Falstaff: Act I - Part One: 'Falstaff! Ola!' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act I - Part One: 'Sei polli; sei scellini... So che andiam, la notte' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act I - Part One: 'Ma e tempo d'assottigliar l'ingegno... V'e noto un tal, qui del paese' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act I - Part One: 'L'Onore! Ladri!' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act I - Part Two: 'Alice. Meg. Nannetta' (Alice, Quickly, Nannetta)
Falstaff: Act I - Part Two: 'Fulgida Alice! amor t'offro... Quell'otre! quel tino!' (Alice, Quickly, Nannetta, Fenton, Ford)
Falstaff: Act I - Part Two: 'In due parole' (Ford, Fenton, Nannetta, Alice, Quickly)
Falstaff: Act I - Part Two: 'Pst, pst, Nannetta... Labbra di foco!' (Fenton, Nannetta, Alice, Quickly)
Falstaff: Act I - Part Two: 'Undrai quanta egli sfoggia' (Ford, Fenton, Alice, Nannetta, Quickly)
Falstaff: Act II - Part One: 'Siam pentiti e contriti.. Reverenza!' (Falstaff, Quickly)
Falstaff: Act II - Part One: 'Alice e mia!... Va, vecchio John' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act II - Part One: 'Signore, v'assista il cielo!' (Ford, Fallstaff)
Falstaff: Act II - Part One: 'C'e a Windsor una dama' (Ford, Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act II - Part One: 'E sogno? o realta' (Ford, Falstaff)
Track Listings (16) - Disc #2
Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Presenteremo un bill... Giunta all' Albergo della Giarrettiera' (Alice, Quickly, Nannetta)
Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Gaie comari di Windsor' (Alice, Quickly, Nannetta)
Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Alfin t'ho colto, raggiante fior' (Falstaff, Alice)
Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Quand'ero paggio' (Falstaff, Alice, Quickly)
Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Mia signora!' (Quickly, Falstaff, Alice, Ford)
Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Vien qua. Che chiasso!' (Nannetta, Fenton, Ford))
Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'C'e. C'e. Se t'agguanto! Se ti piglio!' (Ford, Quickly, Falstaff, Fenton, Nannetta, Alice)
Falstaff: Act III - Part One: 'Ehi! Taverniere! Mondo ladro!' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act III - Part One: 'Reverenza. La bella Alice... Quandro il rintocco della mezzanotte' (Quickly, Falstaff, Alice, Ford, Nannetta)
Falstaff: Act III - Part One: 'Brava. Quelle corna saranno la mia gioia!' (Ford, Alice, Fenton, Nannetta, Quickly)
Falstaff: Act III - Part Two: 'Dal labbro il canto estasiato vola' (Fenton, Nannetta, Alice, Quickly)
Falstaff: Act III - Part Two: 'Una, due, tre, quattro' (Falstaff, Alice)
Falstaff: Act III - Part Two: 'Ninfe! Elfi! Silfi!... Sul fin d'un soffio etesio' (Nannetta, Falstaff, Alice)
Falstaff: Act III - Part Two: 'Alto la!... Pizzica, pizzica' (Falstaff, Quickly, Alice, Nannetta, Ford)
Falstaff: Act III - Part Two: 'Ogni sorta di gente dozzinale' (Falstaff, Alice, Quickly, Ford, Fenton, Nannetta)
Falstaff: Act III - Part Two: 'Facciamo il parentado... Tutto nel mondo e burla' (Ford, Alice, Nannetta, Quickly, Fenton, Falstaff)
The master of Italian tragedy finished his career unexpectedly with a comedy, and a comedy in the great tradition of his hero, Shakespeare: light, scintillating, utterly absorbing, and probably Verdi's most musically sophi... more »sticated work. This exciting live recording by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with Renato Bruson in the title role, is conducted by the great Carlo Maria Giulini. --Joshua Cody« less
The master of Italian tragedy finished his career unexpectedly with a comedy, and a comedy in the great tradition of his hero, Shakespeare: light, scintillating, utterly absorbing, and probably Verdi's most musically sophisticated work. This exciting live recording by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with Renato Bruson in the title role, is conducted by the great Carlo Maria Giulini. --Joshua Cody
""Falstaff" is not Verdi's greatest work, but it is undeniably a masterpiece. In this live 1982 recording under the wonderful Carlo Maria Giulini, all the musical forces combine to make this a Verdi recording to remember. Renato Bruson in particular is exceptional as Falstaff, singing with gorgeous tone and natural feeling for the character. Giulini believes he is the perfect Falstaff, and it is hard to disagree. Ricciarelli as Alice is very good, mostly producing beautiful sound despite some infrequent harshness, Leo Nucci is an almost frighteningly intense Ford, Dalmacio Gonzalez is ideal as Fenton and Barbara Hendricks is excellent as Nanetta. It's Giulini, though, who makes this into a great recording. He shows an instinctive feeling for the riches of Verdi's score and directs everyone to perfection. The booklet is very generous, with many black and white photos from the performances. It might also be pointed out that almost all of the lead singers are Italian (Bruson, Ricciarelli, Valentini-Terrani, Nucci, etc.), and just seem to me to have a better feeling for Verdi than non-native singers. Buy this "Falstaff"!"
Still the champ among modern sets...
dcreader | Washington DC area | 11/02/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Although faced with competition from von Karajan's older recording on EMI's Recordings of the Century and Toscanini's account, Giulini's probably stands alone among modern recordings. I have never heard anyone describe this set as "unsmiling" and can categorically deny this as untrue. I found myself smiling throughout. A live recording, there is some audience laughter as well (although recorded lightly) but applause is edited out, which I find somewhat disconcerting, finding applause to be a natural part of a recording this fine."
Marvelous Falstaff
J. Luis Juarez Echenique | Mexico City | 10/29/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Some people have described Giulini's Fastaff as "unsmiling". It certainly isn't. Giulini conducts with great love and passion, and if this isn't the funniest Falstaff available, it is one of the most gorgeous and well sung. Renato Bruson in his absolute prime sings like a (verdian) god even if Gobbi and Taddei are more characterful. Ricciarelli is lovely as Alice and Valentini-Terrani great fun as Miss Quickly. Leo Nucci matches Bruson well as Ford. All in all this is a most handsome Falstaff and worth every penny."
Giulini is sober, the Falstaff is miscast
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 11/21/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Giulini retired from opera conducting on disc soon after his acclaimed Don Carlo in the Sixties, so when he agreed to make a live Rigoletto with the L.A. Phil. as pit orchestra in 1982, the music world expected a sure-fire masterpiece. The results, as I remember at the time, were disappointing. We were getting early signs of Giulini's late style: serious, slow, caressing. Quite a change from the alert, vital conducting he had brought to Verdi before. The adjective "unsmiling" is fitting for this straight-faced reading, and despite all the care Giulini takes over orchestral detail, the production lacks any fizz -- what good is a comedy when the champagne has gone flat?
The casting is fine in every role except the one that counts most, Falstaff himself. Renato Bruson was an accomplished and widely admired singer, but his baritone isn't "fat" enough for the role of Sir John, and even though he tries many vocal tricks to simulate a buffo portrayal, Bruson refuses to lose his dignity. This Falstaff doesn't create humor in himself or in others. In the end, one has the impression that Giulini is giving us a museum-quality 'Falstaff' rather than a living, breathing creature. For Verdi and Shakespeare, life was never this polished and smooth.