Verdi - Don Carlos
Posted by: Tam on 24 February 2006
I've been mulling this thread over for a few weeks now, and since I've just picked up and listened to a new recording, now would seem to be the perfect time.
I came to Don Carlos fairly late, my prejudices against Italian opera having been coloured by the fact that one of the first operas that I ever saw was an awful production of Puccini's Mamon Lescaut (and for some bizarre reason the two names became caught up in the back of my mind). In fact, I met Don Carlos for the first time only a little under a year ago when I inherited a copy of the classic Giulini/Domingo recording. Well, I listened to it and was duly impressed, but, like with many, if not most operas (on which I have another thread brewing in the back of my mind) I didn't really fall in love with it as a work until I saw it live in the form of WNO's outstanding recent production. Now, here is the key: Giulini is in Italian, WNO were in French. What's more, WNO were using a much more 'complete' score, including stuff Verdi cut even before the premier (which include a much extended opening scene and a lot more stuff at the start of act III and elsewhere). Sadly, there seem to only exist two recordings in French: Pappano in Paris and Abbado in La Scala (with Domingo). To make matters tougher, Pappano doesn't include the extended opening that I had enjoyed so much in the Welsh production. So, by default, I decided to try Abbado.
So, what of it. Well, despite being very complete, the set does feel rather like it was put together by idiots. Much of the extra material is stuck in an appendix at the end of the 4th cd making it impossible, say, to programme in the extended opening scene except by means of changing discs - one wonders what the point of including such appendixes is if one cannot put them properly into the opera. Well, one can (and I did), but only by copying all the material onto one's computer and then reordering and burning it onto CD again. There are several hours of my weekend gone
So, how is it. Well, the singing is pretty fine, though, perhaps inevitably, it does still sound a little Italian (but then we are in Italy with an Italian lead, so that might be expected). Also, there are some very odd variations in sound level which, given we're in an 80s studio recording, really shouldn't be abounding. Abbado's conducting doesn't seem to flow quite so freely as Giulini's and, if push came to shove, I don't think I'd have terribly much difficulty opting for the latter.
Of course, both the Gramophone and the Penguin guide accord higher status to the Pappano so perhaps I should have gone for that instead, but I did so want the scenes I'd seen at WNO. My question, therefore, is does anyone have the Pappano recording (or, indeed, the DVD) and what do they think about it? I'm not planning on getting another Don Carlos any time soon, but I think I wouldn't mind a more satisfying French one that Abbado offers. It seems a shame to me that this version hasn't been recorded more, and I suppose it probably won't be now, given the way the CD recording industry is going.... then again, we can always hope for something on DVD.....
regards, Tam
I came to Don Carlos fairly late, my prejudices against Italian opera having been coloured by the fact that one of the first operas that I ever saw was an awful production of Puccini's Mamon Lescaut (and for some bizarre reason the two names became caught up in the back of my mind). In fact, I met Don Carlos for the first time only a little under a year ago when I inherited a copy of the classic Giulini/Domingo recording. Well, I listened to it and was duly impressed, but, like with many, if not most operas (on which I have another thread brewing in the back of my mind) I didn't really fall in love with it as a work until I saw it live in the form of WNO's outstanding recent production. Now, here is the key: Giulini is in Italian, WNO were in French. What's more, WNO were using a much more 'complete' score, including stuff Verdi cut even before the premier (which include a much extended opening scene and a lot more stuff at the start of act III and elsewhere). Sadly, there seem to only exist two recordings in French: Pappano in Paris and Abbado in La Scala (with Domingo). To make matters tougher, Pappano doesn't include the extended opening that I had enjoyed so much in the Welsh production. So, by default, I decided to try Abbado.
So, what of it. Well, despite being very complete, the set does feel rather like it was put together by idiots. Much of the extra material is stuck in an appendix at the end of the 4th cd making it impossible, say, to programme in the extended opening scene except by means of changing discs - one wonders what the point of including such appendixes is if one cannot put them properly into the opera. Well, one can (and I did), but only by copying all the material onto one's computer and then reordering and burning it onto CD again. There are several hours of my weekend gone
So, how is it. Well, the singing is pretty fine, though, perhaps inevitably, it does still sound a little Italian (but then we are in Italy with an Italian lead, so that might be expected). Also, there are some very odd variations in sound level which, given we're in an 80s studio recording, really shouldn't be abounding. Abbado's conducting doesn't seem to flow quite so freely as Giulini's and, if push came to shove, I don't think I'd have terribly much difficulty opting for the latter.
Of course, both the Gramophone and the Penguin guide accord higher status to the Pappano so perhaps I should have gone for that instead, but I did so want the scenes I'd seen at WNO. My question, therefore, is does anyone have the Pappano recording (or, indeed, the DVD) and what do they think about it? I'm not planning on getting another Don Carlos any time soon, but I think I wouldn't mind a more satisfying French one that Abbado offers. It seems a shame to me that this version hasn't been recorded more, and I suppose it probably won't be now, given the way the CD recording industry is going.... then again, we can always hope for something on DVD.....
regards, Tam