Carmen
This is a problem recording, and even fans ofLeonard BernsteinandMarilyn Hornewill find it odd. The Maestro's tempi are weirdly slow, Horne sings the role note-by-note rather than phrase-by-phrase, and when she finally does decide to emote, in the final scene, she sounds like she's gone loony.James McCrackenwas an artist with a huge but unappealing voice who also had brains and power, but he's no delight for the ear.Tom Krause's Escamillo is very good, andAdriana Maliponte, who sounds somewhat like an oboe, is a gentle, convincing Micaela. What's historically important about this production is that Bernstein uses an edition of the score that includes the original spoken dialogue--much of which seems to have been recorded on another soundstage. Such talent; such a flop.--Robert Levine