Verdi: Arias. (Recordings).

VERDI: Arias

[] Domingo; various assisting artists, orchestras and conductors. Texts and translation. DG 471 335-2 (4)

This handsomely packaged compilation represents a triumph on several levels. First and foremost, it is of course a tribute to the musicianship and vocal longevity of Placido Domingo over a career now into its fourth decade, documenting him in the repertoire for which he has always seemed ideally suited. Additionally, it is the fruit of DG/Universal's long-term planning and persistent effort to assemble a uniquely comprehensive collection. With selections from every Verdi opera plus the Requiem, throwing in a number of alternative arias for good measure, it supersedes Carlo Bergonzi's similar (currently hard to find) Philips survey.

Domingo's complete recordings of Verdi operas constitute a logical foundation for the current collection. DG has licensed selections from some of the singer's earlier recordings, predating his association with DG, and these are among the best things in the set. It is gratifying to hear Domingo's youthful bloom and spinning high notes in the excerpts from RCA's Vespri Siciliani and Trovatore -- DG bypassing its own Carlo Maria Giulini recording of the latter in favor of Mehta's earlier, more sympathetic RCA account -- EMI'S Giovanna d'Arco, Philips's Lombardi, and the Ingemisco from Sony's Requiem under Leonard Bernstein. He recaptures a similar energy in the later Luisa Miller extracts under Lorin Maazel's direction.

In mid-career, Domingo refashioned his full-throated lyric instrument to accommodate spinto and dramatic roles; it retained its refulgence but became thicker and more unwieldy, the legato less liquid. This period, documented primarily in DG's own recordings, finds him treading more carefully, particularly at the top, compensating with increased attention to detail and variety. The recitative preceding "Celeste Aida" begins pensively, becoming martial only with the brass fanfares. After a square recitative, the "De' miei bollenti spiriti" is bustling and buoyant. Riccardo Mud's bracing speeds for La Forza del Destino (from the EMI recording) keep the tenor's delivery direct and unmannered. Giulini's self-conscious manner inhibits Domingo somewhat in Rigoletto, but the Act II aria is lyrical and flowing; he caps ...