Special effects
Richard Bebb on Roberto Alagna's new recording of Verdi arias
It is somehow significant that in the same week that James Cameron's film Titanic tri- umphed at the Oscars in Hollywood EMI issued a truly astonishing recording: Roberto Alagna — Verdi Arias (CDC 5565672). For one thing, it is almost inevitable that this recital of 12 Verdi tenor arias will sweep the board (or deck) at the next Gramo- phone awards, and, for the other . . . Well, let's come to that later.
Over half of the CD is devoted to the music that Verdi wrote specifically for the heroic or dramatic tenor — at any time the rarest voice type in the world, and, like the contralto, almost extinct today. From I Lombardi and Jerusalem (two recordings of the same aria with only minor changes to the vocal line), through the middle-period operas such as Emani, Il Trovatore, Un Ballo in Maschera, to the final grand operas La Foiza del Destino, Aida and Otello, all are here complete with their recitatives and cabalettas — a whole series of Everests to climb. To say that Alagna surmounts them all with consummate ease is, in fact, an understatement — as track followed track it was hard to think of any previous ver- sions (from Tamagno to Domingo) that were superior in either musical or dramatic terms. An occasional groping for a low note (a la Battistini), the lack of a devel- oped trill in `Ah si ben mio' and three care- less aspirates in the I Lombardi aria are the only flecks I could identify.
When he first took London by storm as `IfAmold's life were a film, it would go straight into video.' Rodolfo in La Boheme at Covent Garden, his individuality was immediately in evi- dence — the top C in `Che gelida manina' was attacked with thrilling force, and he then fined the tone down to a thread of sound to magical effect. His Romeo was even more astounding — here was a singer who, apart from his natural grace on stage, actually thought Romeo's thoughts and felt his emotions with total sincerity. In 50 years of opera-going, no singer of either sex has moved me to such helpless tears. In the great second act aria `Ah! leve-toi, soleil' he sang the phrase trillent au firma- ment' in a dazed mezza-voice as if he were overcome by the wonder of the night skies — he was seeing them for the first time because love had suddenly opened his eyes. It was a musical and dramatic insight that, even though there is no piano marking in the score, seemed completely justified by its simple truth. This French-born son of Sicilian parents has it within his power to restore to its rightful place the neglected glories of the French repertoire, much as Maria Callas did for the bel canto operas.
On the basis of this recording, it is obvi- ous that Alagna has arrived at his vocal maturity and confounded the worries wide- ly expressed by the musical world about the current state of his voice. From the first track to the last, we hear only a superbly focused tone of absolute solidity that is able to withstand, without any effort, the uninhibited orchestral climaxes that Clau- dio Abbado encourages his colleagues of the Berlin Philharmonic to produce. Add to that a musical sensitivity second to none (well, perhaps to Montserrat Caballe), flawless diction, and an expressive genius as an actor/singer that is as rare as it is pre- cious. On almost every track you will find phrases coloured with an individuality that belongs to Alagna alone, linked passages requiring exceptional breath control that have been attempted by only a handful of tenors in recorded history (Giovanni Mar- tinelli was one), and a rhythmical energy that never forces the pace but always seems to be just exactly right.
All the more astonishing that Alagna had never sung a note of any of this music in performance before the recordings were made late last year (he has since sung Mac- duff in Macbeth at La Scala) — and, pray God, he never will. For most of this reper- tory would be almost totally outside his range in the theatre. His lovely voice could be put at possibly terminal risk if he were to attempt any of the heavier roles for a series of performances in a major opera house — at least at this stage in his career. I have no doubt, though, that he will record them all.
And here we can return to the relation- ship of the Titanic film to this CD. It was no surprise that the Oscar for Special Effects was given to the film, for many of the most spectacular moments are, quite simply, faked almost undetectably. The bal- ance engineer of the CD (no doubt acting on instruction from above) has made an equally crucial contribution. For what we hear is not the true voice of Alagna but an amplified, and falsified blow-up. Anyone who saw his Don Carlos in either London or Paris could hear that, marvellously though he sang the quieter passages, when the big guns were needed, they were simply not there. It was a wonderfully clever piece of work, mail ce n'etait pas la guerre. None of this could be even guessed at as you lis- ten to the CD where it is plain sailing all the way, with not an iceberg in sight.
More than that, I would claim that what you get is a glorious 'lyric' tenor voice which has been seriously interfered with, by the use of echo chambers and the myriad possibilities multiple microphone tech- niques now allow, to make it sound hugely bigger than it actually is. I have heard Alagna many times in different locations, and I have yet to hear an EMI recording of his voice that even begins to capture the charm of its natural timbre (his first two recital discs and a complete La Boheme sound as if they were recorded in a huge, tiled and echoing bathroom).
The recording of the orchestra is equally false. I have heard music in most of the world's best opera houses and concert halls, but I have never heard an orchestra sound like this except on a record. From the opening tutti in the Luisa Miller recita- tive, belief flies out of the window. Listen to the trumpets in the recitative to 'Celeste Aida' — played as savagely loud as this, they would completely drown even a Caru- so or a Melchior. Yet here Alagna's voice sails through as though there were no prob- lem even to confront. What expectations are raised by falsifications like this in audi- ences who come to hear the singer in live and unamplified performances in the theatre?
The record industry — and EMI in par- ticular — seems to me to have lost the art of recording voices accurately and natural- ly. Increasingly, it is no longer possible to have any confidence in recordings made in a studio, and much the best way of judging a singer is to watch a videotape of a live performance in the theatre, where the artist is reaching out to a large public, is accompanied by a conductor who is allow- ing him to be heard above the orchestra, and where the sound is not adulterated or faked. But put no trust in recordings made live in the theatre and then transferred to CD, as they would automatically be pro- cessed through the desk of the ubiquitous balance engineer. None of this mitigates a jot the admira- tion I earlier expressed for Alagna's actual singing on this CD — it is truly a marvel. It is, however, difficult to condone his com- plicity in allowing it to be released in this shape. Doesn't he realise that he sounds so much better than this in life?
Nevertheless, you'd better buy the CD the singing is just too good to ignore, dammit!
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