cossotto can
likewise can be heard on (3) versions of this opera (one, a soundtrack). Her performance here immortalizes one of the best interpreters of the sad gypsy Azucena ever. Ms. Cossotto's powerful, somewhat nasal voice is more incisive than beautiful, not that it lacks that either. She always gives full attention to the texts, and 'colors' her voice accordingly. Her understanding of the complexities in this role (the only 3-
dimensional one in the opera) seems absolute, and the liberal use of her secure 'chest voice' illuminates the gypsy's passionate nature. The mezzo's upper voice is not as secure, but always
rings out with conviction when the music demands it. She commands the role like no other. Sherrill Milnes is the last in a tradition of great American baritones who have excelled in this music. Like Tibbett, he's dramatically believable and 'alive'. His voice has
a tonal virility and weight reminiscent of Merrill (if not his opulence), and
an extraordinary upper extension that
Warren posessed (and produced with purer
tonal acuity). Milnes' characterization lacks a little in subtlety (so does the role itself), but is always intelligent and alert. With the ability to hone his powerful voice to the soft more lyrical demands of "Il Balen", mellifluously -
sung here, alternating with thrilling vocal output elsewhere, Mr. Milnes has
the edge over all of his rivals. The Italian basso Bonaldo Giaotti gives his Act I 'Narrative' full-shrift as well, suffusing the brooding music with a voice that is secure, full-bodied, and warmly beautiful. Maestro Zubin Mehta ,
(India)was just embarking on his most brilliant career when he conducted this performance, in which he succeeds quite
masterfully. Mehta does not constrict his singers the way that some of his illustrous, more famous colleagues do(Von Karajan, Solti, Muti). Instead, he brings his own energetic and musically propulsive ideas to cast and orchestra,
reulting in stirring climaxes, ambient quieter moments ("D'amor","Ai nostri monti"), and a dramatic cohesion that
makes this "Il Trovatore" one for the ages. This is the one to own!!!! Note: There is some validity to complaints of sonic imperfection. Some the more forte passages can 'spread' or distort. This is easily alleviated by adjusting your equipment's volume, bass, and treble controls accordingly. Enjoy!!!

How awful of RCA to remaster this so horribly!!
As the music and voices get louder, the recording crumbles and crackles, almost like in an early live recording. Such a shame when the performance is so white hot! My only complaint is that Price sings a very clunky and unmusical cadenza at the end of D'Amor Sull'ali Rosee, marring a beautifully sung aria.