Search - Caballe, Lopez-Cobos, Davis :: Evening With Montserrat Caballe

Collection of Caballe esoterica

Matteo | Oakland, CA United States | 06/28/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Montserrat Caballe's recording catalogue is enormous and spans three of the major recording houses that have classical divisions: Decca, Philips, and RCA. With Philips, Caballe's catalogue is varied to say the least, and the variegation is very evident in this disc. By the time Caballe was recording with Philips (and after she left RCA behind, where I think she did her best work), her voice was maturing and is quite different than can be heard in earlier recordings.The up side is that the voice gains a silvery edge that is thoroughly unique, and adds a certain clarity to her singing. And she absolutely commits to the notes and to the dramatic situations. On the down side, her voice is edging out of its prime. Yet her singing is still excellent, even if not the level of her prime years.What works best on this disc is probably Caballe's forays into early Verdi and Rossini, which allows her to show off her amazing coloratura and breath control. Most compelling are the extracts from "I Masniaderi" and "Elisabetta d'Ingleterra" where we see Caballe's flexibility and attention to detail. The voice is a bit heavier than is normal for this repertoire, but at the same time it is nice to hear a voice with heft take on what can be songbird-oriented material. Her performance on the Rossini track is a sheer delight and a technical marvel, perhaps the best on the disc. She is supported beautifully by the sadly uncredited chorus and Gianfranco Masini's intuitvive conducting (and conductor with whom she had a fruitful recording career).
Not as compelling in this repertoire, but still exhilarating, are the excerpts from "Il Corsaro" and the duet with the excellent Jose Carreras in particular. Verdi knew how to write cabalettas, and this zippy one is no exception.Mid-career Verdi gets a nod with the excerpts from "Un Ballo in Maschera," in which Caballe acquits her self admirably, if not always in a convetionally pretty fashion. By this point her voice was a dramatic soprano (though ever capable of brilliant coloratura). There is a harsh edge to the singing, but she is technically adept, so it becomes a matter of taste and not musicianship. Her rendition of Amelia's famous aria is powerful and totally committed, and thrilling. More questionable is Caballe's foray into Mozart. There are live recordings from early in her career that show her off in this repertoire to much better effect than here. While certainly good, the "Cosi fan tutte" excerpt (to me) is not her best work, and her voice does not quite seem a perfect fit. Again, it is a committed performance nevertheless and there is much beauty in her tone. Though I wish she had recorded this earlier in her career. Another question is her assuming the role of Lucia. It will not be everyone's cup of tea, but I like the power she brings to the part (not at all written for her lyric-dramatic soprano). It is not always "pretty", but there are gorgeous moments. You won't soon forget it.So while this disc does not show Caballe at her utmost best, it still demonstrates what an accomplished artist she is and just how wide her range is. It is very recommendable both for the esoterica and for the fact that she does not through anything away, even in music that is not standard repertoire."