Verdi - Otello- Mario del Monaco

Review

"After years of listening to a wide variety of Otello recordings, studio and live, modern and historical, I was surprised and delighted to alight upon this classic performance ...

...First, although it's elderly enough to be classed as "historical", the sound is excellent, if rather too

resonant, early stereo: full, spacious, vivid and immediate - you could be sitting in the front row stalls. (In fact, it's so good you find yourself admiring the prompter's contribution rather too often....)

Thus, it combines the drama and spontaneity of a live performance with close to (old) studio quality

sound. There are stage noises, some sneezing, and the intrusion of our friend the prompter, but for

the most part the audience are quiet except for some crass and inappropriate applause - for example,

before the last exquisite notes of the love duet have finished. But this is all part and parcel of a live

recording and the audience clearly appreciated that they were hearing something special.

Secondly, we have two of the greatest exponents of the roles of Otello and Iago at the peak of their

form. I have never heard Gobbi so free and full of voice; even the often-quoted relative weakness of

his top notes is not an issue here - he sings with total abandon and confidence and is in finer voice than his performances in the mid 60’s, when intonation problems began to be very apparent. Del Monaco is as good as, if not better than, his 1954 studio recording with the same conductor, and certainly more thrilling than in the 1960 set with Karajan. Both artists take some liberties with the score in order to make dramatic points - but who cares when they are as effective as this? The chemistry between them makes those heart-wrenching exchanges between Iago and Otello more exciting than any other I have ever heard - and certainly a great deal more exciting than the rather subdued 1960 studio set under Serafin, with Vickers rather too controlled and Gobbi vocally past his best or out of sorts, or uninspired, only a year later than this flawless night. I still admire that recording - but this one is something else. 

Tucci, too, is surprisingly good; touching and believable, with a lovely floated top to her voice, occasionally reminding me of Janowitz. The voice, per se, is undoubtedly beautiful; listen to her "Salce" - haunting and very tenderly controlled. Supporting parts are more than adequately cast. The chorus are vigorous and engaged. Erede - always under-rated - conducts a driven, whirlwind performance not unlike that of Toscanini.

OK; it's by no means flawless: ensemble sometimes goes to pot (both in the opening storm and in the

"Si pel ciel", for example, when both singers and the orchestra are at odds with each other) and the

orchestra isn't the Berlin Phil (very shaky 'cello and woodwind intonation for Otello's entrance in Act

4)- but these problems are only to be expected in such a pacy live performance and they add to the

sense of danger. Indeed, I know of no other account of this masterpiece which propels you so

inexorably and ineluctably towards the final catastrophe; the atmosphere is consistently febrile until

that last, terrible Act, when, after the ominously beautiful interlude with Desdemona's prayer before

bed, the pace picks up again, Otello suffocates Desdemona and suddenly, like a thunderbolt, the

absurdity and horror of his actions strike Otello ...you need to hear this wholly thrilling theatrical

memento, showcasing three great voices on one very exciting night in Tokyo" - www.musicweb-international.com/ - Ralph Moore