Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur

I had to write a review of this recording because I think the reviews written so far are extremely unfair. Sutherland' s voice was huge capable of doing roles from bel canto to verismo. She was the only dramatic coloratura soprano of her generation. Early in her carrier she was able to tackle the heavy Verdi roles and we thought that Wagner was the next step, however she decided to specialize in bel canto and was supreme in bel canto roles. As Adriana she is excellent vocally, capable to exploit its pathos as Magda Olivero and Renata Tebaldi had done before her.Her whole performance has a fluidity and fragrance that reinforces the drama from moment to moment. I have seen Adriana with various casts, Magda Olivero in New Jersey and Caballe and Scotto at the Met.and Sutherland's performance in this recording is the best.The conducting and orchestra playing is superb. Singers with the caliber of Sutherland do not exist anymore

This performance of Cilea's hauntingly beautiful masterpeace totally disappointed my expectations. This Decca recording, which is a digital one done in 1988, shows Sutherland and Bergonzi to be past there prime, particularly Bergonzi, who I'm sorry to say is painful to listen to. Generally, I love Bergonzi's earlier performances but this one done when he was 64 years old shows him to be past his prime. There are areas where he is straining to reach the high notes and it is very painful to listen to. The general quality of his voice has diminished although he sounds great for 64 years old. Sutherland fairs better but her vibrato has slowed to a crawl. Also, both their voices sound weak compared to the other cast members. It should be just the opposite. It's such a shame to here these two great artist struggling with their parts. The recording quality does not help either. The overall sound is distant and lacks detail. I highly recommend the wonderful 1961 Decca recording with Tebaldi and del Monaco which was recently re-released on Decca  Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur .

This has always been one of my favorite recordings of this opera. Most critics are not really crazy about it but people like Tebaldi and Scotto admired this chestnut! In fact, love the Domingo/Scotto/Levine very much too! Nevertheless, there's something special about this performance that has me returning back to it all the time!!

Performance wonderful and the care ,efficiency was above satisfactory .It was in mint condition

Very good recording to Adriana, and when you have Tebaldi, Simionato and Del Monaco all in their prime that is all you need to know.

An opera that doesn't get much recognition. Love it.

Beautiful

Not very often does one run into an opera recording that takes your breath away and moves your heart like this one did to me. Renata Tebaldi gives Adriana a character of noble strength yet full of compassion which makes her performance most memorable. The same holds true of Mario del Monaco's performance of Maurizio. To me the high points were Maurizio's aria, "La dolcissima effigie sorridente", the ravishing love duet, which the previous aria leads into in the first act and Adriana's aria, "Poveri fiori", in the 4th act. There are many more high points and Cilea's hauntingly beautiful melodies throughout. Another important note about this recording is the quality of the recording itself. It is one of the best I have ever heard of an opera. This is remarkable since it was done in 1961. What adds to the quality of the recording is that there has been no effort in electronically reducing the tape hiss via the "Cello" system of the "ART" system which has become all the vogue in recent years. This means the full frequency and naturalness of the original recording is intact. The tape hiss is only slightly audible and does not deter from the listening experience whatsoever. Also, the recording has a wonderful ambiance with excellent reverberation. The strings are most sumptuous and detailed. In contrast to this recording is another Decca recording which is a digital one done in 1988 (Decca 425815 AISN # B00000E45S) with Sutherland and Bergonzi. Both Sutherland and Bergonzi are past there prime, particularly Bergonzi who, I'm sorry to say, is painful to listen to. The recording is not at all as good as the Tebaldi/del Monaco recording. I recommend you get this Tebaldi/del Monaco recording before they discontinue it.

This set shows its age by being issued by Decca of London with the CDs being made in West Germany. Also it comes with a huge booklet with the libretto in four languages including Italian and English. Maybe the new price is a bit steep but if, like me, you can get a perfect used copy at a modest price it is worth having. My rating is not a comparative one but based on this version alone. I can quite believe that the Scotto and Tebaldi recordings top the list as others have opined but Sutherland and Bergonzi when they were not quite as young as they had been are formidable. This is neither my favourite type of opera nor my favoured period but I bought the set to familiarise myself with it prior to hearing it at ROH and I have enjoyed it immensely. So on its own terms at the right price a winner.

I can only echo other reviewer's comments. Especially at this price, it is a must. It is a shame, however, that the last duet in the 3rd Act is cut. This is the reason why I am giving it 4 rather than 5 stars. Other than that, as I said, do not hesitate to purchase this set!

Great performances, the principal singers are in their prime in a very appealing opera which has much to offer in addtion to the well known arias.

Cette production Decca rassemblait les stars maison d’alors : Tebaldi, Del Monaco, Simionato, entourés de solides artistes italiens, avec l’orchestre de Santa Cecilia de Rome, habitué des enregistrements, le tout sous la direction du maestro Capuana, chef italien ayant des décennies d’expérience (il est mort à son pupitre, dans la fosse). Cette version n’est pas négligeable, mais nous avons eu depuis quelques versions (assez peu, finalement), qui lui sont globalement supérieures.En effet, Tebaldi a des aigus un peu forcés, et elle allait rencontrer des problèmes vocaux dès l’année suivante, qu’elle surmontera. Del Monaco fait le beau, comme toujours et le rôle s’y prête, mais il ne sait que chanter forte. Simionato a toujours une insolente santé vocale, et le baryton Fioraventi, moins connu que certains de ses contemporains, et qui a peu enregistré, est très solide, dans ce rôle secondaire. Les petits rôles sont très vivants dans cet opéra vériste.Résumé en anglais, français, allemand, italien. Livret en italien et anglais. Enregistrement studio de 1962.

Tebaldi and Simionato carry the day. In an opera with many intimate moments however, del Monaco is incongruent with his just two perennial modes (forte and fortissimo), despite obvious attempts by the recording engineer to balance it out.