Notes and Editorial Reviews
Words fail me in reviewing this disc. My critical brain is helpless before this voice, which sweeps all before it and leaves nothing to nitpick. And yes, her performances of “Ecco l’orrido campo” from Un ballo in maschera and “Pace, pace mio Dio” from La forza del destino have fire in them. You simply will not believe the largesse of her high range until you’ve heard it. Steber? Crespin? Leontyne Price in her youthful prime? Yes, she reminds you of all of these.
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VERDI
Il trovatore:
Tacea la notte;
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D’amor sull’ali rosée.
Un ballo in maschera:
Ecco l’orrido campo … Ma dall’arido stelo divulsa.
Il corsaro:
Non so le tetre immagini.
La forza del destino:
Pace, pace mio Dio; La vergine degl’Angeli
1.
Ernani:
Ernani, involami
1.
Aida:
O patria mia.
I vespri siciliani:
Arrigo! Ah, parli a un cor; Mercé, diletti amici
(Bolero)
•
Sondra Radvanovsky (sop); Constantin Orbelian, cond; Philharmonia of Russia;
1
Moscow Academy of Vocal Arts
•
DELOS 3404 (61:46
Text and Translation)
There are two things that will immediately strike the listener to this, the first solo recital by American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky. The first, and more unfortunate, will be, “Oh cripes, here we go again … another one of those albums recorded in goopy echo.” But the second will be, “OH MY GOD! WHAT A VOICE!!!!!!”
I’ve been listening to Radvanovsky on Met broadcasts for the past several seasons, and my lone caveat has always been that she only gives generalized interpretations. But I need to also say this: The Met microphones do
not
do justice to her voice. Over the air, it sounds bright, well focused, yet somehow two-dimensional. On this recording, she sounds like a combination of Eleanor Steber and Régine Crespin, which knowledgeable friends have told me is how she sounds in person. This may just possibly be the greatest American Verdi soprano since Rosa Ponselle.
Words fail me in reviewing this disc. My critical brain is helpless before this voice, which sweeps all before it and leaves nothing to nitpick. And yes, her performances of “Ecco l’orrido campo” from
Un ballo in maschera
and “Pace, pace mio Dio” from
La forza del destino
have fire in them. You simply will not believe the largesse of her high range until you’ve heard it. Steber? Crespin? Leontyne Price in her youthful prime? Yes, she reminds you of all of these. Her interpretation of the little-known aria from
Il Corsaro
is entirely different from that of Montserrat Caballé on the complete recording of the opera: big in voice, emotion, and scope of phrasing. She makes a truly tragic piece of it and not just a vocal exercise.
An extra star or two must also go to Constantine Orbelian, who brings this recital to life as assuredly as Paul Daniel did on the recent Bryn Terfel recital reviewed elsewhere in this issue. This guy can conduct, folks, make no mistake about that. His highlight on this disc is the
Ballo
scene, but all of it is on a very high order. And wonder of wonders … we get the complete original version of “Ernani, involami,” choral section and all!
One final, humorous note. On the front cover we see Radvanovsky dolled up and giving the ubiquitous Sexy Pose. On the back cover, she’s got a big, goofy, wide-mouthed grin and giving two thumbs up. I’m not sure if this is because (a) she got to ditch the strapless gown and put her jeans back on, (b) she finally wrapped up the album, or (c) this was taken right after she kneed her would-be mugger last year in his naughty bits. Either way, it’s funny and it shows the real Radvanovsky.
FANFARE: Lynn René Bayley
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Works on This Recording
1.
Il trovatore: Tacea la notte placida...Di tale amor by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Sondra Radvanovsky (Soprano)
Conductor:
Constantine Orbelian
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia of Russia
Period: Romantic
Written: 1853; Italy
2.
Un ballo in maschera: Ecco l'orrido campo...Ma dall' arido stelo divulsa by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Sondra Radvanovsky (Soprano)
Conductor:
Constantine Orbelian
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia of Russia
Period: Romantic
Written: 1859; Italy
3.
Il corsaro: Non so le tetre immagini by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Sondra Radvanovsky (Soprano)
Conductor:
Constantine Orbelian
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia of Russia
Period: Romantic
Written: 1848; Italy
4.
La forza del destino: Pace, pace, mio Dio by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Sondra Radvanovsky (Soprano)
Conductor:
Constantine Orbelian
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia of Russia
Period: Romantic
Written: 1862/1869; Italy
5.
Ernani: Ernani, involami by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Sondra Radvanovsky (Soprano)
Conductor:
Constantine Orbelian
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia of Russia
Period: Romantic
Written: 1844; Italy
6.
Aida: O patria mia by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Sondra Radvanovsky (Soprano)
Conductor:
Constantine Orbelian
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia of Russia
Period: Romantic
Written: 1871; Italy
7.
I vespri siciliani: Arrigo! ah, parli a un core by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Sondra Radvanovsky (Soprano)
Conductor:
Constantine Orbelian
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia of Russia
Period: Romantic
Written: 1855; Italy
Sound Samples
Il trovatore: Act I: Tace la notte!
Il trovatore: Act IV: D'amor sull'ali rosee vanne
Un ballo in maschera: Act II: Ecco l'orrido campo - Ma dall'arido stelo
Il corsaro: Act I: Non so le tetre immagini
La forza del destino: Act IV: Pace, pace mio Dio!
La forza del destino: Act II: La Vergine degli Angeli
Ernani: Act I: , involami
Aida: Act III: O patria mia
I vespri siciliani: Act IV: Arrigo! Ah, parli a un core
I vespri siciliani: Act V: Bolero
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