Listening to Andrea Bocelli attempt the role of Canio prompted the above thought, of course. His
soft (if not unsupported), sweet voice has made him a recording star, and the millions of CDs of
more pop-oriented material he has sold have enabled him to pursue his dream, at least in the
recording studio, of attempting some of opera’s greatest tenor roles. Tosca, Trovatore, Werther
— Bocelli may well be the last singer to take those great tenor roles into the recording studio.
Vocal connoisseurs may weep and wail — but Decca keeps churning them out. Somebody is
buying the sets…
This Pagliacci, the most recent release (although actually recorded in 2002) finds Bocelli
recorded in a bathroom stall acoustic, at times even sounding as if his vocals have been
double-recorded to give added weight. But it’s simply not enough. The only way Bocelli can
effect force is to bark, which loses all the appeal of his voice. Although the top sounds tight, for
the most part, Bocelli has the notes. He simply doesn’t have the character. “Vesti la giubba” ends
with exaggerated sobs that cap an inauthentic reading; “No, Pagliaccio non son” has never
sounded more accurate.
And truthfully, Bocelli probably wouldn’t even be as strong a Beppe as Francesco Piccoli, who
doesn’t have as distinctive a voice but manages to convey a sense of character in his brief
appearances, including a fine serenade. Ana Maria Martinez is a pretty enough Nedda, but neither
her Canio or Silvio (Roberto Accurso) prompt her to dramatic distinction. Stefano Antonucci’s
Tonio also lacks a sharp profile.
A frequent artistic companion to Mr. Bocelli, Steven Mercurio leads the orchestra and chorus of
the Teatro Massimo Bellini di Catania in a reading that favors the lyrical sections as opposed to
the verismo edges. All in all, a tamer Pagliacci is hard to imagine, and why would one want to?
Chris Mullins
image=http://www.operatoday.com/Pagliacci_Bocelli.png
image_description=Ruggero Leoncavallo: Pagliacci
product=yes
product_title=Ruggero Leoncavallo: Pagliacci
product_by=Andrea Bocelli (Canio), Ana Maria Martinez (Nedda). Stefano Antonucci (Tonio), Francesco Piccoli (Beppe), Roberto Accurso (Silvio), Salvatore Bonaffini (Contadino), Salvatore Todaro (Contadino); Childrens Chorus – Coro di voci bianche “Gaudeamus igitur” Concentus; Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Massimo Bellini, Steven Mercurio (cond.)
product_id=Decca Classics 475 7753 9 [CD]
price=$15.99
product_url=http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=19070&name_role1=1&name_id2=32202&name_role2=2&bcorder=21&comp_id=1680