Puccini's Opera Arias Collections
The Gramophone Choice
La bohème – Sì, mi chiamano Mimì; Donde lieta uscì. Gianni Schicchi – O mio babbino caro. Madama Butterfly – Un bel dì vedremo; Che tua madre; Tu, tu, piccolo iddio. Manon Lescaut – In quelle trine morbide; Sola, perduta, abbandonata. La rondine – Chi il bel sogno di Doretta. Suor Angelica – Senza mamma, O bimbo. Tosca – Vissi d’arte. Turandot – Signore, ascolta!; In questa reggia; Tu, che di gel sei cinta
Julia Varady sop Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra / Marcello Viotti
Orfeo C323 941A (52‘ · DDD). Buy from Amazon
A lovely and somewhat surprising record by the most fascinating and patrician lyric soprano of the age: ‘surprising’ because, though Varady is associated closely enough with Verdi, the Puccini connection is less readily made, ‘lovely’ because the voice is still so pure, the style so musical and the response so intelligent, immediate and full-hearted. She adjusts wonderfully well to the Italian idiom, lightening the vowels, freeing the upper range, allowing more portamento than she would probably do in other music, yet employing in its use the finest technical skill and artistic judgement.
Her singing of Magda’s song in La rondine opens the record and introduces a singer who sounds (give or take a little) half her actual age: Varady’s debut dates back to 1962. In Mimì’s narrative she sings with so fine a perception of the character – the hesitancies, the joy in ‘mi piaccion quelle cose’ – that Schwarzkopf’s exquisite recording comes to mind, just as, from time to time, and especially in the Madama Butterfly excerpts, the finely concentrated, tragic restraint of Meta Seinemeyer is recalled. It’s good to hear, too, how sensitively Varady differentiates between characters, Manon Lescaut having that essential degree of additional sophistication in tone and manner. What runs as a thread through all these characterisations is a feeling for their dignity. Mimì doesn’t simper. Sister Angelica doesn’t sob. Lauretta has resolution in her pleading. Butterfly, Liù and Tosca are what they should be: women whose pathos lies not in their weakness but in a passionate, single-minded fidelity. That leaves Turandot, which is a mistake. That is, she’s outside the singer’s scope and should remain so: it isn’t merely a matter of vocal thrust, weight and stamina, but also of voice-character, although the performance of her aria has clear merits. None of which should deter purchase; overall this is singing to treasure.
Additional Recommendations
‘Ritrovato’
La rondine – Ed ora bevo all’amor*; Parigi è la città dei desideri. Madama Butterfly – Con onor muore. Edgar – Act 1, Prelude; Sia benedetto il giorno; Evviva le coppe colmate!…La coppa è simbol della vita. Manon Lescaut – Sola perduta; Act 3, Prelude (original version, Part 1). La fanciulla del West – Oh, se qualcuno vuol quell’ oro**. Suor Angelica – Amici fiori. Preludio a Orchestra. Adagietto
Plácido Domingo ten Violeta Urmana mez with *Anna Maria dell’Oste sop **Alfredo Nigro, *Stefano Secco tens Vienna State Opera Chorus; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Alberto Veronesi
DG 477 7455GH (63’ · DDD · T/t). Buy from Amazon
No Bohème, no Tosca, no Turandot – this is definitely not another disc of Puccini’s greatest hits but a fascinating delve into mostly unfamiliar second thoughts or earlier versions of some key moments in the composer’s output. The earliest item is the charming orchestral Prelude from 1876, when Puccini was a student in Lucca. Even then, when he was only 18 years old, the style is recognisable. We then leap forward 44 years to the second version of La rondine, altered by Puccini for the work’s first performance in Vienna. Here the second tenor, Prunier, was re-cast as a baritone. The gorgeous melody of the Act 2 quartet, possibly the best ensemble in all his oeuvre, in this version (reconstructed by Michael Kaye) gives even more prominence to the soprano line. Then Butterfly’s death from the 1904 La Scala premiere. This is more drawn-out than the familiar solo, unbearable, surely, for the soprano after such a gruelling evening; Pinkerton’s voice is not heard. The longest item, and the biggest surprise, is the duet from Edgar in its 1889 original form. Here a pre-echo of Act 3 of Tosca is vividly heard.
The beautiful Prelude to Act 1 of Edgar precedes two earlier versions of passages from Manon Lescaut: the Prelude to the original Act 3, really lovely, using the melody of Manon’s ‘L’ora, o Tirsi’, and then ‘Sola, perduta’, substantially different in form, although the main theme is as usual. The two arias that will be familiar to many listeners are ‘Parigi è la città dei desideri’ from the 1920 La rondine, and Suor Angelica’s ‘Amici fiori’. Although Plácido Domingo’s name is, naturally, given equal billing with that of Violeta Urmana, he only sings on three of the tracks (La rondine and Edgar). Urmana concludes the recital with the exhilarating aria with chorus from Edgar, ‘Evviva le coppe colmate!’. The Vienna forces under Alberto Veronesi accompany with gusto. A most enterprising and scholarly issue, which is also a great pleasure to listen to.
Madama Butterfly – Un bel dì vedremo; Tu, tu piccolo iddioa. La bohème – Mi chiamano Mimi; Quando m’en vo; Donde lieta usci. Edgar – Addio, addio mio dolce amor?; Nel villaggio d’Edgar. Gianni Schicchi – O mio babbino caro. La fanciulla del West – Laggiù nel Soledad. Manon Lescaut – In quelle trine morbide; Sola, perduta, abbandonata. La rondine – Chi il bel sogno di Doretta? Suor Angelica – Senza mamma. Turandot – Signore, ascolta!; Tu che di gel sei cinta; In questa reggiaa. Le villi – Se come voi piccina
Angela Gheorghiu sop *Roberto Alagna ten Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, Milan / Anton Coppola
EMI 557955-2 (70’ · DDD). Buy from Amazon
This is a considerable addition to this ever-enterprising artist’s growing discography. Just when many of us were declaring there would never be anyone to take on Renata Tebaldi’s mantle in spinto roles, here’s Angela Gheorghiu doing just that. There is a similar strength of tone, breadth of phrasing and attention to musical and verbal detail. Everything she achieves here is technically assured, thought through and emotionally rewarding.
Her Mimì in Decca’s La bohème was an appealing, cleanly articulated reading, and it still is, even if the youthful bloom isn’t quite so much in evidence. Musetta, though, is now very much her role, her Waltz Song sung with zest adding to the fullness only a few others have brought to the piece. One can hear why EMI wanted ‘Un bel dì vedremo’ at its top: Gheorghiu’s account is overwhelming, as is the death scene. She’s almost as moving in Suor Angelica’s ‘Senza mamma’. Magda’s solo and ‘O mio babbino caro’ are as smiling and therefore as winning as they should be. From Turandot, Liù’s pains and sorrows are encompassed with ease and an apt morbidezza, with finely poised pianissimo high notes. This is a deeply satisfying traversal of the Puccini canon, well supported by the Milan orchestra and Anton Coppola, artistic director of Florida’s Opera Tampa.
