I don’t know whether it’s intentional but
there are a few things in this archival operatic album that
are missing. For a start, there is no mention that the original
recordings were made by Cetra, nor is there any mention of who
digitally remastered it and when. There are no genuine cover-notes
and I’ve had to rely on other sources including drawing on notes
accompanying other Ernani recordings to enlighten me
on plot and general information. To make matters worse the ‘notes’
that are available are misleading; not because of what is included
but because of what has been omitted. For example, the track
information supplied by Andromeda only mentions the character
originating the aria without bothering to add those who join
later. This is very disconcerting when you’re trying to figure
out who is singing. Track 18 CD 1 only mentions Don Carlo singing
but is, in fact, a duet with Silva; track 6 CD 2 once again
only lists Don Carlo but is an ensemble piece with the whole
cast involved including the chorus. The note for track 7 CD
2 shows the chorus singing for 11:44 when, in fact, it features
the orchestra playing various interludes; the only input from
the chorus - and here I am guessing - is some rhythmic clapping
near the end.
What I originally found intriguing, however,
was the prospect of listening to the galaxy of wonderful singers
that only opera houses like the Met and Covent Garden can afford
to muster on a single stage. To this you can add prospect of
Mitropoulos conducting. In that respect I was not entirely disappointed.
The cast was exceptional, although Zinka
Milanov as Elvira at times seemed to take her top notes by relying
more on memory than trying to prepare them properly. Generally
she didn’t bother with any form of expression in her singing
until the finale when she probably realised that singing is
more about trying to move an audience than overpowering them
with volume.
Another in the ‘biff and bash’ brigade was
Mario Del Monaco as Ernani although with him the voice was certainly
more secure and he managed to save the day with some truly heroic
singing. There are some singers you know are going to belt the
daylights out of any aria; Del Monaco is one of them. After
you’ve made allowances for his lack of subtlety you are left
with a wonderful ringing tone and an admiration for its dramatic
qualities. He was then 41 years old and probably at the height
of his powers.
Both Leonard Warren as Don Carlo and Cesare
Siepi as Silva were excellent. Even without seeing them perform
you felt they knew what their characters were intending to convey
– Warren, imperially aloof as Don Carlo while at times brooding
and reflective as in Oh de’ verd’anni miei and Silva,
conspiratorially elusive. His bass voice was best heard in Infelice!
E tuo credevi.
Mitropoulos didn’t disappoint either although
there appeared to be some hesitation in entries on a couple
of occasions from the principals. But that is to be expected
in a live recording.
Verdi was emerging from his apprentice stage
when he composed this opera and the influence of other composers
was evident, none more so than in the finale of Act 3. The ensemble
Oh sommo Carlo, piu del tuo nome clearly echoes Donizetti’s
sextet from ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’. But Verdi soon realised
he could make it by being his own man. ‘Rigoletto’ and
‘La Traviata’, composed less than a decade later,
proved that.
Randolph Magri-Overend
