COMPOSERS: Rossini
LABELS: Sony
ALBUM TITLE: Rossini
WORKS: Il barbiere di Siviglia
PERFORMER: Elina Garanca, Lawrence Brownlee, Nathan Gunn, Bruno de Simone, Kirstinn Sigmundsson, Giovanna Donadini, Roberto Accurso; Munich Radio Chorus & Orchestra/Miguel Gómez-Martínez
CATALOGUE NO: 82876 80429 2
This multinational Barber, founded
on the excellent forces of Munich
Radio, provides a presentable
modern version of the score, though
one or two of the singers – notably
the Latvian mezzo Elina Garan?a’s
Rosina, and the Italian baritone
Bruno de Simone’s Bartolo – are
not as adept with the coloratura
as one has come to expect over the
course of the Rossini revival. On
the other hand, Garan?a’s warmth
and depth of tone are exceptional,
even if her characterisation is overly
earnest, while De Simone provides a
traditional curmudgeonly Sevillian
doctor. American baritone Nathan
Gunn’s Figaro is disappointing.
Though there’s some welcome
personality on display, his is a
vocally lightweight approach and
he’s careless with note values. The
cavernous voice of the Icelandic
bass Kristinn Sigmundsson fits
him out aptly for Don Basilio.
The prime reason for acquiring
the set is American tenor Lawrence
Brownlee’s Almaviva. His is a highly
attractive light-lyric tenor, his tone
combining warmth with brilliance,
and as well as fluent coloratura his
singing possesses musical grace. He
fully deserves the last-Act aria ‘Cessa
di più resistere’, which is regularly cut
from performances and recordings.
Apart from Brownlee, the
most recommendable element is
Miguel Gómez-Martínez’s spirited
conducting. But the rest is just
so-so, and hardly likely to displace
the classic 1962 account with De
Los Angeles, Luigi Alva and Sesto
Bruscantini under Vittorio Gui from
many people’s affections. George Hall