Product: Donizetti - La Favorita (1971)
Rating: 4.0
Spectacularly sublime leading roles; much lessor supporting roles.
I agree that the cast in this wonderful performance wasn't that even.However, that unevenness does not really subtract fromt he stupendous performances by Cossotto in the title role 'La favorita' and Kraus in the tenor role of Ferrando.Of the two major supporting roles, Ruggero Raimondi is an adequate friar, if not outstanding. However, Bruscantini as the King really throws much downhill 'relief' to the otherwise sky high level of performance.Put it this way - this performance is an out and out showcase of what 'bel canto' singing is about. Alfredo Kraus proved to be the best exponent of this genre in the mid to late 20th century, and the first decade of the 21st as well. He has more elegance and style than Pavarotti, if not the same prowess. His phrasing and messa di voce really put Pav to shame, if you allow me to say so. And he had a much more pleasing timbre than Juan Diego Florez, and far better nuances and characterisation to boot. In his prime, his high notes were done with far greater ease and smoothness than Florez, as his Act Iv aria 'La favorita de re' amply showed (compared with Florez's French version in the 'Bel Canto Spectacular' Album last year).Then, on the other hand, what non-bel canto singers could 'do' with bel canto works is also amply demonstrated by Bruscantini. Sloppy phrasing, missed notes, inaccurate enunciations, all in all resulting in pitch failures and articulation problems so glaring that one simply had to press the 'fast forward' button to skip the torture.Then in the middle of the road, Fiorenza Cossotto the famous Verdian mezzo, who demonstrates here that she 'knew' what is bel canto and how she could make the best out of it, though not an out and out bel canto expert. She has less of a stage presence than Kraus in that she was unfamiliar with portrayals of famous beauties than the Verdian mezzo characters like Azucena.A spectacular performance in many ways. Discounting the hiccups, still heartily recommended for all bel canto lovers and to anyone interested to know what actually is 'bel canto'.You will fall in love with Kraus and Cossotto.