Search - Gaetano Donizetti, Carlo Sabajno, La Scala Theater Orchestra :: Donizetti: Don Pasquale

An oldie but goodie from the operatic past

F. Behrens | Keene, NH USA | 11/16/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the more tuneful operas is with its small cast, funny plot, and great tenor aria in the last act. I have heard many recordings of this delight and I think I have found my favorite in a re-release of a 1932 recording on Opera D'Oro label (OPD-1224). Forgetting the sound (which is not really bad, considering the date), you will find this the most strongly cast in its three male leads. Ernesto Badini is a believable Pasquale, sure of himself before the let down, devastated just after it, on "a high" when reassured. Afro Poli's Malatesta matches him vocally and dramatically, and their long duet that ends in fits of laughter sweeps you along as in few other recordings. The Big Gun, however, of this set is the Ernesto of Tito Schipa, described as "unbeatable" by a reviewer of this version many decades ago. And if Adelaide Saraceni's Norina is a bit undramatic and now and then shrill, the other three more than make up for it. Carol Sabajno keeps the La Scala forces disciplined but lets the fun flow free. A superior recording of one of the most melodic of all light operas."

Tito Schipa gives a singing lesson

L. E. Cantrell | Vancouver, British Columbia Canada | 04/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Source: This is a studio recording from the 1930s.Sound: A great deal better than one might expect, considering the age of the recording and the presumed transfer from 78s to CD. There are certainly recordings from the 1960s that are no better.Documentation: Opera d'Oro lives down to its usual wretched standards: brief summary of plot and track list. Nothing is offered about the cast and hardly more about the circumstances of the recording.Considered as a whole, this is absolutely the best-balanced and warmest "Don Pasquale" on record. -- Adelaida Saraceni has a surprisingly lush voice, leading me to wonder what she might have done with the heavier, more dramatic soprano roles. -- Ernesto Badini and Afro Poli are both a little lighter of voice than I would choose for an ideal cast. That said, they offer fine, idiomatic and funny performances.-- Tito Schipa is simply wonderful. He offers a singing lesson to demonstrate what a truly lyric tenor can do with subtlety and elegance.This is a classic recording and the standard against which all other Italian comic operas may be measured."