VERDI :ON DISC

Get ready for the spring opera season with
this compilation of Verdis greatest works.

KING DURKEE

Copley News Service

Verdis "Falstaff" is based on Shakespeare's comedy "The Merry Wives of Windsor"
and stars bass-baritone John Del Carlo as the lead character.

The opera takes place in Henry IV's England. Sir
John Falstaff defends himself and his colleagues against
accusations by their rivals and reveals he intends to
seduce two of their wives. The women resolve to teach
him a lesson, followed by all kinds of mix-ups and
amorous pursuits.
When the chaos calms down, all is forgiven and Falstaff
utters his famous line: "Everything in the world is in jest."
American bass-baritone John Del Carlo plays
Falstaff, the scheming fat knight. Madelyn Monti is
Alice Ford, Mariana Karpatova makes her MOT debut
as Mistress Quickly, Italian tenor Massimo Giordano
makes his U.S. debut as Fenton and soprano Nicole
Heaston is Nannetta.
Tenor Vinson Cole, pic-
Italian conductor Maurizio Barbacini, recently
tured, alternates with
appointed principal conductor of the Philadelphia
Antonio Nagore as
Opera Company, will lead the MOT Orchestra.
Hoffman in Offenbachs
With Verdi put to rest, MOT closes the season in June
"The Tales of Hoffman."
with its first staging of The Tales of Hoffinan by
Offenbach, who was the son of a synagogue cantor from
Cologne, Germany.
The popular melodies in this opera —
including the famous Barcarolle — accompany
Michigan Opera Theatre's Verdi Festival,
a story about a tortured poet whose obsession
saluting
the great Italian composer, contin-
for three lost loves leads him to drink.
ues
8
p.m.
Thursday, April 5, with Viva
The opera was inspired by the fantastic tales
Verdi!
at
the
Detroit Opera House. Verdi's
of E.T.A. Hoffman, creator of The Nutcracker
La
Traviata
opens
the 2001 spring season 8
story. Offenbach died before he could see his
p.m. Saturday, April 21, followed by per-
opera produced.
formances 2 p.m. Sunday, April 22; 8 p.m.
Tenors Vinson Cole, a MOT veteran, and
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, April 25,
Arizona native Antonio Nagore, in his MOT
27-28; and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 29.
debut, will alternate as Hoffman. Jewish
Verdi's
Falstaff will be presented 8 p.m.
bass-baritone Richard Bernstein will alter-
Saturday
and 2 p.m., Sunday, May 12-13;
nate in the role of the Four Villains with
8
p.m.
Wednesday,
Friday and Saturday,
Mark Doss. Bernstein was praised for his
May 16, 18-19; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May
title role in The Marriage of Figaro at the
20. Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffman will
Opera House in 1998, and has become
end the season 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m.
famous for that character.
Sunday, June 2-3; 8 p.m. Wednesday,
Other Hoffman stars will be soprano
Friday and Saturday, June 6, 8-9; and 2
Cassandra Riddle, mezzo-soprano Carmella
p.m.
Sunday, June 10. Ticket prices for
Jones and coloratura soprano Elizabeth Parcells.
Viva
Verdi!
range from $20-$75. Opera
Jewish director Bernard Uzan returns to
ticket
prices
range from $18-$98. Tickets
direct Hoffrnan. A native of Morocco, he is the
are available at the Detroit Opera House,
general and artistic director of L'Opera de
(313) 237-7464, or through TicketMaster,
Montreal. His past MOT productions were
(248) 645-6666.
Samson and Delilah, Manon, Romeo and
Juliette, Tosca, The Merry Widow and Faust.

ESSENTIAL VERDI: 40 of Verdi's masterpieces; variety of singers,
conductors, orchestras. Decca 467 128; 2 CDs; ADD, DDD.
I do not like smorgasbords. The reason is this: I seem not to
be able to constrain myself from selecting at least a little of
everything. But as it turns out, my idea of "a little" inevitably
becomes rather generous portions of each item offered.
Now that's for food. For music, it's a different story entirely.
Bring on the variety, and lot's of it. Therefore, I'm the
kind of listener who is in hog heaven with the recording
being considered here.
First of all, we're listening to opera. That in itself is heavenly.
Next, we're listening to Verdi. Which reminds me of
a television commercial you might have heard
in which a national bakery says of its products:
"Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee."
Same with opera: "Nobody doesn't like Verdi."
This two-CD album includes 38 selections from Verdi's
operas and two from his requiem. Total playing time: eight
seconds less than 1:57.
The singers: A wide swath of who's who (and in some cases
who was who) in the opera world. Among others: Placido
Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras ( k nown the world
over as The Three Tenors), Dame Joan Sutherland, Carlo
Bergonzi, Leontyne Price, Rene Fleming, Kiri Te Kanawa.
The conductors: Among others, Richard Bonynge, Sir
Georg Solti, Valery Gergiev, John Pritchard, Nello Santi,
Colin Davis, Bernard Haitink, Herbert von Karajan.
The orchestras: Among others, London Symphony
Orchestra; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Orchestra of the
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Orchestra del Teatro
del' Opera di Roma; Vienna Philharmonic; Paris
Conservatoire Orchestra; National Philharmonic Orchestra;
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi; Orchestra
del Matra alla Scala di Milano.
And this is my review: After listing these singers, conduc-
tors and orchestras, what more would there be to say?
The sound? You're right. I should have mentioned the sound.
These recordings were made in the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s.
That means they were recorded when these singers were at the
peak of their vocal abilities. The sound is very good throughout.
The quality of the artistry is probably unmatchable today.
I simply cannot imagine anybody who loves opera, and
especially anybody who favors Verdi, not wanting to have
this collection in her or his library.
So step up to this musical smorgasbord and stuff yourselves.

In conjunction with the Michigan Opera Theatre's spring
program, the Southfield Public Library presents "Opera in
the Afternoon" with Dr. Wallace Pease, who will lecture on
La Traviata 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, at the library.
At 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, a film version of La
Traviata, starring Beverly Sills, Henry Price, Richard
Fredericks and Fredda Rakusin, will be shown. No
charge. (248) 948-0470.

❑

3/30
2001

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