Giacomo Puccini, Antonio Pappano, Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, Bernadette Manca di Nissa, Felicity Palmer, JosA© van Dam, Carlo Guelfi, Maria Guleghina, Cristina Gallardo-Domas, Neil Shicoff, Francesca Pedaci, Patrizia Ciofi, Roberto Scaltriti, Dorothea RA¶schmann, Sara Fulgoni, Philharmonia Orchestra - Puccini - Il Trittico / Alagna, Gheorghiu, Guelfi, Guleghina, Gallardo-DomA¡s, Manca di Nissa, Palmer, Shicoff, van Dam, LSO, PO, Pappano

Aficionados are familiar with Puccini's Il Trittico or "Triptych," his three one-act operas that premiered at New York's Metropolitan in 1918; everyday opera lovers should know them as well. Here is Puccini at his most imaginative: Il Tabarro, a shocker about the jealousy of an older man towards his deceitful younger wife on a houseboat on the Seine is dark and foreboding, and is, incidentally, probably his greatest, tightest opera. It is given a superb performance here, with Maria Guleghina and the wonderful Neil Shicoff (the true, underrecorded fourth tenor) as the faithless duo and Carlo Guelfi as the pitiable but murdering husband. Suor Angelica is set in a convent (yes, only women's voices). Until the goings turn tragic--the eponymous heroine is told by her cruel aunt that the child she had out of wedlock and gave up has died--the scoring is light, airy, and pure. Cristina Gallardo-Domas and Bernadette Manca di Nissa as the nun and her aunt, respectively, may not have the vocal glamour or depth of some of their predecessors on CD (Renata Scotto or Christa Ludwig), but their beautiful, meaningful singing carries the show. Gianni Schicchi's soundstage (the bedroom of a recently dead rich man in Florence in 1299, peopled by his greedy relatives) is rambunctious for the composer's only foray into comedy--based on a passage from Dante--and this set comes up roses. It's the best one on records. Jose Van Dam actually is funny and Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna (who also offer a cameo in Tabarro) are super as the young lovers; Gheorghiu's singing of the opera's hit, "O mio babbino caro," is glorious. This set is highly recommended. --Robert Levine Amazon.com essential recording

The One to own these days!!!

These are very beautiful and artistically committed performances. I think they are the best currently available on Cd-(but one wonders about those "LIVE FROM THE MET" SAT. performances broadcast live to theaters across the country. Will they become available and trump this recording?Only time will tell.)
But there is much here to enjoy , compare, and contrast.
While I still favor Tito Gobbi's Gianni Schicci , Van Dam's rogue has his own magic and merits. The Alagna's too are both quite stunning! While the older London Tebaldi/Merrill/Del Monaco Il Tabarro is very special to me for Merrill's amazing singing and acting(not usual for him-his voice was so gorgeous that he really didn't need to act that much), nevertheless these performances here are very fresh, alive and pungent in the combined impact projected by Guelfi's seething Michele, Guleghina's desperate wife and Schicoff's macho Luigi( Listen to the high notes!)(You'll scream along with Giorgetta at the end of Tabarro-you'll NEED to.)
Maria Gauci's Angelica was a touchingly vulnerable and beautifully tender performance on Euro disc, but here we have Christina Gallardo-Domas's passionately human and spiritual heroine. Despite what some snide critics have said, pay careful attention to this sturdy yet vulnerable Puccini-tormented character. He loved her dearly- you can HEAR it if you listen with both heart and ears. Just turn down your inner critic a notch or two!
All three operas are beautifully recorded and I LIKE MAESTRO PAPPANO! HE IS BOTH MUSICALLY AND DRAMATICALLY ALERT AND THRILLING! HE CAREFULLY LINKS THESE DIVERSE AND UNUSUAL WORKS INTO A SINGLE EVENING'S ENTERTAINMENT(just try listening to them back-to-back, as the composer wished). Also, the purchase price of the recording is now MOST reasdonable.
Recently I wrote a separate review praising the Eurodisc set of TRITTICO not realizing that it was no longer available. What a Shame!
For now at least, get this Angel/EMI recording. I think you'll be very pleased. It has very starry casting for very diverse Puccini. Maybe Il Trittico is not Boheme, Tosca or Butterfly but IT IS far better than many critics will condescend to admit. So, if you would like some Puccini verismo served on toast...help yourself!!!
February 15, 2008

Bravo

Very good performances of all three one-acts. Good sound quality, and the orchestra performance is top-notch. June 10, 2007

The best Suor Angelica is in Pappano's Trittico

This review compares three of the recordings of Suor Angelica, with the finding that the recording of this miniature gem in the boxed set of Puccini's Il Trittico conducted by Antonio Pappano far exceeds the others in various qualities.

The best first. The vocal performances of both the title role (Cristina Gallardo-Domas) and la Zia Principessa (Bernadette Manca di Nissa) offer a great breadth of interpretation and an honest and true attention to pure vocal production. I have the very slightest of quibbles with one specific response from Gallardo-Domas' Angelica to her aunt, "La Vergine ci ascolta e Lei vi giudica!" is offered much too anglrily, where the score is marked "coldly." The wonderful choral work that supports the action and provides so much of the exposition is a well-modulated performance of Puccini's best writing for women's voices in non-starring roles. Indeed, the balance between the soloists, chorus, and orchestra is keenly maintained througout, ever allowing the orchestra and chorus to be equals to the soloists. Lastly, Pappano's pacing seems the most accomplished of all the recordings.

The worst second. The performance of the Rome Opera Orchestra & Chorus with Fedora Barbieri and Victoria de Los Angeles is frightful. The balance is muddy, and the soloists are miked so closely that they become strident. Worse yet is that the editing was inattentive, and several badly pitched tones made their way to the final recording. --And the pitch problems continue throughout, sometimes sharp, sometimes flat. The chorus members' diction is almost slurred, and a sloppy ensemble results in many nice melodies being unintelligible.

The most surprising recording is conducted by Richard Bonynge and stars Joan Sutherland and Christ Ludwig. As another reviewer noted, Dame Sutherland is past her prime, recording the role at age 52. If only we had a recording of Angelica from her at 30! As it is, I believe Richard Bonynge is the one driving a stake through the heart of this work. His readings alternate between a rush through lyric passages and tearing through the recitativo segments at a full tilt. But it seems so strange because the balance favors the women's voices, making the orchestra extraordinarily subservient. Finally, the performances in general seem less than committed. For example, Sutherland lacks both the fire and the meek submissiveness that should complicate the character. August 26, 2005

Just maybe the greatest recorded "Trittico" ever

Like another previous reviewer, I too came to this set feeling that the old Tito Gobbi recording was something very special, and hard to beat. And it still has a special place in my collection. But this set is exceptional on all counts; it is superbly recorded, the soloists are wonderful, and Pappano's pacing throughout is just glorious...here is a conductor who understands, and has a love for this music. Furthermore, the older Gobbi set is hard to find, and only "Schicchi" is in true stereo. In short, you will not go wrong with these lovely, sensitive recordings. Better yet, get these and the older set if you can find it, and you'll never want for any more. October 9, 2003

Life--It hits you hard

Once upon a time I was traversing an Interstate Highway on an otherwise uneventful day and Bamm! the sweet intonations of the female soloist singing in the most heavenly voice (by the way not THIS reviewed rendition), was being delivered by the most crappy Amplitude Modulated car radio. I was so mesmorized by the sweet sounds I was hearing that I pulled off the Interstate and just listened. For an hour I just listened. The Opera was 'Suor Angelica'.

I have this particular CD and it is recorded better than the version I had experienced. Yet the rendition I had experienced set me on the path of discovery.

Music is like that. June 16, 2002

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