Serious that is, as opposed to “comic”. Hardly as rare as this may have been a generation ago (when Rossini still equalled Barber, Italiana, and, occasionally, Cenerentola), an album devoted to Rossini’s operas serie is still most welcome, even if the material has been cannibalized from Opera Rara’s complete (or other) recordings. It comes to us here under the guise of a CD devoted to Texas-born tenor Bruce Ford, who is quite the star in Europe but does not seem to get the same attention in the U.S. His is a wonderful voice, ideally suited to the heroic roles of Rossini: wide-ranged with bright, big, well-placed top notes–to high C and above, occasionally–and a baritonal, full, rich quality reaching two octaves below. His agility is stunning, and his innate musicality for those odd Rossinian rhythms, his ability to spin out long, legato lines in the more introspective (but no less challenging) cavatinas, and his fine mezza voce are equally impressive.
Here he sings solo only in Ricciardo and Ugo; we hear him mostly in duets, trios (the staggering three-tenor-fest from Armida), and ensembles. Particularly notable among his co-stars are Nelly Miricioiu and Elizabeth Futral, whose Desdemona is lovely. The other men are quite good as well. David Parry leads both orchestras with the utter certainty of someone who knows and loves the music and can trust his singers. As an intro to Ford, this is worthy; if you don’t know Rossini’s serious operas, this is a must. [12/24/2001]
