Gaetano Donizetti Evelino Pidograve Orchestre de l039Opeacutera de Lyon - Donizetti Lelisir damore Alagna Gheorghiu Pido Opra de Lyon (30 tracks) +Album Reviews

An Intoxicating Elixir of Love

Hamish Elliott | Dunedin, New Zealand | 06/17/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"From the opening bars of the preludio, Pido sets the stage for a lively, well paced, well fused and electrifying performance of Donizetti's intoxicating opera, L'elisir d'amore. Leading the stage is Roberto Alagna as the love plagued Nemorino. I find Alagna's voice rich and warm, but the well known La furtive lagrima, is lacking when compared with the likes of Pavarotti's recordings. I concede that I have not listed to the Pavarotti, Sutherland and Bonynge set in full, but Pavarotti's widely found recordings of this beautiful, if slightly out of place, solo, certainly stand out a lot more. Despite this, Alagna does a brilliant job, portraying the lovesickness that plagues Nemorino, in a comically pitiful way.Of stand out performance, yet again, is the amazing Angela Gheorghiu. From the passion and thrill of Verdi to the comical bel canto of Donizetti, she has an amazing grasp of not only the music, but the character; a virtue that I find so vital in opera. She has a dreamy yet strong and powerful voice that floats above the soloists and chorus. Effortlessly reaching high notes, she portrays the true tease that Adina is.Simone Alaimo does a superb job as the "itinerant quack" Dulcamara. He conveys the fun and deciept of the role with ease. His voice glides effortlessly with the orchestra in his opening solo. The duet (Quanto Amore) with Adina, is exceptional: gripping! Roberto Scaltriti offers a fine performance. Elena Dan plays a fine supporting role, offering a beautiful voice and lead for the opening chorus, but sadly, tragically died soon after the recording.Of exceptionally high standard is the chorus. The singing is fresh, crisp and well balanced - not too overpowering. They portray the lively and happy atmosphere of the village, and fuse together with the orchestra and soloists to give an outstanding performance.Recorded in 1997, this latest Decca set offers a modern, well balanced sound. At mid-price, this is a bargain. An excellent recording offering the vital interpretation of drama and excellent grasp of music that opera so desires and requires."

The Best Recording In years

Maximilian Pop | Carlsbad, Ca United States | 06/21/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording of Elisir is simply the best in many years. The opera moves at a wonderful pace, and The singing is simply superb.Angela Gheorghiu(who is Romanian NOT GREEK!!) delivers another brillian performance. Her voice is clear and powerful as well as sweet when needed. She has yet again demonstrated that she is the foremost soprano of her generation. Roberto Alagna(her husband for those who do not already know) is a wonderful Nemorino. His voice is melodic and strong, which combined with his perfect intonation truly make him the fourth tenor. The one flaw in his performace however is his rendition of Una Furtiva Lagrima which lacks the passion delivered by Pavarotti or Domingo. As for the rest of the cast: Simone Alaimo as Dulcamara is fantastic. He captures the comedy of the Doctore as few before him have. His mastery of Dulcamara's difficult opening solo, leaves the listnener breathless.Roberto Scaltriti as Belcore is a nice compliment to the rest of the cast. He more then holds his own. For the definitive Belcore however, listen to the Great Leo Nucci in the Pavarotti-Battle version.Eva Dan's Gianneta shows glimpses of her wonderful voice and leaves one wondering what might have been.In Summary this this is a wonderful recordin of this captivating opera. A must have!"

The best recoding currently in circulation.

Maximilian Pop | Carlsbad, Ca United States | 06/21/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This version of Elisir is simply the best recording in many years. The opera moves at a brisk pace and the singing by the cast is simply brilliant. Angela Gheorghiu (who is Romanian NOT GREEK!!) delivers yet another brilliant performance. Her voice is powerful and clear, once again defining herself as the finest soprano of her generation. Roberto Algana is a wonderful Nemorino, playing the role with a brilliant flare. I do however agree with other reviewers that his Una Furtiva Lagrima lacks the passion of Pavarotti's version(s). Despite this minor flaw his voice is in fine form, combining warmth, power and his usual perfect intonation.Special praise must also go to Simone Alaimo who captures the comedy of Dulcamara as few have done.Simply put a must buy."

Lovely singing

Mr JB | Karlskrona Sweden | 08/08/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is, in some parts, the greatest studio performance of 'L'elisir'. Those parts include the humor of the whole ensamble, and surely the singing of Romanian godess Angela Gheoghiu. There's more passion and drama than in many other version, as well as intelligence. Every bar from Ms Gheorghiu is astonishing. Just listen to the duets with Nemorino, and you'll understand why she's today's star and the future of soprano singing (You just can't have missed her Violetta). This one's just as engaging, though totally different in style.

Her male companions, then? Well. Alagna fares just as well as he can - the other reviewer is unjust when blaming him for the somewhat strange 'una furtiva lagrima', since this recording uses a version, by the composer himself, written a third below the version we're used to hear, also with different variations. And that may be a great miss to what might have been just an unbelievable performance.

No, The main roles are perfectly played - not since the mid 70:ies has this opera done so well - look out for an obscure version with Carreras and Pritchard from Covent Garden - that's the only version to beat this one. Those two are the most engaging versions. Lovers of Pavarotti may object - But if not listening to the single arias, remember what I've explained above about the special version on this one, I find this preferrable in style. And comparing Gheorghiu to Sutherland, is hard. La stupenda is more aristocratic, Gheorghiu more genuinly funny. And both voices are greatly beautiful, as you all know.

Pido is interesting at times, though his was the bad idea of bringing forth the 'new' version of 'una furtiva...'. He is sometimes also rather hurried, sometimes too fast for my taste. Another minor objection to this recording may be the singing of Scaltitri, he simply breakes his lines too often for my taste. But the darker voices are generally very good.

To round of - if you want a perfectly home-listeable version of this funny opera - this is perfect for you. Considering the males - If you just want the 'arias', you might prefer the Pavarotti/sutherland version, also on Decca. And the ladies are even more a matter of taste. The Pavarotti/Sutherland/Bonynge is more 'perfect' - This is more funny. Clearly recommended."

A magnificent performance

dcreader | Washington DC area | 03/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This performance is set in the 1920s or 30s, but retains all of its style, vitality and humor. The performances range from acceptable to excellent (this CD version is the both the Penguin Guide's and Gramophone's recommended recording for this opera - so you can take the critical reviews of the singing here to be out of the mainstream).

Perhaps the star of this show, however, is the excellent directing and camera work. In all, this exhuberant production brings all the joy and excitement of this thrilling opera to life."

Search - Gaetano Donizetti, Evelino Pidò, Orchestre de l'Opéra de Lyon :: Donizetti - L'elisir d'amore / Alagna, Gheorghiu, Pido, Opéra de Lyon

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