Lucrezia Borgia Poisons Again
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-x-c s N \N " fJiT £hf^cUtJ]o^k®m^s Lucrezia Borgia Poisons Again Published: November 27, 1966 THB new RCA Victor re« are times when Perloa's lease of Donizetti's Lu* voice can be heard hum cretia Borgia Is signifi- ming or growling at his. or il cant. It is the first re chestra. Distracting as this cording of the opera, com element is (Glenn Gould sings plete. the three-di^ album Is with most of his piano re the first opem recording by cordings too) it nevertheless the celebrated Spanish so keeps the drama tauL. Perlea m prano Montserrat Caball4 and gives a first-rate operatic it also marks an important performance for Victor. One operatic recording debut for hopes his contribution Is fully the conductor, Jonel Perlea recognized, for the degree of (LM-6176; stereo LSC-6176). his importance is on a level The Donizetti opera was with Georg Solti's or Herbert performed in Carnegie Hall Von Karajan's in their opera last year by the American recordings. The RCA Italiana Opera Society with Caball€ Opera Orchestra and Chorus and Perlea and was a howling not only perform accurately success with its audience. The but, what is rare in opera re opera is a dramatic and vocal cordings, musically. display, bringing forward CabaII4 heraelf does not al bo^ male and female voices ways have Perlea's burning in gripping solos and ensem sense of drama. But what she Monteerrat Caballe and Alfredo Kraus in "Lucrezia" bles. At the very beginning does summon up for most of "Pure style . taut drama" we are plunged into the the opera is probably due in cloak-and-dagger menace of great part to the conductor's the Borgia Emily's familiar fire-breathing. As Is well- tion is identical and the ance, and the score that was :Xv homicidal tendencies. known in opera-recording cir delivery equally stirring. And used came, it is said, from cles, the live perfonnance of Spirited Prologue the recorded sound of Victor's none other than the pirate "Lucrezia" in 1965 was re set is the usual high stand himself—with a third party At the outset, in the long corded illegally, and many of ard of sound, whereas the making the deliveiy. A lovely prologue, Orsini warns the those sets have been sold pirated copy is primitive— operatic irony! festival crowd of Venetians under various counters. Com valuable only as a historical In sum, "Lucrezia" is an to beware of Lucrezia's poi parison of the two shows that document Victor, by the way, exciting package in which Ca- sonous ways. It is a spirited, while CabaJlS does in fact in order to make "Lucrezia" bailg does what is expected war-like narrative ending in breathe more excitement into really complete, sought out a of her and Perlea emerges as a brisk waltz. They disperse every note in the live per score with a number not in a potential force in operatic and then, sighingly, in comes formance, the total concep- cluded in the live perform recordings. —H. K. Lucrezia herself, to present her side in a haunting soiil- oquoy. Caballe's first soft tones let us know that here is a great bel canto stylist. •v , There is a distinct similarity to the graceful swooping of • -.1 Joan Sutherland's delivery. And the voice sounds volu minous. The style is pure and v'-i delicate with pianissimos purled out But aggressive lAII Hail to Caballe ness emerges too. In short, Caballe captures both the ex New York Heinle (Lnlniuc ternal purity of the vocal style as well as the inner April 21, 1965 drama — the half-whispered words, the quick crescendo and exhilarating release of a By JOHN GRUEN tone. The rest of the principals I The Spanish government has already given her are exemplary. Shirley Ver- the highest award and the highest title. She has been ; rett as the nobleman, Orsini, named "A Most Excellent and Most Illustrious Dona" | sings with clarity and dra and has received the Cross of Isabella the Catholic. matic assertiveness. Bzio Fla- If given half a chance. Americans will surely be at X gello's black bass voice as Lu crezia's fourth husband, the her feet and cheer her, as they did last evening at Duke of Ferrara, is evil it Carnegie Hall. Her name? It is sirange and beautiful self. Alfredo Kraus is Gen- Montserrat Caballe, and it may not mean much to X naro, Lucrezia's illegitimate opera lovers. As of this morning, no one will wish to V- son whom she unwittingly poisons. forget it. In effect, the Barcelona-born soprano X Jonel Perlea brings to bis making her New York opera debut in the title role X conducting years of distin of Donizetti's "Lucrezia Borgia" posses-es one of guished experience in Euro 'those spectacular voices which con work miracles on pean opera houses prior to his Ian audience already familiar with the likes of Colias , X debut at the Met in 1949, where he conducted one sea 'and Sutherland. Miss Caballe falls directly between son. He conducts the school 'these dives in voice and temperament. Hers is a orchestra at the Manhattan School of Music today. 'liquid, extremely femminine instrument, oble to pro- • - "S s" Perlea instills such ex 'duce the most delicate pianissimos end the most citement and tensile strength fragile colorati ra turns. Concurrently, she handles into the opera, that one firey moments with superbly controlled dynamics ; has the impression it is a ■>^v- live performance. Indeed, there beautifully oppointed colors. xw Vigina 42 LA~VANGOARDIA ESPAfJOlA'^ MAS INFOBMACION NACION ANOCHE, EN EL GRAN TEATRO DEL LICEO 7 La esperada reaparicion de Montssrrot Cabolle fue clamorosamenta celebrada por el publico que ovaciono tambien con entusiasmo a Ids demds protagonistas de «Ei Trovador», de Verdi En un mtermedio de la funcion, y en acfo de homencje, le fueron impuestas o la contante cotalona las msignias de la Orden de Isobel lo Catolica, con los que recienfemente ha side condecorada por el Gobierno espahol Hace 861o nno^ mlnutos qae ha ter- bel la CatoUca con las qoe el Go cema y Edlmbnrgo y reclentemente en miuado cod la coda de utuis ovaciones bierno espanol la ha distinguido en re- los teatros de las dos Americas. ^ entti9.asticas, la representacion de kEI conoclmiento de su labor a favor de Montserrat Cabaile, quien habia pe- Trovadorx. En ia paglna de la miislca la divulgacidn ^de la musica espadola dldo que la imposicion del Lazo de la qae se insertara en la ealclon de mana- fuera del pais. Orden de Isabel la Catotica tuviese la- ; □a, pubiicaremos el ar.icu.o critico de El senor Ruiz Morales proounclo anas gar en el escenario del Llceo donde se esta brlUaotisima funJon Uce.stlca, tm- palabras extraordinariamentc simpaticas enorguilece de baber alcan.i.do log pH- posible de comentar cn esta reseiia de y halagadoras para Montserrat Cabaile, meros cxitos dcfinitlvos, contesto a las urgencia. No podemos, pero, dejar de de quien dijo que su carrcra artistica palabras del schor Ruiz Morales ha- reflejar el triunfo conseguido esta no- c(habia alcanzado actualmente un vuelo- Liendo cxtensivo su bomenaje a soS' ehe por los priiicipa.es interpretes de espaciali). Ulzo alusion tambira a las maestras —Conchlla Badia una de elloa— la famosa opera de Verdi y en especial princlpales etapas que habian conduci- a su empresario y a todas las cantantes iior la soprano i^lontserrat Cabaile que do a la cantantc catalana a su actual espanolas —Victoria de los Angeles, Te- ; lia hecho su reaparicion en el primer fama internacions*. desde sus primeros resa Berganza, Pilar Lorengar, Consuelo esccoario barcelones despues de sus conciertos y debut en el Lfceo y su par- Rubio, Elnriqueta Tarres, entre otra&-~ resonaotes eiUtos ultimaraente alcanza- ticlpacidn en los cursos de «Musica en que procuran con su arte difundir ef dos en Norte y Sudam^rlca. Montserrat Compostela», hasta sus suceslvos trlun- prestigio oaclonal (uera de nuestras fron- Cabaile ha cstado magnifica sicndo fos extranjeros, en los festivales de Lu- i teras. — X. M. sensaclona.mente acogida por el publi co qae tambien ha dedlcado aplausos V bravos a los restantes artis:as del re- parto. en especial a Fedora Barbierl que interpretaba el papel de Azucena f al baritone griego Rostas PaskaHs que ha becho su presentaclon dando singnlarisimo relieve al papel de Conde de Luna. La sabstitocidn de Carlo Bergonzi qae se halla enfermo y que debia en- narnar el perscmaje de .Wanriqae, por el tenor Umberto Borso, ya conocido de los llceistas, produjo «ia pnori» an cieilo desencanto que el artista ultima- mente aludido supo trocar en exito personaL Al terminar el acto tercero en el qae tiene so intervencidn des- tacada, debid corresponder con varias aalidas solo ante la cortina, a las ova ciones del publico que ha Ilenado el Llceo eomo en las nocbes mas solem- nes de espectaculo. En el transcurso* del dltlmo interme- dio, en el escenario donde so habian instalado los opcradores de Television Espanoia, se reunio la Junta de la Pro- piedad y la Empresa del Llcco asi co- mo on gran aiimero de amigos y admi- radores de Montserrat Cabaile para asis- tir al homenaje qae se le tributo con- cretandose en el acto de Imponerle, doo Jose Miguel Roiz Morales, como presi- dente de ((Musica en Compostelan y en nombre del ministro de Asnntos Exte- riores, las insignia de la Orden de Isa r; s V; t!; 4!»»»iv ff La foto recoge el mpmento en que durantc un .inter- medio de la magnifica reposicion de «E1 Trovadon>.