Giuseppe VERDI (1813–1901)
La mia letizia infondere
Héctor Sandoval (tenor)
Philharmonie Baden-Baden/Pavel Baleff
No recording data given.
Texts not included.
Reviewed as downloaded from press preview
GRAMOLA 99233
[52:30]
Mexican tenor Héctor Sandoval has appeared in many of the big opera houses
in Europe and the Americas and is represented on a couple of DVDs, but this
is his first solo recital. On the surface of it, it seems to be just
another recital with the old war-horses, but on closer scrutiny we find
that there is no La donna e mobile, no Celeste Aïda, no Di quella pira or any of the arias we expect. The excerpts from
Verdi’s mature operas are also relative rarities, from Don Carlo
and Simon Boccanegra; even the aria from Un ballo in Maschera is not the expected one but Verdi’s original
version from what was titled Gustav III, the work that never
passed the censorship in first Naples and then Rome. The rest of the arias
are from his so called “galley years”, so full marks for the programming.
The best-known aria is probably Quando le sere al placido from Luisa Miller.
He opens with the tenor aria from the early I Lombardi, La mia Letizia infondere. It is a fine vehicle for a good lirico-spinto, and he certainly has the squillo required.
But he is also willing to scale down and find some soft nuances. The same
goes for the rather well-known Mercè, dilleti amici from Ernani. Here he indulges in some palatable piano singing. In the
excerpt from Don Carlo, a role he has sung at the Bolshoi, he also
sings with deep involvement, again with delicious piano tones. I due Foscari, which seems to be getting an upswing at the moment,
is represented by two arias. The first is sung with good drive, and he
attacks the high notes with boldness – hopefully not to the detriment of
his vocal cords. The second is the prison aria, which is possibly the
highlight of this opera and is deeply moving and very beautiful. It opens
with an ominous cello solo that sets the mood for the whole aria.
The second half of the recital begins with Gabriele Adorno’s aria from Simon Boccanegra. It is well-sung, but it is interesting to note
that when the revised version of the opera premiered in Milan in 1881, the
role was sung by Francesco Tamagno, who six years later also was the first
Otello. Off the record, it can be mentioned that Boccanegra was sung by
Victor Maurel, who was to be the first Iago.
I Masnadieri
from 1847 has never established itself in the standard repertoire. It was
reasonably successful at the premiere in London, thanks mainly to the
presence of Jenny Lind in the cast as Amalia. Carlo’s aria O mio castel paterno is not the most memorable of Verdi’s tenor
arias, but even Verdi’s less-engaging arias are worth a listen, and
Sandoval sings it well. It is, of course, interesting to hear Verdi’s first
thoughts for what was to be Un ballo in Maschera. The general
outline and the thematic material have not been changed very much, and
Sandoval sings it with aplomb, even though he presses too hard at times.
The complete Gustav III has occasionally been performed, and also
recorded in 2002 from a performance in Gothenburg with internationally
acclaimed Hillevi Martinpelto as Amelia.
Macduff has little to sing in Verdi’s Shakespeare-based opera Macbeth, but he has a relatively short aria that is one of the
highlights in the opera. Héctor Sandoval rips it off with verve. But it is
as Rodolfo in Luisa Miller that Sandoval is at his very best. He
offers not only the aria proper but also the cabaletta, and the scene is a
tour de force: lovely singing, full of feeling and glow and a really
intense cabaletta.
The recital format is problematic insofar as a single singer must be
extremely versatile dramatically and expressively to avoid a certain
sameness. Héctor Sandoval cannot avoid it, but that’s more the fault of the
format than the singer. He is ably accompanied by the Philharmonie
Baden-Baden, the recording is good, but the playing time is rather
parsimonious. My final verdict: a splendid tenor, and an adventurous
programme – but the playing time could have been more generous
and there are no texts.
Göran Forsling
Contents
I Lombardi:
1. La mia letizia infondere [2:16]
Ernani:
2. Mercè, dilleti amici [6:44]
Don Carlo:
3. Io l’ho perduta! … Io la vidi [3:33]
I due Foscari:
4. Brezza del suol natio … Dal più remoto esilio [6:35]
5. Preludio. Notte! Perpetua notte che qui regni [6:36]
Simon Boccanegra:
6. O inferno! Sento avvampar nell’anima [5:32]
I Masnadieri:
7. O mio castel paterno [2:43]
Gustav III (First version of Un ballo in Maschera):
8. Forse la soglia attinse [5:29]
Macbeth:
9. Ah, la peterna mano [3:47]
Luisa Miller:
10. Quando le sere al placido [9:15]
