Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Sir Georg Solti :: Verdi - Otello / Pavarotti, Te Kanawa, Nucci, Rolfe-Johnson, Solti

Buy another "Otello"

daniel0302 | New York, NY United States | 09/14/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Don't bother with this recording. There are so many good recordings of "Otello" that it does not make any sense to buy this one. Placido Domingo's recordings are all preferable, especially with Levine (RCA) and Chung (DG). Luciano Pavarotti's performance is troublesome. At times he manages some truly beautiful and musical singing, but the voice is not really big enough to fit the score. At other times times he can easily be mistaken for self-parody; his singing is so affected you can almost hear him waving his white hanky around. Leo Nucci's woofy and uncontrolled singing is torture most of the time, despite his strong grasp of the character. Kiri Te Kanawa had a huge success onstage in this role early in her career, but it was a few years too late for her to record this. Te Kanawa is not really a great Verdian, and she does not naturally take to the music with quite the same ease as she does with Mozart or Strauss. However, she does contribute thoughtful singing here, filled with nuance and loveliness, and much of the Te Kanawa magic is there, in spite of her costars, whom she consistently outclasses. Solti does little to improve on his earlier recording or "Otello". There are times when he achieves real atmosphere and drama from the orchestra and singers, but at other times it all sounds ready to fall apart. Taped live in a series of concerts that were Solti's farwell performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, this "Otello" was recorded as a document of an event intended to crown his career. It is rather sad that it is so mediocre."

Solti's best Verdi

M. Mclain | VA | 12/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not crazy about Solti's Verdi recordings. Although they are very highly praised, and always well done, I don't usually respond with sympathy to his emphasis on on rhythmic punctuation at the expense of the flowing lyrical melodies that Giulini brings out so well. This recording is something really quite different though. Pavarotti is a wonderful Otello, and in spite of what many reviewers have said, not inexperienced in the role (he had made a film version years ago). He is a first rate tenor and always has been, even if he doesn't sound like Domingo. I think he is far superior to the performance Domingo gives with Solti on a DVD released by Kultur.



Solti gave several 'concert' performances of Operas towards the end of his career, and I believe they are in many ways preferable to the studio--they gain the qualities of a live performance with a constant pace, without the interuptions of takes. The performers have the ability to shape an entire performance, but don't have to worry about the distracting stage sounds and potential dead spots on stage. Also they can focus on singing instead of acting. I think the quality of sound is superb (I can't imagine what another reviewer was thinking) and the setup guarantees balance from the performers. I also am frustrated at criticisms of performers like Nucci: It's the difference between people who are interested in drama and those that think everything should just be pretty. He's a very dramatic Iago. I'm actually not crazy about Te Kanawa--she's a good singer, I just don't think she is quite the singer everyone makes her out to be--certainly not on the same level as Pavarotti and Domingo. She does a decent job in the role, although she is not very good on the DVD.



I like this recording almost entirely because of Pavarotti. His voice is just so wonderful to listen to, and while he might not be the Otello for the theatre, he certainly makes for an excellent recording."

Very insightful conducting

Jefferson | NY, USA | 03/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I learnt a lot about Otello from this recording. In fact, I rate it higher than the Chung recording. While Chung goes very fast in the sections, in the slow sections, he is actually slower than Solti. So Chung's conducting is more 'variable' - the range of speeds wider. You may think that Chung's is faster (because his fast sections are fast) but Chung actually clocks in slower overall than Solti. Solti's conducting, on the other hand, is more constant in tempo. Solti's tempo doesn't change a whole lot so the whole opera sort of flows from one section to another. So while you feel the tension actually slackens in the slower sections in the Chung set, you don't find it to be the case with Solti. That's why I rate Solti higher - because you listen to the opera and your interest is there all the time - you don't find the tension slackening. I don't find Pavarotti inferior to Domingo on recording. There's not much to choose between the 2 Desdemonas. The Chicago Symphony Chorus is better recorded than the Paris chorus. I like them better."