VERDI Aida • Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, cond; Jon Vickers (Radames); Leonie Rysanek (Aida); Irene Dalis (Amneris); Robert Weede (Amonasro); Giorgio Tozzi (Ramfis); Andrew Foldi (King); San Francisco Op O & Ch • MELODRAM 5.0067, mono (2 CDs: 137:16) 9/30/60

The killer, here, is the sound. This recording was made from a perspective relatively close to the orchestra, with the singers recessed behind it. When the lower strings join Radames in “Celeste Aida,” the aria quickly becomes a duet; and any orchestral climax all but overwhelms the performers on stage. Some loss of treble is also a constant, and a slow recording speed makes itself known in a passage like the tonally unstable solo clarinet accompanying Aida’s entrance. Textures are muddy throughout. These issues need to be considered in advance, before any discussion of the performance. However good (or bad) the latter might be doesn’t matter, if the aural quality prevents your enjoyment.

That noted, I find this an exciting if somewhat unfocused performance of Aida, filled with a sense of live theater. Vickers is brightly gleaming everywhere: in Celeste Aida, his section of the “Ma tu, Re” ensemble, or when “Pur ti riveggo, mia dolce Aida” explodes like a piece of sunlight in the midst of Amonasro’s scheming. Softness is there, too, where required, especially in the final scene, which is one of the best I’ve heard “live” from any tenor.

Dalis plays Amneris as the spurned woman rather than the commanding priestess, though her “Radames qui venga” is more than equal to the occasion. She is vocally in splendid shape, and makes a fine match of wills in her act III scene with Vickers. Rysanek is always exciting, but over-emotes in her two solos. The upper register of her voice is thrown around with abandon in “Ritorna vincitor!” but the middle is dull, detail is sketchy, and there are repeated intonation problems. “O patria mia,” is better equalized, the dynamic range greater, though there are still a couple of moments of shaky intonation.

Tozzi is wonderfully imposing, a suave but implacable Ramfis; Weede, a vengeful if slightly over-parted figure in act III, and not sufficiently smooth and effortless for act II’s “Ma tu, Re.” Foldi is difficult to hear. Molinari-Pradelli is more than capable of working with his singers in a way that some far better publicized conductors of the period were not.

In short, there is great excitement here, and some good to excellent singing. If you can overlook the sound, then this is a live performance where the sense of connection between audience, orchestra, and singers is palpable.

FANFARE: Barry Brenesal