Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Georg Solti, National Philharmonic Orchestra :: Verdi: Un Ballo in Maschera

A True Standard Bearer

Timothy Kearney | Hull, MA United States | 12/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Verdi's UN BALLO IN MASCHERA has been one of his perennial favorites since it was first performed and it is easy to understand why. The music is charming and it's plot about a King who falls in love with a married woman, almost causes her to be unfaithful which results in his death by her jealous husband, and the king's forgiving his attacker, is dramatic to say the least. It is also, interestingly enough, based on a true story. The action is supposed to take place in Sweden, but Italian censors feared that the death of a king could cause regicide in Italy, so the king became a royal governor in colonial Massachusetts and was renamed Riccardo. In most productions today, the action takes place in Sweden.Luciano Pavarotti has a strong tenor voice that is well suited for the lead role of Riccardo, and his interpretation of the role in this recording is one of his best recorded performances. Margaret Price, a soprano not often associated with Verdi, sings Amelia and is probably one of the pleasant surprises in the set. Renato Brunson sings his role with fervor. We can feel both his anger and hatred in his interpretation of Amelia's jealous husband, also named Renato. Christa Ludwig plays the fortune teller Ulrica and we also hear the light and flexible voice of a young Kathleen Battle as Oscar, the page boy.While there are other admirable recordings of this opera with tenors such as Jussi Bjorling, Franco Corelli, and Placido Domingo, and a reasonably good recording with Jose Carreras as Riccardo, this set, under the baton of Sir George Solti has it all: a fantastic cast, a wonderful chorus and orchestra, and a great conductor."

Price better than the other Price

jonludwig | Australia | 02/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Oh how wonderful it was to hear this recording. I was very anxious about buying this recording because I absoultely love the Maria Callas version, a role truly designed for her voice, and yet there came Dame Maggy Price. I have loved her since my first experience with opera which was the televion broadcast of her Aida with Pavorotti. Well she didn't dissapoint! A truly new approach, a voice that found ease in the difficulties of the role and yet new exactly who Amelia really is. I can't help saying I love this diva. She has a much wider variety of tone colours, fortissimos and pianissimos than dear old L. Price. Whom I also love but just dosen't do it for me in this role. However the biggest suprise was Pavarotti, who doesn't yell for once, a rare occasion for this singer. I usually hate Pav but not ths time and then when he sings with Dame Maggy the vocies the electricity and the passion are all overwhelming.
Brunson is a wonderful Renato, Christa Ludwing a trully different Urcila. However I almost didn't buy this recording because of Kathleen Battle, oh she is disgusting. I recently saw a performance that put the whole operatic tradition to shame. However luckily the role is small, her vocie is young and fresh and the emotional extremes of Oscar are rather limited, just like Miss Battle.Solti is big in his conception, but it all works well with the voices predominating and a clear sense of form and architecture emerge from his direction. Wonderful, absoultely wonderful. Dame Margaret Price shows why she should joins the ranks of Arroyo, Callas, Price, Steber, and Farrell. Bravo!"

A Stellar Cast Makes this a great recording of Un Ballo

G. Golding | 12/04/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The cast of this recording is simply wonderful. Margaret Price has one of the most beautiful voices in opera and is really under-recorded. She has a rich full Dramatic voice, and is perfectly suited to Amelia. ALL her notes are beautiful - ALL. Renato Brunson also has a wonderful Dramatic baritone sound, there is so much drive in his voice, it is a huge dark sound that is simply ravising (he's one of my favorite baritones). And like Margaret Price you can hear all the thought that is put into his singing of this role, he is very emotionally involved in his character. Ludwig is the best Ulrica on record, and Kathleen Battle is very enchanting Oscar, it is a joy to listen to such a secure singer in this role. Pavarotti while no longer in his prime as in the earlier recording with Tebaldi, at this point in his career in great voice. This is a definite recommend. Of all the Un Ballo's currently available this is one of the best!"