Before
listening to Inessa Galante’s latest CD, I returned to her first
Campion issue, denoted ‘Debut’ which was much admired and has
reached ‘Gold’ and ‘Platinum’ status. The repertoire on that disc,
recorded in late 1994 (RRCD 1335) was, the opening ‘Casta Diva’
apart, very typical of a lyric soprano. The singing was notable
for a very individual vocal vibrancy allied to a secure legato
and excellent characterization. The ‘Casta Diva’ was very ‘lyric’
in approach with indications of much vocal heft held in reserve
and with the emotions of the character clearly felt and expressed.
However, that disc in no way prepared me for what I was to hear
on this latest issue of ‘Arias from Verdi’s late works’, starting
with ‘Ballo in Maschera’ of 1859, and concluding with Nanetta’s
aria from Falstaff of 1893 and incorporating the ‘Libera Me’ from
the Requiem of 1874. Verdi’s demand on the soprano voice in these
post-middle period works, the Falstaff aria apart, of which more
later, requires at least a full toned powerful lyric voice, as
for Desdemona in Otello, through to the full dramatic spinto requirements
of Aida. More even than those qualities, Verdi’s heroines in these
later operatic works need to express emotions varying from introspective
remembrance and yearning, through prayer, to love and desperation.
Such demands on a soprano require her to have a rich palette of
vocal colours, secure technique with long breathed phrases, sufficient
heft to either soar above or even ‘ride’ the orchestra whilst
conveying the character and feelings of the role and the drama
within the work. I labour these points because these are the vocal
attributes exhibited by Galante on this disc. Since that ‘Debut’
album the middle of her voice has lowered, albeit with a slight
loosening, to give a rich nut-brown centre without loss of top
or vocal security above the stave. The heft previously held in
reserve is here used to good effect, together with interpretative
maturity. The aforesaid qualities, make for a truly outstanding
disc.
Galante’s
capacity to convey the differing emotions of the roles on this
disc is well illustrated by the desperation she conveys in ‘Pace,
pace mio Dio’, tr.4, and matched conveying the whole gamut of
Elisabeth’s emotions in ‘Tu che le vanita’, tr.7. I had slight
reservations about Aida’s ‘Ritorna vincitor’ tr.5, feeling that
the role was as yet perhaps half a size too big for the singer.
I was however bowled over by the succeeding ‘O patria mia’ with
Galante’s full-toned attack on that infamous high note being followed
by the floated diminuendo ‘on the breath’ of the concluding note.
That ability to fearlessly attack the note, whilst not distorting
the phrase, allied to the floated soft notes, make Galante’s Desdemona
an overwhelming emotional experience as one shares Desdemona’s
uncertainties and agonies. In the ‘Willow Song, tr.8, listen to
the third ‘Salce’ in the first, and subsequent reprises of the
phrase, and also compare it with the first two utterances of the
word; I do not find its equal on disc, having spent many hours
comparing famous divas past and present.
Is
all perfect and to my satisfaction? No, let’s face it, an Aida
voice cannot encompass Nanetta’s aria tr.10. Galante’s voice is
far too big to express the mood and what is being sung; any ‘fleet
spirits borne on the breeze’ would be frightened to death! Also,
the recording of this aria has, to my ears, a distinctly different
acoustic quality with added reverberation, perhaps trying to convey
the spooky setting. I suspect this aria was included for the sake
of completion of the oeuvre. If so it was ill-conceived and the
minutes saved could have been better used elsewhere. We, and Galante,
would have benefited from the addition of the one and a half minutes
or so of ‘Ecco l’orrido campo’ as Amelia arrives at the gallows
site to pick the herb and which precedes ‘Ma dall ‘Ma dall’ arido
stelo divulsa’, tr.1. Likewise, the Act 4 arias from Otello should
have started from the beginning of the Act. Surely Campion could
have found a mezzo to sing Emilia’s two lines at the start, and
the single response ‘E il vento’ later. Such details would have
given extra gloss to this excellent issue. Terje Mikkelsen conducts
briskly without conveying the impression of having a natural feel
for a Verdian phrase. The chorus sing with full-blooded commitment
in the ‘Libera me’ ‘tr. 11’ which is well caught by the generally
well balanced slightly warm recording. The booklet has brief biographies
of the singer and conductor and a few brief, even terse, sentences
about each aria, all given in English, French and German.
This
is some of the most dramatic, expressive, well characterized vibrant
Verdi soprano singing I have heard since Zinka Milanov fifty years
ago! Verdians, and other lovers of fine singing and interpretation
should hurry and buy this disc and ensure its early passage to
‘Gold’ and ‘Platinum’ status. If my copy were an LP it would be
worn out by now. Meanwhile I will sit and dream of a recording
of Galante as Lady Macbeth.
Robert
J Farr
see
also review by Christopher
Howell
Choir of the Stockholm School
Riga