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5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Voices, Feb 15 2004
This classic performance has been aptly described as "the most smoothly and richly sung Pagliacci on records," and has for decades been the preferred version among those who put a premium upon great voices.
Pagliacci (1892), the only lasting success of Leoncavallo, has long shared honors with Cavalleria Rusticana (1890), the only lasting success of Mascagni, as the two most popular short operas in the standard repertoire. "Cav and Pag," sometimes familiarly known as the "ham and eggs" of Italian opera, have also long been joined at the hip as the world's most popular operatic double-bill. Both are verismo operas (Italian realism or naturalism featuring earthy characters from ordinary walks of life, fierce passions, and resulting violence) set in the south of Italy, with simple plots turning on sexual jealousy which results in murder. (Many have the misapprehension that they are both one-act operas; Cav is, but Pag, though short, is actually in two acts.) Caruso popularized the opera, making Canio virtually his trademark role, and since his time most of the major tenors of Italian opera have sung the role. Today, you can have your pick of complete Pagliacci recordings by Gigli, Bjorling, Tucker, Di Stefano, Del Monaco, Corelli, Bergonzi, Pavarotti, Domingo, Carreras, and others. The larder is well stocked. This monaural studio recording was made by RCA in Manhattan in 1953 and originally issued on LP by RCA. In 1989 EMI issued a CD version of it, which I bought upon its release and would recommend that you avoid; it is thin, hard, and overbright--not a successful transfer. EMI wisely remastered it in 1998; this one sounds fine and is a significant improvement over the earlier EMI issue. The sound is monaural, of course, and is inevitably dated, but it is clear, natural, and well focused. What makes this version so distinguished, what makes it stand out in a field so full of competitors, can be expressed in two words: great voices. Talk about prodigally luxurious casting: four of the greatest voices of the day, and indeed of the twentieth century, are the principals here. The rich, resonant, plush baritones of Leonard Warren and Robert Merrill; the luminous, radiant soprano of Victoria De Los Angeles, arguably the most beautiful lyric soprano voice of her time; and above all--for this is primarily a tenor's opera--the uniquely beautiful and incomparably brilliant and thrilling tenor voice of Jussi Bjorling, considered by many good judges the pre-eminent tenor since Caruso in the standard Italian and French repertoire. Bjorling's Canio eschews the extra-musical emoting--the gulps, sobs, and blubbering--indulged in by some tenors in this role; instead, he manages to convey the requisite passion entirely in his singing. It wouldn't be much of an exaggeration to say that these four opulent voices had no true peers even in the abundantly endowed operatic world of the 1950s, and they certainly have no peers today: no one could now assemble such a cast for Pagliacci. The studio orchestra and chorus are both excellent. Renato Cellini conducts a taut, dramatic, well-shaped performance that permits his singers to make the most of their resources. And what magnificent resources they are! All four principals are in splendid voice; all are caught here in their prime. (One oddity worth noting: it is Warren, as Tonio, rather than Bjorling, as Canio, who sings the opera's final line, "La commedia e finita!" This was the original form of the opera's ending.) I have a number of recordings of Pagliacci, but this one would be my pick, even at full price. For those who must have a stereo recording, or who would like an alternative version, the Corelli/von Matacic on EMI and the Bergonzi/von Karajan on DGG can be recommended. Those who like Bjorling's work here may want to acquire the fine Cavalleria Rusticana on RCA with Bjorling, Milanov, and Merrill, Cellini conducting (also recorded in 1953), in which Bjorling sings the best Turiddu on record.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Exquisit!, Feb 7 2004
By A Customer
This was the very first opera recording I had of this work. I bought it way back when, and it was originally released under the "Seraphim" label. I even wrote the price on the box (at that time, a huge $5.98). It was part of the Great Recordings of the Century series, and with the opera itself was included a side of arias sung by Bjoerling. Of course, at the time I bought this recording I knew nothing of the opera, excepting the famous "Vesti la giubba" (from recordings of Caruso), and the Prologue (but not sung by a great baritone of the opera, but Jim Nebors of Gomer Pile fame). I was instantly entranced. The story really grabbed me, and hearing it was a real revelation. The drama was very much alive, for me, and I find it hard to imagine people claiming it is really a very dead recording. The recording was a mono recording back then, and is often the case when remastered for CD, there are flaws in the sound quality. At times, one actually does think the opera was recorded with wool in front of the mikes, a sound quality not found in the originally released records. The only "uninvolved" singer of the lot is de Los Angeles. I have always found her very emotionless. She is very pretty, and has a very mellow caressing sound, but for some reason it reveals very little in the way of character, even in her very famous Butterfly recording. Her Faust and Barbiere di Seviglia did little for me either. Yet, in live performances, she was enchanting. I really suspect that it was the way her voice records. It is so mellow it records fairly faithfully as far as sound is concerned, but lacks her real fire that was there in life. Still, her singing is beautiful, and I loved it for beautiful singing. Bjoerling was simply wonderful, and every note was filled with emotion. Personally, I much rather hear him sing this role than Pavarotti (who is wonderfully vocally, but has little acting to his style). Domingo is closer in dramatic truth. Of course, Bjoerling sings with all the traditions of the time, high notes and all that are now removed in most recordings. He even speaks the final words of the opera (a very long tradition of doing so) when in the score they belong to the character of Tonio. Personally, I don't mind the high notes, even if they are not in the score. For me, it seems, one really has to go back in time to find singers who knew how to sing this role (Canio) and give life to it dramatically through their sound. I agree the recording of Gigli is incredible. Some sobs should be there, after all, this is verismo, and even Caruso used some sobbing now and again. Yet, one usually is treated to either nothing at all, or something quite over done. This recording is based more on the music and less on affects. Leonard Warren was the voice that stunned me. I had never heard of him, and of course, by the time I bought this recording he was long dead. I knew nothing of his tragic death right on stage. It was his voice that grabbed me. He made the prologue something special. I actually listened to it first hearing about five times before I even listened to the rest of the opera. There was a haunting quality, particularly in the passages where he tells us that the story we are about to see is about real people. The orchestra is wonderfully exciting. The score is cut, though some of the cuts in the second act are not that important. The music cut often just meanders or gives the impression of instruments tuning up. Some of the choral parts, though, were not a wise choice to cut. I rate this recording so highly because it is worthy of it. It is exciting, and it is an old recording. For those interested in things being "authentic", this is not your recording, as like I said, it follows traditions of the time. The sound quality isn't the best, so those expecting modern studio sound, you will be disappointed. For those interested in a great performance that is well sung, and is exciting, even if somewhat dated, then this is a great recording. It is still my very favorite recording of this work, and it always will be.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb, but too short!, Jul 11 2003
I love this cast, everything is supberb. But they have removed some pages of the score, which is very disappointing.
I recommend the Pavarotti/Freni-version if you would hear it completely.
And isn't the sopranos a BIT flat on the "Din-don"-chorus?
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