Verdi: I Vespri Siciliani (In German).(Sound Recording Review)

[] Cunitz, Tegetthoff, Rosvaenge, Schlusnus, von Rohr; Orchestra and Chorus of the Hessischen Rudfunks, Schroder, 1951. No text. Myto 021.H062 (Qualiton, dist.)

This German-language recording of Verdi's I Vespri Siciliani, made in Frankfurt in 1951, takes cuts similar to those in the landmark Fritz Stiedry-led Callas/Christoff outing of the same year in Florence, including the omission of the Four Seasons ballet of Act III, and adds a further bit of unfortunate surgery, cutting half the soprano's ravishing aria, "Arrigo! Ah, parli a un core," and simplifying its final, deeply moving cadenza, as well as slicing a few demanding measures from the famous Bolero.

Considered a problematic work, even by Verdi himself, Vespri can be most rewarding on disc, where some of the static dramatic situations, and the difficult staging of the climactic massacre are not issues. Musically, the work looks forward to later masterpieces by the composer, and the proliferation of great set pieces, as well as marvelous arias and duets, does much to offset some of the dramatic problems of Scribe's ponderous libretto. As with all of Verdi's operas, the more riveting the singers are as vocal actors, and the more they are able to meet the vocal and expressive demands of his score, the more fully realized the opera will be.

The ...