This is a very juicy performance of Verdi’s La Forza del destino, with a pretty fine cast, recorded live in Turin in 1971. Carlo Bergonzi’s Alvaro is a known quantity, and it’s superb. The voice is warm, virile, and sensitive to the character’s mood-swings, and even if it lacks the heft the role actually calls for, he somehow makes up for it with intelligent, pointed phrasing and a great dynamic range. Piero Cappuccilli is a bit of a bulldozer as Carlo, but his grand, Italian sound never fails to impress.
Ilva Ligabue was one of those sopranos who fell somewhat between the cracks because she was in the Tebaldi/Callas generation; nonetheless her Leonora is well sung, if without the true pianissimos that define so many of the role’s great moments. Agostino Ferrin’s Guardiano is good enough without erasing memories of Pinza, Ghiaurov, et al., and Franca Mattiucci’s Preziosilla is noisy and not always in key but still exciting. The conducting is idiomatic, but the orchestra and chorus hardly shine.
As a bonus we get songs sung by Bergonzi and Cappuccilli in concerts from 1984; the tenor is under some strain. This is not a truly necessary addition to your collection–Callas on EMI is still thrilling, while Price/Domingo/Milnes on RCA is excellent, and an old “private” recording with Caballé and Carreras is worth seeking out.
