Verdi - Il Trovatore (James Levine, Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, Eva Marton) [2007 / 1988]

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Verdi - Il Trovatore (James Levine, Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, Eva Marton) [2007 / 1988]

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It breaks my heart to admit that I agree with the vast majority of the reviewers. Perfect sound, why wasn't this the case with the recently released Ballo? But not a very well served document of Verdi's wonderful emotive opera.
OK, the production is dreadful - what were the Met thinking of? It's like a production I would expect to see at the ENO in London. Where they short of money that season, or did someone just want to get a kick out of watching perfomers attempt to navigate the set without falling over!! Eva Marton is totally mis-cast as Leonora; it grieves me to say this because I adore her and have screamed myself hoarse at her perfomances of Turandot, Tosca and Elektra at Covent Garden - but here, oh dear.
Pavarotti sings wonderfully, as one would expect, but he seems totally oblivious to anyone else on stage - is it because he's worried that he might fall on those unnecessary stairs? Sherrill Milnes makes a good job as the Count de Luna and Dolora Zajick is just wonderful as Azucena - buy it just to see and hear this exemplary performance. What a superstar she is - even being able to make a moving performance in this shambles of a production.
Well, what else can I say? One fabulously fantastic performance, two reasonable ones and a dreadfully miscast soprano. What a mish mash and shambles of one of Verdi's greatest music dramas. Please someone, find the master tapes of Pavarotti as the Troubador in Florence in 1990 - or in Saltzberg.
By N. Gallimore

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Verdi - Il Trovatore (James Levine, Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, Eva Marton) [2007 / 1988]

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