Otello, opera: Act 4. Diceste questa sera le vostre preci?
Otello, opera: Act 4. Aprite! Aprite!
Otello, opera: Act 4. Nium mi tema
Tenor Mario del Monaco's voice is a taste one either has or hasn't. His lungs seem to be made of leather, and the vocal production is somewhat nasal, but there's no denying that he's a force of nature. Here, all his debits... more » and credits are evident. Del Monaco is partnered with the wicked Iago of Tito Gobbi, who cajoles him into lunacy. Gobbi was also in very fresh voice here, leaping the hurdles of Iago's Drinking Song and Dream with élan. Gabriella Tucci's Desdemona is superficial, but she sings well and makes us sympathize with her character. The rest of the cast is good, but both orchestra and chorus are not up to international standards. Alberto Erede's lightning-fast tempi go hand in hand with the all-stops-out approach of del Monaco's Otello. Characters occasionally go off-mike and there's some pre-echo, but otherwise, the 1959 live-in-Tokyo sound is acceptable. In short, a roller-coaster Otello filled with excitement. --Robert Levine« less
Tenor Mario del Monaco's voice is a taste one either has or hasn't. His lungs seem to be made of leather, and the vocal production is somewhat nasal, but there's no denying that he's a force of nature. Here, all his debits and credits are evident. Del Monaco is partnered with the wicked Iago of Tito Gobbi, who cajoles him into lunacy. Gobbi was also in very fresh voice here, leaping the hurdles of Iago's Drinking Song and Dream with élan. Gabriella Tucci's Desdemona is superficial, but she sings well and makes us sympathize with her character. The rest of the cast is good, but both orchestra and chorus are not up to international standards. Alberto Erede's lightning-fast tempi go hand in hand with the all-stops-out approach of del Monaco's Otello. Characters occasionally go off-mike and there's some pre-echo, but otherwise, the 1959 live-in-Tokyo sound is acceptable. In short, a roller-coaster Otello filled with excitement. --Robert Levine
CD Reviews
Extraordinary performance!!
04/16/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have quite a few live performance recordings, but this one indeed is a very pleasant surprise. First of all the sonics on this recording are quite commendable, especially for a live recording. The coughing and figitting that one usually becomes accustomed to in live recordings have been kept to a minimum in this performance,as a matter of fact, one has to keep reminding oneself that this is NOT a studio recording. The lead singers, Del Monaco (in his prime), Gobbi (also in his prime), and Tucci (in HER prime) are all in exemplary voice. There is such an excitement in this recording that one usually finds absent in the studio recordings. Erede's conducting is masterful. The one drawback is that there is just a synopsis and no libretto, but that is such a small price to pay considering the high quality of the performance and the bargain price of this recording. If you are a connoisseur of great singing, live performances, or the opera Otello you MUST own this recording."
A Gripping Otello
Paul A. Dunphy | Bogota, New Jersey USA | 05/19/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Both Del Monaco and Gobbi recorded this opera separately in the studio and both were considered peerless in their interpretations. The electricity between the two here is reminiscent of the greatest performances of Shakespeare's play. Mario Del Monaco does not overact the way he does on both his studio recordings. This is also the only complete recording (to my knowledge) of Gabriella Tucci's celebrated Desdemona. Her excessive vibrato can be a little off-putting at first but, once one is accustomed to it, her's is a first-class interpretation. The sound is quite good and the Tokyo audience extremely enthusiastic. All in all, a great performance at a great price."
What is wrong with this record?
Fábio Brianezi Giraldez | 12/13/2000
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Although Gobbi/del Monaco performance seems to have been fantastic, I disagree with amazon.com review about the quality of the sound. Indeed, there is little noise for a 1959 live record, but for some reason which i can't understand Mario del Monaco sounds distant,as if he was backstage almost all the time. On the ther hand, Gobbi must have been singing right in front of the microphone. Also the echo is irritating!I was a bit disappointed with this record."
Very fine from all
Erik Aleksander Moe | Oslo, Norway | 03/15/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I love Otello. I love the Shakespeare play also. I have quite a few recordings of this, my favorite Verdi opera, and this one is definitively a fantasic performance. Mario del Monaco is much better here than on his Decca studio performance conducted by Karajan. Gabriella Tucci also quite excellent as the ill fated, wrongly accused Desdemona. Tito Gobbi is also quite good. But. I am a great fan of Gobbi, so it pains me to say this but it is what I feel. He overacts. Vocally he is exemplary, but I feel he sounds too much like a villain in practically every scene with del Monaco. I have a little hard time believing that the intelligent Otello can be fooled by this Jago. This is why I have rated this only four star. If Gobbi had used more subltly into his Jago like Giuseppe Valdengo or Lawrence Tibbett it would have been a supreme Otello.
Alberto Erede is very underrated nowadays and he is sometimes described to be a dull conductor. When listening to this exciting performance it is hard to understand. It may be that he is better live than in the studio, like so many of the greatest artists in history (Callas, Tebaldi, Flagstad, del Monaco, Tucker).
As for the sound, it is quite good. The performance is from 1959 and it is really good for a recorded live performance. Del Monaco and Gobbi are heard in different distances from the microphones many times which is quite understandable since it is a live performance. It is in stereo too, which is quite rare so early.
At this low price you really cannot go wrong if you are interested in historical recordings."
A stunning performance from three great artists
Ralph Moore | Bishop's Stortford, UK | 07/21/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I cannot believe that after years of listening to a wide variety of "Otello" recordings, studio and live, modern and historical, I have only just discovered this classic performance.
First, although it's elderly enough to be classed as "historical", the sound is excellent; early stereo, full, spacious, vivid and immediate - you could be sitting in the front row stalls. (In fact, it's so good you find yourself admiring the prompter's contribution rather too often....)
Thus, it combines the drama and spontaneity of a live performance with close to (old) studio quality sound. There are stage noises, some sneezing, and the intrusion of our friend the prompter, but for the most part the audience are quiet except for some crass and inappropriate applause - for example, before the last exquisite notes of the love duet have finished. But this is all part and parcel of a live recording and the audience clearly appreciated that they were hearing something special.
Second, we have two of the greatest exponents of the roles of Otello and Iago at the peak of their form. I have never heard Gobbi so free and full of voice; even the often quoted relative weakness of his top notes is not an issue here - he sings with total abandon and confidence. Del Monaco is as good as, if not better than, his 1954 studio recording with the same conductor, and certainly more thrilling than in the 1960 set with Karajan. Both artists take some liberties with the score in order to make dramatic points - but who cares when they are as effective as this? The chemistry between them makes those heart-wrenching exchanges between Iago and Otello more exciting than any other I have ever heard -and certainly a great deal more exciting than the rather subdued 1960 studio set under Serafin, with Vickers rather too controlled and Gobbi past his best vocally or out of sorts, or uninspired, only a year later than this flawless night. I still admire that recording - but this one is something else.
Tucci, too, is surprisingly good; touching and believable, with a lovely floated top to her voice, occasionally reminding me of Janowitz. The voice, per se, is undoubtedly beautiful; listen to her "Salce" - haunting and very tenderly controlled. Supporting parts are more than adequately cast. The chorus are vigorous and engaged. Erede - always under-rated - conducts a driven, whirlwind performance not unlike that of Toscanini.
OK; it's by no means flawless: ensemble sometimes goes to pot (both in the opening storm and in the "Si pel ciel", for example, when both singers and the orchestra are at odds with each other) and the orchestra isn't the Berlin Phil (very shaky 'cello and woodwind intonation for Otello's entrance in Act 4)- but these problems are only to be expected in such a pacy live performance and they add to the sense of danger. Indeed, I know of no other account of this masterpiece which propels you so inexorably and ineluctably towards the final catastrophe; the atmosphere is consistently febrile until that last, terrible Act, when, after the ominously beautiful interlude with Desdemona's prayer before bed, the pace picks up again, Otello suffocates Desdemona and suddenly, like a thunderbolt, the absurdity and horror of his actions strike Otello.
For years I have been recommending the legendary 1947 Toscanini or the 1948 Busch recordings alongside the earlier, 1954, Del Monaco studio recording and the inexplicably ignored 1991 Lombard set with Giacomini, Price and Manuguerra (see my reviews) - but this must go to the top of the list with those, as a wholly thrilling theatrical memento, showcasing three great voices on one very exciting night in Tokyo. Subtle it ain't - but you need to hear it."
Track Listings (23) - Disc #1