Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Claudio Abbado, La Scala Theater Orchestra :: Verdi: Aida

Aida with bumps and scrapes

demien | U.S.A. | 07/14/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This edition of Aida was formerly on 3 cd's and sold for about $50.00 dollars but now it has been put on two cd's and sells for bargain price.

There is no libretto included but there is a detailed track by track synopsis.

The booklet inside is sparse with no photos and you will only find the track details and a listing of the characters/vocalists with a final page devoted to recording information.

This production was recorded in digital stereo in the early 80's but no remastering has been done.

The sound is PRETTY GOOD with a little congestion in the louder passages and lacking somewhat in presence.

I personally didn't feel the great sense of atmosphere or splendour that i felt with the Decca Karajan version and Abbado conducts with attention to detail but could use more dramatic bite and emotional abandon in CERTAIN moments.

Abbado's conducting is not VERY passionate and is a little more on the intellectual side.

I would have found the orchestral aspect a lot more compelling and affecting if Abbado could have loosened up a bit more but he does have his moments.

Domingo is in his best voice technically and he handles the characterization of Radames passionately and effectively.

Ricciarelli is a vocalist i have always liked especially in lighter roles such as Mimi in "La Boheme" but she has moments of strain and impure tone in her performance as Aida.

It is a role that is very hard on her at times and when she has to hit those testy high notes like in "O patria mia" she sounds very strained,thinned out,and pitchy.

It's painful to hear because she handles the characterization so well with extremely eloquent phrasing giving a lot of meaning and passion to the words that she is singing.

The Mezzo Elena Obraztsova who portrays Amneris also has a voice that is challenging to the listener.

Her voice has a unpleasant thick globby sound to it and her vibrato has a wobble that at times is linked to faulty pitch especially during challenging high notes.

This gets in the way of concentrating on her characterization which she does well.

Leo Nucci plays Amonasro very effectively with a full sharp dramatic grasp on the characterization and fine powerful singing.

The rest of the cast does a fine job as well but i just felt that this Aida fell short of greatness and wasn't a compelling experience.

I base this opinion in comparrison to the Karajan/Tebaldi Decca version, The Levine Domingo Millo digital version, the Mehta Corelli EMI version, the Gigli Serafin Naxos Historical version,

and the Bjorling Perlea Rca version.

All of these are all in all better choices even though the Bjorling and Gigli versions are in mono sound but the casts are superb with the Bjorling set having a flaw in the conductor/orchestra team but they are still acceptable.

This particular Aida is a GOOD bargain and if you love the vocalists than this might be your deal but there is better.

I hope this review was helpful to you and happy opera hunting.



Oscar F."

I never appreciated Aida until...

D. J. Marconi | 07/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I heard this record.



Domingo is in great voice, and Abbado is just amazing. This opera certainly requires great orchestration, and Abbado just makes it happen. Unlike Muti who is way too rushed, and von Karajan who is too stiff, Abbado strikes a perfect balance;flexible, dramatic, well-paced,intellectual-he just makes the opera sing.



If you want great singing, the Tebaldi/Bergonzi is the best I've heard. But this one is the best overall.



Thank you Claudio."

Domingo's Radames is worth the price of admission.

OperaOnline.us | Boston, MA | 07/31/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Deutsche Gramophpn hit a winner with this re-release of a 1982 recording featuring Katia Ricciarelli singing Aida and Placido Domingo singing Radames. From the smooth opening prelude by the Cora e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, under the direction of Claudio Abbado to the final Gloria all'Egitto, the cast and orchestra strike a prefect balance between voice and instrument in a performance that is spellbinding. It takes no time to warm up here, and the welcome is rich, indeed, as Placido Domingo eases us into the passion of Rademes early on in a truly spectacular Se Quel guerrier io fossi! The singing here from the entire cast is even and easy, and the delivery is balanced. Each singer is comfortably within his and her range and matched in temperament, and this matching is evident from song to song, and none more so than the trio Terzetto: Vieni, o diletta, apressati, sung by Elena Obraztsova (Amneris), Ricciarelli and Domingo. The tendancy to "shout" one's role can be a killer for singers and this reviewer has commented on that tendency in the past. There is none of that here, which is why this CD comes so strongly recommended. The quality of the CD remaster is superb and the accompanying booklet, while not as complete as I would have preferred - no introduction, no bios, no historical facts -- is adequate as far as it describes what is occurring during each song."