Verdi - Otello / Pavarotti, Te Kanawa, Nucci, Rolfe-Johnson, Solti

As forgiving as the world was to the great Pavarotti, this Otello was ill-advised on his part. The voice and interpretation are completely off track--having a big lyric tenor still puts you in the category of a lyric tenor, not a heroic one. Pavarotti knew it, and he went through the experience with maximum anxiety. I happened to talk to the overseer of the project from the CSO's side, an he called it the biggest headache (actually, he used a stronger word) in his long career. I eagerly bought this prestige Otello when it first appeared in 1991 and found myself cringing, primarily because of Pavarotti, but Leo Nucci joins Aldo Protti in the roster of bad Iago's who try to bluster their way through a part they cannot actually sing.Te Kanawa made a specialty of Desdemona, as have many Mozart-Strauss sopranos whose lyric voices are on the strong side. She's not Italianate in style, which didn't seem to bother adoring audiences -- sheer beauty of voice will get you a long way. But for me the memorable Desdemonas have been real Verdi-Puccini singers like Freni, the singer I turn to in this role on records. Te Kanawa and Pavarotti don't walk through their parts like preening stars, but their performances are certainly concert bound; you won't find yourself transported to La Scala on opening night. As for Solti, whose experience in opera was as extensive as Bohm's or Karajan's, I have no argument with his conducting, or wit the superb Chicago Sym.At the time the Gramophone bent over backwards to plead on behalf of Pavarotti as a "sincere and serious musician," asking readers to forget his larger-than-life pop persona. the reviewer claimed that the tenor was in best voice by the time he made tis recording in Carnegie Hall after a nerve-racking Chicago debut. Let's grant all of that, however doubtfully. to my ears he sounds like what he was, an aging superstar tenor who was goaded into undertaking a role he didn't know and put very little effort in, besides hauling out his well-honed (and considerable) professional skills.

Don't bother with this recording. There are so many good recordings of "Otello" that it does not make any sense to buy this one. Placido Domingo's recordings are all preferable, especially with Levine (RCA) and Chung (DG).Luciano Pavarotti's performance is troublesome. At times he manages some truly beautiful and musical singing, but the voice is not really big enough to fit the score. At other times times he can easily be mistaken for self-parody; his singing is so affected you can almost hear him waving his white hanky around. Leo Nucci's woofy and uncontrolled singing is torture most of the time, despite his strong grasp of the character.Kiri Te Kanawa had a huge success onstage in this role early in her career, but it was a few years too late for her to record this. Te Kanawa is not really a great Verdian, and she does not naturally take to the music with quite the same ease as she does with Mozart or Strauss. However, she does contribute thoughtful singing here, filled with nuance and loveliness, and much of the Te Kanawa magic is there, in spite of her costars, whom she consistently outclasses.Solti does little to improve on his earlier recording or "Otello". There are times when he achieves real atmosphere and drama from the orchestra and singers, but at other times it all sounds ready to fall apart. Taped live in a series of concerts that were Solti's farwell performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, this "Otello" was recorded as a document of an event intended to crown his career. It is rather sad that it is so mediocre.

It may not be one of his greatest roles, but if you can manage to get the image of the Fat, Bearded, Italian Opera singer out of your head, Pavarotti sings a very believable Otello. Desdemona was one of Te Kanawa's signature roles, and this recording demonstrates why. She has a very vulnerable, pure, innocent, not to mention incredibly rich voice...absolutely perfect for this role. Leo Nucci portrays Iago for what he is: A corrupt and blackhearted man. Nucci has a very rich, creamy, dark-chocolate sound. I wasn't expecting to find Anthony Rolfe-Johnson in a Verdi recording...He usually doesn't venture past the 18th century...but he does a wonderful job, and that's all that matters. The chorus is lovely too...just listen to track 14 on disc 1 when they are showering Desdemona with flowers and affection...some of the loveliest operatic chorus music is in that scene. So don't hesitate to buy this recording.

I really wanted to like this! I quite like all the principles, even Nucci who for my money is the best Gerard in Andrea Chenier,The beginning is stunning - one of the best Otello storms I have heard, but then Pavarotti comes in with his Esultate, and it's downhill from there. Even at that point, he is strained and it all sounds just a little beyond him, and you just end up feeling sorry, not for Otello, but for the singer. Nucci has some nice ideas, but the voice just isn't there and more, and, to be honest, until I heard Te Kanawa as Desdemona, I hadn't realised quite how many high notes there are in the part, and how much of a struggle the whole thing would be at this stage in her career. To be fair, Pavarotti and Te Kanawa do sort of warm up for the final act, always assuming that you're still listening at that stage, but one (act) out of four is bad (to paraphrase the song).So, basically, not a great or even good performance, despite the fact that you can hear all sorts of orchestral detail that is often obscured, and you do have an excellent chorus. And finally, yes, I know it was recorded live at a concert, but whose bright idea was it to leave in the applause?! For goodness' sake!

This is valuable for Pavorotti's late Othello, role he never sang in the theatre. This goDen tone is glorious if a shade too small for the role and it appears he is sometimes not quite in the role, which is not surprising. But the artistry is never in question. Nor is Dame Kiri's beautifully sung Desdemona. The snag is Nucci's Iago. The voice is too small and is in tatters - just listen to the mess of the credo! Couldn't Decca have found someone from the huge roster of opera singers to have had a better shot at the role? Solti is more lyrical than dramatic, surprisingly.

... beim besten Willen: Pavarotti als Otello geht überhaupt nicht. Seine Stimme hatte zu wenig Volumen, war viel zu hell, besaß keinerlei Klangfarben, und hatte so gar nichts Bedrohliches in sich ... Wenn er im „Dio! mi potevi scagliar“ versucht, Gefühl und Verzweiflung reinzubringen, geht das sowas von in die Hose ... Dafür hatte er nicht das Potenzial. Ein lyrischer Tenor, der mit dieser Rolle überfordert war, weil er sie emotional und stimmlich in keiner Weise ausfüllen konnte. Referenzaufnahme? Dass ich nicht lache ... Sicher nicht für Leute mit eigenem Urteilsvermögen, die nicht auf jedes Marketinggeschrei hereinfallen. Del Monacos Otello ist und bleibt die Referenz, und sicher nicht nur für mich.Leo Nucci hat ebenfalls einen schweren Stand. Er gibt sich Mühe, nur ... wenn man Tito Gobbi als Jago gehört hat ... Das „Credo in un Dio crudel“ jagt einem in Gobbis Interpretation den kalten Schauer über den Rücken. Da muss man nicht mal den Text lesen, da spürt man, dass da einer was Übles singt. Nucci kann da nicht mithalten. Als Giorgio Germont in La Traviata gefällt er mir sehr gut, aber den fiesen Jago bringt er nicht.Ein echter Genuss hingegen ist Kiri Te Kanawa. DAS ist eine Stimme! Desdemonas langer Auftritt im vierten Akt ist ein einziger Ohrenschmaus. Phantastisch hat sie das gemacht. Von den Emotionen, die sie vermitteln kann, konnte ein Pavarotti nur träumen. Wenn man diese Aufnahme hier gekauft hat, ist sie es, die einen das Geld letzten Endes nicht bereuen lässt.

musica ottim0 livello audio grande Pavarotti i love

Consegna rapida, disco e custodia in ottimo stato, gli interpreti sono all'altezza, da comperare anche se non è il miglior Otello in circolazione