Verdi Ernani
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Giuseppe Verdi
Genre:
Opera
Label: Decca
Magazine Review Date: 4/1998
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 130
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 421 412-2DHO2
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Ernani |
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer
Alastair Miles, Jago, Bass Giuseppe Verdi, Composer Joan Sutherland, Elvira, Soprano Leo Nucci, Don Carlo, Baritone Linda McLeod, Giovanna, Soprano Luciano Pavarotti, Ernani, Tenor Paata Burchuladze, De Silva, Bass Richard Bonynge, Conductor Richard Morton, Don Riccardo, Tenor Welsh National Opera Chorus Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
Author:
Readers of A Prima Donna’s Progress, Sutherland’s autobiography (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1/98) may remember that in a relatively quiet period in 1987, somewhere in between Adriana Lecouvreur in Toronto, a “Sutherland-Pavarotti extravaganza” in Houston and the receipt of “ovations delirantes” at the Opera in Paris, came the recording of a mysterious Ernani – ‘mysterious’ because “at the time of writing the disc had not been issued”. There is one more sentence about it, but that is rather a good one: “As I remember there were not too many problems during the taping – the usual false starts, creaky boards, coughs, vagaries of pitch, external noise and just plain wrong entries and errors”.
It has cleaned up very nicely and can be quite happily welcomed to the light of day, even though its late release does not prompt any particularly sharp regrets for the lost years. The enthusiastic reception (not entirely justified, to my mind) given to the live recording under Muti at La Scala in 1982 suggests that most who are in search of the opera will have been content to look no further than that, and alternatives present themselves in versions under Schippers and Gardelli. Still, another “Sutherland-Pavarotti extravaganza” is bound to arouse interest somewhere, irrespective of what is being performed, and if further justification is required it may be found in textual matters.
Verdi was happy with the opera, his fifth, and, having worked hard with his new librettist, Piave, did not want to make changes. He did, however, seek to accommodate the bass, Ignazio Morini, who considered he had not enough to sing. In fact Morini came up with the answer himself: the bass aria “Infelice!” clearly called for a cabaletta, and since Verdi had written one specially for him as a bit of extra in Oberto, that could happily be incorporated into Ernani in time for its house premiere at La Scala. At a later stage Verdi received a request still harder to ignore as it came from Rossini. This was advanced on behalf of the tenor Nicola Ivanov who was to sing the title-role in Parma and Rome. For him the finale of Act 2 was rewritten, and in place of a duet with Silva, Ernani has the scene to himself with the support of his bandits. The aria “Odi il voto” is followed by a splendid cabaletta, “Sprezzo la vita”, the whole thing being a clear precursor of Manrico’s famous stretta in Il trovatore. Boring objections concerning the improbability of Ernani’s men arriving so promptly or gaining such immediate entrance to the enemy’s castle are just not worth thinking about. The replacements disappeared from view when Ivanov had finished with them, and were discovered in manuscript not long before Pavarotti made a first recording of the aria (without the cabaletta) in his recital called “Pavarotti Premieres” (CBS, 7/82 – nla). The scene is recorded complete for the first time in this new version, which also includes the bass’s cabaletta “Infin che un brando vindice”.
It is in such numbers as these that Bonynge is at his best. Silva’s “Infin” is also found in the Gardelli recording, made in 1981, but Bonynge brings more relish to the rhythms, and (helped by the brighter recording) is better at exposing the colourfulness of orchestration. He gains still more in comparison with Muti in the choruses. The Scala’s bandits are a heavy, joyless lot: singing the opening “Evviva! beviam!”, they sound sullen, almost angry. Similarly at the start of Act 2, Muti’s “Esultiamo” chorus wears a frown. Bonynge’s smiles, and the bandits in Act 1 sound much more convincingly as though they’re having fun. It’s when Bonynge himself enjoys a rhythm at the expense of a more spacious lyrical flow that one begins to complain; and an outstanding example of that occurs in the great “O sommo Carlo” ensemble.
As for the singing (“At last!”), even the meanest assessment would have to concede that it has its moments. These include Sutherland’s well-observed and skilfully executed staccatos in her big solo, Nucci’s legato in “O de’ verdi anni”, and Burchuladze’s sonorous arrival. Pavarotti’s contribution could scarcely be reduced to ‘moments’, for his thrilling account of the Ivanov cabaletta and his heartfelt “Solingo errante e misero” in the Fourth Act alone amount to more than that. He is admirable throughout and sometimes inspired. Generally, however, I find that enjoyment has to be reported along with reservations. The big voice and conscientious phrasing do not make a Verdi bass of Burchuladze; Nucci, scrupulous in the avoidance of aspirates and other intrusions, too often sings at a dully unvaried forte, and when he does soften, as in “Vieni meco”, develops an oddly nasal quality; Sutherland sings expressively, but the voice has loosened and lost its radiance on top; even Pavarotti comes off second best when compared with his former self in “Odi il voto” which he sang with more finesse on the earlier CBS record, under Abbado. The smaller parts are adequately taken; the orchestra are fine, the chorus excellent. The booklet contains an authoritative essay by William Weaver but, curiously, has nothing on the textual variants. In concerted passages the balance is not always ideal, Sutherland being usually at something of a disadvantage. There is much to like here, especially in the chorus-work, Pavarotti’s singing and Bonynge’s conducting. I wish that either I could say “Back to Muti” with more enthusiasm or that it did not have to be said at all; but such, on balance, is the message.'
It has cleaned up very nicely and can be quite happily welcomed to the light of day, even though its late release does not prompt any particularly sharp regrets for the lost years. The enthusiastic reception (not entirely justified, to my mind) given to the live recording under Muti at La Scala in 1982 suggests that most who are in search of the opera will have been content to look no further than that, and alternatives present themselves in versions under Schippers and Gardelli. Still, another “Sutherland-Pavarotti extravaganza” is bound to arouse interest somewhere, irrespective of what is being performed, and if further justification is required it may be found in textual matters.
Verdi was happy with the opera, his fifth, and, having worked hard with his new librettist, Piave, did not want to make changes. He did, however, seek to accommodate the bass, Ignazio Morini, who considered he had not enough to sing. In fact Morini came up with the answer himself: the bass aria “Infelice!” clearly called for a cabaletta, and since Verdi had written one specially for him as a bit of extra in Oberto, that could happily be incorporated into Ernani in time for its house premiere at La Scala. At a later stage Verdi received a request still harder to ignore as it came from Rossini. This was advanced on behalf of the tenor Nicola Ivanov who was to sing the title-role in Parma and Rome. For him the finale of Act 2 was rewritten, and in place of a duet with Silva, Ernani has the scene to himself with the support of his bandits. The aria “Odi il voto” is followed by a splendid cabaletta, “Sprezzo la vita”, the whole thing being a clear precursor of Manrico’s famous stretta in Il trovatore. Boring objections concerning the improbability of Ernani’s men arriving so promptly or gaining such immediate entrance to the enemy’s castle are just not worth thinking about. The replacements disappeared from view when Ivanov had finished with them, and were discovered in manuscript not long before Pavarotti made a first recording of the aria (without the cabaletta) in his recital called “Pavarotti Premieres” (CBS, 7/82 – nla). The scene is recorded complete for the first time in this new version, which also includes the bass’s cabaletta “Infin che un brando vindice”.
It is in such numbers as these that Bonynge is at his best. Silva’s “Infin” is also found in the Gardelli recording, made in 1981, but Bonynge brings more relish to the rhythms, and (helped by the brighter recording) is better at exposing the colourfulness of orchestration. He gains still more in comparison with Muti in the choruses. The Scala’s bandits are a heavy, joyless lot: singing the opening “Evviva! beviam!”, they sound sullen, almost angry. Similarly at the start of Act 2, Muti’s “Esultiamo” chorus wears a frown. Bonynge’s smiles, and the bandits in Act 1 sound much more convincingly as though they’re having fun. It’s when Bonynge himself enjoys a rhythm at the expense of a more spacious lyrical flow that one begins to complain; and an outstanding example of that occurs in the great “O sommo Carlo” ensemble.
As for the singing (“At last!”), even the meanest assessment would have to concede that it has its moments. These include Sutherland’s well-observed and skilfully executed staccatos in her big solo, Nucci’s legato in “O de’ verdi anni”, and Burchuladze’s sonorous arrival. Pavarotti’s contribution could scarcely be reduced to ‘moments’, for his thrilling account of the Ivanov cabaletta and his heartfelt “Solingo errante e misero” in the Fourth Act alone amount to more than that. He is admirable throughout and sometimes inspired. Generally, however, I find that enjoyment has to be reported along with reservations. The big voice and conscientious phrasing do not make a Verdi bass of Burchuladze; Nucci, scrupulous in the avoidance of aspirates and other intrusions, too often sings at a dully unvaried forte, and when he does soften, as in “Vieni meco”, develops an oddly nasal quality; Sutherland sings expressively, but the voice has loosened and lost its radiance on top; even Pavarotti comes off second best when compared with his former self in “Odi il voto” which he sang with more finesse on the earlier CBS record, under Abbado. The smaller parts are adequately taken; the orchestra are fine, the chorus excellent. The booklet contains an authoritative essay by William Weaver but, curiously, has nothing on the textual variants. In concerted passages the balance is not always ideal, Sutherland being usually at something of a disadvantage. There is much to like here, especially in the chorus-work, Pavarotti’s singing and Bonynge’s conducting. I wish that either I could say “Back to Muti” with more enthusiasm or that it did not have to be said at all; but such, on balance, is the message.'
Verdi Ernani
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