Notes and Editorial Reviews
This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.
A worthy documentation of a singer in mid-career.
Timothy Richards, born in Wales and now a member of the ensemble at Komische Oper in Berlin, has appeared throughout Europe. For his first solo album he has chosen arias from the Italian operas he has sung during the first ten years of his career. His voice is slightly throaty and he has a tendency to squeeze the tone but he often phrases sensitively and has a healthy ring at the top. His timbre is not unlike Pavarotti’s and he sings with good legato.
The programme is mostly predictable; the only surprise is the aria from
Il tabarro, which is
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rarely sung out of context. His readings of these war-horses are not particularly revelatory, they are good, middle-of-the-road stuff that are pleasant to listen to but hardly go to the top of my shortlist of available recordings. That said Richards has still a great deal to offer in the shape of stylish singing. Generally he seems to be more at ease with the Puccini items, but there are many good things in the Verdi numbers as well. Quite the best of them is Macduff’s recitative and aria from
Macbeth: even voice quality, not particularly nuanced but healthy, well-focused, full-throated singing. He makes the most of the
Tabarro aria,
Che gelida manina is impassioned and
Nessun dorma powerful. Best of all are Cavaradossi’s two arias from
Tosca. The glow in
E lucevan le stelle is infectious. Wilhelm Keitel and his Minsk Orchestra, which he founded in 1994, accompany well but somewhat anonymously. In the three purely orchestral numbers we can however hear a fine body of strings – the cello department sound especially fine in the
Traviata prelude – and the brass rings out ominously in the
Macbeth prelude. The
Forza overture on the other hand is rather hard-driven and stiff.
The recording is excellent and I believe most readers can live without the sung texts. At least seasoned collectors must have tons of inlays and booklets with texts and translations of all these standard arias – bar
Tabarro.
Not everything is on the highest possible level but by and large this is a worthy documentation of a singer in mid-career.
-- Göran Forsling, MusicWeb International
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Works on This Recording
4.
Macbeth: Ah, la paterna mano by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Timothy Richards (Tenor)
Conductor:
Wilhelm Keitel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minsk Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1847/1865; Italy
5.
Il Tabarro: Hai ben ragione by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Timothy Richards (Tenor)
Conductor:
Wilhelm Keitel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minsk Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1918; Italy
6.
La Bohème: Che gelida manina by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Timothy Richards (Tenor)
Conductor:
Wilhelm Keitel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minsk Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1896; Italy
7.
Turandot: Nessun dorma! by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Timothy Richards (Tenor)
Conductor:
Wilhelm Keitel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minsk Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1926; Italy
8.
Tosca: Recondita armonia by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Timothy Richards (Tenor)
Conductor:
Wilhelm Keitel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minsk Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1900; Italy
9.
Tosca: E lucevan le stelle by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Timothy Richards (Tenor)
Conductor:
Wilhelm Keitel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minsk Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1900; Italy
10.
La traviata: Act 1 Prelude by Giuseppe Verdi
Conductor:
Wilhelm Keitel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minsk Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1853; Italy
11.
Macbeth: Act 1 Prelude by Giuseppe Verdi
Conductor:
Wilhelm Keitel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minsk Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1847/1865; Italy
12.
La forza del destino: Overture by Giuseppe Verdi
Conductor:
Wilhelm Keitel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minsk Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1862/1869; Italy
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