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Giuseppe VERDI
(1813-1901) Opera Choruses Nabucco, Gli arredi festivi [5.07]
Va pensiero, sull’ali dorate [4.52] Ernani, Un patto! Un giuramento Si
ridesti! [2.07] I Lombardi, Gerusalem! Gerusalem
[5.35]
O Signore, dal tetto natio [3.53] Attila, Urli, rapine, gemiti, sangue
[2.01]
Viva il re dale mille foreste [1.25]
Del ciel immense volta [1.37]
Chi dona luce al cor? [1.47] Il Trovatore, Vedi! Le fosche noturne spoglie (Anvil
chorus) [2.53] Rigoletto, Ziti, ziti, moviamo a vendetta, [1.31]
La forza del destino,
La Vergine degli angeli (Mirella Freni (soprano)) [3.24]
Compagni, sostiamo, il campo esploriamo [2.31]
Nella guerra e la follia [2.01]
Rataplan (Dolora Zajick (mezzo)) [2.49] Macbeth, Patria oppressa il dolce nome 6.50] Requiem, Sanctus [2.31]
Chorus and Orchestra
of La Scala, Milan/Riccardo Muti
rec. La Scala Theatre and Abanella, Milan, 1986-1991 EMI CLASSICS CDC
7 54484 2
[53.43]
In the period of
these recordings, Verdi, Muti and La Scala were virtually synonymous.
Muti made his conducting debut in Florence in 1969 with I
Masnadieri and the first of his Verdi opera recordings,
Aida, for EMI in 1974. This Aida was the first
of a Verdi series made in London when he was principal conductor
of the New Philharmonia, which during his tenure was permitted
to revert to its original name of the Philharmonia in recognition
of its improvements under his tenure. As well as with those
EMI recordings, Muti began to make waves among Verdians in his
strict adherence to the notes the composer actually wrote as
distinct to what had become common or traditional practice.
Although this did not extend to his interpretation of tempi
or dynamics he would not allow singers unwritten high notes.
This caused waves in Florence in 1977 when he conducted Il
Trovatore and refused to permit the traditional high C at
the end of Manrico’s cabaletta di quella pira insisting
on the written B natural. He was the first to conduct a Verdi
opera in a Critical Edition when he conducted Rigoletto
in Vienna in 1981 again eschewing, to the tenor’s horror and
appalling vocal and acted behaviour on the opening night, the
high note at the end of La donna e mobile.
At his first opening
night as conductor at La Scala in 1982, a great honour, it was
Ernani but without Silva’s cabaletta. The audience response
was mixed, but they must have known what to expect when he took
up the post of Musical Director of the theatre in 1986. By that
time there had been no performances of any of Verdi’s great central
trilogy of Trovatore, Traviata and Rigoletto
for over twenty years; the legacy of the Callas and Tebaldi years
hung heavily over the theatre and conductors. He remedied that,
often using young and relatively unknown singers – ones who looked
and could act the part and didn’t quibble at the eschewing of
interpolated, unwritten, high notes. In each case his approach
was one of strict adherence to the notes as written by Verdi.
A series of recording, both live and studio emanated from Muti
and the Milan forces. The Ernani is available on CD (review)
and DVD as well as Attila, La Forza del Destino,
the central trilogy, Don Carlo and the Requiem as
well as discs of Verdi overtures and choruses.
Muti brought the
same discipline to the training of the La Scala chorus as he
did to the theatre orchestra and principal singers. Sloppiness,
which can afflict some Italian choruses, was just not on. This
collection of choruses deriving from both live performances
and studio recordings illustrate this to perfection with choral
sonority, the coping of fast tempi and pinpoint articulation
very much in evidence. Muti had been a pupil of Votto who had
assisted Toscanini. Far too often Muti tends to follow the Toscanini
tradition as to fast tempi. This is very evident in The Anvil
Chorus from Il Trovatore (tr. 10) in particular.
Elsewhere he is not so metronomic and allows the Verdian line
to soar and the chorus to glory in their lovely Italianate sound
as in the excerpts from I Lombardi (trs. 4-5). By contrast
he limits the soaring sonority that Gardelli finds in his rendering
of the famous Hebrew Slaves Chorus (Decca) seeking more
inner reflection perhaps. A major weakness of this rather sparse
collection is the selections from La Forza del
destino (trs. 12-15). Taken from the live performances in
1986, the sound is distinctly distanced and whilst Dolora Zajick’s
Rataplan (tr. 15) has power and élan, Mirella Freni is
not comfortable in La Verginine degli angeli (tr. 12).
There are no notes
in the booklet but the words are given complete with translations
in English, German and French.
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