[.ca] La Forza Del Destino

Power, Drama, Beauty! My No1 Forza Del Destino!:
After the legendary Florence Festival Forza performances (1953) under the baton of the neglected giant Dimitri Mitropoulos, people at Decca knew they had the perfect artists to create a masterful Forza Del Destino. This set gives us an idea of the kind of voices one could hear in the '50s: Tebaldi, Del Monaco, Bastianini, Simionato, Siepi, Corena. Everyone was at her/his peak in 1955 when this set was recorded. Notice also that they are all Italians and this certainly is a plus when it comes to vibrato and Italian accent. There are not enough superlatives to compliment Renata Tebaldi's Leonora di Vargas. Even her opponents agree that this was one of her greatest roles in which she was unrivalled. The sheer power and clarity of her singing teaches us how opera is supposed to sound! Verdi (and all opera composers) has injected the drama in the music but you need an opera singer of this calibre to sing the drama. Just listen to "Son giunta!", "Pace, Pace" or any other Tebaldi moment! Del Monaco is heard here in one of his famous roles. He rarely sings piano on this set but his fierce sound is welcome in this heavy tenor role. He lacks Bergonzi's style but on the other hand, Bergonzi doesn't have Del Monaco's ringing voice. Giulietta Simionato once again proves that she was an excellent Verdi mezzo. As for Bastianini, Siepi and Corena they are everything one could ask for. NO OTHER Forza Del Destino recording has such an ideal group of performers! Mollinari-Pradelli was not the best conductor of his time but I find his conducting very pleasant; he doesn't try to overpower his singers and allows them to shine. A Serafin or a Mitropoulos would have been ideal but still the result is excellent. And what a great surprise that this '55 set has STEREO sound! The only other studio Forza Del Destino I warmly recommend is the EMI Gardelli set with Bergonzi, Arroyo, Capuccilli and Raimondi: a less powerful performance with great singing (if not as enchanting as the one heard here). If you are looking for Verdi perfection go for the '53 live Florence Festival Forza Del Destino (Tebaldi, Del Monaco, Barbieri, Protti - Mitropoulos) or get the 1958 DVD Forza with Tebaldi and Corelli.

Good But Not Great:
While not an opera buff, I have always been attracted to Forza: as a child I was intrigued with my parents' old 78 rpm shellac of Rosa Ponselle singing "Pace, Pace" (still unmatched imho). My reservations concerning this complete Forza set: Del Monaco's tight, loud and unrelenting Alvaro and Molinari-Pradelli's rather directionless conducting. Tebaldi is in warm, full voice, although here and there her intonation causes me to grit my teeth. All in all, I feel that the "live" 1958 Naples recording on Hardy Classic Video is superior to what is heard here, with the same conductor a bit more lively in front of a live audience. Tebaldi is tremendously sympathetic and Corelli is in magnificent voice. Other versions worth hearing: Gino Marinuzzi's 1941 Forza is, to my ears, by far the best conducted account, with a fine ensemble effort from Caniglia/Masini/Tagliabue. It's cut, of course, as is the Callas version (I find her quite compelling, and Serafin lends fine support, but Richard Tucker drives me up the wall). I have not heard the Gencer/Di Stefano live recording - some opera mavens feel it is the finest of all. Bottom line: the Marinuzzi (Naxos) is probably the best bargain, while Tebaldi/Corelli/Bastianini/Christoff/Dominguez with Molinari-Pradelli on video provides a superior alternative to this studio version.