Search - Roberto Servile, Gioachino Rossini, Will Humburg :: Rossini: Barber of Seville (Highlights)

A collector's necessity.

Liesha | 09/27/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording shines in ways dozens of others don't. The conductor has a high-voltage pace that makes you breathe fast. Basilio's voice is a superbly clear and deep one, as should it be. The slander aria is excellent. The few seconds during which he alone sings "Buona sera" are the most enjoyable on any recording. The count is also relatively superb, and his last aria isn't cut. On the bad side, this recording's Rosina could be blown into oblivion by Cecilia Bartoli, who plays the role on CD in Patane's 1988 recording. The Bartolo has an attractively rich voice but Enzo Dara's accuracy is more fulfilling. And finally, there's a sweetness in how Ramey sings La Calunnia in his recordings that isn't quite matched here. Ramey also seems to emphasize the word "sorte" in the rapid-fire finale of the aria, which oscillates a rhythmic flavor into the aria that isn't in this one.Yet this recording's a necessity on the collector's shelf."