Search - Verdi, Gavazzeni :: Jerusalem

A must have! One of the most exciting early Verdi performanc

Armindo | Greece | 12/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a gripping performance of this rarely staged opera. Nobody wastes a minute and from the first scene of the opera there is so much fire and strong singing that you wonder how they'll all keep up at these energy levels. But not only do they keep up, they improve!



This must rank as one of Gencer's greatest performances. Just when you think she's given you the highlight of the evening she does something even more fascinating. I love how bravely she attacks the top notes and their effect at the end of ensembles is spine thrilling. Sustained floated Bflats, full-voiced Eflats, Dflats, you name it. She's not less interesting in the moving moments and especially her duets with Aragall are superb (I must get her Vespri). This was Aragall's debut in a leading role and he sounds it. He's very young and the voice hasn't yet aquired the strength and that honeyed tone the following years brought so he sounds more like a tenor for Lucia than Gerusaleme. Nevertheless, he sings with enthusiasm and communicates with his audience splendidly like the rising star he is. I hadn't noticed who Ruggero on this recording was until he started singing his aria impressively, in Italian style with a focused tone, strong voice and good lung capacity and quickly made me look for the cast list. Guelfi who recently rather dissapointed me as Nabucco on the recording from La Scala, here sings like a true Verdi baritone and often shades his voice to great effect. Neither Conte nor Raimondo got the casting they would get in later years with rising stars like Bruson and Luchetti but Ghitti, Salvoldi and everyone else join in this early Verdi fest with a lot of willpower. Even the usually reserved Gavazzeni spices up the atmosphere and the result is fantastic. The chorus have a few minor provincial moments but are otherwise decent and the sound is very good.



La Fenice did it again! Five shining stars!"

Gencer in finest voice

Ralph Moore | Bishop's Stortford, UK | 07/21/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This fine live performance from Venice has appeared on various labels (Melodram, Phoenix Classics, Verona and Mondo Musica, for a start!) but currently seems to be unavailable and you could pay too much for it on Amazon Marketplace if you are not careful. However, I urge you, all the same, to try to find it, especially if you are a fan either of Leyla Gencer or of early Verdi performed in authentic Italian style - or both.



The opera itself is a kind of back-formation from the 1843 "I Lombardi alla prima crociata", itself adapted and transformed into "Jérusalem" as a grand opera for Paris in 1847, which was in turn re-translated into Italian for La Scala in 1850 (it's a bit weird hearing the famous tenor aria "La mia letizia infondere" with the wrong words, especially as the new Italian doesn't fit all that well). This third version is what we hear in this performance which is, as far as I know, the only recording available, so it is already valuable for that reason, but there are plenty of other reasons to acquire it: a formidable cast featuring Gencer at her very finest: dramatically compelling and vocally splendid with thrilling top notes up to C-sharp and wonderful B and B-flat pianissimi; Giacomo Aragall in his major rôle début, sounding a little light, youthful and under-powered but already attractive of tone and also essaying a C sharp, and Gian Giacomo Guelfi's powerul baritone. The latter goes in for too much grand-standing but is an imposing presence. We also have the excellent bass Antonio Zerbini in a minor part.



Gavazzeni is his usual wholly reliable, responsive self, quite at home in early-to-middle period Verdi and conducting with verve and passion. The orchestra is fine apart from a flat trumpet at the end of Act 3 (CD 2, band 5) and the chorus has a few rocky moments but hey, this is live opera in 1960's Italy. The sound is remarkably good: clean, clear, undistorted mono apart from an inevitable bit of hiss. Although Gencer is often spoken of in the same breadth as Callas you can hear in this performance that the great artist she most resembles is Monserrat Caballé. Given that there is no other version of "Gerusalemme" and that Gencer made no commercial, studio recordings, any serious opera fan will want this."