Search - Monserrat Caballé, Luciano Pavarotti, Nicolai Ghiaurov :: Ponchielli: La Gioconda

You Gotta Love Gioconda!

Timothy Kearney | Hull, MA United States | 05/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"LA GIOCONDA is like junk food. People love it but are afraid to admit it.



I remember first being introduced to the opera when PBS did a mini-series about the famous San Francisco staging of the work. It was at this time that Pavarotti and Scotto had the famous (or is it infamous?) battle royal that became the stuff of opera legend. To this day Lotfi Mansouri, who produced the opera, claims to loath the work, but who can blame him. For the rest of us there is plenty to love of this opera.



It has one of opera's most bizarre plots. Gioconda, a street singer is engaged to Enzo, a prince. Barnaba a spy loves Gioconda who is repulsed by the man. He decides to get even by claiming that Gioconda's poor blind mother is a witch. She is taken to the local official Alvise who is in a loveless marriage with Laura. Gioconda, Enzo, and Barnaba go to the blind woman's trial. Laura notices she is praying a rosary and cannot be a witch and spares the woman's life, however, she can't keep her eyes off of Enzo, her secret love, nor can Enzo keep his eyes off Gioconda. Barnaba notices it and decides to break Gioconda's heart by reuniting the two long lost lovers. Alvise discovers the plans and decides to poison Laura, who is miraculously saved by the selfless Gioconda who happens to appear with an anecdote. Gioconda devises a way for the two to run away together, then when Barnaba thinks he has the woman of his dreams, she kills herself.



Convoluted plot aside, the opera has great musical moments. There are some well known arias as well as the "Dance of the Hours." Pavarotti shines in this recording, and in my opinion is one of his best. Montserrat Caballe gives Gioconda a different interpretation than Callas or Tebaldi, focusing on her combination of strength and vulnerability. Sherrill Milnes handles the role rather well. His Barnaba is smooth which makes him an illusive villain type. The choral groups and orchestra are riveting and Bartoletti keeps the pace of the opera rather well.



Over the years I have owned five sets of this recording with stars such as Renata Tebaldi, Maria Callas, and Eva Marton in the role. Tebaldi is probably my favorite Gioconda, Caballe is close second with Callas in third, which may be due as much to the quality of the recording than anything else. Yet for overall quality, this is the set I would choose if I could only select one. So sit back, enjoy, and if you're embarrassed about loving this opera, ask yourself the question "Is your favorite junk food good for you?" Probably not, but is it good? You bet!

"

Great Rare Recording

tenor_in_training | 03/08/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are only two complete recordings of Caballé's interpreting the demanding role of La Gioconda: this one and the one originally released by Legato and available now through Opera d'Oro. The major difference is that the latter one is a live recording, although an exceptionally good one. But if you want glorious digital sound free on any noises, you can't go wrong with Decca's pricey release. One little problem is the libretto, it actually made me chuckle: imagine, right in the middle of the booklet, from page 123 through 146, the pages are from Madama Butterfly! That's right, the scene where the bonze arrives and all. Could not they have checked the booklet beforehand? As a result, we don't get the words to Laura & Gioconda's splendid duet and Laura's "Stella del marinar!" Luckily, the rest of it is okay.Having said all that, let me now provide a word of praise for the wonderful cast and terrific performance. Right off hand we notice that everyone is in exceptionally good voice, caught in his or her prime by very good recording technology. Montserrat Caballé interprets the title role with somewhat more reserve than her predecessor Maria Callas did for Votto. But in no way can this be counted as a minus. Caballé is a bel-canto trained lyric soprano blessed with power unusual for such a voice. So her character is maybe less intense but very sympathetic and lovely. Her voice is spectacular here, absolutely enchanting. She even menages difficult very low notes with great emotion in the principal aria "Suicidio!"The supporting roles are lustrously cast. First, we hear Luciano Pavarotti as Enzo, his lyrical passages and flawless legato are simply delightful. He puts a great deal of passion into "Cielo e mar"; I like this version a lot better than the one featured on "Verismo Arias" album. Next, this set has a fantastic Barnaba - Sherrill Milnes. The way he does evil roles is always a marvel: he uses a wide arsenal of tools, including sinister whisper or ferocious snarl. He is very effective and gripping, particularly at the very end when Barnaba is fooled and left alone to his rage. Agnes Baltsa is heard here in the role of Laura, Enzo's love interest. It is amazing how different she can sound in every role, just compare her Eboli or Carmen to this Laura. While the former two characters are pretty much "in control" and their behavior is often provocative and seductive, Laura comes across as a vulnerable woman genuinely in love, making Gioconda's courageous sacrifice explainable. The versatile Nicolai Ghiaurov is this recording's Alvise, a truly menacing figure in the opera. Without ever breaking the line, he manages to convey immense power and equally immense fury. That is a ruler not to be messed with. He has a great showpiece aria "Si, morir ella de!" in which his character savors his plan for death of "unfaithful woman" amidst the merriment and dancing. Alfreda Hodgson interprets a relatively small but essential role of La Cieca, Gioconda's blind mother, with heartbreaking poignancy. Unfortunately she is not recorded much.Maestro Bruno Bartoletti provides engaging and warm support, the orchestra does not really take over except for the "Dance of the Hours" which is a little slower than most recorded versions but has a lot of drive and "fire" usually associated with 'live' ballets. I don't have many recordings to compare it with, but overall it seems like a Bartoletti conducts this opera the way he would conduct Verdi, which is not a problem at all for me, it comes through as very appropriate for a 1872 masterwork. This set appears now and again at the stores, but since this is a limited edition of a work that's by no means a mainstream, I suggest you get it even though it comes with a sizable price tag. If it's out of stock here, keep checking because it has been known to re-appear. You won't be disappointed."