Search - Puccini, Sir George Solti, Christel Goltz :: Puccini: Turandot

A great surprise and a fabulous "Turandot"

Marc Neil Jacobs | Mt. View, CA United States | 01/30/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This CD was a wonderful treat, AND at a bargain price. The star of the show is Solti, who probably gives us the best conducted TURANDOT on disc. Just listen to the way the orchestra explodes after Calaph answers each of the riddles. It knocks you right out of your seat. The Maestro also is perfect in bringing out the oriental coloring and the Stravinski-like dissonance that make this score unique. Christal Goeltz was a supreme Salome in her prime and she brings that character's mix of sexuality, vulnerability and blood lust to Turandot, creating one of the best performances of this role (doubly impressive as she only learned it for this radio broadcast. The Liu is also a great performer. I believe she was American but had made her mark doing Strauss's FOUR LAST SONGS. She brings an incredible sweetness and fragility to the role. The Calaph is not in their league. His voice is one of those leathery German tenors(picture Arnold Schwartznegger as the Calaph, and that will give you an idea). He does sound big, beefy, and heroic, so he is not a major deterent from getting this set.The opera is done in German. This was not a problem for me at all, in fact it added to the fairy tale quality of the piece. I strongly recommend adding this to your TURANDOT collection for Solti and the ladies. I would place it just behind the Mehta/Sutherland version, and really something unique. Sound is as good as any of the EMI La Scala sets from the 50's."