Here is another Sull' aria, this time in the
proper language. Unfortunately there is no video here, but some lovely singing.
Of course, Dorothea Röschmann is incomparable as the Countess. I’m not familiar
with the Susanna – Spanish (!!) soprano Sylvia
Schwartz – but she’s a soprano to watch out (and listen out) for, with a smooth,
light, lyric voice.
The YT clip lacks much information but I believe this is from the
radio broadcast on February 16, 2011. If so, the rest of the cast looks good,
with Erwin Schrott as the Count, Luca Pisaroni as Figaro, and Anita Bonitatibus
(a killer Dorabella at Zurich) as Cherubino.
Franz Welser-Möst conducts. While I generally admire his Mozart, this
duet seems a bit rushed. Maybe he just wanted to get out of the theater: Apparently there was a certain amount of conflict between
the maestro and the director; Zerbinetta's review of the performance does not exactly make me wish for a
video (except I do enjoy an occasional musical-dramatic train wreck! Schadenfreude lives!)
I have a bootleg of the whole broadcast, and despite the presence of Röschmann and Pisaroni and Bonitatibus I'm not wishing for a video either. (I remember reading Zerbinetta's review a while back and feeling rather sad - such a good cast, but sounds like it just didn't work.)
ReplyDeleteEven the greatest artists can have an off night!
DeleteAll the racous laughter that preceded the duet! I don't remember any business that would have induced that kind of humor. Whatever. I too thought the tempo was rushed; I know HP tempi are on the fast side but neither of these sopranos (well, at least Roeschmann) are not usually associated with such productions. The cast as you say is a good one. Too bad it didn't coalesce this time around. I shall have to lool for Zerbinetta's comments. Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteI forgot about the laughter. Zerbie's review is linked about.
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