This, Andrea Bocelli’s sixth complete opera recording, is a failure. It was recorded in 2002–apparently Decca is doling out what they see as “the goodies”–working under the presumption that hordes of his fans are impatiently awaiting each new undertaking of his and that overexposure to such glories might cause an overdose, resulting in death by pleasure. They need not have feared; even the tenor’s greatest of fanatics are bound to be disappointed. The role of Turiddu requires almost nothing but heavy exclamation after his initial, offstage serenade, and it is precisely heavy exclamation for which Bocelli’s voice is least suited.
The first unpleasant surprise comes upon his first words onstage, almost 40 minutes into the opera. “Tu qui Santuzza?” he asks his spurned ex-lover, and he is supposed to sound nasty, cavalier, and macho. Rather, Bocelli sounds like a baby. Recorded in an acoustic that almost makes the room vibrate, you are taken aback at how light his voice is: Compare him with Domingo, Corelli, even Pavarotti (who himself lacked the heft for the part), and he just seems to be wearing the wrong sized clothes. He yells his way through the duet. The Brindisi, after the Intermezzo, is seriously strained, and while his farewell to his mother is movingly sung, the effect is still awkward. Sorry.
Paoletta Marrocu is an interesting singer and her Santuzza has promise. The voice is a good size and has a nice hue, but she wanders from pitch frequently enough to cause discomfort. Stefano Antonucci, as the town bully, Alfio, spits out the music and text with conviction. The rest of the cast, chorus, and orchestra are just fine, and conductor Stephen Mercurio’s tempos are mostly right on, a few dragged-out moments nothwithstanding. It doesn’t really matter–this Cav is not in the running anyway. [3/15/2007]
