Fanciulla del West

[Peter]

According to various reviews published under Amazon.con, by far the best
recording of Puccini's "Fanciulla del West" is supposed to be the
Metropolitan Opera Performance conducted by Leonard Slatkin, featuring
Placido Domingo.

Unfortunately, however, several reviewers have written that this DG set
produced in the USA supposedly has a technical fault inasmuch as it stops
around one hour 20 minutes, and returns to the beginning.

I wonder if anyone has experienced this same problem, and/or if someone
could shed further light on this technical fault?

Thanks in advance for any information that you might be able to provide.

[James Kahn]

Post by Peter
According to various reviews published under Amazon.con, by far the best
recording of Puccini's "Fanciulla del West" is supposed to be the
Metropolitan Opera Performance conducted by Leonard Slatkin, featuring
Placido Domingo.
Unfortunately, however, several reviewers have written that this DG set
produced in the USA supposedly has a technical fault inasmuch as it stops
around one hour 20 minutes, and returns to the beginning.
I wonder if anyone has experienced this same problem, and/or if someone
could shed further light on this technical fault?
Thanks in advance for any information that you might be able to provide.

I don't know about this, but you might consider the Capuana/Tebaldi recording
on Decca as an alternative. I doubt very much the Slatkin is better "by
far" than this one.

[[e-mail]]

Post by James Kahn

Post by Peter
According to various reviews published under Amazon.con, by far the best
recording of Puccini's "Fanciulla del West" is supposed to be the
Metropolitan Opera Performance conducted by Leonard Slatkin, featuring
Placido Domingo.
Unfortunately, however, several reviewers have written that this DG set
produced in the USA supposedly has a technical fault inasmuch as it stops
around one hour 20 minutes, and returns to the beginning.
I wonder if anyone has experienced this same problem, and/or if someone
could shed further light on this technical fault?
Thanks in advance for any information that you might be able to provide.

I don't know about this, but you might consider the Capuana/Tebaldi recording
on Decca as an alternative.  I doubt very much the Slatkin is better "by
far" than this one.
--
Jim
New York, NY
(Please remove "nospam." to get my e-mail address)http://www.panix.com/~kahn

Perhaps he means on video. I would certainly choose the Domingo Covent
Garden performance over the Domingo Met. First, he was about 12 or 13
years younger, and the top notes are a bit more within his grasp. And
secondly, the Met has late Milnes, who I find simply poor. Silvano
Carroli is a great Rance in the London production.

Best,
Ed

[Andrew T. Kay]

Post by ***@aol.com
Perhaps he means on video. I would certainly choose the Domingo Covent
Garden performance over the Domingo Met. First, he was about 12 or 13
years younger, and the top notes are a bit more within his grasp. And
secondly, the Met has late Milnes, who I find simply poor. Silvano
Carroli is a great Rance in the London production.

The Covent Garden conducted by Santi would be my video choice as well,
although I regret having to choose the worst-looking and -sounding of
the three Domingo FANCIULLA DVDs by some margin. The shortfall is not
entirely accounted for by its age. It suffers from a typical dowdy,
washed-out Kultur presentation; like many prestigious performances
from that house in that era (the all-star HOFFMANN directed by
Schlesinger, Giulini's FALSTAFF, etc.), it is made to display all its
years and then some. The musical quality of the Covent Garden with the
Met/DG's superior tech credits would be ideal. I also prefer
Faggioni's realization of the opera for CG to that of Son of Del
Monaco for the Met.

Either of the discussed performances, however, is preferable to the
"middle" Domingo FANCIULLA, the Opus Arte/Scala. This has much going
against it: Miller's grim and gray production, Maazel's ponderous
conducting, the least distinctive Rance of the three, and a Minnie
(Zampieri) who is an acquired taste to put it kindly. Not that any of
these performances has the powerhouse Minnie we would get in the world
of the entirely ideal. Neblett and Daniels both have to labor at it,
and Neblett's instrument by this time showed some wear as well. She
does look the part, which counts for much.

If it does not go without saying, I will add that anyone wanting
simply to *hear* Domingo, Milnes, and/or Neblett in these roles should
get the splendid Mehta/DG recording.

Todd K

[c***@ckhowell.com]

Post by Andrew T. Kay
If it does not go without saying, I will add that anyone wanting
simply to *hear* Domingo, Milnes, and/or Neblett in these roles should
get the splendid Mehta/DG recording.
Todd K

And if you can stick old mono sound the best Fanciulla is still the
first - Carla Gavazzi on Cetra

Chris Howell

[[e-mail]]

Post by c***@ckhowell.com

Post by Andrew T. Kay
If it does not go without saying, I will add that anyone wanting
simply to *hear* Domingo, Milnes, and/or Neblett in these roles should
get the splendid Mehta/DG recording.
Todd K

And if you can stick old mono sound the best Fanciulla is still the
first - Carla Gavazzi on Cetra
Chris Howell

For me, the best recording is the stereo version on London/Decca with
Tebaldi, Del Monaco, MacNeil, Tozzi. It doesn't get any better than
that, IMO. Gavazzi is gutsy as all getouut, but her top is a bit shy
of pitch quite often, and her supporting cast is not nearly up to the
London cast, with everyone in fine shape. And Tebaldi is not exactly
"un-gutsy!!!"

Best,
Ed

[c***@ckhowell.com]

Post by ***@aol.com

Post by c***@ckhowell.com
And if you can stick old mono sound the best Fanciulla is still the
first - Carla Gavazzi on Cetra
Chris Howell

For me, the best recording is the stereo version on London/Decca with
Tebaldi, Del Monaco, MacNeil, Tozzi. It doesn't get any better than
that, IMO.

Well, you may be right. I did say the best Fanciulla, i.e. Minnie,
rather than the best "Fanciulla", i.e. the opera as a whole. I'm glad
nobody's made claims for Nilsson. Great singer of course, but she had
to learn the part specially and in a hurry and didn't have time to
make a lived-in interpretation.
Strange there should be a "story" behind both the first two stereo
"Fanciullas". The Decca/London was to have been made in Milan under
Votto, but the conductor insisted on having Gigliola Frazzoni for the
part, who'd just done it with him at La Scala. Decca didn't want to
know so they moved south to record with Tebaldi under Capuana.
The EMI was also to have been in Milan, with Callas, Corelli and
Gobbi, again under Votto. Not surprising Callas withdrew since she
never sang the part, but does anyone know why the others dropped out?
Something to do with Votto still insisting on Frazzoni?

Chris Howell

[the man who cried]

For me Silvano Carroli is reason enough to go with this one. His acting is
absolutely riveting. I almost have a heart attack every time I watch him
sing "ma ti giuro che non t'avro." The only other time I heard him was on a
Chicago Lyric broadcast of Tosca.

[the man who cried]

And I even have a bigger one when he sings "ma ti giuro che non t'avra."

[AUSTIN R STOUGH]

The best Fanciulla I ever saw was that one with Gwyneth Jones in Los
Angeles.

[[e-mail]]

Post by AUSTIN R STOUGH
The best Fanciulla I ever saw was that one with Gwyneth Jones in Los
Angeles.

I saw this, too, and she was terrific, though I wasn't as enamoured
with her co-stars.

To this day, the single greatest and loudest high note I ever heard
was Jones in that Fanciulla, on the high C at the end of her "Laggiu
nel Soledad! It rang through the hall like a tremendously loud and
beautiful bell. I will never forget it.

Best,
Ed

[g***@gmail.com]

Post by Peter
According to various reviews published under Amazon.con, by far the best
recording of Puccini's "Fanciulla del West" is supposed to be the
Metropolitan Opera Performance conducted by Leonard Slatkin, featuring
Placido Domingo.
Unfortunately, however, several reviewers have written that this DG set
produced in the USA supposedly has a technical fault inasmuch as it stops
around one hour 20 minutes, and returns to the beginning.
I wonder if anyone has experienced this same problem, and/or if someone
could shed further light on this technical fault?
Thanks in advance for any information that you might be able to provide.

(Recent Youtube upload):

La Fanciulla del West 6/1/1962 MetOpera (Kirsten, Tucker, Colzani, Franke, Flagello, Scott - Cleva)

[gggg gggg]

Post by Peter
According to various reviews published under Amazon.con, by far the best
recording of Puccini's "Fanciulla del West" is supposed to be the
Metropolitan Opera Performance conducted by Leonard Slatkin, featuring
Placido Domingo.
Unfortunately, however, several reviewers have written that this DG set
produced in the USA supposedly has a technical fault inasmuch as it stops
around one hour 20 minutes, and returns to the beginning.
I wonder if anyone has experienced this same problem, and/or if someone
could shed further light on this technical fault?
Thanks in advance for any information that you might be able to provide.

(Youtube upload):

La fanciulla del West (Mitropoulos, del Monaco, Steber, Guelfi) - 1954 recording - Definitive Editon