There are a few recordings of Ponchielli’s wildly entertaining (if senseless) singular success on the market, but there’s room for this one as well. There used to be a studio recording with Milanov and Warren (with di Stefano as Enzo) available (from 1955), but it hasn’t been seen for years, and so fans of the soprano and baritone will need this version. And in fact Milanov is heard here at her best, the voice big and free, with top notes strong and fearless, text emphasis worthy of an exciting stage performance, and the glorious soft singing she was famous for in evidence as well. The fact that she never sounds (or sounded) young and vulnerable is another matter. Warren, too, is caught very early in his career, singing with big tone, secure and fearless top notes, and even a feeling for Barnaba’s Scarpia-like behavior.
The wonderful surprise is the Enzo of Richard Tucker, then only in his second Met season, singing with none of the annoying outbursts, sobs, and exaggerations that marred his later work. Here we get golden tone from top to bottom, beautiful diction, and an ease with the long Italianate lines Ponchielli gives to his tenor hero. Indeed his “Cielo e mar” is just about flawless. Margaret Harshaw does well with the low-lying role of La Cieca, Gioconda’s blind, whining mother; Rise Stevens almost makes us care about Laura (quite a feat); and the otherwise unknown Giacomo Vaghi is good enough as the wicked Alvise, although some of his music is cut. Conductor Emil Cooper keeps the at-times ragged Met orchestra and chorus busy, with tempos both exciting and sympathetic to the singers. The sound–an occasional bad series of clicks and pops aside–is perfectly acceptable for its time. The CDs are available through the Metropolitan Opera Fund, Box 930, New York, N.Y. 10023.
