Fanciulla is Puccini’s most sophisticated score. He had learned from the work of the French impressionist composers, and particularly Debussy, new things about texture, orchestration, and tonality, and he adapted them to his own unique, theatrical style. The result is gorgeous–a flavor of opera slightly different from what we’re used to from the composer of Bohème and Manon Lescaut, but one that shimmers and affects in a new, at times startling way. Fanciulla never has been as popular as his other great works, and this may be due to a) the first 20 minutes of local-color exposition, which can be tiresome; b) the fact that it takes place in California and seems to have “hokey” written all over it; and/or c) the ridiculously hard vocal line for the lead soprano, Minnie, who has to be at least part Brünnhilde while remaining vulnerable-sounding.
Birgit Nilsson recorded it (it was her first full-length recording) not altogether successfully, the American Carol Neblett, somewhat mushy of diction but otherwise on top of the role is very good on Deutsche Grammophon, and there are various “private” recordings starring Magda Olivero, which are amazing and should be heard. Renata Tebaldi recorded it commercially in 1958, but this performance, taped live (but without an audience for Italian Radio) three years later, shows her more involved and in equally fresh voice, jumping the huge, high-note-hurdles with relative ease and able to lighten her voice when need be. It’s a terrific accomplishment.
Daniele Barioni is probably neither a household name nor anyone’s favorite tenor, but he copes very well with Dick Johnson’s music, singing heroically and convincingly. And Giangiacomo Guelfi’s snarling, dangerous Jack Rance even blows Sherrill Milnes out of the water for big-time nastiness. Arturo Basile, normally a blank, leads as if he actually cares, and while he does nothing to make the exposition interesting, he rises to the true drama elsewhere. The rest of the cast is thoroughly idiomatic, and the sound is perfectly acceptable. Only a synopsis is included, and I still wouldn’t want to be without the DG recording with Neblett, Domingo, and Milnes, and Zubin Mehta in the pit, but this set is galvanizing and I recommend it. Tebaldi at her peak–super! [3/25/2000]
