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30-Year Cavalcade Of Fine European Opera Stars

Robert Levine

Artistic Quality:

Sound Quality:

Recorded between 1984 and 2013, these 10 CDs represent the opera singers who appeared on the Capriccio label–some famous, some borderline, a few already forgotten, and some at the start of their international careers. It’s quite a potpourri, with Cecilia Bartoli’s first recordings (“Non so piu;” “Tanti Affetti”, and–wait for it–the mezzo part in the “Meistersinger” quintet); whole CDs devoted to Jochen Kowalski (Handel and Mozart), Hermann Prey (German operetta), Ramon Vargas (Verdi songs), Peter Schreier (Bach, Dowland, Schubert, etc.), Anne Schwanewilms (Wagner), and Alfredo Kraus (songs by Liszt, Verdi, Respighi, etc.); a “Rising Stars” gala from Berlin in 1988; a Richard Strauss gala; 20th century Opera Rarities; and a collection called “L’arte del Belcanto”.

Hearing Jochen Kowalski again after so many years (I heard this CD when it came out in ‘87), I’m pleasantly surprised. I recalled his countertenor as being a good alto, but somewhat opaque, and hardly on a level of his contemporary, David Daniels, whose sound was grander all around, whose coloratura was faster, and whose delivery had more oomph. It’s still true, but Kowalski has fine style and grace–and he can bring down a rafter or two, say, in “Or la tromba” from Rinaldo and in an aria from Mozart’s Mitridate. And his “Ombra mai fu” is as gentle a poem to nature as you’d ever want to hear.

Peter Schreier was known for his musicianship, superb exclamation, and purity of delivery. Here, accompanied by lute or guitar (Konrad Ragossnig), we hear an entire program, auf Deutsche, including, bizarrely, five songs by John Dowland, whose “Awake Sweet Love” and “Come away” are distorted by the language. The popular Schubert songs are well handled and the Schütz is pious and a bit dreary.
Alfredo Kraus’ recital of Italian songs (see above) does not showcase the tenor’s magnificent top, nor his French or bel canto technique, but recorded when he was 60, it is a master class in voice preservation, technique, and his particular charm.

Ramon Vargas is a wonderful lyric tenor, now singing more Rodolfos than Nemorinos. The booklet offered with these CDs promises favorite tenor arias; sadly the CD contains some tame, if always entertaining Verdi songs. Soprano Anne Schwanewilms gets a CD to herself as well. She’s a fine singer with an attractive voice who sings probably more Wagner than she should, and this CD is proof. “Dich teure halle” is impressive but the Wesendonck Lieder are under-interpreted and Schwanewilms’ voice and approach are too light. Isolde’s Liebestod is beautifully sung and goes by in a flash–the conductor (Cornelius Meister) keeps the volume down for her throughout. Hermann Prey sings little or unknown operetta excerpts by Walter and Wili Kollo, Robert Radeck, Franz Meissner, Fredy Sieg, Paul Lincke, and others of that ilk. If this is your cup of tea, Prey serves it well.

A Richard Strauss Gala is always a joy to contemplate: which goodie-chunks will we get? Well, this is the right collection, but the singing often sounds under-rehearsed or wayward. Arabella gives us the two Arabella/Mandryka duets and the Act 1 Zdenka/Arabella duet. It features a good if uninvolved Pamela Coburn with a truly mediocre Zdenka sung by Renata Klepper. Bo Skovhus is a brilliant Mandryka. Michele Crider is a boring Ariadne; she’s better as Capriccio’s Madeleine. Klepper remains mediocre as Sophie, Coburn is a good Marschallin, Martina Borst impresses as Octavian, and Franz Hawlata is a wonderful Ochs in his big Act 2 scene.

The Berlin Opera Gala 1988, as mentioned, features a bit of Bartoli’s earliest and lightest work, more soprano than mezzo but wonderful. Sumi Jo sings a pointy, accurate Der Hölle Rache and has pitch issues in “O luce di quest’ anima”. Ensembles from Lucia, Rigoletto, and Don Carlo do little for the reputation of the otherwise little-known Daniela Lojarro, quite properly lost to time, but show tenor Giuseppe Sabbatini to be artful and accurate (and he sings a quite stunning “Salut demeure”, complete with a diminuendo on high C). Gisella Pisani is a good “house mezzo”, Michele Pertusi is a really fine bass in “Non piu andrai”, and as Philip II and Raimondo.

A CD called “L’arte del bel canto” does the world–and I mean this–a favor by featuring several arias sung by Renato Bruson, the soul of smooth singing, with a beautiful voice. Most welcome are excerpts from Donizetti’s Gemma di Vergy and Caterina Cornaro–gorgeous cavatinas from each–and big boned singing from La favorita and Dom Sebastiano. As penance for Bruson, we have much to hear from Lucia Aliberti, a Callas wannabe with a cruddy technique, no trill, and pitch problems. Sabbatini again impresses.

The final CD covers 20th-century “rarities” and would be valuable if for no other reason, but also contains excellent performances: three operas by Zemlinsky, two by Schreker, one by Franz Schmidt, four by Weill, and one each by Krenek and Manfred Gurlitt (Wozzeck from 1925–who knew?). Suddenly, Capriccio’s lack of notes or translation becomes an issue here, since nobody I know has the libretto for Weill’s Der Kuhhandel, Krenek’s Schwergewicht ohde Die Ehre der Nation, or even Zemlinsky’s Der Traumgörge, all three of which (and others) are represented by excerpts that make us want to hear more.

Regardless of your need for this type of 10-CD Cavalcade, this set is a true bargain and covers enough music and stars (some of whose careers were mostly in Europe) to be valuable, especially at such a bargain price.


Recording Details:

Album Title: Vocal Soloists

See review

    Soloists: Jochen Kowalski (countertenor); Sumi Jo, Daniela Lojarro, Gertud Ottenthal, Lucia Aliberti, Anne Schwanewilms, Pamela Coburn, Michele Crider, Regina Klepper, Anja Silja, Gwyneth Jones, others (soprano); Cecilia Bartoli, Gisella Pisano, Martina Borst, Renate Behle, others (mezzo-soprano); Peter Schreier, Ramon Vargas, Alfredo Kraus, Giuseppe Sabbatini, others (tenor); Michele Pertusi, Hermann Prey, Renato Bruson, Marco Chingari, Claudio Otelli, others (bass-baritone)

    Various Orchestras, Hartmut Haenchen, Roberto Paternostro, Riccardo Frizza, Heinz Geese, Manfred Honeck

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