Puccini - Turandot / Sutherland ? Pavarotti ? Caball? ? Ghiaurov ? Krause ? Pears ? LPO ? Mehta
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Free Music Notes for Puccini - Turandot / Sutherland ? Pavarotti ? Caball? ? Ghiaurov ? Krause ? Pears ? LPO ? Mehta
Free Music Review: Awesome Turandot by La Stupenda
Hit: 5 Stars
I've never been a huge Puccini-Fan but this recording will always be very dear to me. I bought it ages ago on vinyl and had the grand dame sign it. Her Turandot sounds splendid and gorgeous, I like her more velvety sound, prefer it over the metallic sound of the dramatic sopranos, and here I prefer her to Callas who simply recorded it too late. Pavarotti is the most charming Calaf I know, even though I saw Corelli in the role and adored him. Caballe sings a most lovely Liu. This recording is a keeper!Free Music Review: What a beautiful cast!
Hit: 5 Stars
I heard all of these people sing when they were in their prime. The cast is outstanding. Besides being a glorious rendition of one of my fave operas, each singer calls up wonderful memories of many past performances, especially Pavarotti and Caballe. Pavarotti is my favorite Calaf too. All in all, a superb acquisition for any opera collection Free Music Review: Gave me a whole new respect for Puccini
Hit: 5 Stars
Before I heard this recording, I was not a big Puccini fan. Oh sure, I liked Butterfly and Bohme, but couldn't really get into them. I didn't really like Pavarotti either, thinking him boring. Then I got this.
and promptly was shocked into stupefaction.
The only word for this recording is Wow. Mehta is, as usual, great, his Orchestra are simply, his tempi excellent and his chorus beautifully sung. the first act choral work is simply beyond praise, and the rest of the opera is no less amazing.
Pavarotti may just be the ideal Calaf. His high notes are mind-blowing, his "Nessum Dorma" is astounding, and his duets with Turandot are excellent. His acting is not the best, but capable.
Sutherland, as it is well known, never sung the role on stage. It's a shame, because, if this recording is anything to show, she would have been great. La Stupenda puts her voice to good work here, still in her prime and with soaring high notes. She creates a tower of sound with her "In Questa reggia", which, in a clever move, opens the second disk. Her duets with Pavarotti are from heaven, even if she's out-acted by him.
Cabell? is equally impressive as Liu. A capable Turandot elsewhere, she outacts her other leads by a mile and gives a compelling vocal portratit of the young slave girl.Her death scene brought me to tears. In fact, her entire performance broght me to tears the first time I heard it, the highest praise I can give to a Liu.
Ghiaurov is touching in the thankless part of Timir, and his cries of "Liu!Liu! Sorgi! Sorgi!" are heartbreaking. Sir Peter Pears turns in an impressive cameo as the old and venerable Emperor. Tom Krause is an Impressive Ping, well supported by Poli (who also sings the Prince of Persia's one line thrilling) and de Palma. It is their contribution to the set that made Act two scene one of my favorite operatic scenes of all time, mixing humor, drama and poignant longing to a perfect pitch.
I have yet to hear the fabled Nilsson recordings, but I really don't see how they could top this piece.
6 stars out of five if such a rating were possible. I'll settle for five.
Free Music Review: Simply amazing!
Hit: 5 Stars
There are so many people complaining on this site about how Sutherland would have never performed Turandot live and yet Nilsson did, so we should all buy Nilsson's recordings. Well, guess what? First of all, Sutherland is in the same vocal fach as Callas, who was a famous Turandot at the beginning of her career, plus Sutherland had better technique (if poorer diction later on) so she could have conceivably played the role live. But, seriously, this is not a live recording, and regardless of how appropriate she would have been live, thanks to recording engineers Sutherland sounds so much better than any of Nilsson's recordings, live or otherwise. Considering that it's a CD, and it's amazing music-making, I have no objections whatsoever to this. Her "In questa reggia" is something to behold, and not just because of her, the orchestra and Maestro Mehta contribute to create wonderful drama and music. Pavarotti is far and away a much better musician and singer than Corelli, and his "Nessun Dorma" is the best I've ever heard. Caballe is a tad too mature sounding for Liu, but it's still a beautiful performance, Ghiaurov is reliable as always, and the orchestra and recorded sound are simply breathtaking. This is as much an overwhelming dramatic experience as it is superb music. On the other hand, avoid the Nilsson/Corelli EMI set, as it is weaker than this set in almost every area.Free Music Review: An Absolute Phenomenon!
Hit: 5 Stars
This Turandot is nothing short of fabulous. Even though I generally dislike Pavarotti, he is wonderful here--perhaps because this isn't a later recording of his. And I can't think of a single way in which Caballe's Liu could be any better. Sutherland's voice is surprisingly dramatic, also. It makes you wonder if she would have been better suited training in the dramatic fach than the coloratura (though one listening of her "Caro nome" will suggest otherwise). The sound is vibrant, and there isn't a problem with any one of the singers. If you like Turandot, perhaps Puccini's grandest opera, snag a copy of this recording. And though not exactly written by Puccini, Turandot's ending is my favorite of any opera.