Some months ago I reviewed
a DVD with a 2005 production from Gran
Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. This
was a co-production with Théâtre
du Capitole de Toulouse and Asociación
Bilbaina de Amigos de la Ópera
(A.B-A.O.). While visually the Barcelona
performance was lavish and had its high
points dramatically, it gave little
pleasure vocally. The chorus were afflicted
with moments of rough ensemble but in
the main did a decent job, the minor
solo parts were OK, in some cases better
than OK, but of the four main soloists
only Barbara Frittoli was at all pleasing.
Now here is the same
production from Bilbao a few years earlier.
It should be mentioned that Barcelona
was first out in 1999 to celebrate the
reopening of Liceu. When on occasion
good visuals and good acting can redeem
less than attractive singing, here we
have only the sonics to go by. It turns
out, however, that Bilbao wins hands
down on almost every count. They have
a comparable set of singers in the minor
roles – only Lluis Sintes’ Ping was
in both productions. There is more precision
and punch in the Bilbao chorus – indeed
they are plainly magnificent. José
Collado has an even tighter dramatic
grip on the combined forces than the
wholly admirable Carella in Barcelona.
The recorded sound is impressive and
there is surprisingly little in the
way of distracting noises. Even the
audience at the end of September is
blessedly free from bronchitis.
José Manuel
Díaz is a dramatic Mandarin –
the first voice we hear – and Erwin
Schrott, noble, warm and with beautiful
timbre, is one of the best of recorded
Timurs. He is especially good in the
last act – the scene with Liù’s
death. We also encounter a splendid
Liú in Ainhoa Arteta. She is
vibrant and expressive, a heavier voice
than one often hears in the role but
she is truly endearing in her second
aria Tu che di gel sei cinta!
Ignacio Encinas isn’t the most ingratiating
of Calafs and not always too sensitive
to nuance but he is sturdy and powerful.
At the end of act 2 he is heavily strained
and once or twice painfully flat, but
his is at least a more than decent performance
and he makes a good stab at Nessun
dorma. It lacks in poetry but the
applause is rapturous.
It is, however, for
Alessandra Marc’s Turandot that this
issue is of special interest. I heard
her in the role in Paris ten years ago
and was deeply impressed – she is even
more glorious here. She has the penetrating
top notes, dramatic and expressive and
never seems to tire. Since Birgit Nilsson’s
heyday we haven’t heard a more complete
Turandot. What she also has is a certain
amount of warmth – even at her first
appearance with In questa reggia.
This might be seen as a drawback. I
remember a review in Gramophone back
in 1992 – I believe it was John Steane
who, reviewing a recital disc on the
Delos label – wrote: "''In questa
reggia'' is (I believe) a mistake and
probably a dangerous one: there isn't
ice in the voice". That it was
no mistake, this recording, made a full
decade later, is very clear evidence
and personally I think that the hints
of warmth make it easier to accept the
thaw towards the end of the opera. Nilsson’s
princess sparkles with polar ice.
Individually there
have been even finer readings of the
roles in the past: Corelli, Björling
and Pavarotti as Calaf; Tebaldi, Scotto
and Caballé as Liù and
both Giaiotti and Ghiaurov are superb
as Timur, but no one in my experience
surpasses Alessandra Marc as Turandot
in her combination of vocal glory and
warmth. Nilsson’s two recordings, with
Leinsdorf and Molinari-Pradelli, will
never be redundant and the Decca recording
under Zubin Mehta with Sutherland in
the title role has many good things,
even though I find Sutherland less suited
to the role than do others.
There are extensive
historical notes and a detailed synopsis
- not track-related - in the booklet,
but only in Spanish, as seems to be
the rule with these RTVE issues from
Spanish Radio.
Göran Forsling
for details
Alessandra Marc (soprano) – Turandot;
Ignacio Encinas (tenor) – Calaf; Ainhoa
Arteta (soprano) – Liù; Erwin Schrott
(bass) – Timur; Lluis Sintes (tenor) –
Ping; Eduardo Santamaria (baritone) –
Pang; José Ruiz (baritone) – Pong;
Pedro Calderón (tenor) – Altoum;
José Manuel Díaz (baritone)
– Mandarin 
