Search - Amato, Barbiere Di Siviglia, Aida :: Great Recording

A passionate, remarkable voice

Armindo | Greece | 12/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I sometimes forget that Cappuccilli, Merrill, McNeil and Bastianini were not the only dark baritones with brilliant top and focused middle. Amato is one of the earliest available voices who had such qualities and despite the primitive sound, the voice strikes in magnificiently. Words are clear, phrasing meaningful and characterisation vivid. Less polished than his contemporary Battistini, Amato's finest work is in Verdi and verisimo and I quickly realised why he dominated the MET stage in the early 20th century. Captured here in his prime, these items are of great historical value. Perl offers some informative notes that are useful when exploring voices from that era."