COMPOSERS: Puccini
LABELS: Discover
WORKS: Il tabarro
PERFORMER: Maria Slatinaru, Eduard Tumagian, Nicola Martinucci, Lucienne van Dyck; Jaak Gregoor Chorus, BRTN PO &Chorus, Brussels/ Alexander Rahbari
CATALOGUE NO: DICD 920209 DDD
A Decca release of Puccini’s Il trittico with Freni in the principal soprano roles – of which Il tabarro is all round the most successful component – appeared last summer as a set, but the three operas still await separate issue. The separate Discover releases of Trittico – Tabarro, Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi – are each available at bargain price and soon to be issued as a set. The booklet for the recording of Tabarro contains a brief synopsis and artist profiles in English but the text is available only in Italian.
The BRTN Philharmonic Orchestra of Brussels, conducted by Alexander Rahbari, are excellent musical scene painters and accompanists, unerringly providing the diverse and vibrant colours of Puccini’s score and deftly underpinning the points of high drama. Down to the smallest roles – the pair of lovers in the final section – the cast is strong, with an extra laurel for Lucienne van Dyck as La Frugola.
The three principal roles, taken by Maria Slatinaru (Giorgetta), Eduard Tumagian (Michele) and Nicola Martinucci (Luigi), are most impressively sung. Martinucci handles the intense vocal drama of ‘Hai ben ragione’, against the lush orchestral writing, magnificently. Both Slatinaru and Tumagian excel in their sumptuous duet ‘Erano sere come queste’ and Tumagian delivers Michele’s monologue ‘Nulla!... Silenzio!’ in stunning vocal style. Elise McDougall