Bellini: Beatrice di Tenda > Reviews > Gruberova is the Dream Beatrice!

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Bellini's music .  Gruberova, Kasarova, Bernardini
Disadvantages:	Morosow

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Among the Bellini operas, Beatrice di Tenda may not be as compelling musically as Norma or La Sonnambula, but it contains some of bel canto's most beautiful tunes and one of the most beautiful trio ever written.

THE STORY:
Filippo, the Duke of Milan, is married to Beatrice, but covets her lady in waiting Agnese. He plots to get his wife out of the way by accusing her of having an affair with Orombello (whom Agnese loves, but who is in love with Beatrice). Agnese backs the false charge, thinking that if she can't have Orombello then she doesn't want Beatrice to have him either. A few changes of heart follow in the course of the opera, but Beatrice is the constant good gal who gains a moral victory at the price of her own head.

This is a live CD recording from a performance in Vienna in 1992 conducted by Pinchas Steinberg and featuring the absolutely impecable Slovak soprano Edita Gruberova in the title role of Beatrice. She is well supported by the cast of the reliable (if not vocally beautiful) Igor Morosow as 'Filippo', Don Bernardini is a gorgeous voiced 'Orombello', and there is the superstar mezzo to be Vesselina Kasarova displaying impressive technique, bright upper register and dramatic commitment as 'Agnese'.

Gruberova not only makes the very difficult and high tessitura (average pitch) music of Beatrice sounds easy, she also shows herself a superb voice actress. The only thing that might be called a flaw is her habit of portamenting into high notes (hitting just below the intended note and sliding up into it). Though if you can chalk that up as artistic preference, she is technically superb in every way. This singer can laugh, cry, or even mock convincingly with her voice without actually miming. You just hear it in the voice. Her Act II 'Ah! se un'urna e a me concessa' brought the house down... and then she tops it off with the closing aria!

The young Bulgarian-Swiss mezzo Kasarova (only 27 yrs old at the time) sounds like she has this lively stallion of an upper register that she just managed to keep it under control.. very thrilling. Her opening harp accompanied aria 'Ah! non pensar che pieno' is one of the most simple and beautiful thing. This is one of the first recordings of hers and it already shows how dramatically committed she is to her character. And she is even better in ensemble numbers than in solos. It is almost eerie hearing her numbers with Gruberova. They sound like the same voice shifted a few notes upward or downward. Such a perfectly matched pair of voices that at times it's almost like 2 parts of the same psyche debating each other.

Bellini wrote some drop dead gorgeous ensemble numbers in this work. Act I ensemble finale is superbly blended, and Act II trio 'Angiol di pace' is one of the most beautiful in opera. Maestro Pinchas Steinberg leads the ORF-Symphony Orchestra in a precise and idiomatic manner, taking great care not to cover his singer while keep the tempi flowing.

If you are a bel canto fan, this is a great CD recording to buy. It displays bel canto singing at its best. The sound is very good for a live recording with some coughing in the audience occasionally (not excessive, tho).

There are 2 CDs. The opera is sung in Italian.
Booklet contains track listing, photos of all the principals, note on the history of the opera, synopsis, and libretto in German, English and Italian.