The ’70s was a great time at La Scala under Claudio Abbado’s reign; not only were some great performances of Verdi operas offered on a regular basis (Simon Boccanegra has rarely sounded better), but Rossini-lovers had a field day as well. To be sure there are issues with this live performance from 1975: Paolo Montarsolo does not quite have the coloratura technique to cope with Mustafa’s florid music and Luigi Alva sometimes is stressed by Lindoro’s high tessitura (his first-act aria is taken down a half-tone). It would be another 10-or-so years before basses and tenors caught up with the female voices when it came to Rossinian agility and the ridiculous heights that he asked his tenors to scale. But both men are terrific in their own rights; Montarsolo captures just the right windyness and arrogance of the Algerian Bey, and Alva is utterly charming and spirited as Isabella’s suitor.
And of course, the Isabella is Marilyn Horne. She recorded the role commercially as well (on Erato, with Samuel Ramey as the amazing Mustafa), and while that performance may be more polished, here, in addition to the staggering virtuosity and the pointed characterization we’re used to, we get wonderful humor and the impression that she is having a simply terrific time. On CD we also have Agnes Baltsa and Jennifer Larmore in the role, both of whom are first-rate, but this is Horne’s domain. Both Enzo Dara and Alberto Rinaldi make good bass-baritone foils as Taddeo and Haly, and they manage surprisingly well with the fiorature. As suggested, Abbado’s leadership is a sheer delight, and the La Scala forces are in grand shape. The sound is very good. At this price–or possibly any price–this can’t be beat. [7/2/2003]
