These Bellini songs require a voice that’s comfortable with and naturally inclined toward a warm, rich tone and easy legato, “easy” being the most important quality. Although dark-toned tenor Dennis O’Neill obviously knows these pieces, he doesn’t seem absolutely comfortable with them, nor does he convince you that he owns and loves them, exemplified in two of the more familiar songs, “Sogno d’infanzia” and “Vaga luna che inargenti”. The latter is just too slow and mannered (with some weird syllabic placement), and O’Neill’s performance of the more dramatic “Sogno d’infanzia”, a sort of mini-aria, falls far short of its expressive possibilities. It’s pleasant enough, but it conveys almost none of the charm and suavity that Bellini has written into every note. “Unimaginative” is the word that comes to mind for most of these interpretations. And O’Neill simply doesn’t have the vocal charisma to keep us riveted to longer songs such as “Torna, vezzosa Fillide” or “La ricordanza”.
Yes, the voice is pleasing, and overall there’s nothing unmusical or technically deficient in O’Neill’s recital, but neither is there the passion or artful nuance we expect from a first-rate interpreter of such beautiful, lyrical, text-conscious melodies. Pianist Ingrid Surgenor is a bit more deferential than necessary and the sound is decent, with prominence to the voice. Texts are available only by logging on to Naxos’ website.
