This 1997 recording
emerged in 1999, at full price on the
‘Teldec’ label, with the catchy title
‘No Tenors Allowed’. If not a first,
although I cannot think of a predecessor,
it made a welcome change from the more
normal steady flow of tenor-soprano
duets, be they husband and wife (EMI)
or a shared wet nurse (Pavarotti and
Freni on Decca).
There have been notable
baritone-tenor discs, Björling-Merrill
and Milnes-Domingo (both RCA). Universal
recently capitalised on their contracted
artists with a disc of bass-baritone
Bryn Terfel and high mezzo-cum-soprano
Cecilia Bartoli (Decca). Elsewhere the
majority are compilations ‘pulled’ out
of complete opera recordings with no
generally unifying theme, a notably
enjoyable exception being Pavarotti-Freni
in Puccini love duets (Decca).
Here the artists appear
to have put considerable thought into
a varied and well-devised programme
to give a generously filled disc. There
is a stimulating mixture of the rare
and the familiar. Of the rare, ‘Israele,
che vuoi’ from Donizetti’s Marino Faliero
(tr.3) gives insights into another of
the composer’s neglected works and provides
opportunity to hear some sonorous well-tuned
duet singing. Each singer colours his
tone and characterises well with cleanly
articulated diction, skills in welcome
evidence throughout. One also cannot
but share the singers’ evident enjoyment
in the ‘patter’ duet from ‘Don Pasquale
(tr.2) and revel in the fine legato
and long-breathed phrases to be heard
in ‘Il rival’ from Bellini’s I Puritani.
Not as rare as it once was is the Philippe-Rodrigues
duet from Act 3 scene 2 of Don Carlos
in that it is sung in the original French
version. The singing and recording here
is superior to that on either of the
complete versions of the opera available
in French featuring Hampson and Van
Damm (EMI) and Nucci and Raimondi (DG).
Ramey is a fuller-toned and more sonorous
King than either rival and Hampson being
infinitely superior in tone and command
of the language to Nucci. That being
said I personally find more bite and
drama in the Italian version. As Attila
Ramey’s tone is a little looser than
on his complete 1989 recording under
Muti (EMI) and Hampson hasn’t quite
the élan of Zancanaro on that
recording either (tr. 5).
The booklet is a straight
re-print from the full price issue with
brief descriptions of the duets but
without putting them in act or scene
context. The information is given in
English, French and German. There is
a full libretto but no translations.
Those who missed this
enjoyable and well sung disc first time
round should not do so again at its
reduced price. Highly recommended.
Robert J Farr
Thomas Hampson, (bar) and Samuel Ramey, (bass)
