Verdi: Aida - Wiener Philharmoniker / Harnoncourt / Gallardo-Domâs / La Scola / Borodina / Hampson / Salminen / Polgár

List Price: $49.99
Our Price: $33.99
You Save: $16.00 (32%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $11.98 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more new music releases

Music CD Cover

Free Music Notes for Verdi: Aida - Wiener Philharmoniker / Harnoncourt / Gallardo-Domâs / La Scola / Borodina / Hampson / Salminen / Polgár

Free Music Review: Great Aida in Gallardo- Domas' performance!!
Hit: 5 Stars

That aside, you have Christina Gallardo-Domas as Aida, and what a find. She has been on CD before in Puccini's Suor Angelica for EMI and I wondered what would she sing next; she was so exciting in that latter role. She chose this big part and she is excellent; her voice is pure and solid and round and she has the breath control of Price and the drama of Callas..so much to give, and she gives her all. She is partnered by Vincenzo La Scola as Radames, who is good, but not Domingo in any of his manifestations of this role. La Scola's voice is too small, and in the crucial duet with Aida, he doesn't have the volume or range to hit hard and high that fatal word for all tenors who sing this part,"brilleranno". Domas goes right for it, and up and over the top ala Price or Callas or Caballe..but Domas sounds so new and different, even if you think Caballe or Price are "better". Try this set and be amazed at this great voice!

The rest of the cast is excellent, except for Thomas Hampson's Amonasro, which is too light and too slow, especially in the declamation part of his duet with Aida. One feels him marking the text, as with Thais, and other dramatic roles he takes on. He is a Lieder singer really, or for Mozart, not for Verdi or Massanet or Puccini..he does not have the Italianate style or the voice for Italian itself. But, he is very effective in places, but Robert Merrill or Leo Nucci are better in this part, or S. Milnes..the large baritone sound with big high notes and beautiful solid registers for all the demands Verdi makes.
Then there is Olga Borodina. who has sung Amneris many times on the Russian stage, and she is wonderful, with such feeling for phrases soft and harsh, and while not a chest note singer, she is effective always. She could bear down more on " figlia di Faraoni" in her duet with Aida, but her climactic "Empia razza!!" is excellent..it makes you immdeiately want to repeat the section again.Also of great merit is her "Io stessa lo gatai.." after the duet with Radames..the cellos are wonderful and she, full of pathos and suffering over what she has done to Radames.

The final duet between Aida and Radames is very dramatic, except for La Scola's rise to the word "Raggio". Not loud enough or secure enough...it needs to be soft yet full, heavy with grief but mellow and sweet..it takes a Domingo or Pavarotti here, or Carreras. But, nothing is sharp in this set or off pitch or impossible to listen to..great art by Verdi matched by servers of his art in Domas and Borodina particularly. Buy this and enjoy, but don't overlook Callas's pirated recording from Mexico City with drama to spare and a high e flat at the close of the Triumphal Scene. Also, Ricciarelli and Domingo in the Abbado seton Deutsche Grammaphone;the triumphal Scene , the vocal part, is so intense, it has to be heard by all fans of this opera.

Buy the Harnoncourt, and let the music flow(Harnoncourt is very right in slowing down the music where Abbado for example rushes as does Muti..so there are compensations.

Verdi: Aida - Wiener Philharmoniker / Harnoncourt / Gallardo-Domâs / La Scola / Borodina / Hampson / Salminen / Polgár Poster

Classical Music CDs

• Music > Styles