Verdi - Jérusalem / Mescheriakova, Giordani, Scandiuzzi, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Luisi (First Complete Recording) [Box set]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Giuseppe Verdi's first big Paris hit, Jérusalem is an 1847 rewrite of I Lombardi. Along with a new French text, the action is clarified, characters and scenes are dropped, the tenor role is beefed up, and the obligatory ballet is added, among other changes. It's a more coherent opera in this version, although Italian audiences have clung to I Lombardi, which is still mounted on the world's stages. The Philips team, however, makes a powerful case for this French grand opera story of betrayal, love, war and rescue, penitence, and vindication painted in primary colors on a canvas of Crusaders and villains, rousingly set to effective, if blunt, music.

Fabio Luisi conducts a vigorous performance and draws excellent work from orchestra and chorus. The smaller roles are generally adequately cast. Marina Mescheriakova is an excellent Hélène, the plucky heroine who follows her exiled fiancé to the Holy Land. Her lustrous soprano voice shines with true Verdian flavor. As Gaston, the tenor hero, Marcello Giordani, is first-rate, tender in his soft singing, tossing off ringing high notes in his heroic passages. An excellent performance of an opera well worth hearing. --Dan Davis

Verdi - Jérusalem / Mescheriakova, Giordani, Scandiuzzi, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Luisi (First Complete Recording), Music, Giuseppe Verdi, Fabio Luisi, Marina Mescheriakova, Marcello Giordani, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Roberto Scandiuzzi, Philippe Rouillon, Simon Edwards, Classical, Classical Music, Italian Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta
Verdi - Jérusalem / Mescheriakova, Giordani, Scandiuzzi, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Luisi (First Complete Recording)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Paris revision of I Lombardi
  • jerusalem by verdi
  • Outstanding Earrly Verdi
  • A new Giacomo Aragall in an almost forgotten masterpiece?
 Verdi - Jérusalem / Mescheriakova, Giordani, Scandiuzzi, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Luisi (First Complete Recording)
Giuseppe Verdi , Fabio Luisi , Marina Mescheriakova , Marcello Giordani , L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande , Roberto Scandiuzzi , Philippe Rouillon , and Simon Edwards
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004XPU3
Release Date: 2001-02-13

Tracks:

  1. Act One: Intro
  2. Act One: Non, Ce Bruit, Ce N'est Rien
  3. Act One: Adieu, Mon Bien-Aime... Adieu, Je Pars, Helene
  4. Act One: Ave Maria
  5. Act One: Le Lever Du Soleil
  6. Act One: Enfin Voici Le Jour Propice
  7. Act One: Avant Que Nous Partions Pour La Croisade Sainte
  8. Act One: Je Tremble Encore
  9. Act One: A Vous, Comte, Jusqu'au Trepas
  10. Act One: Cite Du Seigneur!
  11. Act One: Viens! O Pecheur Rebelle
  12. Act One: Oh! Dans L'ombre, Dans Le Mystere
  13. Act One: Je T'attendais
  14. Act One: Fier Soldat De La Croisade
  15. Act One: Ah! Viens, Demon, Esprit Du Mal
  16. Act One: Mais Quel Tumulte!

Tracks:

  1. Act Two, Scene 1: Grace! Mon Dieu!
  2. Act Two, Scene 1: O Jour Fatal! O Crime!
  3. Act Two, Scene 1: Du Secours! O Mon Dieu, Faut-il Mourir Ainsi!
  4. Act Two, Scene 1: Loin Des Croises, Madame
  5. Act Two, Scene 1: Quelle Ivresse! Bonheur Supreme!
  6. Act Two, Scene 1: O Mon Dieu! O Mon Dieu, Vois Notre Misere!
  7. Act Two, Scene 1: Ecoutez! Ce Sont Eux!... Marche
  8. Act Two, Scene 1: Dieu Soit Loue! Du Fer D'un Assassin...
  9. Act Two, Scene 1: Le Seigneur Nous Promet La Victoire
  10. Act Two, Scene 2: L'Emir Aupres De Lui M'appelle
  11. Act Two, Scene 2: Je Veux Encore Entendre Ta Voix
  12. Act Two, Scene 2: Prisonnier Dans Ramla
  13. Act Two, Scene 2: Helene! - O Ciel! Gaston!
  14. Act Two, Scene 2: Dans La Honte Et L'epouvante
  15. Act Two, Scene 2: Une Pensee Amere Me Rapelle Mon Pere
  16. Act Two, Scene 2: Aux Armes!

Tracks:

  1. Act Three, Scene 1: O Belle Captive
  2. Act Three, Scene 1: Ballet: Pas De Quatre: Andante -
  3. Act Three, Scene 1: Ballet: Pas De Quatre: Allegro -
  4. Act Three, Scene 1: Ballet: Pas De Quatre: Allegro/Scherzando - Allegro -
  5. Act Three, Scene 1: Ballet: Pas De Quatre: Galop
  6. Act Three, Scene 1: Ballet: Pas De Deux: Allegro Moderato Assai -
  7. Act Three, Scene 1: Ballet: Pas De Deux: Allegro Non Troppo -
  8. Act Three, Scene 1: Ballet: Pas De Deux: Tempo Di Valzer -
  9. Act Three, Scene 1: Ballet: Pas De Deux: Allegro Vivace
  10. Act Three, Scene 1: Ballet: Pas Solo: Andante -
  11. Act Three, Scene 1: Ballet: Pas Solo: Scherzando -
  12. Act Three, Scene 1: Ballet: Pas Solo: Allegro Moderato -
  13. Act Three, Scene 1: Ballet: Allegro
  14. Act Three, Scene 1: Ballet: Pas D'ens: Allegro
  15. Act Three, Scene 1: Les Chretiens! Ils Sont La!
  16. Act Three, Scene 1: Que M'importe La Vie
  17. Act Three, Scene 1: On S'egorge! On Se Tue!
  18. Act Three, Scene 2: Marche Funebre
  19. Act Three, Scene 2: Barons Et Chevaliers, Devant Vous Je Proteste
  20. Act Three, Scene 2: O Mes Amis, Mes Freres D'armes
  21. Act Three, Scene 2: Qu'on Execute La Sentence
  22. Act Four, Scene 1: Voici De Josaphat La Lugubre Vallee
  23. Act Four, Scene 1: Saint Ermite, C'est Vous!
  24. Act Four, Scene 1: C'est Lui!
  25. Act Four, Scene 1: Dieu Nous Separe, Helene
  26. Act Four, Scene 1: La Bataille
  27. Act Four, Scene 2: La Bataille Est Gagnee!

Amazon.com

Giuseppe Verdi's first big Paris hit, Jérusalem is an 1847 rewrite of I Lombardi. Along with a new French text, the action is clarified, characters and scenes are dropped, the tenor role is beefed up, and the obligatory ballet is added, among other changes. It's a more coherent opera in this version, although Italian audiences have clung to I Lombardi, which is still mounted on the world's stages. The Philips team, however, makes a powerful case for this French grand opera story of betrayal, love, war and rescue, penitence, and vindication painted in primary colors on a canvas of Crusaders and villains, rousingly set to effective, if blunt, music.

Fabio Luisi conducts a vigorous performance and draws excellent work from orchestra and chorus. The smaller roles are generally adequately cast. Marina Mescheriakova is an excellent Hélène, the plucky heroine who follows her exiled fiancé to the Holy Land. Her lustrous soprano voice shines with true Verdian flavor. As Gaston, the tenor hero, Marcello Giordani, is first-rate, tender in his soft singing, tossing off ringing high notes in his heroic passages. An excellent performance of an opera well worth hearing. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Paris revision of I Lombardi.......2002-10-10

Before Verdi wrote his two original Paris operas, Les Vepres Sicillienes and Don Carlos, he first tried his hand with this reworking of an earlier Italian opera - I Lombardi. Although BBC Radio 3 have an unreleased recording of Jérusalem from the 80's lurking somewhere in their vaults, this is the first time Verdi's Paris revision of his crusader opera has made it onto disc. The original Italian version was recorded in 1975 by Gavazzeni with Carreras in the lead role and is still available (also on Philips).

Comparing the two versions, the later French one has a considerably tighter plot, with a well structured quartet of major roles - crusader count, his daughter, young hero, wicked uncle, and less activity for the chorus than the Italian original. Verdi was so pleased with his revision that he had it translated back into Italian as Gerusalemme and withdrew I Lombardi. The French version's extra length (and extra CD) is partly due to the Parisian grande opéra requirement for a ballet which Verdi inserted, appropriately, in the heroine's harem scene. Anyone wanting to get an idea of the musical difference between I Lombardi and Jérusalem can hear an aria from each on Roberto Alagna's 1998 Verdi Arias disc on EMI.

This 2001 recording recieved a mixed welcome in France. Classica rewarded the set a 'recommandé par Classica' and Télérama awarded it 'ffff' (top marks), but Diapason magazine was less impressed. One problem was that the French pronunciation of the mainly foreign cast didn't go down well with the reviewers: "One regrets that the French diction of the cast of Jérusalem, apart from Philippe Rouillon, is deficient and diminishes the success of this rewriting for the Opéra de Paris, in 1847, of I Lombardi."(Renaud Machart in Le Monde). On the other hand, you'd have thought that most people (the critics of Le Monde excepted) would not be too bothered about the way Italians sing French, and the Russian soprano Marina Mescheriakova compensates very prettily for un-French consonants.

Overall if neither the opera nor the recording is the absolute masterpiece that is Pappano and Alagna's EMI recording of the French original of Don Carlos, then it is still pretty good. If you already have the French version of Don Carlos and enjoyed it, you'll almost certainly like this as well.

5 out of 5 stars jerusalem by verdi.......2002-05-28

I am not familiar with the parent opera, I Lombardi, and this is the first recording of this work. In my humble opinion it is breathtaking. I love the singing, the conducting and the orchestra. The sound quality is superb. Verdi added a powerful scene where the hero Gaston is humilited by having his weapons destoyed for the crime he is innocent of ( my guese is that at the premier this must have moved the audience to tears ). I read up on the story of I lombardi and as far as the drama is concerned Jerusalem is differnt opera. If you love Verdi as I do ( I even have Oberto ) you'll fall in love with this recording and with this opera. By all means by it.

5 out of 5 stars Outstanding Earrly Verdi.......2001-11-24

Jerusalem is a "rewrite" by Verdi of his third opera, I Lombardi. It is an instructional exercise to listen to both operas sequentially, because the composer's growth as a musical dramatist is obvious. The performance is generally excellent: well conducted and well sung. It is frequently said that the recent emphasis on bel canto opera has resulted in a lack of great Verdian voices, and, especially as relates to sopranos and baritones, I tend to agree. But that is nit-picking as far as this album is concerned. It is a totally enjoyable listening experience from start to finish. If you like Verdi, you'll love this recording, and if you are "testing the water" as far as opera goes, this will be an excellent start. Buy and enjoy!

4 out of 5 stars A new Giacomo Aragall in an almost forgotten masterpiece?.......2001-03-08

Many people say that there are no longer great Verdi singers left. I think it is only a littebit true, but when I first heard Marcello Giordani, I forget all my scepsis. Here we can hear a great singer which reminds me of no one less than Giacomo Aragall or perhaps a young Jose Carreras. I wanted to give him a five star rating, but the rest of this recording is good to very good, but not outstanding. Mescheriakova has a beautiful voice, but she is not (yet) a Verdi singer. Scandiuzzi is very good and I specially like the chorus. Fabio Luisi, I rate as 'adequate': he doesn't give that warm Verdi feeling. The orchestra plays very well. The last point I want to make is that of the great value of this recording. I posses many legal or barelylegal recordings of Verdi operas, but this is the first of this masterpiece. Buy it!!!!

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