Verdi - Aida / L. Price ˇ Vickers ˇ Merrill ˇ Gorr ˇ Opera di Roma ˇ Solti

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Though recorded in Rome, this is anything but a traditional Italian Aida. Some find it infuriating, others fascinating. Besides displaying a vocal control and technique way beyond most Radames portrayals, Jon Vickers sings the famous "Celeste Aida" like a thoughtful, inner soliloquy rather than just a showstopper. In the earlier of her two recordings, Price shows why Aida was her signature role, and Gorr can only be a formidable Amneris. The big polarizing force is conductor Sir Georg Solti. An explosive Wagnerian, Solti is accused of making Verdi too bombastic and neglecting the sense of lyrical line. I say he gave the opera grandeur, though admittedly in a manner the composer might not have recognized. --David Patrick Stearns

Verdi - Aida / L. Price ˇ Vickers ˇ Merrill ˇ Gorr ˇ Opera di Roma ˇ Solti, Music, Giuseppe Verdi, Sir Georg Solti, Leontyne Price, Jon Vickers, Orchestra e Coro del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Robert Merrill, Franco Ricciardi, Rita Gorr, Classical, Classical Music, Italian Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta
Verdi - Aida / L. Price · Vickers · Merrill · Gorr · Opera di Roma · Solti
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The critics...
  • Theophrastus Bombastus Paracelsus von Hohenheim
  • Civility, Politeness, and, most of all, Fairness
  • Not my Aida
  • I agree, it's too Wagnerian
 Verdi - Aida / L. Price · Vickers · Merrill · Gorr · Opera di Roma · Solti
Giuseppe Verdi , Sir Georg Solti , Leontyne Price , Jon Vickers , Orchestra e Coro del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma , Robert Merrill , Franco Ricciardi , and Rita Gorr
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by VerdiAll Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General ModernGeneral Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Romantic (c.1820-1910)Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ItalianItalian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
OperettasOperettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Price, LeontynePrice, Leontyne | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
The Decca Records StoreThe Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Verdi: Attila
  2. Verdi: Aida (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Richard Tucker, Tito Gobbi, Tullio Serafin, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan
  3. Bizet: Carmen / Price, Corelli, Merrill, Freni; Karajan
  4. Donizetti - Lucia di Lammermoor / Sutherland · Pavarotti · Milnes · Ghiaurov · ROH Covent Garden · Bonynge
  5. Wagner: Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg

ASIN: B0000041RW
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

  1. Aida: Preludio
  2. Aida: Act One - Si: corre voce che l'Etiope ardisca
  3. Aida: Act One - Se quel guerrier io fossi!
  4. Aida: Act One - Quale insolita gioia
  5. Aida: Act One - Alta cagion v'aduna
  6. Aida: Act One - Ritorna vincitor!
  7. Aida: Scene 2 - Possente, possent Ftha
  8. Aida: Scene 2 - Mortal, diletto ai Numi

Tracks:

  1. Aida: Act Two - Chi mai fra gl'inni e i plausi
  2. Aida: Act Two - Fu la sorte dell'armi a' tuoi funesta
  3. Aida: Act Two - Su! del Nilo al sacro lido
  4. Aida: Scene 2 - Gloria all'Egitto, ad Iside
  5. Aida: Scene 2 - Marcia
  6. Aida: Scene 2 - Vieni, o guerriero vindice
  7. Aida: Scene 2 - Salvator della patria, io ti saluto
  8. Aida: Scene 2 - Che veggo!... Egli?... Mio Padre!
  9. Aida: Scene 2 - Quest'assisa ch'io vesto vi dica
  10. Aida: Scene 2 - Ma tu, Re, tu signore possente
  11. Aida: Scene 2 - Re: pei sacri Numi
  12. Aida: Scene 2 - Gloria all'Egitto, ad Iside

Tracks:

  1. Aida: Act Three - O tu che sei d'Osiride
  2. Aida: Act Three - Qui Radames verra! . . . Che vorra dirmi?
  3. Aida: Act Three - Ciel! mio padre!
  4. Aida: Act Three - Pur ti riveggo, mia dolce Aida...
  5. Aida: Act Three - Fuggiam gli ardori inospiti
  6. Aida: Act Three - Tu. . . Amonasro! . . . tu! . . . il Re?
  7. Aida: Act Four - L'abborrita rivale a me sfuggia . . .
  8. Aida: Act Four - Gia i Sacerdoti adunansi
  9. Aida: Act Four - Ohime! . . . morir mi sento! Oh! chi lo salva?
  10. Aida: Act Four - Radames! Radames! Radames!
  11. Aida: Scene 2 - La fatal pietra sovra me si chiuse
  12. Aida: Scene 2 - Presago il core della tua condanna
  13. Aida: Scene 2 - O terra, addio; addio, valle di pianti

Amazon.com

Though recorded in Rome, this is anything but a traditional Italian Aida. Some find it infuriating, others fascinating. Besides displaying a vocal control and technique way beyond most Radames portrayals, Jon Vickers sings the famous "Celeste Aida" like a thoughtful, inner soliloquy rather than just a showstopper. In the earlier of her two recordings, Price shows why Aida was her signature role, and Gorr can only be a formidable Amneris. The big polarizing force is conductor Sir Georg Solti. An explosive Wagnerian, Solti is accused of making Verdi too bombastic and neglecting the sense of lyrical line. I say he gave the opera grandeur, though admittedly in a manner the composer might not have recognized. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The critics..........2006-04-21

The critics complain "Oh, how Wagnerian! How over the top!!" Yes, well here's a little history refresher for the "aficionados"...

1871 - Rome becomes capital of Italy. The premiere of Aida is delayed by the Franco-Prussian war. It eventually opens on December 24 in Cairo.

1873 - Verdi composes a String Quartet while in Naples for a revision of 'Don Carlo' and a revival of *Aida*. His friend Manzoni dies on May 22, and Verdi composes a Requiem Mass for him...

1874 - The Messa da Requiem for Manzoni is performed at the Church of San Marco in Milan on May 22, with Verdi conducting. In the following years he takes the Requiem to many European cities. Verdi is nominated to the Italian Senate. To this day the Requiem reminds people of the quiet simplitude of death (ahem).

1879 The 'Otello' project is proposed by Giulio Ricordi. And as you all know, Othello is a work known as a completely Non-Wagnerian work *cough*.

And as a matter of fact, when Verdi was 16 years old, he read Manzoni's famous novel, I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed), and from then on Verdi was in awe of Manzoni's national vision and sense of humanity. When the 89-year-old novelist died in l873, Verdi wrote to his publisher: "I am deeply saddened by the death of our great man. But I will not come to Milan tomorrow because I haven't the heart to attend his funeral. I'll come in a little while to visit his grave, alone and without being seen." On June 2, Verdi travelled to Milan and early the next morning, he visited the gravesite, alone. Later that day, he again wrote to his publisher, telling him he would like to compose a Requiem Mass to be performed the following year on the first anniversary of Manzoni's death.

The world premiere of the Verdi Requiem took place in Milan's Church of San Marco on May 22, l874. Verdi himself conducted a chorus of 120 singers and an orchestra of l00 musicians, with soloists from La Scala. Two of the soloists, soprano Teresa Stoltz and mezzo Maria Waldmann, had created the roles of *Aida* and Amneris for the Italian premiere of *Aida* just two years earlier. Verdi had announced his retirement then, and he subsequently thought the Requiem would be his last work, little dreaming that his Shakespearean operas, Otello (l887) and Falstaff (l898), would follow much later.


So as you can clearly see, Verdi was a man, who after working deeply in politics, enduring the Risorgimento, having no appreciation of "Bombastic" music such as his Requiem, and having no knowledge whatsoever of Wagner while writing Otello, couldn't possibly have been done any justice with this mediocre "bombastic, Wagnerian" recording....

If only some of the fine critics could write something sufficiently more qualified.

3 out of 5 stars Theophrastus Bombastus Paracelsus von Hohenheim.......2005-04-06

Paracelsus was a great man of the Renaissance, a rough contemporary of Hans Sachs of "Die Meistersinger" fame. He was a scholar, philosopher, apothecary, physician and alchemist. He has a solid claim to being the founder of modern medicine. His most prominent quality, however, and certainly the one for which he is best remembered, gave the words "bombast" and "bombastic" to the English language. Georg Solti is very much the Paracelsus of Twentieth Century conductors. He even managed the imposing task of going over the top with Wagner.

In skimming over the Amazon customer reviews, I find that some regard this recording as too Wagnerian. It is not. It is, however, much too Solti-an. "Aida" has been described with considerable precision as an intimate drama with a circus in the middle. Solti's "Aida" is two three-ring circuses crashing into each other.

The singers on this recording are quite good on those occasions when Paracelsus-in-the-pit allows them to be heard. "Aida" has become a diva opera, and one's tastes in personal divas is seldom subject to rational bounds. One Amazon reviewer asks whether anyone listens to Tebaldi's Aida. Well, I do. And I listen to the Aidas of Milanov and Caniglia and Callas (despite, not because of silly interpolated high notes.) Frankly, I prefer all four to Price, but that is a matter of personal taste, no more.

Vickers turns in a thoroughly un-Italian performance. But it is a performance quite in sympathy with Verdi's written score. His is a performance that no Italian of Verdi's time could or would have provided, but one, I think, the grand old man would have enjoyed.

This recording would have been a very good performance of "Aida" but for the fulminations of a conductor who was perfect for introducing the world to the sweep of stereophonic sound, but who never managed to move on.

Three stars.

5 out of 5 stars Civility, Politeness, and, most of all, Fairness.......2005-03-28

I first heard this recording of "Aida" in the 60s and am convinced today as I was years ago that it is one of the best recordings of the Verdi-masterpiece. Amazon. com has provided its customers an opportunity to sample the various recordings of this and countless other masterpieces. It has done so because, in my opinion, it realizes that the assessment of musical performances is often very subjective; it depends largely on the listeners' taste and exposure to music. I personally don't think that the Customer Review section should be used as a chat board for customers to grind repeatedly their personal axes. There are devotees of Tebaldi, Callas, Price, Caballe, Sutherland, etc., whose views are heavily influenced by their devotion to their favorite singer. I encourage all of you who are interested in purchasing a performance of "Aida" to take advantage of the amazon.com offer and listen to the selections of all of the performances. Having done that, you should purchase the one which pleases you. Price, Tebaldi, Callas, Milanov -- all have singular talents and something to "say" as "Aida." I am reminded, however, that after Price's performance of "Aida" in La Scala, one critic remarked that "Our great Verdi would have found her ideal." Enjoy your excursions!

3 out of 5 stars Not my Aida.......2005-03-22

On the whole, this is a very non-Verdi Aida. Look at the cast, the conductor...it's too much brass! It doesn't follow the delicacy of the Italian Verdi tradition. I would much rather listen to Tebaldi and Del Monaco's Aida rather than this one, because I think their Aida is sung in the true Italian tradition. This one was done in the tradition of 20th century Wagnerian style--loud orchestra, enormous voiced singers who can't sing with affection, all except for Leontyne Price. The three stars goes to her. This recording is not definitive. The Greek reviewer should reconsider the composer's wishes first before trying to do this review. Besides, if he's such a Callas/Fleming/Schwarzkopf fan, how on earth does he know a thing about this recording? I dare say he just listens to the sound clips on Amazon. Vickers is indeed too Wagnerian for the role of Radames. Radames requires an Italianate tenore di robusto, not a heldentenor. Having such tenors play Otello or Radames overpowers Verdi's score. Rita Gorr? She doesn't sing with emotion.

If you want a large scale Aida full of brass and bravura, buy this. I'd go for Tebaldi or Callas of Millo.

2 out of 5 stars I agree, it's too Wagnerian.......2005-03-14

This Callas basher obviously lies. First of all, I do think Leontyne Price has a very odd mannerism with her voice- pinching it to make it sound thick. Second, del Monaco was one of the greatest Radames of the century, his singing of the role superior over to that of Jon Vickers. Vickers is taking the role too technically. Mario, although not a bel canto specialist or a Wagnerian tenor, specialized in Verdi, Puccini, and verismo. Then, the lying Callas basher contradicts himself by saying that the E-flat is not written in the score, so Callas shouldn't sing it. Well what about Joan Sutherland's Lucias and her Sonnambulas and the rest? They shouldn't be proper either! He's obviously uneducated about opera, seeking war with others to create tension between the diva factions.

And I agree, this is too Wagnerian. Except for Price, the whole shebang of this Aida is represented by Wagner specialists.

Music Review:

  1. Victor Herbert: Sweethearts/Ohio Light Opera [Cast Recording]
  2. Villa-Lobos: Symphony No. 10 "Amerindia
  3. Voyage ŕ Paris: Songs of Francis Poulenc
  4. Wagner: Tannhauser [Import]
  5. When We No Longer Touch
  6. 39 Dissonant Etudes
  7. 50 Classical Highlights: Mozart
  8. 500 Years of European Choral Music
  9. A Cappella, Volume One - Brahms / Parkman, Danish National Radio Choir
  10. A Medieval Christmas

Music Review

music review

Music Review

Eyes of a Woman [Import]

Járdányi: Orchestral Works

Great Voices of the Century

Electric Ascension [Live]

Latin Pride

Pop Music: #1 Christmas Album [Import]

Gregorianische Gesange [Import]

Green Day Blue Grass: Pickin' On Green Day: A Tribute

Heart of the Matter [Import]

Franck: Piano Trios Vol. 2

In Concert [Live]

Hombre Celoso

Hot! Hot! Hot!: Caliente de Vicio

Light to Dark

Bridge to Havana