Search - Mascagni, Del Monaco, Scao :: Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana [Australia]

Fire, passion and great voices

Ralph Moore | Bishop's Stortford, UK | 10/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This has long been my favourite studio recording of "Cavalleria" although it rarely gets a mention by the critics. You could not find three more grand, passionate and italianate voices than those of Simionato, Del Monaco and Cornell MacNeil, all in their prime in 1961, under the baton of the greatest post-war Italian opera conductor, Tullio Serafin. This is as authentic a performance as you could hope to encounter. There are plenty of other excellent recordings of this opera, including Serafin's earlier version with Callas and Di Stefano, Karajan's with Cossotto and Bergonzi, and Erede's 1957 set with the dream team of Tebaldi, Bjorling and Bastianini - all feature wonderful singing with Italian orchestras and casts, but I find myself coming back to this one for its sheer raw energy and passion. Many swear by the more recent Levine recording with Scotto and Domingo; it is very dramatic and beautifully played, but, despite her histrionic abilities, Scotto's raw top bothers me, Pablo Elvira's Alfio is ordinary and a little under-powered, and Levine does not bestow upon this music the last ounce of flexibility and affection it ultimately requires and thus the Intermezzo does not "swoon" as it should. This version conducted by Serafin is available at bargain price and will not disappoint unless you are averse to the "can belto" verismo style employed by the protagonists and need something more refined like Karajan's approach - but for me, this will do fine."