RCA 1976 – Placido Domingo, Renata Scotto, Sherill Milnes; James Levine
That is most likely the perfect total alternative of the studio recordings. The usually bland Domingo because the revolutionary poet right here is filled with youthful ardor with a heroic ring within the voice. Milnes is smoldering – subsequent to Bastianini, the perfect Gérard. Scotto is usually squally on the excessive notes however riveting within the drama. She begins “La mamma morta” with really heartfelt singing, however because the aria progresses, the voice reveals its lack of weight. I don’t imagine that she ever sang the function in an opera home … a clever alternative. Really thrilling conducting from Levine; he captures the grand sweep of the Revolutionary drama extra forcefully than another conductor. One actually needs to applaud the second Domingo and Scotto let go of their final word. My perception has at all times been by no means to interrupt the music with applause however one way or the other, this opera, if the viewers doesn’t interrupt, one thing has gone dreadfully mistaken.
Only a fast point out, there’s a beautiful Domingo 1977 efficiency with Martina Arroyo that’s undoubtedly value searching for out. It’s on Met Opera on Demand.
Decca 1982 – Luciano Pavarotti, Montserrat Caballé, Leo Nucci; Riccardo Chailly
Like these soirées at Violetta Valery’s and Mme. de Coigny’s, most casts of productions and particularly recordings are peopled with “names” among the many supernumerary and comprimario elements, none extra so than this Decca recording. Astrid Varnay as Mme. de Coigny is likely to be overdoing charitable casting, however the vignette that Christa Ludwig creates of the blind Madelon is so touchingly drawn that it offers distinction. Piero de Palma, the ever present comprimario, because the spy Unbelievable offers an object-lesson in appearing with the voice. Tom Krause is Chénier’s pal Roucher. And the masterful Hugues Cuenod, who was 80 on the time, is (to cite the libretto) the “getting older” novelist, Fléville.
With out query, that is probably the most fantastically sung Andrea Chénier. Granted, Luciano comes throughout as making one in all his private appearances, however the vocal splendor is rarely unsure, even when he doesn’t know what he’s singing about. Regardless, it’s massively an enchancment from the buffoonery of the Met ’96 video. Equally, Mme. Caballé seems to be checking in until she offers a stupendous “La mamma morta.” Nucci is there. Unusually, that is probably the most dramatically carried out efficiency, much more pressing than the poetical Levine. Chailly has a powerful sense of the theatre. He proves this once more with the way more current 2017 ROH performances with Anna Netrebko.
Sony 1987 – José Carreras, Eva Marton, Giorgio Zancanaro; Giuseppe Patané –
This could most likely be referred to as The Hungarian Affair. Excluding the Chénier, the Gérard, and the conductor, everyone seems to be Hungarian. I don’t assume that has something to do with the entire thing sounding prefer it had been recorded in a cave. Not surprisingly, José Carreras is overparted particularly up in opposition to the Maddalena of Eva Marton. I had uncared for listening to Marton’s Gioconda once I wrote about that opera; I did hear it and was overwhelmed by her efficiency. Right here, as an alternative of being overwhelming, she overwhelms. Zancanaro sings the notes. One would have anticipated extra of Patané. I imagine that is the final studio recording and as such is a significant disappointment.
If one needs a efficiency with Carreras, and a VIDEO at that, I like to recommend the 1979 Barcelona efficiency with him, Caballé (who as at all times appears like his mom), and a beautiful sounding Juan Pons as Gérard, very completely different from the Met 1992. Wretched video high quality however, ah!, the singing!
Highlights…
Even higher, a really stupendous closing duet from Chénier on the 1983 Met Centennial Gala – a reasonably José, a reasonably voice from Montse, and fairly spectacular – a spotlight of highlights!
Additionally from that very same yr however a distinct Gala – Domingo-Milnes-Levine Live performance – is Placido Domingo singing an exhilarating “Un dì … all’azzurro spazio” (Improvviso)
And at all times value repeating is at all times the finale with Tebaldi and Corelli
Full movies…
La Scala/Tokyo 1961 – Mario Del Monaco, Renata Tebaldi, Aldo Protti; Franco Capuana.
Already mentioned above.
Met 10/15/96 – Luciano Pavarotti, Maria Guleghina, Juan Pons; James Levine. Accessible on Met on Demand.
That is simply unhappy and I don’t wish to discuss it.
ROH 2015 – Jonas Kaufmann, Eva Maria Westbrook, Zelko Lucic; Antonio Pappano.
Immediately recognizable as a David McVicar manufacturing – that’s not an opinion, only a assertion. As I attempted to do that considerably chronologically, this was the following to final efficiency I watched or listened to. After I put it on, I instantly remembered that I had watched it two weeks earlier than and had completely no reminiscence of it. That’s my assessment!
La Scala 2017 – Yusif Eyvazov, Anna Netrebko, Luca Salsi; Riccardo Chailly – full not accessible on-line, solely industrial DVD. Nonetheless, there may be Netrebko’s fantastic “La mamma morta.”
I had little hope for this, but it surely’s actually good and for a video. It’s my No. 1 suggestion. I wish to assume {that a} director can not actually mess up a manufacturing of this opera – it’s too set in time and place, one by no means is aware of although how perverse a director can get. In any case, that is certainly not a lavish (assume: costly) manufacturing, and it’s considerably summary however it is rather good-looking, apart from the distracting, distorted, fun-house reflections within the mirrors that seem like animated photos of Munch’s The Scream. It makes use of a turntable very successfully to vary scenes, to not make the viewers dizzy. Yusif Eyvazov doesn’t have a lot of a beautiful voice, although it will get higher as he warms up (or one will get used to it), however he sings effectively albeit no match for Mrs. Eyvazov. Anna Netrebko is at her inimitable greatest right here. Not surprisingly, she is the actual star for this Opening Night time of the Season efficiency. Luca Salsi is an applicable Gérard. 35 years after his 1982 Decca recording, Riccardo Chailly nonetheless conducts a beautiful Chénier.
As I stated in the beginning, there are a lot of, many movies of Chénier that may be discovered on-line or on OperaOnVideo, however life is just too brief and I’ve named those I really feel are probably the most pertinent.
On Could thirtieth, the raison d’être for this essay, the Royal Opera has a revival of the McVicar manufacturing with an all-star forged – at the least on paper. Jonas Kaufmann is the Chénier if he reveals up … his file these days rivals Caballé’s availabilities for cancellations … and the truth that he was clearly not in good voice for the current Gioconda’s in Vienna and Naples doesn’t bode effectively. Sondra Radvanovsky needs to be good. Amartuvshin Enkhbat needs to be fantastic. He was the magnificent Germont père within the current Met/Jaho performances of Traviata and I sit up for his Gérard.
So a fast summing up:
- Finest Dwell efficiency: Corelli & Tebaldi Met 1966.
- Dream Forged: Corelli, Tebaldi, Bastianini – sure, that mixture exists, at Vienna 1960, however don’t be mis-lead. For no matter cause, the efficiency doesn’t work. Go along with the above.
- Finest Studio recording: RCA – Domingo, Scotto, Milnes; Levine
- Finest Video: La Scala 2017 – Eyvasov, Netrebko, Salsi; Chailly
I do know it’s with nice remorse that I can not discover it on-line anymore, as a result of in spite of everything this I do know you’ll all be dying to listen to “La Mamma Morta Sung by 62 Totally different Divas.” Oh, and there’s additionally a disc of Tebaldi singing it 12 completely different instances!
And worse, you might have averted studying all of the above and gone on to this web site:
Finest & Worst Recordings of Andrea Chénier:
Regards, Andy (… IMHO)
