Search - Domingo Placido, Giuseppe Verdi :: Plácido Domingo ~ The Verdi Tenor

Patrice G. (pakamama) from EUREKA SPGS, AR
Reviewed on 4/4/2011...

some of the best arias are here, and the voice is magnificent.

A Major Disappointment

John G. Gleeson Sr. | Frederic, Mi USA | 11/23/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I am both a fan of Verdi (since high school, and that's a long time ago) and Of Placido Domingo, who I first heard in Carmen, before he joined the Met. And I own every one of the operas from which materials were excerpted for this album. But what I had failed to notice over the years was that Domingo is, for the most part, a forte singer, who is less than observant of Verdi's dynamic markings. Thus, while listening to tenor aria after tenor aria, it became nearly boring, which is something that should never be said of Verdi's music. Domingo is consistantly loud, rarely reducing his volume to softer levels called for by the score. When he does diminish the volume, he tends to croon, rather than employ a good mezza voce technique. While this makes him perfect for the dramatic tenor roles of Otello and Forza, he is far less able to pull off the lighter roles of Alfredo and the Duke of Mantua. To hear what Maestro Verdi intended, I suggest the Philips set with Carlo Bergonzi or the recent Ramon Vargas disc. Bergonzi has always reflected refinement and interpretive skill of the highest order, while Vargas displays the intensity and freshness of the young tenor, combined with a surprising maturity of interpretation. Both are guaranteed to please, but the Domingo set, is a waste of (money)."