Gioacchino ROSSINI (1792-1868)
Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1816)
Rosina - Agnes Baltsa (mezzo)
Figaro - Thomas Allen (baritone)
Almaviva - Francisco Araiza (tenor)
Basilio - Robert Lloyd (bass)
Bartolo - Domenico Trimarchi (baritone)
Berta - Sally Burgess (mezzo)
Fiorello - Matthew Best (bass-baritone)
Un ufficiale - John Noble (baritone)
Ambrosia Opera Chorus/John McCarthy
Academy of St Martin in the Fields/Neville Marriner
rec. Watford Town Hall, June 1982.
DECCA 478 2497 [68:49 + 79.19]
This recording presents two debuts: Marriner as an opera conductor and Francisco
Araiza’s first full operatic role on disc. The former is an unqualified
success, the second more debatable. I have never warmed to Araiza’s
rather nasal, throttled tone; it is somewhat grating and immediately contrasts
oddly with the plummy, muffled vocal production of Matthew Best’s Fiorello.
Nor will Araiza’s aspirated divisions please purists who become exercised
over such things; Lawrence Brownlee in the more recent Sony set is a far neater
and conventionally elegant singer with a much mellower, more ingratiating
sound.
Agnes Baltsa is a rather ferocious Rosina, long on vocal athleticism with
an impressive range but a little short on charm - and she too aspirates her
runs more here than in her Rossini recital discs. Thomas Allen is not ideally
refulgent of voice as Figaro - I like a Stracciari, a Gobbi or at least a
more resonant Italianate sound - but his energy is infectious. His frequent
use of mezza voce and falsetto contributes to a light, nuanced, mercurial
account - less of an overbearing self-publicist than some singers make the
barber out to be. He is fleet and agile, taking top note options and verbally
he is extraordinarily varied and fluent - with impeccable Italian. Figaro’s
banter with Rosina is as sharp and as wittily inflected as any I have heard
and there is always a sense of interplay between characters. Marriner’s
direction is impeccable: sappy, sprung and alive; the ASMF sound as though
they are having fun and although the sense of theatricality is not as pronounced
here as it is in the widely praised, super-budget Naxos set, it is still one
of the least studio-bound I know and the Act One finale in particular exhibits
special joie de vivre.
Robert Lloyd is a terrific Basilio; he is not afraid of distorting his beautiful
bass for comic effect and vivdly creates an aural picture of the seedy old
sponger. He really relishes the role and like all the cast here, seems completely
at home in the quickfire patter. The intrinsic quality of his enormous bass
rather shows up Trimarchi’s thin, wobbly sound, but the latter is a
seasoned buffo campaigner and camps it up splendidly. Sally Burgess is a characterful
Berta.
Despite its many virtues, this set does not inspire in me the same admiration
and affection as it does in some commentators and for sheer vocal personality
my first loyalties still lie with the famous (but cut) Callas-Gobbi version.
As a theatrical experience I rate this Marriner set highly but also enjoy
very much the Humburg set on Naxos and also the fleet, youthful Sony recording
conducted by Miguel Gomez-Martinez with Nathan Gunn, Lawrence Brownlee and
a rather ordinary Elina Garanca, who is outshone by Baltsa.
This 2 CD set is one of a new series of bargain issues by Decca in crude,
1960s pop-art style in hideous, acidic colours. Despite their appearance,
they are very good value, even if there is no libretto.
Ralph Moore
Very good value, even if there is no libretto.