Abbado conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in performances at once polished and impulsive, as the overture to La forza del destino demonstrates at the very start. In case the playing may seem too refined for early and middle Verdi, Abbado encourages the Berlin woodwinds to play less smoothly than they normally would: the clarinet melody in the overture to Luisa Miller keeps an aptly rustic timbre, and the Macbeth ballet music – written for the Paris production of 1865 – brings hints of Italian street music.
This is the rarest item here, not usually included in complete recordings of the opera, harking back in its rum-ti-tum style to the earlier Verdi of the original opera (1847) rather than to the revision. The final Witches’ Dance is great fun as Abbado presents it, when its triple time is spiked with such emphatic cross-rhythms.
Most refined of all are the two Traviata preludes, and the recording is refined and well-balanced to match. Predictably an excellent disc, though the nine items offer short measure, and, for many, a less polished but more generous collection like Batiz’s on ASV will be a better recommendation, with its boldly red-blooded performances equally enjoyable. '