This is a good performance of Verdi’s great comedy that nonetheless will not tempt you to toss your favorite. Particularly in the ensembles there is an admirable clarity that adds to the appreciation of Verdi’s great art: not a note in this opera is wasted. Giacomo Rimini’s bass-colored baritone voice is a pleasure, and his musicianship is scrupulous, rarely relying on mugging of any kind. His final act is terrific. Pia Tassinari’s Alice, too, is world-class, but the fact that the high-C on which Alice Ford ends the opera comes out of her as something almost a half-tone lower does not leave a particularly pleasant taste in the mouth. (She is heard to superb advantage in the bonus arias–her Mimi, from the farewell to the end of Act 3, with Ferruccio Tagliavini’s help, is particularly moving and beautifully sung.)
Aurora Buades’ Mistress Quickly is flavorful but can’t compare with Elmo’s or Simionato’s; Ines Alfani-Tellini’s Nannetta is annoying until the last act; Roberto D’Alessio makes an ardent, bigger-than-usual Fenton, and Emilio Ghirardini’s Ford, though very well sung, seems to have only one mood–dopey rage. Lorenzo Molajoli’s leadership is fine without having the sheer joy of Toscanini’s, the elegance of Karajan’s, or the rip-roaring-ness of Solti’s. This set, historical importance and general perkiness aside, adds little of significance to the excellent Falstaff discography. And you can find a set of Tassinari arias elsewhere.
