Search - Mascagni, Gavazzeni, Diemecke :: Pietro Mascagni: "A Giacomo Leopardi" - cantata, Héroines (a collection of arias) [2 CD Set]

Mascagni Heroines

Eugene Schiller | Honolulu, Hi United States | 07/22/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Mascagni has always been a bone of contention. Critics bewailed his crudeness and emotional excess....the public preferred Puccini. But Mascagni was the real thing - far more than the one-work wonder history has made him out to be. Give him credit -the man wrote 15 operas! Unfortunately, apart from Cavalleria Rusticana, the rest is pretty much terra incognito. And so, this current release, a comprehensive survey of Mascagni heroines, is most welcome. The brief excerpts included here can hardly convey the theatrical sweep of Ratcliffe or Piccolo Marat, yet there are many moments of expressive power. Lodoletta's "Ah, il suo nome" to cite just one example, achieves a pathos rare in 20th century opera. You may not walk away whistling the tunes, but the music will stay with you. Our soloist, soprano Denia Gavazzeni-Mazzola, is quite wonderful, vocally vibrant and totally 'inside' the music. Her Parisina, Isabeau and Luisa Rantzau are just about ideal. In short, I'd say this is a must for the dedicated operaphile"