Donizetti L'elisir d'amore
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Gaetano Donizetti
Genre:
Opera
Label: Naxos
Magazine Review Date: 10/1996
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 136
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 8 660045/6
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| (L')Elisir d'amore, 'Elixir of Love' |
Gaetano Donizetti, Composer
Alessandra Ruffini, Adina, Soprano Gaetano Donizetti, Composer Hungarian State Opera Chorus Hungarian State Opera Orchestra Mariangela Spotorno, Giannetta, Soprano Pier Giorgio Morandi, Conductor Roberto Frontali, Belcore, Baritone Simone Alaimo, Dulcamara, Bass Vincenzo La Scola, Nemorino, Tenor |
Author:
About several of Naxos’s opera recordings (the recent Tancredi, 11/95, being an example) one can say “Good”; about others it has to be “Good value”, and that is something rather different. The L’elisir d’amore belongs to that second category.
It is notably well conducted and played. Pier Giorgio Morandi knows that much of the charm of a Donizetti score lies in a feeling for what is not explicitly written down (the sure rightness of quite complex adjustments of tempo in Adina’s jolly “Per guarir di tal pazzia” is an example). The orchestra sound as though they have come freshly to it, and some delightful features of instrumentation are brought to the fore. On the other hand, the recorded sound is not entirely satisfactory, either with respect to the acoustic (resonant) or to balance, which varies, and sometimes (even to these generally sympathetic ears) has the orchestra too recessed.
For the singers, much can be said, yet it all stops short at a certain point. Alessandra Ruffini sings with well-schooled respect for the vocal line and with lovely tone in the middle register. Her Adina is not one that warms the heart particularly in her “Prendi, per me sei libero”, and yet neither is she the pert minx of irritating convention. The Belcore, Roberto Frontali, arouses scant confidence at first in his “Come Paride” but improves, while Simone Alaimo seems a dull dog of a Dulcamara to start with but soon shows himself a seasoned trouper, good at the comic business without overdoing it. Vincenzo La Scola also shows that experience in the role has brought a mature and thoughtful concept of how it should be played: his Nemorino is a man and not a booby, with changes of mind that are real and not just nominal. His tone, however, appears to have deteriorated, and only in quiet passages such as “Adina, credimi” does he have the sweetness that is an essential part of Nemorino’s voice-character. Nor is he careful enough about legato: his “Una furtiva lagrima” goes well enough but “Chiedi al rio” is a lumpy, unpolished piece of singing.
Alternatives lie with the three recordings listed above, the Erato set capturing Alagna (almost pre-hype) as Nemorino, Decca running the Sutherland-Pavarotti combination, and Sony having an unusual and rather exquisite Adina in Ileana Cotrubas. The Naxos recording remains “good value”.'
It is notably well conducted and played. Pier Giorgio Morandi knows that much of the charm of a Donizetti score lies in a feeling for what is not explicitly written down (the sure rightness of quite complex adjustments of tempo in Adina’s jolly “Per guarir di tal pazzia” is an example). The orchestra sound as though they have come freshly to it, and some delightful features of instrumentation are brought to the fore. On the other hand, the recorded sound is not entirely satisfactory, either with respect to the acoustic (resonant) or to balance, which varies, and sometimes (even to these generally sympathetic ears) has the orchestra too recessed.
For the singers, much can be said, yet it all stops short at a certain point. Alessandra Ruffini sings with well-schooled respect for the vocal line and with lovely tone in the middle register. Her Adina is not one that warms the heart particularly in her “Prendi, per me sei libero”, and yet neither is she the pert minx of irritating convention. The Belcore, Roberto Frontali, arouses scant confidence at first in his “Come Paride” but improves, while Simone Alaimo seems a dull dog of a Dulcamara to start with but soon shows himself a seasoned trouper, good at the comic business without overdoing it. Vincenzo La Scola also shows that experience in the role has brought a mature and thoughtful concept of how it should be played: his Nemorino is a man and not a booby, with changes of mind that are real and not just nominal. His tone, however, appears to have deteriorated, and only in quiet passages such as “Adina, credimi” does he have the sweetness that is an essential part of Nemorino’s voice-character. Nor is he careful enough about legato: his “Una furtiva lagrima” goes well enough but “Chiedi al rio” is a lumpy, unpolished piece of singing.
Alternatives lie with the three recordings listed above, the Erato set capturing Alagna (almost pre-hype) as Nemorino, Decca running the Sutherland-Pavarotti combination, and Sony having an unusual and rather exquisite Adina in Ileana Cotrubas. The Naxos recording remains “good value”.'
Donizetti L'elisir d'amore
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