Search - Ambroise Thomas, Guido Picco, Giuseppe di Stefano :: Thomas: Mignon

Young Di Stefano in a rare opera

Gustavo Demarco | Buenos Aires | 12/04/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"With the exception of a pair of popular arias, Mignon has nowadays become a very rarely performed French opera, so one of the positive points of this recording is that it fills a gap. Although it is not an outstanding opera, in this recording we can apreciate the great tenor Giuseppe Di Stefano at the beginning of his carreer, in a public performance at Mexico, in 1949. Di Stefano had an irregular carreer, as well as his famous frequent partner Maria Callas. At his best he was great, and some of his recordings (especially those with Callas) are pieces of anthology. The early recording we are now commenting permits appreciate his voice in a young and healthy state. And here end the merits of the recording. Giulietta Simionatto is just 'discrete' in the role of Mignon, and Cesare Siepi is correct as Lotario, but none of these two excellent singers render here interpretations comparable to their top artistic achievements. The orchestra is acceptable, but the quality of sound is poor and the level of noise is terrible, especially at the beginning of the performance. A more complete booklet would be required in view of the 'rarity' of this opera. To summarize: Only for Di Stefano fans or collectionists."