Verdi: Il Trovatore [Import]

Il trovatore has been one of Verdi's most beloved, enduringly popular operas ever since its first performance 150 years ago. The libretto is notorious as one of the most improbable, confused, and confusing of its kind, but in Verdi's hands its one-dimensional stock figures become flesh-and-blood characters whose fears, hopes, and suffering we can easily identify with. The music encompasses the heights and depths of human emotion, and the vocal writing demands singers of enormous vocal and expressive range. This recording is a bit strange and not entirely satisfying, partly because some of the intrinsically fine singers seem miscast. Angela Gheorghiu's voice is lovely, with a velvety warmth and a beautiful high register; the low notes sound uncomfortable and not always in tune. She is best in the lyrical arias. The first one has a touching tremulousness, but generally her Leonora is a little pale. Thomas Hampson is, as always, a commanding presence, but his thoughtful, restrained approach makes Luna's raw, vengeful fury seem contrived and artificial. Ildebrando D'Arcangelo's Ferrando is excellent; Larissa Diadkova sings very well, but does not get inside Azucena's haunted, tormented brooding and hallucinatory madness. Roberto Alagna is most disappointing. He slides, scoops, sobs, and exaggerates everything. Indeed, if truth be told, he yells, but suddenly takes a single note mezza voce for no discernible reason. His Manrico has no subtlety or tenderness, and the constantly high volume seems at variance with the singing style of a "Troubadour." It is the orchestra and chorus who emerge as the ultimate heroes of the recording. --Edith Eisler