Verdi - Don Carlo / Corelli · Janowitz · Ghiaurov · Verrett · Wächter · H. Stein

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Tenor Franco Corelli never recorded the role of Don Carlo commercially, so this release is instantly valuable. Indeed, the tenor is in magnificent voice: pungent, emotionally forward, thrilling, and only occasionally sloppy. His Elisabetta is Gundula Janowitz, hardly a Verdi soprano, but she makes some very beautiful sounds nonetheless. Eberhard Wächter is surprisingly Italianate as Posa, while Shirley Verrett almost walks away with the whole show with her fiery Eboli. Nicolai Ghiaurov is at his grandest as Philip II, and his scene with the terrifying Grand Inquisitor of Martti Talvela will take your breath away. Horst Stein leads a not always tidy but exciting reading. --Robert Levine

Verdi - Don Carlo / Corelli · Janowitz · Ghiaurov · Verrett · Wächter · H. Stein, Music, Giuseppe Verdi, Horst Stein, Franco Corelli, Gundula Janowitz, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Shirley Verrett, Eberhard Wächter, Tugomir Franc, Martti Talveala, Ewald Aichberger, Judith Blegen, Classical, Classical Music, Italian Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta
Verdi - Don Carlo / Corelli · Janowitz · Ghiaurov · Verrett · Wächter · H. Stein
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • One problem....
  • I can review it no les than 5 stars despite flaws
  • A ghastly recording of an outstanding performance
  • Great recording, with flaws
  • Short version, but GREAT performance!
 Verdi - Don Carlo / Corelli · Janowitz · Ghiaurov · Verrett · Wächter · H. Stein
Giuseppe Verdi , Horst Stein , Franco Corelli , Gundula Janowitz , Nicolai Ghiaurov , Shirley Verrett , Eberhard Wächter , Tugomir Franc , Martti Talveala , Ewald Aichberger , and Judith Blegen
Manufacturer: Opera D'oro
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000000UO2
Release Date: 1997-09-16

Tracks:

  1. Don Carlo: Act I: Carlo il sommo Imperatore - Coro
  2. Don Carlo: Act I: Io l'ho perduta! ... Io la vidi - Don Carlo
  3. Don Carlo: Act I: E lui! Desso! L'infante - Rodrigo - Rodrigo
  4. Don Carlo: Act I: Dio, che nell'alma infodere - Don Carlo, Rodrigo
  5. Don Carlo: Act I: Introductory Chorus And Song Of The Veil - Eboli
  6. Don Carlo: Act I: La Regina! - Coro
  7. Don Carlo: Act I: Io vengo a domandar grazia - Don Carlo
  8. Don Carlo: Act I: Il Re! - Eboli
  9. Don Carlo: Act I: Restate! - Philip II
  10. Don Carlo: Act I: Oh! strano sognator - Philip II

Tracks:

  1. Don Carlo: Act II: A mezzanotte nel giardin della Regina - Don Carlo
  2. Don Carlo: Act II: Ciel! non e la regina - Don Carlo
  3. Don Carlo: Act II: Ed io che tremava - Eboli
  4. Don Carlo: Act II: Spuntato ecco il di d'esultanza - Coro
  5. Don Carlo: Act II: Nel posar sul mio capo - Philip II
  6. Don Carlo: Act II: Sire! egli e tempo ch'io viva! - Don Carlo
  7. Don Carlo: Act III: Ella giammai m'amo... Dormiro sol - Philip II
  8. Don Carlo: Act III: Il Grande inquisitor! - Conte di Lerma
  9. Don Carlo: Act III: Giusitiza, giustizia, Sire! - Elisabetta
  10. Don Carlo: Act III: Ah! sia maledetto - Philip II

Tracks:

  1. Don Carlo: Act III: Pieta! Pieta! Perdon - Eboli
  2. Don Carlo: Act III: Ah! piu non vedro... O don fatale - Eboli
  3. Don Carlo: Act III: Son io, mio Carlo - Rodrigo - Rodrigo
  4. Don Carlo: Act III: Per me e il di supremo - Rodrigo - Rodrigo
  5. Don Carlo: Act III: Mio Carlo, a te la spada io rendo - Philip II
  6. Don Carlo: Act IV: Prelude
  7. Don Carlo: Act IV: Tu che la vanita - Elisabetta
  8. Don Carlo: Act IV: E dessa! - Don Carlo
  9. Don Carlo: Act IV: Si, per sempre! - Philip II

Amazon.com

Tenor Franco Corelli never recorded the role of Don Carlo commercially, so this release is instantly valuable. Indeed, the tenor is in magnificent voice: pungent, emotionally forward, thrilling, and only occasionally sloppy. His Elisabetta is Gundula Janowitz, hardly a Verdi soprano, but she makes some very beautiful sounds nonetheless. Eberhard Wächter is surprisingly Italianate as Posa, while Shirley Verrett almost walks away with the whole show with her fiery Eboli. Nicolai Ghiaurov is at his grandest as Philip II, and his scene with the terrifying Grand Inquisitor of Martti Talvela will take your breath away. Horst Stein leads a not always tidy but exciting reading. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars One problem...........2007-03-03

Okay, two, but the one cannot be helped, which is: I really want this in French - the other is the Fontainebleu scene has been cut. Bad. Bad. Bad. Verrett is effective as Eboli but her ha-ha-ha's to cut the tricky parts in The Veil Song are not only annoying, but very incorrect, as in bad singing. Bumbry may well be the best Eboli of the last two decades and most often those who can sing The Veil Song cannot sing O don fatale.... As for Corelli, well, hey! he could sing a menu. One of my Opera News Online friends cannot believe I'm nuts about Corelli, and I quote: "He bleats like a goat." Oy! Everyone should bleat so GOOD. On this recording he does not bleat. It should be noted that I do not like a fast vibrato - okay, nor do I like a slow vibrato, to say nothing of a wobble (I adore Callas, however, warts and all). The interesting thing about opera lovers is that everyone has an opinion, although I do prefer EDUCATED opinions.

I'm not saying this is my favorite Carlos (and that is the fellow's name so I've never understood why the "s" is so often dropped), but it's right up there.

5 out of 5 stars I can review it no les than 5 stars despite flaws.......2005-10-10

This Cd contains some of the Centuries most spine tingling Verdian singing, and must be bought by any serious fan of Live opera.
Everything about this production screams of generality. It is the 4 act trunkated version of the score, which doesnt really bother me (although the first act is quite helpful to the Drama it does not, in my opinion, offer much relevatory music and I perfer the more tortured musings of the tenor aria Io L'ho Perduta.)
Ths score is given a very brisk and dramatic reading, which was appropriate for the artists at hand. With lighter singers (like recent efforts by Alagna, Van Dam, Hampson and the like) the score is better handled gently, but this hell raising read through works with the singers.
As for the singers, it is a mixed bag. The Carlo is Franco Corelli. Although Franco makes some exciting sounds througout with his heroic instrument, he makes no attempt a charachter. Often he clips his phrases and words and blasts mindlessly. However, I appreciate this as the operatic tradition which Corelli came out of which includes Di Stefano Del Monaco and other great voices who tended to sacrifice nuanced line in their singing. For cleaner interpretations check in with Carreras in '77 (live recording not '86 Dvd with Karajan) or Bergonzi and Domingo in the Recording studio in the 60's and 70's. Corelli voice is consistantly excellent however, and any complaits are with his breed of tenor, and not with him specifically.
Corelli, however, couldnt possibly blend with Waechter and his shouty Rodrigo. It is a very german voice, plummy and without the spinto qualities of idiomatic italian sound. It is often forced in top registers, and oversinging is the rule of the day. I, frankly, didn't get much out of it.
Gundula Janowitz was Elisabetta, and she was also so-so. In softer moments her voice spun forth beautifully, but with volume came discomfort and pinching, calling forth memories of Ghena Dimtrova or other such Dramatic Sopranos whose voice thins and shrills at the top.
Shirley Verrett was the Eboli, as she was so very often. There is no complaint, the voice is perfect for the role. She sings it like no other. The veil song is simply exotic and magical, the voice ringing and chesty. The interpretation is both strong and versmatic without disturbing the phrasing.
Ghiaurov is King Phillip. AND IT WAS SOME OF THE BEST SINGING EVER TO BE HEARD. It was much better than in the studio, as he was given liscence to open up, to snarl, to infliect and to bark. His voice, with its dark ping brings forth in spades the melancholy of the somber king. At soft volumes the voice spoke eloquently of inner pain, and at top volumes the voice showed the true might of a great King, a sound that was so large that one would think he was surely using some amplification. Ghiaurov is spellbinding,
Tavella as the Grand Inquisitor, rises to the challange of trading blows with the great Phillip of Ghiaurov. Tavella coos here, bellows here and downright screams in other places. his enourmous voice opened up to Challange the power of the king and the results are terrifying. It is the most menacing Inquisitor in recorded annals. At the end of the duet one can hear his heavy breathing as the 90 year old inquisitor, exausted, leaves in all of his pride and power.
No amount of fire coming out of the ground or stage makeup tricks can make a Grand Inquisitor scary, and so amount of experience at the role can make Jose Van Dam sing a low G. (referencing the new Dvd version) Don Carlos is an opera of Italian flavor and makes an impact much stronger in these italian voices.
The magic of this scene is worth any price,
Making this Cd, for any faults, priceless

2 out of 5 stars A ghastly recording of an outstanding performance.......2004-04-02

This production of Giuseppe Verdi's four-act Italian version of his tragedy Don Carlo was recorded live in Vienna in October, 1970. The audience is merciless throughout; barrages of sneezes, coughs, and several deluges of chatter are cruelly audible. (Alas, one will never find an audience as disciplined and admittedly kind as the Bayreuth audience that silently watched Karl Böhm's famous production of Der Ring des Nibelungen.) Horst Stein leads the Wiener Philharmoniker slowly, often drudgingly, through the music. The mournful opening brass strains of Act I may lead the listener to believe that the music will be highly atmospheric and exciting; however, by the finale of Act IV, the listener is likely to wonder how Stein's work could become more pejorative. The Wiener Staatsopernchor is in fine voice and is surprisingly audible throughout, a rare occurrence in live recordings.

The soloists are where the strength of the recording lies, nonetheless. This is a delightful set for any opera lover who may not be an uncompromising Franco Corelli aficionado. The illustrious tenor possessed a rustic, viscous voice, brimming with tumultuous thunder and lightening, blood and violence; he is an impassioned, desolate Don Carlo, lucidly addressing the Spanish Infante's passion and misery. In his Act I aria ("Io l'ho perduta!"), he is grief-stricken and shattered. Gundula Janowitz is in mature voice as the lugubrious Elisabetta di Valois. She is sweet and ambrosial during her doleful Act I aria ("Non pianger, mio compagna") to her banished companion, the Countess d'Aremberg. She is, however, obviously vocally exhausted by the onslaught of Act IV through her gloomy, stressed rendition of "Tu che le vanità."

Shirley Verrett employs her talents gained through interpretations of Carmen and Dalila to mold an exotic, bewitching performance as the Moorish courtesan, la Principessa d'Eboli, as is evident in her stellar rendition of the "Song of the Veil" ("Nei giardin del bello"). She is absolutely electrifying, frenzied, and tempestuous in the opening Act II trio ("Sei tu, sei tu, bell'adorata" ... "Ciel! Non è la Regina!" ... "Al mio furor, sfuggite invano" ... "Ed io, che tremava al suo aspetto") with Corelli and Wächter; she encompasses a brazen pythoness, determined to have her terrible, thunderous revenge. She is also amazing in her Act III aria ("O don fatale, O don crudel") as the spurned and now hopeless Eboli, whose rage over her detested beauty melts into a bitter remorse for her grim future as a nun. Eberhard Wächter boasted the same rough, gritty, titanic voice that Corelli held; the two of them blend pleasantly in their pageantry-filled Act I duet ("Dio, che nell'alma infondere"), and it is not difficult to understand how the Infante and Rodrigo, Marchese di Posa, were such intimate allies. On the whole, however, the baritone never possessed a pleasant lyrical voice, and Piero Cappuccilli, Tito Gobbi, or Sherrill Milnes would have been much more preferable during the charming Act I trio ("Che mai si fan el suol francese" ... "Carlo ch'è sol il nostro amore") with Verrett and Janowitz. He is pushed to his pitiable limits by his Act III doomful aria ("Per me giunto è il dì supremo") as well.

Nicolai Ghiaurov, a veteran of the role of Filippo II, is beyond criticism in his interpretation of the Act III aria "Ella giammai m'amo," the greatest aria Verdi ever penned for the bass voice (excluding "Il lacerato spirito" of Simon Boccanegra). The Wiener Philharmoniker plays with icy introspection; one can envision the grim, dusty hallways of the Escurial, with the ancient, sleepless Filippo lumbering around his bed chamber, decorated by gory tapestries and paintings of the Crucifixion. The Bulgarian bass sings with cyclopean, stentorian distinction; he also receives the longest applause for any individual singer throughout the entire recording. Il Conte di Lerma's harrowing announcement ("Il Grande Inquisitor!") surely proved to be a frightening introduction when Martti Talvela entered Filippo's chamber. The gargantuan Finnish bass - both in terms of physical bulk and blusterous growl - is a vocal portrait of villainy and malice (in spite of the fact that some of his greatest roles were the fairly sympathetic characters of Daland in Der fliegende Holländer, Fasolt in Das Rheingold, and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte). In their Act III duet ("Son io dinanzi al Re?" ... "Nell'ispano suol mai l'eresia dominò"), Talvela's Inquisitor is a bitter, gnarled ogre who disguises his jealousy concerning the friendship between Filippo and Rodrigo in sanctimony and zealousness, while Filippo is conversely a brutal tyrant controlled, like a puny child, by the rigorous and inhumane guidance of the Inquisitor-General. The two basses realize these personalities with such precision that can easily imagine them slithering about as Richard III and the Duke of Buckingham.

Despite the terrible work by Tugomir Franc as the mysterious Frate and the nearly-silent Judith Blegen as the Voce dal Cielo, the sound quality of the recording and editing of Verdi's score are the death knells for this set. The sound of the Act I duet between Corelli and Janowitz ("Io vengo a domandar") is extremely vexing; a static clicking hampers throughout. The recording pitch also drops a level in the middle of Corelli's powerful confession to Elisabetta ("Sotto al mio pie si dischuda la terra") which creates a hollow, insipid sound. All of this is a collective shame, for Corelli and Janowitz (especially the former, as the premature applause from the audience will indicate) are in excellent voice. The sound is also poor during the massive ensemble in the second scene of Act II ("A Dio voi foste infidi, infidi al vostro Re") and in the Act IV duet between Corelli and Janowitz ("Ma lassù ci vedremo"). Concerning the latter, the two singers are indescribably beautiful; any fatigue oppressing either of them has vanished and has been replaced by a marvelous assurance and exquisite vocal precision. However, there is a terrible sound crack near the end of the duet, along with irritating rumblings of static.

As far as editing is concerned, the second scene of Act II is oddly truncated. The royal procession, which includes the entrances of Elisabetta, Rodrigo, and Eboli, is gone and the minor role of the araldo reale is deleted; thus, Filippo appears without introduction or beckoning from the people. The finale of the opera ("Sì, per sempre!") is certain to leave a listener with an acrid taste in his or her mouth. The reappearance of the Friar from Act I (the fiendish ghost of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V or Charles II of Spain) is cut, as are the final cries of horror from Ghiaurov and Janowitz. This is an inexplicable deletion which greatly hampers the dramatics of the finale and takes the bite considerably out of the grim conclusion to the darkest opera Verdi ever conceived.

3 out of 5 stars Great recording, with flaws.......2003-10-12

Unlike most of the other reviewers, I was disappointed with Corelli in this recording. I am a great admirer of his, and bought this recording primarily to hear him. He was not in good voice this evening- he forces especially in the first act; later on he improves, but this is definitely not one of his best recordings. Waechter is also very disappointing, and shouts his way through his part. The duet between them is the worst I have heard- compare it to Vickers/Gobbi or Bergonzi/Fischer-Dieskau, and you'll see why it is so disappointing.
Ghiaurov, as usual, gives an excellent performance, and the clash between Phillip and the Grand Inquisitor is the best I have heard- Talvella is superb, and the duet is far more dramatic than in the studio recording (Solti) with the same two artists.
Verrett is excellent as Eboli, and Janovitz handles her part very well.
It's worth buying this recording just to hear Verrett, Ghiaurov and Talvella.

4 out of 5 stars Short version, but GREAT performance!.......2003-02-04

This is an outstanding performance, where all the singers are very much involved to their characters. Ghiarov is something enormous here and Corellis Don Carlo is among the best I ever heard. There is so much passion in it! Verrett is superb and so is also Wächter.
But it has some weak points, this performance. First of all, it is a very short version and Janowitz creates a sweet Elisabetta, but you can hear she gets tired in ending of the opera. Her vibrato becomes too dominating and therefor she also sometimes sounds a little bit out of pitch. I may be too hard now... After all she is very sweet.
This recording is absolute worth having!

Track Listings:

  1. Vernal Equinox
  2. Vespers and Other Early Works
  3. Walt Wagner: THE MIRACLE - Concerto for Piano & Orchestra; RHYTHMS - For Piano, Winds & Percussion
  4. Walton Conducts Walton: The 1964 New Zealand Tour
  5. Walton: Symphony No1; Partita
  6. A Classical Touch
  7. Arnold Schoenberg: Moses Und Aron/Chamber Symphony No. 2, Op. 38
  8. Bach: Cantatas, Vol. 5 [Box set]
  9. Bach: Sacred Masterworks [Box set]
  10. Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra; 3 Village Scenes; Kossuth

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

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Martinu: Fresques; La Jollia

Precious Cargo

Entertaining Made Simple: Big Reds Bistro & Ballads [Enhanced]

Circus [Import]

Livin on Love [Import]

Not Perfect

Liszt Symphonic Poems

Mistaken Identity [Import]

Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 21-41

Inner City Blues

Illapu

Iman

Sarah Greene

Great Times! Piano Duets with Billy Strayhorn