| Richard
Wagner: Excerpts from Siegfried and Götterdämmerung.
Placido Domingo, tenor (Siegfried); David Cangelosi, tenor (Mime); Natalie Dessay, soprano (Forest Bird) and Violeta Urmana, soprano (Brünnhilde). Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Antonio Pappano, cond EMI 57242 (F) (DDD) TT: 69:55
This is
the second EMI disc featuring tenor Placido Domingo singing excerpts
from operas by Wagner. The first, released in 2000,
included the great Love Duets from Siegfried and Tristan und
Isolde, with
soprano Deborah Voigt performing the roles of Brünnhilde and Isolde.
The new disc, recorded in July of 2001, includes
the Forging Song, Forest Murmurs and the conclusion of Act II,
all from Siegfried.
Götterdämmerung excerpts are Dawn, the Love Duet for
Siegfried and Brünnhilde, Siegfried's
Rhine Journey, and Siegfried's Death
and Funeral March.
When Domingo recorded these excerpts he was mid-way
through his 61st year, and in the
fifth decade of a career that has encompassed some of the most demanding
tenor roles in the entire repertoire. Nevertheless, Domingo's voice as
documented on this Wagner disc retains virtually all of the warmth and
beauty of his early years. I am hard pressed to think of another tenor of
comparable age and experience (Beniamino Gigli excepted, perhaps) able to
sing with such freedom and youthful timbre. The fact that the music
essayed on this disc doesn't range particularly high is certainly a factor
to be considered. This EMI Wagner disc is a testament to the intelligence
and technique of a musician who has always understood his voice's
capabilities and how to play to its strengths. As for the performances on
this disc Domingo fares best in those excerpts that showcase his considerable
assets—beauty of tone,
flowing legato, and a rather generalized, but compelling vigor. As a
result, the Forging Song and the Götterdämmerung excerpts offer
the most pleasure. Domingo's voice is certainly one of the most attractive
to have recorded this repertoire. His musicianship and enthusiasm are
likewise commendable.
Less successful are the two excerpts from Act II of Siegfried.
Here the tenor is required to perform long stretches of introspective
narrative that require a kind of sensitivity usually expected of great
lieder performers. Lauritz Melchior's studio recordings of the late 20s
and early 30s demonstrate the kinds of magical effects that can be
achieved in these narratives. Domingo's far less specific approach, while
tonally attractive, fails to bring this music to life. Violeta
Urmana, Natalie Dessay, and David Cangelosi are all worthy contributors
to this project. Antonio Pappano's conducting generates
plenty of excitement, as well as lyrical beauty where appropriate. The
recorded sound is impressive, but with a kind of artificial "larger
than life" quality that I find off-putting. I would welcome the
opportunity to hear Mr. Pappano conduct this music in the more realistic
perspective afforded in the opera house. Under the right
circumstances this could have been a superb disc, as opposed to the
qualified success it is. Nevertheless I am
sure that Domingo's admirers will gain much pleasure from hearing this
tenor in music he has not previously recorded. It is also of general
interest to hear a beautiful voice essaying music often relegated to more "leather-lunged" exponents.
But for true greatness in Siegfried's music, the Melchior discs remain
unsurpassed. |