Search - Gaetano Donizetti, Armando Gatto, San Carlo Theater Orchestra & Chorus (Naples) :: Donizetti: Gemma di Vergy

Caballe in a bel canto tour de force

klavierspiel | TX, USA | 10/16/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Gemma di Vergy was one of Donizetti's more popular serious operas but has long since disappeared from the active repertoire. The liner notes to this Opera d'Oro release of a live performance reveal why: the title role is fearsome in its vocal demands, requiring mastery of a huge range, power in high notes and flexibility in coloratura. Caballe herself is quoted as saying she found singing one performance of the role more difficult than singing three Normas. There is a legendary Carnegie Hall performance of her singing Gemma with Eve Queler conducting; unfortunately, this recording of another performance catches her not at her very best. Afflicted by illness during this run of Gemmas, Caballe omits some high notes, and some of those that remain are decidely strained. If pressed to the wall one must admit that top vocal honors go to Renato Bruson, her co-star, who is in stunning voice and gets the loudest ovations from a notably unenthusiastic crowd. Still, there are enough of Caballe's trademark pianissimi, creamy tones and flexibility in coloratura to make this a worthwhile buy for fans of both the diva and Donizetti. The sound quality on this issue, alas, is at best fair, the balance in particular being unsatisfying--judging from the prominence of the orchestra and the distance of the voices, microphone placement was far from ideal."

Gem of Opera; Flawed Recording

Dr. John W. Rippon | Florida | 12/15/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Gemma di Vergy is from the middle of Donizetti's career. He has already achieved fame with Anna Bolena, L'elisir d'amore and Lucrezia Borgia to name a few among the forty some operas he had so far written. When it opened at Scala in Milan on December 1934 it was a great success and his most popular opera in Italy for the next thirty years. When Bel Canto went out of favor, it also disappeared with the last performance recorded in Empoli in 1901. In 1975 Montserret Caballe' starred in a revival at San Carlo in Naples. She toured with it in Barcellona and New York. It is a very difficult role. Mme. Caballe' was about the only singer at the time with the technical acumen to assay it's taxing difficulties. The score has great merit and shows Donizetti as master of varied dramatic situations and ability to keep the pace going. It is a "page turner" of an opera. The setting is 15th Century France. The Count of Berry, Gemma's husband awaits the news of the annulment of the wedding because she is barren. She pleads (beautifully) with him not to do this. However the arrival of the next wife (Ida) forces him to dismiss Gemma. The tenor hero of the opera is unusual in that it is a muslim slave (Tamas). He will, in the third act,kill the Count out of his love for Gemma and kills himself rather than be taken from her. Gemma herself attempts to stab Ida out of jealousy but has a change of heart. Her aria-finale has a complete range of conflicting emotions with ringing declamations and soft pianissimos that just hang in the air. Perfect meat for Mme. Caballe's talents. It also shows the master craftsman Donizetti at his pulsing dramatic best to a "big bow-wow" ending. There are a few uneven passages in the opera but all in all it is a Gem.

Unfortunately the recording is not. This is a live performance at San Carlo December 1975 with varied results. Mme. Caballe' was off voice so did not include some of the high notes but her signature pianissimos are there. The orchestra sounds "tinny" but the men (the Count and Tamas) are ok. The overall experience is not pleasant. This is a particular pity for Caballe' fans. There are other recordings of this opera but there is not another Caballe' We can hope for a DVD someday when one comes along"