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Description:
This 1983 Royal Opera Covent Garden production looks right and Plácido Domingo sounds right. So do the chorus and orchestra, though they could have been subtler here and there. Silvano Carroli makes a superbly villainous sheriff. Carol Neblett looks good and acts reasonably well as Minnie, the amiable barmaid and surrogate mother to a camp full of lonely minors. Unfortunately, her voice is not quite competitive with that of Mara Zampieri, who shared the La Scala production with Domingo nine years later. Those who prefer this Fanciulla will probably be attracted by Domingo's youthful vitality, but the whole production is quite attractive if one makes allowance for Neblett's tonal shortcomings. The music has color and subtlety, and the story will bring nostalgia attacks to anyone who spent childhood Saturday afternoons nibbling popcorn and watching horsemen in 10-gallon hats galloping across the screen. --Joe McLellan
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