Notes and Editorial Reviews
Among baritones at present active in this kind of repertoire Ataneli is among the best.
The Georgian baritone Lado Ataneli made his debut at the National Opera in his home city Tbilisi in 1989. After a couple of prizes in prestigious competitions he began his international career in 1996 and today he appears at all the leading houses in Europe and the US. As a recording artist he has taken part in a few complete sets: most recently I reviewed a DVD production of
Thaïs (see
review), where I found him black-voiced and imposing but relentlessly singing most of his part at
forte. On this recital disc, his
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first as far as I know, his powerful delivery is again imposing but so is his fine legato and brilliant upper register. Though slightly dry-toned he sings with a fine sense for nuance. Piero Cappuccilli from an earlier generation springs to mind but his breath control was formidable.
The programme is by and large what one expects from a debut recital: a number of old-time favourites with one or two rarities sprinkled in. The opening
Attila aria isn’t too often heard and it’s a fine calling-card. He sings the catchy cabaletta with élan but he doesn’t eclipse Ingvar Wixell’s version on a Verdi recital from the late 1970s (Philips). He has the fluency for the
Factotum aria from
Il barbiere di Siviglia but not the lightness of say Bruscantini or Gobbi. The highest notes sound strained but it is a lively and joyous reading.
His Mozart singing is variable. The Count’s
Vedrò mentr’io is honourable but not very individual, Don Giovanni’s canzonetta lacks lightness and elegance. This is a lethargic Don. He is far better in the champagne aria, which is sung with zest. Enrico’s aria from
Lucia di Lammermoor is one the best executed here. He is a far cry from Bruson for elegance and true
bel canto sweetness but Ernesto is a rather rough-hewn character anyway. The
Favorita aria is sung in Italian and here he is up against Bruson again - a Donizetti recital once available in Decca’s Grandi Voci series - and convinces through good legato and involvement. The cabaletta is more penny plain.
Back in relatively rare Verdi, he makes good stabs at arias from
Ernani and
I vespri siciliani These were often recorded during the early acoustic period by greats like Amato, De Luca and Stracciari and it is perhaps unfair to compare Ataneli with them. Singing of this calibre would however undoubtedly bring down the house in many present-day opera venues.
He is even better in the unfairly neglected aria from
Zaza, and his singing of
Vision fugitive, with both restraint and brilliance, shows what was missing on the DVD
Thaïs. Readers who want to sample before buying should try these two.
He is a powerful but not very subtle Escamillo – but who expects a bullfighter to be subtle? The final number is a true rarity from an opera by the Georgian composer Dimitri Arakishvili. It is a grand aria in verismo style and it is brilliantly sung. Ataneli chose this aria as a tribute to his country, and it is an attractive and thrilling end to this recital. Among baritones at present active in this kind of repertoire Ataneli is among the best and at the modest price this well recorded disc is well worth adding to one’s collection. Texts and translations can be accessed on the Naxos homepage but there are good comments on all the music in the booklet.
-- Göran Forsling, MusicWeb International
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Works on This Recording
1.
Attila: Dagli immortali vertici by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Lado Ataneli (Baritone)
Conductor:
Lodovico Zocche
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1846; Italy
2.
Il barbiere di Siviglia: Largo al factotum by Gioachino Rossini
Performer:
Lado Ataneli (Baritone)
Conductor:
Lodovico Zocche
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1816; Italy
3.
Le nozze di Figaro, K 492: Hai già vinta la causa!...Vedrò, metr'io sospiro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Lado Ataneli (Baritone)
Conductor:
Lodovico Zocche
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1786; Vienna, Austria
4.
Don Giovanni, K 527: Deh vieni alla finestra [Serenade] by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Lado Ataneli (Baritone)
Conductor:
Lodovico Zocche
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1787; Prague, Czech Republ
5.
Don Giovanni, K 527: Finch' han dal vino [Brindisi] by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Lado Ataneli (Baritone)
Conductor:
Lodovico Zocche
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1787; Prague, Czech Republ
6.
Lucia di Lammermoor: Cruda, funesta smania...La pietade by Gaetano Donizetti
Performer:
Lado Ataneli (Baritone)
Conductor:
Lodovico Zocche
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1835; Naples, Italy
7.
La Favorita: Vien, Leonora, a piedi tuoi by Gaetano Donizetti
Performer:
Lado Ataneli (Baritone)
Conductor:
Lodovico Zocche
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1840; Italy
8.
Ernani: O de' verd' anni miei by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Lado Ataneli (Baritone)
Conductor:
Lodovico Zocche
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1844; Italy
9.
I vespri siciliani: In braccio alle dovizie by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Lado Ataneli (Baritone)
Conductor:
Lodovico Zocche
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1855; Italy
10.
Zazà: Buona Zazà, del mio buon tempo by Ruggero Leoncavallo
Performer:
Lado Ataneli (Baritone)
Conductor:
Lodovico Zocche
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1900; Italy
11.
Hérodiade: Ce breuvage pourrait me donner...Vision fugitive by Jules Massenet
Performer:
Lado Ataneli (Baritone)
Conductor:
Lodovico Zocche
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
12.
Carmen: Votre toast je peu vous le rendre "Toreador Song" by Georges Bizet
Performer:
Lado Ataneli (Baritone)
Conductor:
Lodovico Zocche
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1873-1874; France
13.
The Legend of Shota Rustaveli: Thanks be to God by Dmitri Arakishvili
Performer:
Lado Ataneli (Baritone)
Conductor:
Lodovico Zocche
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra
Sound Samples
Attila: Act II: Tregua e cogl'Unni... Dagli immortali vertici
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I: Cavatina: Largo al factotum della citta
Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K. 492: Act III: Recitative and Aria: Hai gia vinta la causa! Cosa sento!... Vedro mentr'io sospiro
Don Giovanni, K. 527: Act II: Canzonetta: Deh, vieni alla finestra
Don Giovanni, K. 527: Act I: Finch'han dal vino, "Champagne Aria"
Lucia di Lammermoor: Act I: Cruda, funesta smania
La favorita: Act II: Ma de' malvagi invan... Vien, Leonora, a' piedi tuoi
Ernani: Act III: Gran Dio... Oh de' verd'anni miei
I vespri siciliani: Act III: In braccio alle dovizie
Zaza: Act II: Buona del mio buon tempo
Herodiade: Act II: Ce breuvage pourrait ... Vision fugitive
Carmen: Act II: Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre, "Toreador Song"
Tkmuleba Shota Rustavelze (The Legend of Shota Rustaveli): Madloba Gmerts (Thanks be to God)
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