Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Antonino Votto, Bryan Balkwill :: Verdi: Ernani

ERNANI in English

Filippo Secondo | 09/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 1967 relay enshrines what was undoubtedly an exciting evening at Sadler's Wells. Pauline Tinsley (Elvira) and Clifford Grant (Silva) are the only known names amongst a relatively obscure cast, which includes Donald Smith (Ernani), Robert Bickerstaff (Don Carlo), and conductor Bryan Balkwill. The soloists and chorus sing with heart and soul under the sensitive direction of Balkwill, who allows his quartet a few hair-raising interpolations, and takes his time in the finale, which on most other sets is rushed, sounding more like a dance than a death scene. Smith's Ernani is nothing short of heroic; since I know Grant only from Wagner roles, I can't help but feel that his symathetic Silva sounds (to great advantage) as cruel and aggressive as Hunding or Hagen; Bickerstaff's elegant Carlo is in the Cappuccilli/Bruson mould (only occasionally strained); a most athletic Elvira, Tinsley sings effortlessly throughout, though her colleagues are no less agile in their thoughtful phrasing and enunciation of the English text (which is akin in some phrases to that of ENO's 2000 production - eg 'Ernani, Ernani, rescue me' - confusingly, the booklet prints the tracks in the original Italian). The score is given complete with second verses, except for the annoying excision of Silva's entire cabaletta. The sound isn't outstanding but, considering the recording's date, is really good (the voices and the orchestra being well caught). As with other Gala releases, the booklet includes a short article on the opera but regrettably prints only Tinsley's biography. The second disc features highlights from Domingo's 1969 La Scala debut as Ernani, with Kabaivanska and Ghiaurov (released complete on Myto, Opera d'oro and other import labels). I still have to hear the Chandos recording conducted by Parry: I greatly enjoyed the ENO revival of its 2000 production in 2004 but doubt that the studio version (though note-complete and recorded digitally) surpasses this almost complete and not-so-brilliantly recorded 1967 set, which is indispensable to not only lovers of this work but also fans of opera in English in general."