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Music : Rossini: Elisabetta regina d'Inghilterra
Rating: 
- A banquet for the ears
This recording of Elisabetta treats the opera with complete attention to every lovely detail and nuance. The previous recording of note, featuring Caballe and mentioned by some of the other reviewers, has very competent singing but is seriously deficient as far as recording engineering and overall interpretation are concerned. The new recording treats the opera as a masterpiece; you hear every nuance of both voices and orchestra in a beautifully balanced, perfectly paced performance, with a conductor who reacts with exceptional sensitivity to every one of Rossini's many shifts in mood and color. The engineering (and possibly the conducting, it's hard to tell) of the older recording reduces the orchestra to a mushy background, with a very annoying, artificial sounding separation of soloists and orchestra, and seems to treat the opera as merely a vehicle for virtuosos. So the older recording is arguably a good document of some fabulous singing, but if you really want to appreciate Rossini's Elisabetta, you need to hear it under the sensational direction of Giuliano Carella, with a very strong cast where every singer has a distinctive voice that contributes to the wonderful textures of this beautiful score.
Rossini appears to have been possessed by an extraordinary state of inspiration for this opera, which features his delightful ability to construct, within very intensely realized scenes, music which shifts seamlessly among sweet, lyrical, cute, triumphant, agitated, passionate and joyous expressions. The listener must be amazed that such sophisticated music could emerge from a very young composer.
The booklet that accompanies this magnificent recording is a noteworthy example of superb art direction. Apparently the designer realized that opera lovers might appreciate text in a legible font size, along with stunningly cleaned up reproductions of illustrations of the original performers of the opera. The introductory essay by Jeremy Commons is a wonderful example of good writing about opera.
Rating: - Rare Opera Resurrected: Jennifer Larmore Is Sensational
Rossini is most famous for his comic operas, primarily for his Barber Of Seville. His arsenal of operas include highly entertaining, light-hearted stories such as The Italian Girl In Algiers and The Thieving Magpie. His music is almost a definition of bel canto comedy- festive but lyric, ebullient and even Mozartian in its spirit of joyous melodies. However, comic operas were not his only forte. Rossini composed grand operas with historic settings and melodramatic plots which were becoming the popular craze at the time of his death. He successfully started the "grand opera" tradition in Italy with such hits as "William Tell", "La Dona Del Largo" and now this revived obscure opera -Elisabetta Regina D'Inglaterra "Elizabeth, Queen of England".
The title says it all. It's about Englan'ds greatest queen. The oft-told apocryphal story was used frequently in dramatic plays of the early 19th century. Stories tell of Queen Elizabeth's romantic love (usually for a military hero or a court nobleman), her competition with a rival woman with whom her dashing cavalier is truly in love with and the Queen's resignation at the end. The figure of Queen Elizabeth in love had been produced in operas before. Donizetti would use her twice in his operas Maria Stuarda and most significantly in Roberto Devereux. Rossini's heroines were always sung by a mezzo soprano during his day. This was because the star singers of this time were the daughters of Spanish tenor Manuel Garcia. Both daughters were mezzo sopranos and helped to popularize Rossini operas worldwide, including trips to America. A mezzo soprano like Jennifer Larmore in this recording is perfect for the Queen because her heavy chest register comes off as dramatic, imperious and effectively "regial". In addition, Jennifer Larmore can toss off coloratura technique with dazzling power and can be equally impressive in her feather soft and higher "head" voice for the lyric passages.
This is the best recording of Elisabetta. There is another in circulation, an old World War II Era recording that features Leyla Gencer in the starring role of Queen Elizabeth. Leyla Gencer is equally as mangnificent and perhaps superior in the dramatic portions because Leyla has a lot more chest voice. Nevertheless, Jennifer Larmore has a lot more colors in her palette and this is why her Queen Elizabeth is more satisfying. I hope this opera continues to be performed and produced with great success in our modern times. I feel strongly that mezzo soprano Cecilia Bartoli would make a remarkable Queen Elizabeth in this Rossini opera. Bartoli has taken on all of Rossini operas and the Queen should be easy for her especially because Cecilia Bartoli is expanding into some soprano territory. I can't wait until a new Elisabetta recording is released with Bartoli as the Queen and unless Bartoli has performed the Queen on stage, I can't wait to see her perform on stage as the Queen. Kudos to this recording, to Jennifer Larmore, to the conductor and his orchestra and the incredible efforts into reviving such obscure operas that can now come out of the darkness and into the spotlight.
Rating: - A Real Winner
Opera Rara's new recording of Elisabetta, Regina d'Inghilterra proves yet again that this company can do anything from the utterly obscure to the most well-trodden fare in grand style. Comparison to the earlier Caballe-Carreras recording is of course inevitable, and while there is no doubt that Caballe's pure, crystalline tone and flawless coloratura were a delight to hear, they were not ideally suited to this role, which was written for Isabella Colbran. That legendary singer sported a voice that comfortably encompassed all three female vocal ranges and thus had in her vocal arsenal a strong, compelling lower voice as well as thrilling high notes. Thus, Jennifer Larmore's rendition of the role comes much closer to what Rossini probably intended; in addition, the contrast between Larmore's emphatic, mature-sounding mezzo and the more girlish tone of Majella Cullagh as Elisabetta's rival Matilde makes a much more interesting juxtaposition than the pairing of Caballe with Valerie Masterson. As a result, the confrontation duet between the two women is here far more exciting. Larmore's marriage of near-flawless coloratura technique to incredible sensitivity to her character's feelings continues to live up to the high standards she has set in her earlier recordings. Only in the final scene does she show any signs of strain at all, and not even then does the enjoyability of her performance suffer. Though Carreras might have been ideal in Verdi or even in Donizetti, he was less so in a role composed for the highly agile baritonal tenor Nozzari, who originally created Liecester. On the strength of this performance, one might be forgiven for believing Bruce Ford to be the reincarnation of that great tenor. His thrilling performance of the prison scene is one of the many highlights of the recording. Up-and-coming Rossini tenor Antonio Siragusa is vocally and dramatically a perfect foil for Ford; in contrast to Ford's dark, heroic voice, Siragusa's is more high-flying and easily dispatches cascades of coloratura while handily conveying the character's weaseley villainy. Majella Cullagh's light but agile and expressive voice is a treat, and Manuela Custer shows promise in the lesser trouser role of Matilde's brother Enrico. Under Giuliano Carella's direction, the London Philharmonic Orchestra's playing infuses the whole recording with excitement. As usual, a highly informative and well-researched essay sheds new light on the opera's history, and the booklet is a touchstone of its kind.
Rating:
- Not Caballe or Carreras
This entry from Opera Rara is fine as it far as it goes, and it goes far, but cannot go note to note with M. Caballe and Jose Carreras on Philips' entry from 1975. There is no comparison; Caballe is a soprano with more gifts that Rossini's music ever needed, and Carreras is in the best voice ever, young and vibrant in every scene and every cabaletta. Caballe's coloratura is so natural while Larmore's is labored, and there is that weird covered quality to her voice, a warble that sounds subterrenean, in the worst sense. Larmore is a mezzo and this is a soprano role to be sure. Leyla Gencer sung this to grewat acclaom, a soprano, along with the fabulous Caballe. Wjere is renee Fleming when she is so needed?
The cast of the Opera Rara is all toll, very good, but it's all warmed over greatness...why not chose another opera we have not heard these many years?
Philips' set has two cd's at nice prices,while Opera Rara sports Three cd's at... and one cd actually has only 35 minutes on it, the second, 40 minutes, and the final 70 minutes. The Philips is 5 min shorter, so anything like boasts to completness are absurd. Usually, Opera Rara gives alternate arias, endings, overtures..not here. You put the first cd on and it's like an LP; it begins and suddenly it's all over. At $60.00 you also need more than Larmore and Ford. Opera Rara have never charged so much for so little. Get Caballe and Carreras at 25.00/ Forget this one. Shame on Opera Rara for cheating faithful buyers of their usually great product. Everyone is going for the bucks. How sad.
Rating: - Queen Larmore
After hearing the latest Larmore/Opera Rara collaboration, suffice it to say that this mezzo can do anything. I thought Bianca e Falliero and Carlo di Borgogna were utterly thrilling recordings, with each artist displaying his or her talents to the hilt. Elizabetta shows that Opera Rara is doing something special with truly great singers. Larmore's singing is masterful on this recording and her characterization is one to be reckoned with. This is an artist who takes such care (and joy) in her singing, and one who immerses herself in this (and every) role. Singing and orchestration are impeccable. Larmore yet again proves to be a magical mezzo who gives so much to her art and fans!!!
- A banquet for the earsThis recording of Elisabetta treats the opera with complete attention to every lovely detail and nuance. The previous recording of note, featuring Caballe and mentioned by some of the other reviewers, has very competent singing but is seriously deficient as far as recording engineering and overall interpretation are concerned. The new recording treats the opera as a masterpiece; you hear every nuance of both voices and orchestra in a beautifully balanced, perfectly paced performance, with a conductor who reacts with exceptional sensitivity to every one of Rossini's many shifts in mood and color. The engineering (and possibly the conducting, it's hard to tell) of the older recording reduces the orchestra to a mushy background, with a very annoying, artificial sounding separation of soloists and orchestra, and seems to treat the opera as merely a vehicle for virtuosos. So the older recording is arguably a good document of some fabulous singing, but if you really want to appreciate Rossini's Elisabetta, you need to hear it under the sensational direction of Giuliano Carella, with a very strong cast where every singer has a distinctive voice that contributes to the wonderful textures of this beautiful score.
Rossini appears to have been possessed by an extraordinary state of inspiration for this opera, which features his delightful ability to construct, within very intensely realized scenes, music which shifts seamlessly among sweet, lyrical, cute, triumphant, agitated, passionate and joyous expressions. The listener must be amazed that such sophisticated music could emerge from a very young composer.
The booklet that accompanies this magnificent recording is a noteworthy example of superb art direction. Apparently the designer realized that opera lovers might appreciate text in a legible font size, along with stunningly cleaned up reproductions of illustrations of the original performers of the opera. The introductory essay by Jeremy Commons is a wonderful example of good writing about opera.
Rating:
- Rare Opera Resurrected: Jennifer Larmore Is SensationalRossini is most famous for his comic operas, primarily for his Barber Of Seville. His arsenal of operas include highly entertaining, light-hearted stories such as The Italian Girl In Algiers and The Thieving Magpie. His music is almost a definition of bel canto comedy- festive but lyric, ebullient and even Mozartian in its spirit of joyous melodies. However, comic operas were not his only forte. Rossini composed grand operas with historic settings and melodramatic plots which were becoming the popular craze at the time of his death. He successfully started the "grand opera" tradition in Italy with such hits as "William Tell", "La Dona Del Largo" and now this revived obscure opera -Elisabetta Regina D'Inglaterra "Elizabeth, Queen of England".
The title says it all. It's about Englan'ds greatest queen. The oft-told apocryphal story was used frequently in dramatic plays of the early 19th century. Stories tell of Queen Elizabeth's romantic love (usually for a military hero or a court nobleman), her competition with a rival woman with whom her dashing cavalier is truly in love with and the Queen's resignation at the end. The figure of Queen Elizabeth in love had been produced in operas before. Donizetti would use her twice in his operas Maria Stuarda and most significantly in Roberto Devereux. Rossini's heroines were always sung by a mezzo soprano during his day. This was because the star singers of this time were the daughters of Spanish tenor Manuel Garcia. Both daughters were mezzo sopranos and helped to popularize Rossini operas worldwide, including trips to America. A mezzo soprano like Jennifer Larmore in this recording is perfect for the Queen because her heavy chest register comes off as dramatic, imperious and effectively "regial". In addition, Jennifer Larmore can toss off coloratura technique with dazzling power and can be equally impressive in her feather soft and higher "head" voice for the lyric passages.
This is the best recording of Elisabetta. There is another in circulation, an old World War II Era recording that features Leyla Gencer in the starring role of Queen Elizabeth. Leyla Gencer is equally as mangnificent and perhaps superior in the dramatic portions because Leyla has a lot more chest voice. Nevertheless, Jennifer Larmore has a lot more colors in her palette and this is why her Queen Elizabeth is more satisfying. I hope this opera continues to be performed and produced with great success in our modern times. I feel strongly that mezzo soprano Cecilia Bartoli would make a remarkable Queen Elizabeth in this Rossini opera. Bartoli has taken on all of Rossini operas and the Queen should be easy for her especially because Cecilia Bartoli is expanding into some soprano territory. I can't wait until a new Elisabetta recording is released with Bartoli as the Queen and unless Bartoli has performed the Queen on stage, I can't wait to see her perform on stage as the Queen. Kudos to this recording, to Jennifer Larmore, to the conductor and his orchestra and the incredible efforts into reviving such obscure operas that can now come out of the darkness and into the spotlight.
Rating:
- A Real WinnerOpera Rara's new recording of Elisabetta, Regina d'Inghilterra proves yet again that this company can do anything from the utterly obscure to the most well-trodden fare in grand style. Comparison to the earlier Caballe-Carreras recording is of course inevitable, and while there is no doubt that Caballe's pure, crystalline tone and flawless coloratura were a delight to hear, they were not ideally suited to this role, which was written for Isabella Colbran. That legendary singer sported a voice that comfortably encompassed all three female vocal ranges and thus had in her vocal arsenal a strong, compelling lower voice as well as thrilling high notes. Thus, Jennifer Larmore's rendition of the role comes much closer to what Rossini probably intended; in addition, the contrast between Larmore's emphatic, mature-sounding mezzo and the more girlish tone of Majella Cullagh as Elisabetta's rival Matilde makes a much more interesting juxtaposition than the pairing of Caballe with Valerie Masterson. As a result, the confrontation duet between the two women is here far more exciting. Larmore's marriage of near-flawless coloratura technique to incredible sensitivity to her character's feelings continues to live up to the high standards she has set in her earlier recordings. Only in the final scene does she show any signs of strain at all, and not even then does the enjoyability of her performance suffer. Though Carreras might have been ideal in Verdi or even in Donizetti, he was less so in a role composed for the highly agile baritonal tenor Nozzari, who originally created Liecester. On the strength of this performance, one might be forgiven for believing Bruce Ford to be the reincarnation of that great tenor. His thrilling performance of the prison scene is one of the many highlights of the recording. Up-and-coming Rossini tenor Antonio Siragusa is vocally and dramatically a perfect foil for Ford; in contrast to Ford's dark, heroic voice, Siragusa's is more high-flying and easily dispatches cascades of coloratura while handily conveying the character's weaseley villainy. Majella Cullagh's light but agile and expressive voice is a treat, and Manuela Custer shows promise in the lesser trouser role of Matilde's brother Enrico. Under Giuliano Carella's direction, the London Philharmonic Orchestra's playing infuses the whole recording with excitement. As usual, a highly informative and well-researched essay sheds new light on the opera's history, and the booklet is a touchstone of its kind.
Rating:
- Not Caballe or CarrerasThis entry from Opera Rara is fine as it far as it goes, and it goes far, but cannot go note to note with M. Caballe and Jose Carreras on Philips' entry from 1975. There is no comparison; Caballe is a soprano with more gifts that Rossini's music ever needed, and Carreras is in the best voice ever, young and vibrant in every scene and every cabaletta. Caballe's coloratura is so natural while Larmore's is labored, and there is that weird covered quality to her voice, a warble that sounds subterrenean, in the worst sense. Larmore is a mezzo and this is a soprano role to be sure. Leyla Gencer sung this to grewat acclaom, a soprano, along with the fabulous Caballe. Wjere is renee Fleming when she is so needed?
The cast of the Opera Rara is all toll, very good, but it's all warmed over greatness...why not chose another opera we have not heard these many years?
Philips' set has two cd's at nice prices,while Opera Rara sports Three cd's at... and one cd actually has only 35 minutes on it, the second, 40 minutes, and the final 70 minutes. The Philips is 5 min shorter, so anything like boasts to completness are absurd. Usually, Opera Rara gives alternate arias, endings, overtures..not here. You put the first cd on and it's like an LP; it begins and suddenly it's all over. At $60.00 you also need more than Larmore and Ford. Opera Rara have never charged so much for so little. Get Caballe and Carreras at 25.00/ Forget this one. Shame on Opera Rara for cheating faithful buyers of their usually great product. Everyone is going for the bucks. How sad.
Rating:
- Queen LarmoreAfter hearing the latest Larmore/Opera Rara collaboration, suffice it to say that this mezzo can do anything. I thought Bianca e Falliero and Carlo di Borgogna were utterly thrilling recordings, with each artist displaying his or her talents to the hilt. Elizabetta shows that Opera Rara is doing something special with truly great singers. Larmore's singing is masterful on this recording and her characterization is one to be reckoned with. This is an artist who takes such care (and joy) in her singing, and one who immerses herself in this (and every) role. Singing and orchestration are impeccable. Larmore yet again proves to be a magical mezzo who gives so much to her art and fans!!!