Giacomo Puccini Zubin Mehta Royal Opera House Covent Garden - Puccini La Fanciulla del West (45 tracks) +Album Reviews

Wonderful but...

Michael Newberry | Santa Monica | 12/03/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This past year I have been addicted to La fanciulla del west. I would definitely include it in my all-time favorites, let's say Top Ten. Magnificent music. And a well told story. The only apparent problem it has is that it needs a great soprano with a huge voice. Many commentators have commented that the soprano role is extremely difficult, which they attribute to its high-flying range. But after listening to it often I propose that it is difficult for another reason: the orchestra does not support her lines. Perhaps I state it badly; in Turandot's In questa reggia, the music soars with her, and her melody is also present in the music. In Fanciulla she must go it alone. It means that her vocal line must compete against some of the most glorious and dramatic music in existence; and not only is she pitted against the orchestra but against the supported tenor, the baritone, and the all-male chorus!This recording is very good. Domingo is ideal as Johnson. Zubin Mehta conducts Puccini brilliantly: well-paced, colorful, passionate, sparkling. Milnes sings with all his assets of a beautiful, a dark, and a ringing voice. And Carol Neblett sings firmly with all the notes. But her singing seems as if it is for a supporting role not as if she were the vocal track for Liberty Leading the People, she doesn't command the opera.Probably the best Fanciulla, with good sound, is with Tebaldi, Del Monaco, MacNeil, and with Capuana conducting. Though Tebaldi is not one of my favorite singers she has a magnificent voice--that seems to give her whatever she asks of it. She also sings with passion and sensitivity. Del Monaco is not great with character but he has a wonderful ringing sound and a big male persona. I think he is excellent here. MacNeil as Rance is very solid; he sings with a beautiful line.Unfortunately, there isn't a completely knockout studio recording. Indulge me in my only musical fantasy. I would have liked, as dream cast, Domingo, Mehta, Gobbi, and Jessye Norman. I think she would do justice to the role and perhaps she will."

Puccini's extravagantly scored Western touches the heart.

10/22/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Fanciulla" is an opera in which Puccini was trying to expand his idiom, both musically and dramatically. As this crisply recorded and passionatly sung release proves, he succeeded in both areas. Domingo is at his golden best, but I was particularly impressed by the "Sherrifo" of Sherrill Milnes, who makes Rance seem uncommonly sympathetic. While "Chella mi credo" is the aria most often excerpted from this opera, it is, by no means, in my opinion, it's most compelling moment. The first act love duet, Johnson's dramatic pleas for understanding in Act II, and of course the final standoff at the end of the third act, all show Puccini at his heart-rending best. The score is harmonically more sophisticated than any previous Puccini opera, with strange dissonances that give the music a lonely, melancholy atmosphere that fits the story like a glove. Yes, the story has a happy ending, but as Johnson and Minnie ride off into the sunset, I promise you'll feel a lump in your throat as the assembled miners sadly sing "We'll never see her again, no, never.""

Almost perfect...

Michael Newberry | 01/06/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is probably Puccini's most underrated work. It used to live happily some half-a-century ago, when Oliviero and Tebaldi sang their thrilling Minnies, but now it's not fashionable anymore. Fortunately we have a great recording like this, that makes us aware of the real quality of "La Fanciulla". Mehta provides for the most puccinian conducting anybody ever heard, and Domingo and Milnes just make their characters talk to the listeners. What is really missing, is a truly good Minnie: Neblett singing is appropriate and passionate, but the voice doesnt't sound great and Italian diction is really poor. Anyway, the best overall recording of "La Fanciulla del West"."

A Modern Golden Recording

Rudy Avila | Lennox, Ca United States | 11/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What makes this "Girl frm the Gold West" so golden is the mastership of all the forces behind it - conductor Zubin Mehta, tenor Placido Domingo, soprano Carol Neblitt and baritone Sherill Milnes. This recording dates from the 80's, which was still a terrific period for Mehta, Domingo, Neblitt, eventhough at this time Sherill Milnes was facing some vocal decline. The 80's modern studio recording advantages is what makes this a superb interpretation. The pacing is dramatic, thrilling and lyrical when warranted. This is probably Puccini's most exotic opera. Butterfly was set in Japan but was still pretty Italian under the surface. In Butterfly, the Japanese-Italian mix was also suffused with slight Americana (the American national anthem changed to "America Forever") but here we are treated to an entirely different animal. This is the Old West and Puccini's Italian style is nearly sacrificed for what could pass for an American opera or even a Broadway musical. This does not mean that this is not an operatic treasure. The music is exquisite. The lead soprano role of Minnie is a voice-killer, and presents many challenges to the soprano. In truth, it takes a soprano capable of Turandot to sing Minnie. As far as I'm concerned, only one soprano truly nailed the role- Birgit Nilsson. On stage, her mannerisms and her voice was the very character that Puccini envisioned. Birgit Nilsson is featured in a 60's recording of this opera which captured her in her prime and her portrayal is the best there is, closest to the original soprano who premiered the role opposite Enrico Caruso back at the turn of the century - Emmy Destin. Nilsson probably possessed a bigger instrument than Destin. Still Neblitt does an excellent job with what she has in her favor -a rich Puccini voice. She may struggle with the high tessitura but she is simply ravishing in the lyrical segments. She sounds like a kind of American Tosca. More than any other tenor, Placido Domingo possessed a voice that could essay any character in any opera and I seriously mean that. He is Enrico Caruso's reincarnation and his performance as Dick Johnson is a tribute to Caruso's style. He has the dramatic heft and the voluminous beauty of tone to sing each line. It helped that Domingo looked very handsome in the 80's so that when he sang the heroic and romantic leads, he could pass for a movie star who could also sing opera. As Johnson, he looks dashing (if he looked like he does on the cover of this album). Sherill Milnes was in the final phase of his career but in this opera he holds out till the end in his usual flair. He was a fine exponent of Puccini, as his Scarpia attests, and he is nuanced and even a bit comical on this recording. Verdi baritone parts are far more challenging than the almost static Puccini baritone parts so this role presented no problem to the aging Milnes. Zubin Mehta conducts with brilliant technical mastership and delivers some subtleties as well. Thank you Deutsche Grammophone for the great music."

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