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The La Scala chorus goes for it

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 06/01/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Muti falls low on my list of Verdi conductors, and I have never kept any of his opera recordings after more than one listen. However, this is a really enjoyable CD of Verdi chrosues because of the La Scala chorus itself. At times they are tied down by Muti's unimaginative or slack leadership, but when he lets them loose, as in the fervent 'Va, pensiero' from Nabucco, they sound truly Italian, unlike the polished, polite choral societies we are used to from Germany and England. Verdi choruses should sound like this--earthy, excitable, even rough-shod. Also, this is the only catch-all that I know of with several choruses from I Lombardi and Attila to spice up the expected Anvil Chorus. The compilers were even original enough to exclude Aida so that more material from La Forza could be included."