Verdi - Il Trovatore / Del Monaco, Gencer, Bastianini, Barbieri, Clabassi, Londi, Previtali, RAI Milano

Rating:
Summary: Fun, exciting singing, where's the recording?
Review: This is a great DVD of Trovatore not because the production is great, or the visuals, but simply because of the singing. Del Monaco is possibly (right up there with Corelli) the most exciting singer of Manrico, if not the most tender. Gencer is a find! Some wonderful phrases, some great really plaintiff singing that really makes you feel this woman's pain. Bastianini, again, is beautiful, unstrained, clear, and powerful, if sort of bland in dramatic interpretation. Barbieri is inhabiting this wonderful Verdi mezzo with absolute conviction, and a voice that could knock down walls. The production values on the DVD are not particularly good, as it was 50's tv, and the acting is kind of hammy and "operatic" in the least realsitic, most hammy fun sense of the word, but the singing is so good, who gives a hoot about any of that?