Notes and Editorial Reviews
THE ORIGINAL THREE TENORS CONCERT
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Plácido Domingo (ten); Luciano Pavarotti (ten); Jose Carreras (ten); Zubin Mehta, cond; Florence Maggio Musicale O; Rome Teatro del’Op O
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DECCA 000725409 (2 DVDs:143.00) Live: Rome 7/7/1990
CILEA
L’arlesiana:
E’ solita la storia.
MEYERBEER
L’africaine:
Ô, Paradis!
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class="COMPOSER12"> PUCCINI
Tosca:
Recondita armonia. E lucevan le stelle.
LEHÁR
Das Land des Lächelns:
Dien ist mein ganzes Herz.
DE CRESCENZO
Rondine al nido.
CARDILLO
Core ‘ngrato.
VERDI
I vespri sicilani:
Overture.
DE CURTIS
Turna a Surriento.
LARA
Granada.
SOROZÁBAL
No puerde ser.
GIORDANO
Andrea Chénier:
L’improviso.
PUCCINI
Turandot:
Nessun dorma.
DI CAPUA
O sole mio.
Finale:
medley
If one concert has become a phenomenon, this is the one. Having been issued and reissued in many formats already, I wonder how much more revenue Decca can hope to squeeze from the event.
That said, three of the greatest singers of modern times, backed by the combined forces of two Italian orchestras under the direction of Zubin Mehta, produced its own heady magic on the evening of July 7, 1990, in the Roman Baths of Caracalla, Italy. What remains in my mind from watching the event broadcast live is the medley sequence, and that still provides the most fun in the entire concert. There are pleasures to be had in hearing a great voice take on the most popular of music and raising it up a level or two beyond that at which it is normally performed.
The rest of the concert however is slightly more serious, with each singer taking a turn to sing an aria, before passing on the baton, as it were. Domingo’s contribution, always fulsome of voice, is most notable for an excellent account of Meyerbeer’s
Ô, Paradis!
Pavarotti, of course, shines in
Nessun dorma
, where he uses facial expression in addition to his ringing tone to animate his singing. At that time, he was still in fine vocal form and the beauty of his Italianate line is palpable also in
Recondita armonia
. Of the three tenors, only Carreras can be said to be marginally below optimal form, his voice sounding tight in comparison with those of his colleagues. His solo highlight, though, is Lara’s
Granada,
which is delivered with due sense of passion.
The combined Florentine and Roman orchestral forces cope well under Mehta’s direction. He conducts with broad strokes, as one must when before two hundred players, but keeps them together adequately. The recorded sound, understandably heavily microphoned given the outdoor setting, is decent for a live event recorded under these conditions. Brian Large’s experienced camera direction keeps things focused visually throughout with a good deal of the atmosphere coming across.
The “bonus” DVD contains an hour-long film titled
The Impossible Dream
about the preparations for the concert. Also included are a photo gallery and a karaoke track of
O sole mio
. That’s the limit of populism as far as I am concerned, and in any context other than this release I would have stronger negative feelings than I do. Ultimately though, it is because of the three tenors that the DVDs prove attractive. Alas, now only two remain: R.I.P., Luciano.
FANFARE: Evan Dickerson
Special Features:
The Impossible Dream – Making of Documentary
Pavarotti Trailers (DVD Collection, Pavarotti & Friends, The Last Tenor)
Photo Gallery
Karaoke ‘O Sole Mio’
Duration: 86:19 (Concert), 57:00 (The Impossible Dream)
Disc Format: NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 4:3 full screen
Region: All
Sound: LPCM Stereo / Dolby Digital 5.1 / Dolby Digital Stereo
Recorded: 7/7/1990
Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish & Chinese
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Works on This Recording
1.
L'Arlesiana: E la solita storia...Anch'io vorrei "Lamento" by Francesco Cilča
Performer:
José Carreras (Tenor)
Conductor:
Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Florence Maggio Musicale Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1897/1937; Italy
Date of Recording: 7/7/1990
Venue: Live - Baths of Caracalla, Rome
2.
L'Africaine: O paradis sorti de l'onde by Giacomo Meyerbeer
Performer:
Placido Domingo (Tenor)
Conductor:
Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Florence Maggio Musicale Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1865; Germany
Date of Recording: 7/7/1990
Venue: Live - Baths of Caracalla, Rome
3.
Tosca: Recondita armonia by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Luciano Pavarotti (Tenor)
Conductor:
Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Florence Maggio Musicale Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1900; Italy
Date of Recording: 7/7/1990
Venue: Live - Baths of Caracalla, Rome
4.
Das Land des Lächelns: Dein ist mein ganzes Herz by Franz Lehár
Performer:
Placido Domingo (Tenor)
Conductor:
Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Florence Maggio Musicale Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1929; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 7/7/1990
Venue: Live - Baths of Caracalla, Rome
5.
Rondine al nido by Vincenzo di Crescenzo
Performer:
Luciano Pavarotti (Tenor)
Conductor:
Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Florence Maggio Musicale Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: Italy
Date of Recording: 7/7/1990
Venue: Live - Baths of Caracalla, Rome
6.
Core 'ngrato by Salvatore Cardillo
Performer:
José Carreras (Tenor)
Conductor:
Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Florence Maggio Musicale Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1911; Italy
Date of Recording: 7/7/1990
Venue: Live - Baths of Caracalla, Rome
7.
Torna a Surriento by Ernesto De Curtis
Performer:
Luciano Pavarotti (Tenor)
Conductor:
Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Florence Maggio Musicale Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: Italy
Date of Recording: 7/7/1990
Venue: Live - Baths of Caracalla, Rome
8.
Granada by Agustín Lara
Performer:
José Carreras (Tenor)
Conductor:
Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Florence Maggio Musicale Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1932; Mexico
Date of Recording: 7/7/1990
Venue: Live - Baths of Caracalla, Rome
9.
La tabernera del puerto: No puede ser by Pablo Sorozabal
Performer:
Placido Domingo (Tenor)
Conductor:
Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Florence Maggio Musicale Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1940; Spain
Date of Recording: 7/7/1990
Venue: Live - Baths of Caracalla, Rome
10.
Andrea Chénier: Un dě all' azzuro spazio "Improvviso" by Umberto Giordano
Performer:
José Carreras (Tenor)
Conductor:
Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Florence Maggio Musicale Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1896; Italy
Date of Recording: 7/7/1990
Venue: Live - Baths of Caracalla, Rome
11.
Tosca: E lucevan le stelle by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Placido Domingo (Tenor)
Conductor:
Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Florence Maggio Musicale Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1900; Italy
Date of Recording: 7/7/1990
Venue: Live - Baths of Caracalla, Rome
12.
Turandot: Nessun dorma! by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Luciano Pavarotti (Tenor),
José Carreras (Tenor),
Placido Domingo (Tenor)
Conductor:
Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Florence Maggio Musicale Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1926; Italy
Date of Recording: 7/7/1990
Venue: Live - Baths of Caracalla, Rome
13.
'O sole mio by Eduardo Di Capua
Performer:
Luciano Pavarotti (Tenor),
José Carreras (Tenor),
Placido Domingo (Tenor)
Conductor:
Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Florence Maggio Musicale Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1898; Italy
Date of Recording: 7/7/1990
Venue: Live - Baths of Caracalla, Rome
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