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
Rosina - Agnes Baltsa (mezzo)
