An interesting album which showcases the versatility of this
fine singer but only intermittently his ‘very best’. That is
I believe to be found in a marriage of his excellent voice and
suitable repertoire.
The first CD starts with performances by Domingo in lyrical
Mozart roles. The result is exciting and generally well sung
with generous tone. That said, the flexibility required is missing
at times in 'Un' Aura Amorosa'. The result is good – exceptionally
so for a singer with a dramatic bari-tenor voice who usually
sings Verdi, Wagner and Verismo composers but Domingo only occasionally
sounds ‘right’ for the roles. In Zauberflöte it is a
joy to hear the richly vibrant 'spin' he can put on the extended
notes.
This is partly to do with style for although Domingo brings
his usual smooth and rich qualities with a good deal of elegance
(far exceeding typical tenors) he is ‘found out’ in passages
which require coloratura flourish. In addition these roles lack
the meaty dramatic potential that there is in, say, Idomeneo
which he sang to great effect on a DG studio recording with
James Levine.
Don Giovanni is much the same with a lot of good points
but lacking the vitality of a Waechter or Siepi and simply not
sounding his best. His tone which is so rich and welcome in
tenor repertoire sounds a bit monochrome and light at the lower
baritone pitches. Recorded in 1997, I think he would have greater
success today in the lower pitches after forays as Simon
Boccanegra and Rigoletto.
Handel’s Giulio Cesare sounds vital and interesting with
'Svegliateri nel core' showing off a fine voice.
‘O paradis’ fares better still – his success is greater with
a far more satisfying reconciliation of tone and style. As recently
as 1998 he debuted as Jean in Le prophète where his declamation
and phrasing were considerable assets. His aria from Le Cid
has a wonderful breadth of tone and phrasing that a Caruso
would be proud of. This is especially welcome with the lack
of brilliant contemporary French tenors. With Faust yet
again this is not quite the best role for him as high-lying
lyric tenors such as Jussi Björling or Jaume Aragall have easier
times hitting the high notes; still, the sound is beautiful.
Domingo manages well considering he was the great Werther and
Samson of his generation but still, there is a theme developing
of an excellent voice not quite in ideal repertoire.
The results are a welcome showcase of how far intelligence and
creativity can get you but little so far gives an idea of this
singer at his ‘Very Best’. Rather this album shows how good
he sounds although he is not naturally a Mozart tenor, a Mozart
Bass/Baritone, an expert of early repertoire or a French lyric
tenor!
The next selections from Russian repertoire rather miss the
mark with a heavyish ‘Kuda, kuda’ – Neil Schicoff is excellent
here – and the Tchaikovsky song ‘None but the lonely heart’
which do not show Domingo at his best. In Russian repertoire
his Hermann in The Queen of Spades shows how good he
can sound but there are no signs of similar success here.
If we were to take this as an album without the ‘Best of’ title
there is much to enjoy - I forgive EMI their bias! His role
debut in Eugene Onegin was as long ago as 1964 in Tel
Aviv so any problems he has lightening his tone are hardly surprising.
With tracks 11 and 12 we heard Domingo in one of his great roles
– Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut. This may be the lesser
of his studio recordings - his DG set with Sinopoli is much
better conducted - and not the equal of some live sets, but
this recording at least shows him in ‘home territory’ with a
marvelous warmth of voice and intensity. Even better are his
performances in Tosca - he recorded the role three times
in the studio for RCA, EMI and DG respectively - with Cavaradossi
probably his finest Puccini role alongside La Fanciulla del
West which is also included here. 'Dai campi' is not very
poetic but certainly of a good standard. Pavarotti with Fabritiis
is possibly the more beautiful performance. Having said that
we then move into heavier territory including the rare Nerone
which is terrifically impressive and the contribution in
Tristan und Isolde which sets a new standard – he was
already about sixty by then!
With the start of CD2 and the extracts from Aida, Ballo
in Maschera and Forza del Destino little needs to
be said other than that this is some of the finest Verdi singing
available. Otello deserves a special mention as this
was his calling-card at the great theatres of the world. This
was an especially moving performance: the great cry 'O gloria'
rings out and the voice seems golden.
The arias from operetta are all well sung with the usual problems
faced by Italian and Spanish singers trying to sound fluent
in German. The results – try the ever-popular 'Dein ist mein
ganzes Herz!' – are good but do not sound authentic.
The zarzuelas are a more interesting bunch with more famous
examples such as ‘No puede ser’ and 'En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor'
interspersed with other less famous examples. This selection
is a deal more effective and interesting than the German selections.
It is understandable that those compiling this album would like
to include ‘lighter’ fare but the lack of German roles such
as Lohengrin, Tannhäuser and Parsifal
is sad as these were some of the successes of his career
– particularly Lohengrin. It would be ideal to have extracts
from the Universal catalogue (Decca, DG, Philips) and EMI available
on one album.
Fans will know whether or not they need this set. It seems quite
a good way to have an eclectic mix of arias in one place. I
would still recommend this album for the variety and generosity
of tracks included but it is a misnomer to call some of these
tracks his ‘Very Best’ work. Though the results are not always
exceptional, I have enjoyed this collection.
David Bennett
Track-listing
CD 1
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Don Giovanni (1787)
1 Il mio tesoro intanto (Act 2) [4:40]
Così fan tutte K588 (1789)
2 Un' aura amorosa (Act 1) [4:70]
Die Zauberflöte K620 (1791)
3 Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön 3:47
Don Giovanni (1787)
4 Là ci darem la mano [3:12]
George Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
Giulio Cesare (1724)
5 Vani sono i lamenti ... Svegliatevi nel core (Act 1) [4:52]
Giacomo MEYERBEER (1791-1864)
L'Africaine (1865)
6 Pays merveilleux...O paradis (Act 4) [3:40]
Charles GOUNOD (1818-1893)
Faust (1859)
7 Quel trouble inconnu me pénètre! ... Salut! Demeure chaste et pure [5:26]
Jules MASSENET (1842-1912)
Le Cid (1885)
8 O souverain, ô juge, ô père [4:48]
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
6 Songs Op. 6
9 None but the lonely heart [3:14]
Eugene Onegin (1879)
10 Kuda, kuda, kuda vi udalilis [6:13]
Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924)
Manon Lescaut (1893)
11 Donna non vidi mai [2:25]
12 Ah! Manon, mi tradisce [2:37]
Tosca (1900)
13 Dammi i colori....Recondita armonia [2:55]
14 E lucevan le stelle [3:10]
La Fanciulla del West (1910)
15 Ch'ella mi creda libero e lontano [2:00]
Arrigo BOITO (1842-1918)
Mefistofele (1868)
16 Dai campi, dai prati [2:25]
Nerone (1924)
17 Vergini Muse ... Quando al soave anelito [3:15]
Richard WAGNER (1813-1883)
Tristan und Isolde (1865)
18 O sink hernieder, nacht der Liebe [5:41]
Siegfried (1876)
19 Was am besten er kann.....Ho-ho! Ho-hei! Schmiede, mein Hammer, ein hartes Schwert! [6:20]
CD 2
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
Aida (1871)
1 Se quel guerrier io fossi! ... Celeste Aida [4:21]
Un Ballo in Maschera (1859)
2 Su, profetessa ... Di' tu se fedele [4:40]
3 Forse la soglia attinse...Ma se m' è forza perderti [5:13]
La Forza del Destino (1862)
4 O tu che in seno agli angeli [3:19]
Don Carlo (1867)
5 Su, cacciator...Fontainebleau!...Io la vidi [5:45]
Otello (1887)
6 Niun mi tema [5:37]
Johan STRAUSS II (1825-1899)
Eine Nacht in Venedig (1883)
7 Ach, wie so herrlich zu schau'n [3:31]
Carl ZELLER (1842-1898)
Der Vogelhändler, '(The) Bird Catcher' (1891)
8 Schenkt man sich Rosen in Tirol [3:90]
Franz LEHÁR (1870-1948)
Paganini (1925)
9 Gern hab' ich die Frauen geküsst [3:27]
Die lustige Witwe (1905)
10 Da geh ich zu Maxim [2:19]
Das Land des Lächelns (1923)
11 Dein ist mein ganzes Herz! [3:42]
Jacinto GUERRERO (1895-1951)
Los Gavilanes
12 Mi aldea [3:45]
La Rosa del azafrán
13 Cancion del Sembrador [4:07]
Pablo SOROZABAL (1897-1988)
La Tabernera del puerto
14 No puede ser [2:44]
Francisco ALONSO (1887-1948)
Coplas de Ronda
15 Serenata 'Bella ninña de ojos negros' [3:28]
Joaquin RODRIGO (1901-1999)
Three Villancicos
16 Copillas De Belen [1:27]
17 Coplas Del Pastor Enamorado [3:47]
18 En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor [2:48]
Jacob GADE (1879-1963)
19 Jealousy Tango [2:46]
Trad. arr. JOJIC & BENCKER
20 La Golondrina [3:07]
Placido Domingo, Tenor, [All Tracks]
Susan Graham, Mezzo [CD 1,Track 4]
Montserrat Caballé, Soprano [CD 1, Track 12]
Deborah Voigt, Soprano [CD 1, Track 18]
Violeta Urmana, Mezzo [CD 1, Track 18]
David Cangelosi, Tenor [CD 1, Track 19]
Placido Domingo (tenor) 
