[.ca] Falstaff Comp

Amazon.com essential recording:
This Karajan Falstaff has much to recommend it: Fedora Barbieri's Mistress Quickly is a 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 characterization 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 colors 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

The benchmark Falstaff:
Reference recordings are the touchstone by which all others are judged. The Callas-Gobbi Tosca is the universal example of a recording whose excellence so towers over the field as to bend the artistic vision of every subsequent laborer in the operatic vineyard in homage, conciously or not. Such recordings are extremely rare. Perhaps two dozen at best. By such rigorous standards this 1956 recording of Verdi's miraculous final Opera falls short of attaining the lofty status of Reference recording. Rather, it occupies that second tier of presumptive best for a large number (but not all!) of Opera devotees to whom the status of favorite recording is defended with a rabid zeal best reserved for fanatic warriors and religious zealots. Opera fans are a tough crew prepared to defend their favorites with a level of Mutually Assured Destruction not seen since the Cold War. It can get positively radioactive in the lobby of the Met between acts. I know. I've seen it. There is a Golden-Age warmth to this recording. EMI had perfected the business of Vocal recordings in the 1950's. Something in the water, perhaps. One can hear it in all of EMI's classic Opera recordings of the era. Even the ones in Mono (for which we can thank Producer Walter Legge's alleged hatred of stereophonic sound). Recorded in London's Kingway Hall in June 1956 there is a Midsummer's magic in the sparkle with which Gobbi inhabits the role of Falstaff. Recording during those long days was an inspiration not to be ignored. Everything about this Opera screams "more light!" As if the 80 year old Verdi willed himself youth through art. Karajan in his youth - well before illness slowed him considerably - had a clarity of style I have always admired. Listen to the way the woodwinds cavort throughout this recording. They seem to speak, commenting on the action. Sometimes they merge with women's voices with truly magical effect. Afterall, this is an Opera of texture, of delicacy of sound prefiguring Webern by 30 years. In this it is truly modern: pointing the way to a new century while simultaneously (and literally) ending an era. Sure it's tuneful. The tunes are shorter. It's as simple as that. Don't be put off by the lack of bang-up aria. The entire Opera is a song. Schwarzkopf, Merriman and Moffo (What a cast!) are suberb. They have rarely sounded so youthful yet wise. Vocal quality (to my ear at least) sounds easy and natural for each member of the cast. I cannot find a hint of Scarpia in Gobbi's performance. That's quite a feat since Gobbi is not a Falstaff that comes quickly to mind when discussing casting this role. Everything falls comfortably into place in this classic recording. It is a personal touchstone Opera performance. In a review of Gardiner's recent recording of this Opera, I mention Toscanini's justifiably lauded performance as occupying one of the antipodes of Falstaff performance practice. Karajan's is unquestionably the other. Lighting the way for all that comes after. Not bad for a long day's work. I love this record. 5 out of 5 stars with no debate.

Outstanding:
Outstanding recording. Winner of the Penguin Guide's highest and most coveted award - the Rosette.

MeisterFalstaff:
Gobbi's skill as a singer and an interpreter of Verdi are absolutely unimpeachable; he just sounds so very angry in this recording. I keep wondering how Baron Scarpia found his way to Windsor. Barbieri is indeed wonderful (though Resnik is funnier for Bernstein), and Schwarzkopf is much more appealing than elsewhere (if her charm is lost on you as it always has been on me, you may find this recording somewhat revelatory, as I did- she's warmer and much less self-conscious). The Germanic tendencies of the conductor and Miss Schwarzkopf show themselves in the notated laughter for the ladies in Act I: they fire it off with an audibly determined, machine-like force that sounds like anything but laughter. As for Alva- wow... I have heard some say that a tenor like him is lighter than Verdi wanted for this role, but his voice is like honey to your ears. von Karajan doesn't go for the Siegfried's Funeral Music super-subdivided-beat bombast that he injected to other Verdi works. You'd think that he would be a real natural for Mendelssohn lightness that Falstaff cries out for, but it's just a little too ungraceful to me. Check out the Bernstein for the super light skipping weightlessness, plus the big, explosive climaxes that are still fun and rollicking-- perhaps its this boisterousness and humor than von Karajan just can't convey. Still, overall, a much stronger cast than elsewhere, without a single weak link. I know a lot of Verdi fans who own just about every other Verdi opera besides this one. Why? I ask- this really is the absolute greatest comic opera- period, and a truly magnificent crowning achievement for Verdi's life. This is a great price, and even if it weren't; for Falstaff, nobody will ever put a cast this unformly fine with this much star power together again.

Like the box says....Great Recordings of the Century:
This recording is one of the few times where all goes amazingly well. Karajan leads with light-heart, vivacity and a true understanding of Verdi's score. This, the alleged dour and humorless Karajan who also gave us a superb Meistersinger, Ariadne, Fledermaus, Rosenkavalier....etc! A great cast, led by the great Gobbi, one of the greatest singing actors of our time. What lacks in pure vocal beauty is nullified by the complete characterizations he gave. His Falstaff is unstoppable in his joviality and self-delusion! Kudos to the entire cast, and to EMI who never let this recording of pure joy ever fall by the wayside!

Best falstaff in the world.:
This is the best falstaff in the world bar none. As the Gramophone puts it aptly, it stands peerless in the catalogue. Enough said!!

• Falstaff: Act One - Part One: Falstaff!...Ola!
• Falstaff: Act One - Part One: So che se andiam, la notte
• Falstaff: Act One - Part One: Ma è tempo d'assttigliar l'ingegno
• Falstaff: Act One - Part One: L'onore! Ladri!... lo stesso, si, io, io
• Falstaff: Act One - Part Two: Alice!... Med!... Nannetta!
• Falstaff: Act One - Part Two: Fulgida Alice! amor t'offro
• Falstaff: Act One - Part Two: Ripeti...In due parole
• Falstaff: Act One - Part Two: Pst, pst, Nannetta!...Vien qua...Labbra di foco!
• Falstaff: Act One - Part Two: Falstaff m'ha conzonata
• Falstaff: Act One - Part Two: Torno all'assalto...Torna alla gara
• Falstaff: Act One - Part Two: Udrai quanta egli sfoggia magniloquenza altera
• Falstaff: Act One - Part Two: Del tuo barbaro dignostico
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part One: Siam pentiti e contriti
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part One: Reverenza!
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part One: Va, vecchio John
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part One: Signore, v'assista il cielo!
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part One: Ve lo dirò. C'è a Windsor una dama
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part One: Lo conoscete?...Il diavolo lo porti all'inferno
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part One: E sogno? o realtà?
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part One: Eccomi qua. Son pronto
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part Two: Presenteremo un 'bill' per una tassa al parlamento
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part Two: Giunta all'albergo della Giarrettiera
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part Two: Gaie comari di Windsor! E I'ora!
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part Two: Alfin t'ho colto,raggiante fior
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part Two: T'immagino fregiata del mio stemma
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part Two: Quand'ero paggio del Duca di Norfolk
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part Two: Vien qua. Che chiasso!
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part Two: Al ladro!
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part Two: Facciamo le viste d'attendere ai panni
• Falstaff: Act Two - Part Two: Bella! ridente!
• Falstaff: Act Three - Part One: Ehi! taverniere!...lo, dunque, avro vissuto tanti anni
• Falstaff: Act Three - Part One: Buono. Ber del vin dolce
• Falstaff: Act Three - Part One: Reverenza! La bella Alice...
• Falstaff: Act Three - Part One: T'aspetterò nel Parco Real
• Falstaff: Act Three - Part One: Brava! Quelle corna saranno la mia gioia!
• Falstaff: Act Three - Part One: Avrò con me dei putti
• Falstaff: Act Three - Part Two: Dal labbro il canto estasiato vola
• Falstaff: Act Three - Part Two: Nossignore! tu indossa questa cappa
• Falstaff: Act Three - Part Two: Una, due, tre, quattro, cinque, sei
• Falstaff: Act Three - Part Two: Ninfe! Elfi! Silfi! Doridi! Sirene!
• Falstaff: Act Three - Part Two: Sul fil d'un saffio etesio
• Falstaff: Alto là!
• Falstaff: Act Three - Part Two: Ahimè tu puzzi come una puzzola
• Falstaff: Act Three - Part Two: Un poco di pausa
• Falstaff: Act Three - Part Two: Ogni sorta di gente dozzinale
• Falstaff: Act Three - Part Two: Un coro e terniniam la scena...tutto nel mondo è burla