This Karajan Falstaff has much to recommend it: Fedora Barbieri's Mistress Quickly is a ... more
force of nature, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, only slightly affected, is a liquid, appealing Alice Ford, and Luigi Alva and the young Anna Moffo are ideal as the young lovers, Fenton and Nanetta. But the star--as it should be--is Tito Gobbi in the title role. As is usual with this great singing actor, his characterisation comes from within--his is a Falstaff born to be deflated, arrogant and self-deluding on a level that is actually funny. And the nice surprise is what good voice Gobbi's in-- he's in charge of all of his vocal colours here and he uses all of them well. Karajan's touch is light and, yes, funny and he treats the opera as the divine ensemble work it is, all leading up to a superb final scene. A good time is had by all--listeners included. --Robert Levine
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Falstaff was Verdi's last opera and the climax of his career. Completed in 1893, when the ... more
composer was almost eighty, it is also the culmination of Italian comic opera Librettist Arrigo Boito took the substance of the piece from Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor, but the central character, who embroils himself in numerous plots and dupes of love and marriage until eventually the Merry Wives get their revenge on him, is much closer to the Falstaff of Henry IV. The jokes are at the expense not of a buffoon but of a whole man, boisterous and roguish but with an underlying streak of melancholy. In this Theatre Royal de la Monnaie de Bruxelles production, recorded during the 1987 Aix-en-Provence Festival, the title role is sung by bass-baritone Jose Van Dam, a genuine actor as well as a consummate singer, as the role demands.
A common failing of Falstaff recordings is the hole in the middle--the larger-than-life ... more
Sir John sung by baritones several sizes too small for the role, both vocally and dramatically. That problem is nonexistent here--Bryn Terfel's outsized singing personality perfectly matches Verdi's conception. Whether bellowing in rage, preening in praise of his fleshly abundance, or crooning sweet nothings to his intended conquests, Terfel dominates this performance as a Falstaff should. As his adversaries, Thomas Hampson's Ford is outstanding, well-sung and characterised, and Adrianne Pieczonka's Mistress Ford, like the pair of young lovers, is quite good too. In fact, there's little to complain about the rest of this well-assembled cast. If some older recordings of the opera boast more distinctive touches (eg the way Cloe Elmo's Mistress Quickly relishes her repeated "reverenzas" for Toscanini), few are as well matched. Abbado gets the Berlin Philharmonic to play well; the engineering is adequate, if opaque, with orchestral details too often fading into the background. In sum, while Abbado's Falstaff doesn't match the classic Toscanini, Karajan (his first) or Solti, it's by far the best of the current crop and indispensable for Terfel and Hampson. --Dan Davis
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Advantages: Glorious recorded sound, a fine group of soloists Disadvantages: Some fans may not like Sutherland in this music
This version of Verdi's Requiem sounds absolutely terrific. The chorus has lots of presence -so important in the famous Dies Irae and the soloists are miked beautifully. The 'Hostias' and 'Ingemisco' are some of the finest recordings of Luciano Pavarotti available. Arguably he had more character by the time of his later recording from the late 80s with Riccardo Muti but he is caught here at his finest vocally with the hushed ingemisco amongst the best of that much recorded aria. Joan Sutherland's performance has been criticised quite a lot by critics that think she should not have recorded Verdi roles (similar complaints surround her Traviatas, her Leonora in Il Trovatore and her Elvira in Ernani). I really like her in this music. She is certainly preferable in my opiion to Schwarzkopf (Giulini/EMI and De Sabata (Naxos)) or Nelli ...
Bang smack in the centre of Brussels, and with a large terrace, Falstaff is great for watching the world drift by. They serve you "amuses-gueules" with your drinks and beers are cheap, and service good. The only disadvantage to this place is one more for ladies than men. Often pushy men will come and sit down and start talking, and whilst the chat is initially harmless, and they come across as being friendly, they soon start asking very intimate details, and get very person, and are a nuisance. There will also invariably ask for girls' phone numbers and can get very pushy with you. A quick way out is to say that you are only on holiday and leaving the day after tomorrow. It is a shame that this overshadows an otherwise pleasant place to drink. ...
Morgenhund 28.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Falstaff
Advantages: Happy Hour a Bonus. Disadvantages: Sharing a Tiramisu of my own.
for starters) but het I was hungry.
Followed this with a Spicy Pizza (With Jalopino peppers), at the price I half expected a meagre type Pizza, how wrong can you be a Full 12 inch Pizza with plenty of toppings.
As we were going to the Beer Festival later we had Peroni Beer . The wines on offer were £10.95 a bottle, but looking at the choices this was reasonable.
We finished by sharing a Tiramisu, again I did not really expect at the price such a delicious one, matched all we have had in Italy. It was servered not only with a small jug of Cream but also a small bowl of tasty Ice-Cream.
Total bill was £24. A real bargain given the attentive, friendly service, and quality of the food.
The restaurant is decorated in the Italian colours with many Photos from Rome, Florence, Venice Etc.
Yes well done VERDI RESTAURANT and a top score ...
Giuseppe (Fortunino Francesco) Verdi (1813 - 1901)
Main Performer
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Baritone); Erich Kunz (Baritone); Gerhard Stolze (Tenor); Graziella Sciutti (Soprano); Hilde Rössel-Majdan (Mezzo soprano)
Orchestra / Ensemble(s)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Vienna State Opera Chorus
Date of Release
11/08/2003
Recomended Retail Price
14.99 GBP
Label / Distributor
Sony Classical / BMG UK
Pieces in Set
2
Running Time
2 hours 6 minutes
Genre(s)
Stage works
Stereo
Stereo
SPAR Code
ADD
EAN
5099709118128
Work 1
Work Title
Falstaff
Excerpt(s)
1. ACT 1 - Falstaff! Olà! 2. So che se andiam,la notte 3. Ma è tempo d'assottigliar l'ingegno 4. Ehi! paggio!; L'Onore! Ladri! 5. Alice... Meg... Nannetta 6. Fulgida Alice! amor t'offro; Quell'otre! quel tino!; È un ribaldo, un furbo, un labro 7. In due parole 8. Pst, pst, Nannetta; Labbro di foco!; Falstaff m'ha canzonata; Torno all'assalto 9. Del tuo barbaro diagnostico 10. ACT 2 - Siam pentiti e contriti; Reverenza! 11. Alice, è mia!; Va, vecchio John 12. Signore, v'assista il cielo! 13. C'è Windsor una dama; V'ascolto 14. È sogno? o realtà; Eccomi qua. Son pronto 15. Presenteremo un bill; Giunta all'Albergo della Giarrettiera 16. Fra poco s'incomincia la commedia; A noi! Tu la parte farai che ti spetta 17. Alfin t'ho colto 18. Quand'ero paggio; Voi mi celiate 19. Mia signora!; Vien qua; Al ladro 20. C'è. C'è; Facciamo le viste 21. ACT 3 - Ehi! Taverniere!; Mondo ladro 22. Reverenza. La bella Alice; Quando il rintocco 23. Sarai la Fata Regina delle Fate 24. Dal labbro il canto; Nossignore! Tu indossa 25. Una, due, tre, quattro; Odo un soave passo! 26. Ninfe! Elfi! Silfi!; Sul fil d'un soffio etesio 27. Alto là; Pizzica, pizzica 28. Ogni sorta di gente dozzinale 29. Facciamo il paremtado; Tutto nel mondo è burla.
Composer
Giuseppe (Fortunino Francesco) Verdi (1813 - 1901)
Genre
Stage works
Date Written
1893
Conductor
Leonard Bernstein
Orchestra / Ensemble
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Orchestra / Ensemble
Vienna State Opera Chorus
Main Performer
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Baritone), Erich Kunz (Baritone), Gerhard Stolze (Tenor), Graziella Sciutti (Soprano), Hilde Rössel-Majdan (Mezzo soprano), Ilva Ligabue (Soprano), Juan Oncina (Tenor), Murray Dickie (Tenor), Regina Resnik (Mezzo soprano), Rolando Panerai (Baritone)
Opera Part(s)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Falstaff), Erich Kunz (Pistol), Gerhard Stolze (Doctor Caius), Graziella Sciutti (Nannetta), Hilde Rössel-Majdan (Meg Page), Ilva Ligabue (Alice Ford), Juan Oncina (Fenton), Murray Dickie (Bardolph), Regina Resnik (Mistress Quickly), Rolando Panerai (Ford)
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Listed on Ciao since
17/04/2005
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