Verdi: Falstaff: Geraint Evans/giulietta Simionato/rca Italiana Opera/sir Georg Solti - 2xcd 2005
Merchant: Oxfam
Merchant's Category: Media> Music & Sound Recordings
Verdi: Falstaff: Libretto: Arrigo Boito Alfredo Kraus (vocals), Geraint Evans (vocals), Giovanni Foiani (vocals), Giulietta Simionato (vocals), Ilva Ligabue (vocals), John Lanigan (vocals), Mirella Freni (vocals), Piero de Palma (vocals), Robert Merrill (vocals), Rosalind Elias (vocals) RCA Italiana Opera conducted by Sir Georg Solti Recorded in 1963 Released by Decca 2005 - 2xCD (ADD) It is one of the miracles of human creativity that Giuseppe Verdi was eighty years old when he composed "Falstaff," his last opera and only his second attempt at comedy. Verdi and librettist Arrigo Boito, did the impossible: improving Shakespeare. Face it, "The Merry Wives of Windsor" isn't that great a play. I have always loved the character of Falstaff, a nobleman who never loses his sense of dignity no matter how often he finds himself the butt of cruel practical jokes by the town of Windsor's mean, small-minded townsfolks. I actually prefer Verdi's "Falstaff" to Shakespeare's (I can do without the Henry IV plays and that insufferable Prince Hal). Sir Georg Solti, who along with Herbert von Karajan worked as an assistant to Arturo Toscanini in his 1930s Salzburg production of "Falstaff," leads a dream cast in a highly charged performance. Sir Geraint Evans's richly flavorful bass-baritone is perfect for Falstaff, and he has a perfect foil in the stately Mistress Quickly of Giulietta Simionato. Ilva Ligabue is a lovely Alice, and. Mirella Freni and Alfredo Kraus are faultless as the two lovers. "Falstaff" has never been popular with opera lovers who are only interested in short, easy-to-digest arias, but in fact it has one irresistible show-stopper: Ford's aria "E sogno . . . o realta?" Robert Merrill's performance is just hammy enough.
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