IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA - La Scala 1929 (Complete Opera Rossini)

Figaro - Comm. Riccardo Stracciari Rosina - Mercedes Capsir Conte - Dino Borgioli Bartolo - Salvatore Baccaloni Basilio - Vincenzo Bettoni Toscanini’s La Scala colleague Lorenzo Molajoli conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan (Professori d’Orchestra e l’intiera massa Corale della “Scala“) Cavaliere Lorenzo Molajoli (1868-1939) conducted twenty complete or abridged operas for Columbia Records between 1928 and 1932. These were hefty albums (sometimes two, actually) of ten to twenty 78’s. “This man had style! He knew how to shoot to the essence of an opera in a few seconds – I’m thinking of the pathetique opening of his La Gioconda, the mocking descent of those plaintive horns early on in I Pagliacci, the poise and urgency with which he invites us into Boito’s Mefistofele. And my how he could keep a recording going as if it were a “live” performance, vaulting over those side breaks which occurred in the studio like the wrath of an angry god every four minutes. ... Molajoli seems to be communing with the opera, rather as if it were hiding behind a scrim.“ Riccardo Stracciari is reputed to have sung Figaro 1000 times which only seems possible after hearing the ease with which he embraces the role’s high tessitura, and the humorous patter of it’s recitative. Stracciari is a stunning, magnificent Figaro, and the rest of the cast is excellent as well. Capsir and Borgioli live up to their fine reputations as Rosina and the Count, while the young Baccaloni as Bartolo reveals why he was so highly regarded as a buffo who could SING his roles. ------------------------------------- Sinfonia (0:00) ATTO I Introduzione - Piano, pianissimo (6:58) Cavatina - Ecco ridente in cielo (10:15) Cavatina - Largo al factotum (18:25) Canzone - Se il mio nome saper voi bramate (26:19) Duetto - All’idea di quel metallo (31:02) Numero quindici a mano manca (36:18) Cavatina - Una voce poco fa (39:00) Aria - La calunnia è un venticello (50:16) Duetto - Dunque io son (56:45) Aria - Manca un foglio (1:03:05) (“Aria del maestro Pietro Romani, che generalmente cantasi in luogo di ’A un dottor della mia sorte’ “) Finale I - Ehi di casa... buona gente... (1:07:42) ATTO II Duettino - Pace e gioia sia con voi (1:27:18) Aria - Un verde praticel pien di bei fiori (1:31:50) * Quintetto - Don Basilio! / Cosa veggo! (1:40:03) Orsù, signor don Bartolo (1:46:06) Aria - Il vecchiotto cerca moglie (1:50:02) Temporale / Thunderstorm (1:52:50) Terzetto - Ah! quel colpo inaspettato (1:56:56) Zitti zitti piano piano (2:01:14) Finale II - Di sì felice innesto (2:04:17) * The role of Rosina was originally written for a contralto. Sopranos have sometimes distorted Rossini’s intentions, turning her from a lustrous alto into a pert soprano. In addition, the singing lesson in act 2 has often been turned into “a show-stopping cabaret.“ Adelina Patti was known to include Luigi Arditi’s “Il bacio“, the Bolero from Verdi’s I Vespri Siciliani, the Shadow Song from Meyerbeer’s Dinorah, and Henry Bishop’s “Home! Sweet Home!“. Nellie Melba followed suit, accompanying herself on the piano in the final song. Pauline Viardot began the practice of inserting Alabiev’s “Nightingale“. Maria Callas sang a cut-down version of Rossini’s own “Contro un cor.“ “Un verde praticel pien di bei fiori“ (1:31:50): “Ma quest’aria, cospetto! è assai noiosa“ (Bartolo...) ------------------------------------- Don’t miss Capsir’s complete recordings of ’Lucia di Lammermoor’ and ’La Traviata’ at and Il Barbiere di Siviglia - Overture (Sinfonia) - Claudio Abbado (1972): Il Barbiere di Siviglia - Overture (Sinfonia) - Carlo Maria Giulini: Fernando de Lucia - Ecco ridente in cielo (1908): Tito Schipa - Se il mio nome (1949): Regina Pacini - Una voce poco fa (1906): -------------------------------------