Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756–1791)
Così fan tutte:
1. Non siate ritrosi [2:33]
2. Donne miei la fate a tanti
[3:03]
Vincenzo BELLINI
(1801–1835)
I puritani:
3. Or dovefuggo io mai? … Ah! per
sempre io ti … Bel sogno beato
[7:55]
Gioachino ROSSINI
(1792–1868)
Il barbiere di Siviglia:
4. Largo al factotum della città
[4:57]
Giuseppe VERDI
(1813–1901)
Il trovatore:
5. Il balen del suo sorriso
[3:13]
La traviata:
6. Di Provenza il mar, il suol
[4:19]
Rigoletto:
7. Pari siamo! … Figlia! Mio padre!
[9:06]
8. Chi e mai [5:11]
Otello:
9. Vanne; La tua meta gia vedo
... Credo in un Dio crudel [4:39]
10. E qual certenza … Era la notte
[3:38]
Ruggero LEONCAVALLO
(1858–1919)
Pagliacci:
11. Prologue: Si può? Si
può? [7:53]
Umberto GIORDANO
(1867–1948)
Andrea Chenier:
12. Nemico della patria [4:32]
Giancarlo MENOTTI
(1911–2007)
Amelia al ballo:
13. Non si va! … Amelia cara
[11:47]
This is an excellently
chosen conspectus of early Panerai
Columbias recorded in 1953 and 1954.
It captures him in some of his familiar
and accustomed roles, with some august
conductor collaborators, even if it
does also find him battling against
some oddly intransigent then-prevailing
recording standards.
The famous examples
from Così are taken
from the Karajan directed complete
LP set. They show Panerai at something
like his buffo best, joined by the
mellifluous Simoneau. Later on Panerai
essayed Don Alfonso – for Böhm
in 1974. But twenty years earlier
his Guglielmo is technically impressive,
tonally beautiful the characterisation
increased by his characteristically
fast vibrato. He was a masculine singer
but as his Bellini shows he could
sustain the legato finely, the voice
remaining well equalised throughout.
And what a personable singer he was
– try his Largo al factotum for
instance. Although here I think the
demanding critic will detect a distinct
aggressively turn of phrase; one has
certainly heard wittier, more bantering,
less bullish singing. It’s a feeling
that persists the further we drift
from his august Mozart and Bellini.
Il Trovatore is
not extracted from the 1956 Callas-Karajan
recording. Admirable as far as vocal
production goes there is something
straining and over-emphatic about
it as characterisation. Similarly
another word of exclusion; Panerai
recorded La Traviata in 1971
with Sills and Gedda and conducted
by Ceccato but this obviously isn’t
it. Again I sense some strain. His
Rigoletto is better – there’s some
probing musicianship on display here
even though he and Mattiwilda Dobbs
don’t always make an optimal match.
His Otello is better still – darkly
resonant and powerfully characterised;
resilient, intelligent, thought-provoking
singing. It’s in the extract from
Andrea Chenier that we find perhaps
the finest example of his lyric qualities
– the legato is splendid, as is the
power and the sense of projection.
Rarer by far as repertoire, and therefore
doubly welcome, is the longish extract
from Menotti’s Amelia al ballo
– attractive musically and showing
Panerai in contemporary repertoire.
Panerai’s besetting
sins were those little detonational
moments, sudden over-emphatic blustering,
that tended to detract from the legato
but at his best he was a most attractive,
perceptive musician. This selection
shows his strengths and weaknesses
with fidelity.
Jonathan Woolf
see also review
by Goran
Forsling
for details
Rolando Panerai (baritone) 
