Search - Giacomo Puccini, Alain Lombard, Maîtrise de la Cathédrale :: Puccini: Turandot

Likable, satisfying "Turandot"

Matteo | Oakland, CA United States | 10/23/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As Turandots go, this is an eminently likable and satisfying rendition. It is certainly a recording that is buoyed by the expert performances of the singers, all of whom are perfectly cast and who rise to the occasion to pull off Puccini's most difficult and most intoxicating opera."Turandot" is easily one of the greatest operas ever penned and it reveals a Puccini at the height of his powers. It is one of the greatest losses to opera and to music that he did not live long enough to complete it (it was completed by Franco Alfano, who used Puccini's sketches of the final duet). If you're looking for the lyricism of "La boheme" or "Madama Butterfly" then you'll find "Turandot" a bit of a change. To be sure there are the trademark Pucciniesque arias. But it is so unlike anything else he wrote, and it stands as one of the most thrilling pieces of music ever written.Of course, there is no opera without the ice princess herself, and I greatly enjoyed Montserrat Caballe's performance. If the voice is not quite as fresh as when she essayed the role a year earlier (caught on a remarkably good live recording from performances at the San Francisco Opera in 1977) it is still compelling. The high tessitura is managed nicely, even if Alfano's Act 3 completion, as Mme. Caballe sings it, is not as triumphant as it could be. "In quesa reggia" is masterfully deployed, with strong, ringing high notes and a steady vibrato. The silvery edge to the voice is perfect for the role. The riddle scene is also handled well. Caballe is not known as an actor, and she does not manage to make any startling psychological insights into the character, but she does plenty. And the role is more tempermentally suited to her than any I can imagine.Jose Carreras at first seems miscast, his lighter lyric tenor seeming inapporpriate for the heaviness of Puccini's final opera. But he seems to relish the role of Calaf and it is a pleasure to hear him eat it up. His voice, as always, is techically perfect, and it is a thrill to hear a lyric tenor sail into the stratosphere of "Nessun dorma" even if I kept wondering whether he would even be heard in an opera house. But in a recording it doesn't matter. He's a wee bit wooden sounding in terms of characterization, but it's a mere quibble.Mirella Freni as Liu is a nice luxury addition to the cast. Her lyric soprano is distinctive, and it gives the character a face on what otherwise could be just another Puccini martyr. Act 1 found her it top form, and she does nicely in the concluding ensemble. "Tuche di gel sei cinta" is passionate if not particularly beautiful. Paul Plishka's Timur is excellent, and he does perhaps the best acting job of the bunch--a marvel considering how little Puccini developed his character. His lush, graceful bass makes for some heartbreaking moments in his small aria after Liu's suicide. Perhaps the best performance pound-for-pound on the disc.Much has been said of Alain Lombard's conducting, and it is indeed befuddling. The stupendous finale to Act 1 (so utterly thrilling as written by Puccini) is dispatched as if the conductor wanted to get to Act 2 more quickly. But then Act 2 is conducted beautifully, as is Act 3.All in all, this set is very recommendable, especially for the price. And it's also recommendable for the solid performances of four singers in top form."

WONDERFULL PERFORMANCE BUT WITHOUT SATISFYING TITLE ROLE

Rca | GREECE | 08/19/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This performance under Lombardo is a successfull one.Carreras(Calaf)sings very well his role,he is very expressive,though sometimes his voice is under pressure.Freni is an excellent Liu and the Ping Pang Pong trio is also very satisfying.The orchestra,full of straussian and gamelan like colours,gives a magnificent performance and the chorus,though sometimes producing an unpleasant sound,is great.The problem is Caballe.She does all this messa di voce stuff and the results are pretty cool,BUT her top register is harsh and acid.Turandot is a very demanding role full of high notes,and under these circumstances,Caballe is a kind of dissapointment.I enjoyed all the thing except of her thirty minute performance.Sorry, my english are not very fluent but I think my review will help."

Almost Great, But Still a Lot of Fun!!

Good Stuff | 12/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"OK, so this isn't the greatest "Turandot" ever recorded. It is still a lot of fun to listen to. No one can fault Freni's Liu, or just about anything else she did. Sure, Carreras is too light for the role, forcing his voice mercilessly, and knowing what we know now, we almost want to crawl into the stereo and tell him to "take it easy, there are troubles up ahead". And yes, Lombard's interpretation is, well, I might as well say it,....sorta kinda French! But it's different, and I like it, at least for a change.



And then there is Montserrat Caballe! What is there to say? Unlike the great Joan Sutherland, who gave us one of her greatest performances in her recording of "Turandot", but without ever singing it on stage, Caballe, on the other hand, gives us one of her greatest recorded performances in a role she actually did undertatke a few times. She is magnificent. And I agree with those who say you should search out the San Francisco Opera broadcast on CD. It is quite beautiful, and features Pavarotti in one of his rare appearances as Calaf.



So, should you buy this recording? Absolutely. And while you're at it, pick up Mehta's (with Sutherland, Caballe, Pavarotti, Ghiaurov, and, just for the hell of it, Peter Pears as the Emperor), and Leinsdorf's groundbreaking effort (with Nilsson's first recording of the role, Tebaldi and the magnificent Jussi Bjoerling just before his tragic death).



Puccini didn't complete "Turandot", it is true. But that doesn't seem to hurt our enjoyment of it one little bit."