Splendid - and complete - new version of Berlioz masterpiece - As far as I am concerned, even Berlioz failures are usually masterpieces. and this opera is no exception. It really was too complex and innovative for its time and we had to wait until Colin Davis groundbreaking recording in 1972 before we could hear it pretty much as it should be performed - though even that set is nowhere near as complete as this one, which restores the original, longer overture and all the subsequent cuts, plus the original arias for Balducci and Teresa. Berlioz later additions (including Cellini s lovely Romance) are thoughtfully provided in appendices.This is a really energised performance that positively zips along. All the soloists are first-rate, the chorus and orchestra spot-on, the direction unflagging. I have only two reservations: first, that in those scenes involving that absurdly lovable poltroon Fieramosca (who comes good in the end, throwing in his lot with his competitor Cellini), the comedy is not as pointed as in Davis set. Massard is wittier than Lapointe, though both have admirably firm baritones. Secondly, as accomplished as Ciofi s performance as Teresa is, I would have preferred a richer, fuller voice - but she is suitably girlish and spirited.Kunde is even better than Gedda as the eponymous hero, being more youthful and virile of tone - but for another take on this most testosterone-pumped of operatic bully-boys, hear the late Franco Bonisolli s version on the excellent, super-bargain Opera d Oro set conducted by Ozawa (see my review). It s quite cut, of course, being substantially the 1852 Weimar version, but great fun and very well cast.You cannot in fact go wrong with any of those three sets (Nelson, Davis and Ozawa), they are all admirably cast in strength - but this goes to the top of the list by virtue of its completeness and the accomplishment of its performers.
Unbelievable that this is STILL neglected! - This Opera without a doubt is musically the most important and innovative opera of its time and broke so much new ground in so many ways I can t go into it in this short review. I personally think Berlioz should have avoided trying to write for an opera audience that really only understood Rossini or Verdi (that really was beneath such a monumental artist). It took the opera establishment 100 years to appreciate Les Troyens a work FAR LESS innovative than this opera. The incredible fact that Cellini is still a neglected opera today speaks volumes about the vacuous stupidity of the whole operatic scene & most of its standard repertoire. I really (with some exceptions like Wagner and R. Strauss) avoid opera like the plague myself....
complex, not complicated - Hector Berlioz missed the memo on the KISS Rule (Keep It Simple, Stupid).It s a good thing, that. Even better is the presence of conductors like the supremely attentive John Nelson, who give themselves and their formidable talents to works that might otherwise languish in abandonment, too far off the beat track for markets and beancounters to pay atttention.Gratefully, attentiveness and attention have been lavished upon this 19th-century opera, evident not least in the 173-page booklet that accompanies the nicely boxed three disks.This is opera made to enjoy without interruption. Take it on a long car ride.But by all means, take it. Some beautiful wild flowers grow well-hidden off the beaten track.
Great recording of an underated masterpiece! - The subtleties and complexities of this score have worked against the performance of this opera from its very conception. As a consequence, there are several versions of this score. So it is fortunate that we now have Benvenuto Cellini more or less as Berlioz himself conceived it. I think it is a very beautiful score and only one other recording has been tried in the studio, that on Philips with Colin Davis. To him is due all credit and highest honors for his pioneering effort with this opera, Nelson is the second conductor to take on this work in the studio and does so without any apologies as this performance is stunning. There have been very mixed reviews on this recording. Gregory Kunde is just about Gedda s equal. His tone is sweet, strong, full and agile. I don t hear the strain or unpleasant tone quality that some have complained about. Joyce di Donato as Ascanio sings with glorious tone and interpretation. She makes her music greater than it might be in lesser hands. She is superior to Berbie on Davis recording. All the other roles are very well sung and equal to their predecessors on the Davis release. On hearing the orchestration played at its intended tempo, one can understand how the singers of the premiere must have been overwhelmed by its demands. They were apparently inadequate to start with. But Berlioz s demands are surmountable as Davis convincingly proved and now Nelson proves beyond any doubt. The role of Teresa seems to be a difficult role to fill. I never much cared for Eda-Pierre in the 1st recording and although Ciofi is an improvement, I would prefer a soprano with a richer timber and steadier voice. In duets and ensembles she does hold her own rather well. The sound is excellent and this belongs on the shelf next to Colin Davis. Personal taste will dictate the order on that shelf. At least listen to it. It deserves the attention of all berlioz fans.
Excellent recording of an underperformed work - Berlioz Benvennuto Cellini was a critical and commercial failure in its day, and even the later revision was not greated with much enthusiasm. It lay unperformed for decades, until 1972. This latest version uses the original Paris Opera version, restoring lots of great music to the revised version. This opera has wonderful orchestral music as well as great arias and marvelous choruses, and conductor John Nelson brings out the best in all his artists--particularly necessary here, as this opera requires an extremely high degree of technical expertise from singers, chorus and orchestra alike. American tenor Gregory Kunde does a first-class job with the high and ardent title role, (although his French is not as good as Nicolai Gedda s, who recorded the role in 1972). The rest of the cast is excellent, (and being French, lend an authenticity to the performance that more than makes up for any linguistic lapses by the lead character.) My only minor complaint is that the sound mix emphasizes the orchestra a little too much at the expense of the singers--however, as this is an opera in which the orchestra is as much a partner as any of the singers, that s not too great a fault. It belongs in any opera-lovers collection.