Anyone who knows this Pagliacci–studio recorded in 1953–will acknowledge that it is probably the best sung version available. Fabulous voices abound, all in their prime: Victoria de Los Angeles, with her innate dignity and gorgeous sound; Jussi Björling, golden-voiced, with a slightly lachrymose tinge and real pathos; Leonard Warren, utterly secure, including huge top notes and a nice sneer; and Robert Merrill at his classiest, with the smoothest and most beautiful baritone voice of his generation. Add to these the amazing Robert Shaw Chorale, with plenty to do in this opera, and Renato Cellini leading a fine orchestra with the type of forward propulsion that turns this melodrama into real drama while at the same time reveling in the glory of his singers’ voices, and you should have a perfect performance. And while it is still my favorite reading of this opera, it is in fact not perfect.
Just between us, here are the problems: Like her Carmen, Angeles’ Nedda sounds too much like a good girl; Björling lacks some vocal heft for this strenuous part, and while his refusal to be vulgar is a musical delight, there is some excitement missing (Corelli and del Monaco sound as if they could easily kill someone; Björling does not); Warren is not the singing actor that, say, Gobbi is.
And also between us: Angeles still manages to be totally committed and fascinating, and when she does bite into an angry phrase it really stings; Björling’s portrayal is heartbreaking, perhaps because he does not seem to be a bully from the start; and once you hear Warren sing the Prologue, with its stunning pianissimo middle section and big, ringing ending, you won’t care if he yodels his way through the rest of the performance–which he does not. His Prologue is one of the few instances in recorded opera where you listen and think, “yes, this is exactly how it’s supposed to sound.” I love this set and at Brilliant’s price, it must be in every collection. The sound is good-enough mono–a bit sharp-edged with voices very close. [4/14/2010]
