Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Richard [Classical] Wagner :: Verdi: Ernani

An Ernani for Fans

Daniel Mitrano | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | 12/04/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The good--Cerquetti gloriously reaffirms her legend as a great Verdi soprano of her time. She sings completely securely, undaunted by any of the musical or dramatic demands. Here we have also a document of Del Monaco in a role he never recorded commercially and he doesn't disappoint. All the hallmarks of his great voice--trumpet-like tone, grand delivery, exciting high notes--are all here for his fans. Bastianini and Christoff complete this dream cast giving life to the music and characters. Mitropoulos conducts hardly a subtle account of the opera (but who wants subtle in a grand opera?) probably because he knows the strengths of his cast lie in a uniquely beautiful and powerful ensemble. The bad--the sound is exactly what you'd expect from a 1957 live recording from Italy: brittle, tinny, but still adequate to enjoy the opera. The ugly--small cuts here and there, but not enough to detract from its value as an opera recording. This is one of those sets we would kill to have a good studio recording of. Fans of any of the cast or the opera itself must grab it while it's still available."