These are Mirella Freni’s first two recitals, recorded in 1959 and 1961. The voice is a perfect lyric—full bodied, absolutely even over the whole range, the top blossoming, and all of it utterly beautiful. Her legato is textbook perfect; her phrasing inherently musical; her diction flawless. She is then, as always, cautious—there’s never a hint of a push or a chest tone—and completely without vulgarity of any kind.
In the first recital (all but the Bohème, Turandot, and Butterfly excerpts), Freni lacks any interest in interpreting, but for her, just singing the notes as written offers us the character she’s portraying. Nanetta’s aria from Falstaff is delicious; Micaela’s aria (in Italian) almost makes you like the piece; Giulietta’s “Ah, quante volte” sounds as if a young girl is both singing it and experiencing it. Yes, we may want more pathos in Suor Angelica and more sadness in Sonnambula, but not as much as we revel in such glorious singing. Her Mimi is well-known and wonderful; Liu’s two arias actually do bring out some overt emotionalism (and glorious high pianissimos); and the Butterfly Love duet is nicely fragile—perhaps too much so: one wants more voice. But her fans will revel in the artistry, the unassuming charm, the sheer delight in a sound that cannot help but caress the ear. One always went elsewhere for blatant drama and vocal fireworks (Freni does not sing the cabaletta to Amina’s “Ah, non credea mirarti” or any florid music here at all), but for honesty and loveliness (somehow without ever being boring), she remains unmatchable.
