Verdi - Falstaff / Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Hendricks, Gonzalez, Valentini-Terrani, Giulini

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The master of Italian tragedy finished his career unexpectedly with a comedy, and a comedy in the great tradition of his hero, Shakespeare: light, scintillating, utterly absorbing, and probably Verdi's most musically sophisticated work. This exciting live recording by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with Renato Bruson in the title role, is conducted by the great Carlo Maria Giulini. --Joshua Cody

Verdi - Falstaff / Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Hendricks, Gonzalez, Valentini-Terrani, Giulini, Music, Giuseppe Verdi, Carlo Maria Giulini, Renato Bruson, Barbara Hendricks, Lucia Valentini-Terrani, Leo Nucci, Katia Ricciarelli, Classical, Classical Music, Italian Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta

Verdi - Falstaff / Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Hendricks, Gonzalez, Valentini-Terrani, Giulini
Average customer rating:

Ave Atque Vale, Maestro Giulini

A Very Disappointing Version of Verdi's Masterpiece

Others much better

Superb recording and great cast and conductor!

Still the champ among modern sets...

Verdi - Falstaff / Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Hendricks, Gonzalez, Valentini-Terrani, Giulini
Giuseppe Verdi , Carlo Maria Giulini , Renato Bruson , Barbara Hendricks , Lucia Valentini-Terrani , Leo Nucci , and Katia Ricciarelli
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001G4L
Release Date: 1984-02-13

Tracks:

Falstaff: Act I - Part One: 'Falstaff! Ola!' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act I - Part One: 'Sei polli; sei scellini... So che andiam, la notte' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act I - Part One: 'Ma e tempo d'assottigliar l'ingegno... V'e noto un tal, qui del paese' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act I - Part One: 'L'Onore! Ladri!' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act I - Part Two: 'Alice. Meg. Nannetta' (Alice, Quickly, Nannetta)
Falstaff: Act I - Part Two: 'Fulgida Alice! amor t'offro... Quell'otre! quel tino!' (Alice, Quickly, Nannetta, Fenton, Ford)
Falstaff: Act I - Part Two: 'In due parole' (Ford, Fenton, Nannetta, Alice, Quickly)
Falstaff: Act I - Part Two: 'Pst, pst, Nannetta... Labbra di foco!' (Fenton, Nannetta, Alice, Quickly)
Falstaff: Act I - Part Two: 'Undrai quanta egli sfoggia' (Ford, Fenton, Alice, Nannetta, Quickly)
Falstaff: Act II - Part One: 'Siam pentiti e contriti.. Reverenza!' (Falstaff, Quickly)
Falstaff: Act II - Part One: 'Alice e mia!... Va, vecchio John' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act II - Part One: 'Signore, v'assista il cielo!' (Ford, Fallstaff)
Falstaff: Act II - Part One: 'C'e a Windsor una dama' (Ford, Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act II - Part One: 'E sogno? o realta' (Ford, Falstaff)

Tracks:

Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Presenteremo un bill... Giunta all' Albergo della Giarrettiera' (Alice, Quickly, Nannetta)
Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Gaie comari di Windsor' (Alice, Quickly, Nannetta)
Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Alfin t'ho colto, raggiante fior' (Falstaff, Alice)
Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Quand'ero paggio' (Falstaff, Alice, Quickly)
Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Mia signora!' (Quickly, Falstaff, Alice, Ford)
Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'Vien qua. Che chiasso!' (Nannetta, Fenton, Ford))
Falstaff: Act II - Part Two: 'C'e. C'e. Se t'agguanto! Se ti piglio!' (Ford, Quickly, Falstaff, Fenton, Nannetta, Alice)
Falstaff: Act III - Part One: 'Ehi! Taverniere! Mondo ladro!' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act III - Part One: 'Reverenza. La bella Alice... Quandro il rintocco della mezzanotte' (Quickly, Falstaff, Alice, Ford, Nannetta)
Falstaff: Act III - Part One: 'Brava. Quelle corna saranno la mia gioia!' (Ford, Alice, Fenton, Nannetta, Quickly)
Falstaff: Act III - Part Two: 'Dal labbro il canto estasiato vola' (Fenton, Nannetta, Alice, Quickly)
Falstaff: Act III - Part Two: 'Una, due, tre, quattro' (Falstaff, Alice)
Falstaff: Act III - Part Two: 'Ninfe! Elfi! Silfi!... Sul fin d'un soffio etesio' (Nannetta, Falstaff, Alice)
Falstaff: Act III - Part Two: 'Alto la!... Pizzica, pizzica' (Falstaff, Quickly, Alice, Nannetta, Ford)
Falstaff: Act III - Part Two: 'Ogni sorta di gente dozzinale' (Falstaff, Alice, Quickly, Ford, Fenton, Nannetta)
Falstaff: Act III - Part Two: 'Facciamo il parentado... Tutto nel mondo e burla' (Ford, Alice, Nannetta, Quickly, Fenton, Falstaff)

Amazon.com

The master of Italian tragedy finished his career unexpectedly with a comedy, and a comedy in the great tradition of his hero, Shakespeare: light, scintillating, utterly absorbing, and probably Verdi's most musically sophisticated work. This exciting live recording by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with Renato Bruson in the title role, is conducted by the great Carlo Maria Giulini. --Joshua Cody

Customer Reviews:

Ave Atque Vale, Maestro Giulini.......2005-06-17

The musical world is stunned this day at the loss of one of the great musicians of the 20th Century: the gentle, poetic, insightful, spiritual conductor is gone. Though Giulini conducted little during his last years of life, this live recording of Verdi's FALSTAFF set the international opera world into raves and accolades when this fully staged production was produced and performed in the then operaless Los Angeles in 1984.

The CD is a live recording and while the usual audiences presence can be distracting to listeners of other operas, this fine recording wisely captured the essence of Giulini's alchemy in the presence of the interaction between the performers and the receivers. Always a lover of conducting operas, especially those of Verdi, Giulini knew this score so thoroughly that he could embrace every nuance of the orchestral portions as well as providing just the right underpinning for the soloists and ensembles. His selected cast of Renato Bruson as Falstaff, along with Katia Ricciarelli (in her very finest hour), Barbara Hendricks, Leo Nucci, Lucia Valentin-Terrani, Dalmacio Gonzalez, and Frances Egerton give their all: there are few ensembles in the final moments of this masterpiece that provide the lusty glowing wit and warmth that Giulini coaxes from this sparkling cast.

At the time of this production and recording Giulini was the conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and indeed this performance was part of that season of subscription performances! And how often are we allowed the luxury of having a major symphony orchestra in the opera pit? His years with the orchestra lifted it from the bold and flashy ensemble from the Zubin Mehta years to the burnished and golden glow so identified with Giulini. The orchestra adored him, the public held him in awe, and the international press began to pay very close attention to the LA Philharmonic.

For those of us who had the privilege of sitting in the audience during his tenure and basking in the magic from his revelatory FALSTAFF (not to mention the majesty of his Mahler, Bruckner, Mozart, Beethoven, et al), this recording will always be a treasured memento of the halcyon years with the Maestro. He will be remembered as a poet of the podium. This recording is one that belongs in the collection of everyone who savors the great moments in musical history. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, June 05

A Very Disappointing Version of Verdi's Masterpiece.......2003-12-01

Falstaff is definitely Verdi's most astonishing masterpiece: it is extremely dense, overloaded with themes, and its music is incredibly inspired. What Maestro Giulini and his team deliver is NOT Falstaff. The tempo is unbearably slow; it sounds like Bruckner or Brahms! Bruson's capture of the role is much too heavy, and yet his voice is not impressive. Ricciarelli does not fit the role at all; it requires her to be very agile, which she is not in this recording. If you want to discover the real Falstaff, refer to Karajan's version with a great collection of artists: Tito Gobbi (unforgettable), Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Feodora Barbieri... It is one of the best recording of an opera (ever)

Others much better.......2003-07-08

Though I don't disagree with other listeners' opinion that Guilini is the star of this recording, it is a minor tragedy to compare the principals here favorably against those of earlier recordings, such as Gobbi or Taddei under Karajon and especially Geraint Evans with Solti conducting. Perhaps Bruson sounds Falstaffian when one has never heard Evans exclaim, "Saltimbanco!" Some may find Nucci's Ford tolerable but surely not after their eardrums have encountered Robert Merrill's baritone. And Katia? Fortunately Falstaff is not a soprano showcase, like an Aida, Traviata, or Otello.

I understand that Bruson is, or was, quite a good actor on-stage, which surely explains how his flat, underpowered monotone continues to impress those that have seen him perform.

The greatest testament to this set's deficiencies is the number of used copies available at Amazon. As I write this, it stands at 15. That so many listeners wish to pawn off this recording of a Verdian masterpiece exposes the truth. Better to look elsewhere.

Superb recording and great cast and conductor!.......2002-12-17

This recording really has it all! First, we hear the great maestro Guilini conduct one of his signature operas. You can definitely hear all rehearsing that's gone into this performance - every passage is incredibly crisp and every intonation of the characters is perfectly echoed by the orchestra. Somebody said this is a recording with a smile. How true! The artists just had a lot of fun while performing this work - a sign of great mastery of its vocal demands. The sound is spacious and I could hardly tell it was a live performance. DG provided a very informative booklet with great pictures, but, alas, no artist bios.
Renato Bruson as Falstaff is a dream come true. I've always thought of Rigoletto or Rodrigo as his best roles, but he has a natural gift for comedy as well. (For instance, he recorded Don Pasquale and it's hilarious!) What Bruson brings to this role is a touch of sadness; his Falstaff is not just a fat old rascal, but also a rather likable 3D figure. Plus his dark baritone voice is really beautiful, rich and velvety with perfect breath control and superb legato line. Katia Ricciarelli is also surprisingly adept at comedy, I am so used to hear her in dramatic roles, it's a pleasure to hear her gorgeous soprano applied here. Young Barbara Hendricks as Nannetta is just delightful, sweet and witty. Lucia Valentini Terrani as Quickly is a perfect casting choice, no wonder poor John falls for everything she tells him. Leo Nucci's baritone is very different from Falstaff's and their duet in Act 2 is fabulous. Everyone in the cast is top notch, they just can't be given enough credit in these few words.
With most recordings someone usually finds a weak link. With this one, it would be next to impossible. While there are some wonders still available, e.g. with Tito Gobbi in title role, this one deserves to be in the top 10 best all-around performances of all time.

Still the champ among modern sets..........2001-11-02

Although faced with competition from von Karajan's older recording on EMI's Recordings of the Century and Toscanini's account, Giulini's probably stands alone among modern recordings. I have never heard anyone describe this set as "unsmiling" and can categorically deny this as untrue. I found myself smiling throughout. A live recording, there is some audience laughter as well (although recorded lightly) but applause is edited out, which I find somewhat disconcerting, finding applause to be a natural part of a recording this fine.