Otello (López Cobos Recording)
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''Otello'' is a 153-minute studio album of
Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...
's opera '' Otello'', performed by José Carreras, Nucci Condò,
Salvatore Fisichella Salvatore Fisichella (born 15 May 1943 in Catania, Sicily) is an Italian operatic tenor known for his roles in bel canto operas, especially those of Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini. He has been recognized for the ease and vocal brilliance of ...
, Alfonso Leoz, Keith Lewis, Gianfranco Pastine,
Samuel Ramey Samuel Edward Ramey (born March 28, 1942) is an American operatic bass. At the height of his career, he was greatly admired for his range and versatility, having possessed a sufficiently accomplished bel canto technique to enable him to sing th ...
and
Frederica von Stade Frederica von Stade OAL (born June 1, 1945) is a semi-retired American opera singer. Since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1970, she has performed in operas, musicals, concerts and recitals in venues throughout the world, including La Scala, th ...
with the Ambrosian Chorus and the Philharmonia Orchestra under the direction of
Jesús López Cobos Jesús López Cobos (25 February 1940 – 2 March 2018) was a Spanish conductor. Early life and career López Cobos was born in Toro, Zamora, Spain. He studied at Complutense University of Madrid and graduated with a degree in philosophy. La ...
. It was released in 1979.


Background

Following ''Otellos première in Naples in 1816, Rossini wrote an alternative version of the opera which replaced its climax with a different, happier conclusion. (
Opera Rara Opera Rara is a London-based opera company and recording label which specialises in recording and performing forgotten operatic repertoire from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1970 by bel canto enthusiasts Patric Schmid and Don Whi ...
's issue of the opera, conducted by David Parry, includes this alternative ending in an appendix.Gioachino Rossini: ''Otello'', cond. David Parry, Opera Rara CD, ORC 18, 1999) Jesús López Cobos's album presents the opera in accordance with Rossini's original autograph score. The album was the first studio recording of the opera ever undertaken.


Recording

The album was recorded using analogue technology in September 1978 at an unidentified location in London.Gioachino Rossini: ''Otello'', cond. Jesús López Cobos, Philips Classics CD, 432 456 2, 1992


Packaging

The cover of the CD edition of the album, designed under the art direction of Ton Friesen, features a photograph by Hans Morren.


Critical reception


Reviews

Alan Blyth Geoffrey Alan Blyth (27 July 1929 – 14 August 2007) was an English music critic, author, and musicologist who was particularly known for his writings within the field of opera. He was a specialist on singers and singing. Born in London, Blyth ...
reviewed the album on LP in '' Gramophone'' in September 1979. Recalling how Stendhal had rhapsodized over the opera, he expressed regret that it had fallen into a degree of obscurity. Berio's libretto, it was true, was a travesty of Shakespeare, but Rossini's alchemy had turned its lead into gold. The work was "full of music that asmellifluous and affecting", and though it was not the last word in psychological profundity, in between its occasional barren pages there were others that plumbed genuine depths of feeling. Indeed, there were moments in which Rossini had rivalled, or maybe surpassed, what Giuseppe Verdi had done with the story seven decades later. But whatever one thought of Rossini's score, there was no doubting that López Cobos's album could hardly have put the case for it more persuasively. As Desdemona, Frederica von Stade exhibited her "accustomed control and feeling for the shape of a phrase", singing even more beautifully than she had in the excerpt from the opera that she had included in her early recital disc of ''bel canto'' arias. Her one failing was that her diction left something to be desired. She showed an "increasing tendency to smooth away consonants in the interests of suave tone", and her recitatives suffered accordingly. As Emilia, Nucci Condò sang with a voice so like von Stade's that it was sometimes difficult to tell the maidservant from her mistress, though the similarity of their timbres made for an exquisite blending in their Act 1 duet. (Stendhal, Blyth noted, had thought the duet the best thing in the entire score.) In the opera's title role, José Carreras made "as much as he
ould Ould is an English surname and an Arabic name ( ar, ولد). In some Arabic dialects, particularly Hassaniya Arabic, ولد‎ (the patronymic, meaning "son of") is transliterated as Ould. Most Mauritanians have patronymic surnames. Notable p ...
of a part that fferedlittle in the way of pathos". He was equally credible as a proud soldier, a tormented lover and a man agonizing on the brink of becoming a murderer. Salvatore Fisichella brought an astonishing virtuosity to the opera's most demanding role, Rodrigo. With his "pleasingly clean, open tone and rapid vibrato", he negotiated his character's roulades, coloratura and excruciating ''tessitura'' with virtually no apparent effort. The opera's third tenor, Gianfranco Pastine, did well, too, as Iago - a smaller part than in Verdi or Shakespeare - and sang with a timbre that was different enough from Carreras's or Fisichella's to obviate confusion. Samuel Ramey was effective as Desdemona's irate father, and Alfonso Leoz was a poetic Gondolier in his brief offstage contribution to Desdemona's Willow Song scene. The orchestra played attentively, and López Cobos conducted with great skill, emphasizing the moments when Rossini was at his most inspired and making it easy to overlook passages in which the composer's powers of fantasy had faltered. The audio quality of the album was excellent, with the singers and instrumentalists balanced judiciously and projected clearly. In sum, Philips's recording was "an issue that should be in all operatic collections worthy of the name."''Gramophone'', September 1979, pp. 518-521 William Livingstone reviewed the album on LP in ''
Stereo Review ''Sound & Vision'' is an American magazine, purchased by AVTech Media Ltd. (UK) in March 2018, covering home theater, audio, video and multimedia consumer products. Before 2000, it had been published for most of its history as ''Stereo Review''. ...
'' in December 1979. He urged his readers not to allow their admiration of Verdi's ''Otello'' to deter them from exploring Rossini's treatment of the story. There was no denying that, in his first two Acts, Rossini had clung tenaciously to hoary ''opera seria'' convention. And there was something disconcerting in hearing scenes of high drama sung with an orchestral accompaniment that was incongruously buoyant. But Rossini's writing had "classic elegance" as well as "expressiveness and excitement", and was never "arid or tedious". Moreover, in his climactic Act 3 he had transcended tradition and found a new style that was "more personal and 'modern'" - the musicologist
Philip Gossett Philip Gossett (September 27, 1941 – June 12, 2017) was an American musicologist and historian, and Robert W. Reneker Distinguished Service Professor of Music at the University of Chicago. His lifelong interest in 19th-century Italian opera bega ...
had argued that this Act was where eighteenth-century Italian opera had truly ended and a new epoch begun. But whether Rossini's opera was really a masterpiece or not, Philips had produced a fine recording of it. "The versatile Frederica von Stade is so convincing as Desdemona", Livingstone wrote, "that it is difficult to believe that she has never performed this role on stage." Rossini had given Desdemona "many long-lined, plaintive melodies", and von Stade " panthem out beautifully, always with full attention to the meaning of the words and" - ''pace'' Blyth - "with excellent diction." Nucci Condò, whose timbre Livingstone thought fruitier than von Stade's, was good as Emilia. Philips had been shrewd in casting the album's three principal tenor roles, choosing singers with voices that were easy to tell apart from one another and that were well suited to the different kinds of music that Rossini had written for them. José Carreras came to the title role with a voice that had lately "grown somewhat darker and heavier", but it "retained its sweetness and inherent beauty of tone". The brighter-sounding Salvatore Fisichella was the ideal man for Rodrigo's sparkling coloratura. And Gianfranco Pastine conveyed Iago's malevolence convincingly. Samuel Ramey, the opera's solitary, "sonorous" bass, supplied the somber tints that were needed to complete Rossini's ''chiaroscuro''. Philips's production team had done their work admirably, balancing soloists and orchestra unimpeachably and making intelligent use of the stereo soundstage to create the illusion of a theatrical presentation without perpetrating any obtrusive trickery. With "impressive" conducting by López Cobos, the "splendid" album was "something that adbecome rare in operatic recordings, a real ''performance''".''Stereo Review'', December 1979, p. 150 J. B. Steane reviewed the album on LP in ''Gramophone'' in January 1980. He thought Rossini's opera good in some respects, less so in others. He was not troubled by the distance between Berio's plot and Shakespeare's, but he was uneasy about Rossini's use of the same mannerisms that were ubiquitous in his comic works. On the positive side, the opera contained "genuine inspiration" and several kinds of beauty, from the "brilliance and ornamentation" of its Act 1 quartet to the "unadorned, unaffected simplicity of utterance" of the Willow Song and Prayer. What impressed him most about the "fine" album itself was the performance of its stars. "Carreras and von Stade cope wonderfully well", he wrote. "I don't think we have had a full-voiced ''spinto'' type of tenor singing runs like this since the very early years of the century."''Gramophone'', January 1980, p. 1122 Richard Osborne reviewed the opera on CD in ''Gramophone'' in December 1992. Although a Rossini enthusiast, he conceded that some parts of the score were less inspired than others. Its Act 3 was so powerful that it had long deterred Verdi from beginning his own ''Otello'', but the rest of the opera was "flashy rodomontade" with "the odd ''mauvais quart-d'heure''". Philips's album, though, had no weaknesses at all. Frederica von Stade's Desdemona was "chaste and as luminous as a sculpture in Carrara marble". José Carreras's Otello was a "searingly noble Moor". Salvatore Fisichella and Gianfranco Pastine emerged "with honour, barely bloodied and never for a moment bowed" by Rossini's merciless demands on their virtuosity. The album as a whole was fresh and scintillating - the fruit of first-class scholarship, luxurious casting and immaculate engineering. It was an essential purchase for all "lovers of memorable opera memorably performed".''Gramophone'', December 1992, p. 140 Osborne revisited the album in ''Gramophone'' in February 2000, comparing it with a new, Opera Rara issue of the opera conducted by David Parry. Philips's set still seemed to him to be well nigh perfect. Carreras's Otello could perhaps be criticized as "sub-Verdian", but was nevertheless compellingly and enjoyably performed. The youthful Samuel Ramey's Elmiro was a powerful characterization enhanced by "marvellous articulation and a flawless sense of how to 'place' the voice in ... ensembles". Conducting, López Cobos had found a way to maintain the impetus of the opera's drama while at the same time allowing his singers the opportunity to let Rossini's ''bel canto'' work its magic. With a spacious, unvaryingly realistic acoustic, Philips' 1970s album was unequivocally preferable to Opera Rara's rival.''Gramophone'', February 2000, p. 102-104


Accolade

Revisiting the album in ''Gramophone'' in December 1979, Alan Blyth included it in his Critic's Choice list of the best recordings of the year.''Gramophone'', December 1979, p. 969


Track listing: CD1

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...
(1792-1868) '' Otello'' ossia ''Il Moro di Venezia'' (Naples, 1816), tragedia lirica in tre atti, with a libretto by Francesco Maria Berio, Marchese di Salsa * 1 (8:23) Overture Act One No. 1, Introduction * 2 (3:34) "Viva Otello" (Chorus) * 3 (1:48) March No. 2, Duet and chorus * 4 (2:40) "Vincemmo, a prodi" (Otello, Doge, Iago, Rodrigo) * 5 (7:08) "Ah! Sì, per voi già sento" (Otello, Iago, Chorus) No. 3, Recitative and duet * 6 (3:07) "Rodrigo!" (Elmiro, Rodrigo, Iago) * 7 (5:16) "No, non temer" (Iago, Rodrigo) No. 4, Recitative and duet * 8 (6:23) "Inutile è quel pianto" (Emilia, Desdemona) * 9 (4:11) "Vorrei, che il tuo pensiero" (Desdemona, Emilia) No. 5, Finale I *10 (5:20) "Ma che miro?" (Desdemona, Iago, Rodrigo, Elmiro, Emilia) *11 (4:09) "Santo Imen!" (Chorus) *12 (1:04) "Dove son? Che mai veggio?" (Desdemona, Elmiro, Rodrigo, Emilia) *13 (4:41) "Nel cor d'un padre amante" (Elmiro, Rodrigo, Desdemona) *14 (4:08) "Ti parli d'amore" (Rodrigo, Elmiro, Desdemona) *15 (3:11) "L'infida, ahimè che miro?" (Otello, Chorus, Rodrigo, Elmiro) *16 (5:49) "Incerta l'anima" (Chorus, Rodrigo, Otello, Desdemona, Elmiro) Act Two No. 6, Recitative and aria *17 (1:40) "Lasciami" (Desdemona, Rodrigo) *18 (6:04) "Che ascolto?" (Rodrigo)


Track listing: CD2

Act Two, continued No. 7, Recitative and duet * 1 (2:25) "M'abbandonò, disparve" (Desdemona, Emilia) * 2 (5:39) "Che feci?" (Otello, Iago) * 3 (4:02) "Non m'inganno" (Otello, Iago) * 4 (2:29) "L'ira d'avverso fato" (Otello, Iago) No. 8, Recitative and trio * 5 (0:52) "E a tanto giunger puote" (Otello, Rodrigo) * 6 (8:59) "Ah vieni, nel tuo sangue" (Rodrigo, Otello, Desdemona) * 7 (2:30) "Tra tante smanie" (Rodrigo, Desdemona, Otello) No. 9, Finale II * 8 (2:06) "Desdemona! Che veggo" (Emilia, Desdemona) * 9 (5:48) "Che smania. Oimè! Che affanni" (Desdemona, Chorus, Elmiro) *10 (3:04) "L'error d'un' infelice" (Desdemona, Chorus, Elmiro) Act Three No. 10, Recitative, aria, duet and Finale III *11 (3:51) "Ah! - Dagli affanni oppressa" (Desdemona, Emilia) *12 (5:07) "Nessun maggior dolore" (Gondoliere, Desdemona, Emilia) Canzona and recitative *13 (9:01) "Assisa a' piè d'un salice... Che dissi!" (Desdemona, Emilia) *14 (2:28) "Deh calma, o Ciel nel sonno" (Desdemona) *15 (6:50) "Eccomi giunto inosservato" (Otello, Desdemona) Duet *16 (2:53) "Non arrestare, il colpo" (Desdemona, Otello) *17 (2:24) "Notte per me funesta" (Desdemona, Otello) *18 (3:33) "Che sento... Chi batte?" (Otello, Lucio, Doge, Elmiro, Rodrigo, Chorus)


Personnel


Performers

* Alfonso Leoz (tenor), Gondolier & Doge of Venice *
Salvatore Fisichella Salvatore Fisichella (born 15 May 1943 in Catania, Sicily) is an Italian operatic tenor known for his roles in bel canto operas, especially those of Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini. He has been recognized for the ease and vocal brilliance of ...
(tenor), Rodrigo, son of the Doge * José Carreras (tenor), Otello, a victorious Moorish General in the Venetian army *
Frederica von Stade Frederica von Stade OAL (born June 1, 1945) is a semi-retired American opera singer. Since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1970, she has performed in operas, musicals, concerts and recitals in venues throughout the world, including La Scala, th ...
(mezzo-soprano), Desdemona, in love with Otello but promised to Rodrigo *
Samuel Ramey Samuel Edward Ramey (born March 28, 1942) is an American operatic bass. At the height of his career, he was greatly admired for his range and versatility, having possessed a sufficiently accomplished bel canto technique to enable him to sing th ...
(bass), Elmiro, father of Desdemona * Gianfranco Pastine (tenor), Iago, secretly enamoured of Desdemona * Nucci Condò (mezzo-soprano), Emilia, maidservant and confidante of Desdemona * Keith Lewis (tenor), Lucio, a follower of Otello * Sioned Williams, harp * Ambrosian Chorus (chorus master: John McCarthy) * Philharmonia Orchestra *
Jesús López Cobos Jesús López Cobos (25 February 1940 – 2 March 2018) was a Spanish conductor. Early life and career López Cobos was born in Toro, Zamora, Spain. He studied at Complutense University of Madrid and graduated with a degree in philosophy. La ...
, conductor


Other

* Richard Nunn, conductor's assistant * Ubaldo Gardini, music and language adviser *
Erik Smith Erik George Sebastian Smith (25 March 19314 May 2004) was a German-born British record producer, pianist and harpsichordist. He produced over 90 opera recordings. His greatest legacy is the 1991 complete recording of the entirety of Wolfgang Am ...
, producer


Release history

In 1979, Philips Classics Records released the album as a triple LP (catalogue number 6769 023) and a double cassette (catalogue number 7699 110), both with notes, texts and translations. In 1992, Philips Classics Records issued the album as a double CD (catalogue number 432 456 2), packaged in a slipcase with a 172-page booklet. The booklet contained synopses, libretti and an essay by the Rossini scholar
Philip Gossett Philip Gossett (September 27, 1941 – June 12, 2017) was an American musicologist and historian, and Robert W. Reneker Distinguished Service Professor of Music at the University of Chicago. His lifelong interest in 19th-century Italian opera bega ...
, all of them in English, French, German and Italian, as well as an engraving of Rossini, a publicity photograph of Carreras taken by Clive Barda and production photographs of the album's other singers and López Cobos taken by Mike Evans. The opera was later reissued in different packaging as part of Philips's DUO and Decca's grandOPERA ranges.


References

{{Authority control 1970s classical albums 1979 albums Opera recordings Philips Classics Records albums