Search - Gioachino Rossini, Riccardo Chailly, Cecilia Bartoli :: Rossini - Il Turco in Italia / Bartoli, Corbelli, Pertusi, Vargas, Teatro alla Scala, Chailly

As sparkling as diamond-encrusted champagne!

Almirena | Australia | 02/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording of "Il Turco in Italia" is an absolute delight. From start to finish it enthralls, enchants, and engulfs the listener in its delicious crisp sound. Of course, in any Il Turco, the main concern is the character of Fiorilla - this is a typical Rossini knock-out role, requiring a voice of fiendish agility and an ability to sound demure, mocking, sensuous, infuriated, and everything in between. The voice type must be that of either a soprano with a good middle voice or a mezzo-soprano with a good top voice. Callas both performed and recorded this role, and did it extremely well - but Bartoli is something else. The dark honey of her voice - so typically mezzo - and the absolute ease of her top notes - unfortunately for other mezzos, not so typical! - make the colour of her voice ideal. Not to mention the by-now famous acrobatics of which her voice is capable, and the no-less famous acting ability she possesses (both vocally and physically)! The rest of the cast does an excellent job, and Chailly conducts with verve and precision. IF YOU LOVE ROSSINI'S OPERAS, THIS IS A MUST-HAVE! IF YOU DON'T, WHAT A SUPERB INTRODUCTION THIS WOULD BE!"

A delightful Rossini rarity

Michael | Washington, D.C. area | 07/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gioacchino Rossini wrote two kinds of comic opera. First there was the manic, almost farcial "opera buffa" (eg. THE BARBER OF SEVILLE). Then there was a kind of serio-comedy akin to the "dramma giocoso" of Mozart. IL TURCO IN ITALIA (1816) definitely falls in the latter category (as does LA CENERENTOLA). This little-known opera is a real gem. It is about a Muslim prince (Selim, sung by Michele Pertusi in fine voice) from Turkey and the comedy and conflict that ensue when he visits Italy. A clash of cultures ensues as the polygamous Selim tries to steal Don Geronio's young wife, Fiorilla (mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, singing a role written for soprano). While the opera does not have as many memorable melodies or outstanding individual numbers as THE BARBER or CENERENTOLA, it is still a funny, compassionate comedy with some of Rossini's best music. The opera is surprisingly contemporary in feel, especially in the character of the Poet, who "writes" the opera as it unfolds. Bartoli, Pertusi, and Vargas are all excellent, but for me the stand-out is Alessandro Corbelli, who portrays the henpecked husband Geronio with musicality and sympathy. Just about any opera set with Corbelli on it is worth getting, as he is an extremely fine singing-actor in the Mozart/Rossini repertoire."

A worthy new "Turco"

Almirena | 09/13/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The big names generally deliver on this recording, with the newcomers, notably Laura Polverelli as Zaida, equally enjoyable. While the action isn't quite ideally paced at times, and Pertusi occasionally seems a bit uninvolved, overall it is an engaging and enjoyable performance. Bartoli's characterization as Fiorilla is on the mark, intense, detailed, and appropriately ditzy or tragic as the situation calls for it. Her singing itself is a little bit less impressive; she's more than sufficiently agile, but the sound is sometimes small and slightly breathy. And I think it is about time that she publicly declares herself a soprano; her tone and range (up to a quite wonderful shining high D or so in "Caro padre") and great facility in the high register bear little in common with most mezzo-sopranos of whom I'm aware. Those relatively minor points aside, this performance is a treat."