Umberto Giordano
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ANDREA CHENIER
Mario del Monaco, Renata Tebaldi
Ettore Bastianini, Fernando Corena
Fiorenza Cossotto, Piero de Palma
Orchestra e Coro dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Roma
dir : Gianandrea Gavazzeni
Original stereo recording: Roma, August/September 1957
Decca Analog Golden Age Volume Three Blu-Ray audio [P] 2016
High resolution audio files (24 bit/192 kHz)
prepared from the original master tapes at Abbey Road Studios
Digital remaster at Universal Music Mexico
FLAC files, scans, no libretto
This is one of the true gems of the Tebaldi/del Monaco partnership . . . totally suited to their voices and make-up, and in their prime years . . . and the podium was turned over to a conductor with a complete feel for the style. The result is surely the finest studio recording of this opera, and one of the finest overall . . . The quality of these reissues is extraordinary in every way . . . the real value is the improved sound quality. The recordings in every case are clearer, warmer, and fuller in sonority . . . [del Monaco's] sound is positively thrilling, firm and remarkably resonant . . . But there are other moments, and many of them, that are extremely sensitive . . . And when raw power is wanted, no one was his equal. Tebaldi is in her central prime . . . The full bloom of her tone is uniquely beautiful, but so is the natural and moving way in which she shapes the music. She is a believable actress here, thrilling with her anguish at the end of the third act . . . Gerard was perhaps the greatest role for Ettore Bastianini . . . [with] a rich and powerful voice, tonal brilliance, and an ability to lean into a phrase convincingly . . . his strongly focused tonal production is one of the thrills of this set . . . Gianandrea Gavazzeni's conducting is so knowingly shaped and so dramatic . . . [that he] deserves a good deal of the credit for the overall impact of this recording.
Record Review / Henry Fogel, Fanfare (Tenafly, NJ) / 01. May 2017
The beauty of Tebaldi's voice could melt a stone, and she certainly brings out the best in Mario del Monaco. Their great scenes in acts II and IV are spellbinding . . . Gianandrea Gavazzeni leads a propulsive account -- detailed, and relishing Giordano's rich orchestral palette . . . In short, this is a first-rate achievement in every way . . . you'll be hard-pressed to believe this recording is now 60 years old. And in terms of studio recordings of "Andrea Chenier", I don't think there has ever been a better overall version . . . crank up the speakers, and enjoy verismo opera at its best.
Record Review / Ken Meltzer, Fanfare (Tenafly, NJ) / 01. July 2017
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ANDREA CHENIER
Mario del Monaco, Renata Tebaldi
Ettore Bastianini, Fernando Corena
Fiorenza Cossotto, Piero de Palma
Orchestra e Coro dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Roma
dir : Gianandrea Gavazzeni
Original stereo recording: Roma, August/September 1957
Decca Analog Golden Age Volume Three Blu-Ray audio [P] 2016
High resolution audio files (24 bit/192 kHz)
prepared from the original master tapes at Abbey Road Studios
Digital remaster at Universal Music Mexico
FLAC files, scans, no libretto
This is one of the true gems of the Tebaldi/del Monaco partnership . . . totally suited to their voices and make-up, and in their prime years . . . and the podium was turned over to a conductor with a complete feel for the style. The result is surely the finest studio recording of this opera, and one of the finest overall . . . The quality of these reissues is extraordinary in every way . . . the real value is the improved sound quality. The recordings in every case are clearer, warmer, and fuller in sonority . . . [del Monaco's] sound is positively thrilling, firm and remarkably resonant . . . But there are other moments, and many of them, that are extremely sensitive . . . And when raw power is wanted, no one was his equal. Tebaldi is in her central prime . . . The full bloom of her tone is uniquely beautiful, but so is the natural and moving way in which she shapes the music. She is a believable actress here, thrilling with her anguish at the end of the third act . . . Gerard was perhaps the greatest role for Ettore Bastianini . . . [with] a rich and powerful voice, tonal brilliance, and an ability to lean into a phrase convincingly . . . his strongly focused tonal production is one of the thrills of this set . . . Gianandrea Gavazzeni's conducting is so knowingly shaped and so dramatic . . . [that he] deserves a good deal of the credit for the overall impact of this recording.
Record Review / Henry Fogel, Fanfare (Tenafly, NJ) / 01. May 2017
The beauty of Tebaldi's voice could melt a stone, and she certainly brings out the best in Mario del Monaco. Their great scenes in acts II and IV are spellbinding . . . Gianandrea Gavazzeni leads a propulsive account -- detailed, and relishing Giordano's rich orchestral palette . . . In short, this is a first-rate achievement in every way . . . you'll be hard-pressed to believe this recording is now 60 years old. And in terms of studio recordings of "Andrea Chenier", I don't think there has ever been a better overall version . . . crank up the speakers, and enjoy verismo opera at its best.
Record Review / Ken Meltzer, Fanfare (Tenafly, NJ) / 01. July 2017
