Category: Recordings

ìCarmen, un bon conseilî warns Frasquita in the last act of the opera. So friends, heed my advice and donít play this CD in your car when you are accompanied by someone who likes opera but is not crazy on lieder.

It is now slightly over 40 years since the first recording of a complete opera by Saverio Mercadante (an Il Giuramento with Maria Vitale and Amedeo Berdini) was released on LP. I quickly fell in love with his music, and realized that, while not necessarily on the same level as Bellini and Donizetti, he was not far behind, and that more of his works would be extremely welcome.

On June 3, 1875, thirty-six year old Bizet died after having one, some say two, heart attacks preceded by other complications. Legend has it that the composer’s death was hastened by the failure of his latest work, Carmen.

In 1981 Wilhelminia Fernandez became somewhat of a cult figure when the French thriller ìDivaî appeared on the screens. For a time her ìEbben, ne andro lontanoî from La Wally almost became a hit and several commercials used a small part of the aria.

So EMI has declared this 1988 Porgy and Bess to be one of the ìGreat Recordings of the Century.î That may settle the issue for many ñ but not all.

It is not uncommon for opera on DVD to have credits for two directors. In the case of this Paris Capriccio, a new production from June 2004, the credits list Robert Carsen as the stage director and Francois Roussillon as directing for TV and video.

Under the direction of James OíDonnell since January 2000, the Choir of Westminster Abbey has cultivated a robust singing style that well serves the music of this new recording and continues the Abbeyís position as one of the obvious standard bearers of the English cathedral tradition.

At 73 minutes, this DVD of the typical gala affair ñ various soloists trot on, sing an aria, then trot off ñ canít be called generous, but it does have variety.

When you and I were young Maggie, there was only the fine Werther with Thill and Vallin and the Cetra recording with Tagliavini and his first wife, Pia Tassinari.