Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848)
La fille du régiment – opéra-comique in two acts (1840)
Marie – Joan Sutherland (soprano)
Tonio – Luciano Pavarotti (tenor)
Sulpice – Spiro Malas (buffa bass)
La Marquise de Berkenfeld – Monica Sinclair (mezzo)
Hortensius – Jules Bruyère (bass)
La Duchesse de Crakentorp – Edith Coates (speaking role)
Caporal – Eric Garrett (bass)
Paysan – Alan Jones (bass)
Royal Opera Chorus and Orchestra/Richard Bonynge
rec. 1967, Kingsway Hall, London, UK
Reviewed as FLAC download
Decca 4786577 [106]
Decca’s 1967 recording of La fille du régiment has some claim to being the most completely successful recording that was made of a comic opera in the stereo era. It was based on a new production that was staged at Covent Garden for the same cast of singers (even the comprimario roles) in June 1966. What has not generally been remembered is that critic Harold Rosenthal lambasted the production in the pages of Opera magazine at the time (Opera, July 1966, pages 588-590). He did not like the production at all, and had nothing good to say about the singers, with the sole exception of Luciano Pavarotti, who he described as “being charming in an unsophisticated way”, and that “he sang with style.” For the rest, he felt that it was a complete waste of time and money, although he did note that “the audience went wild with enthusiasm”. It is interesting to compare these critical comments with the accolades that this recording has received since it was first released in 1968. There are few lovers of bel canto singing that do not possess this recording in one of its many guises.
On auditioning it, I find that Richard Bonynge leads the entire thing with gentle refinement. He nails his tri-colours to the mast right off with a zippy account of the Overture. The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House has rarely sounded so completely engaged in their task as they do here. For the little minuet prelude to Second Act he and the players actually manage to give it a gentle propulsion but also make it sound bored and listless, which is dramatically apt at this point. The charming trio in the Second Act is taken at a much more dignified pace than we encounter in performance today. The results sound so unerringly right for the music that it will be hard to hear another jet propelled pacing of it again.
With her full-bodied voice, Joan Sutherland is miles away from the light coloratura sound of the sopranos who usually inhabit the role. Despite the substantial vocal imprint, she soars, trills, and runs up and down the scales with the very best of them. Her tone is just a little too sophisticated to convey the diamond-in-the-rough that Marie is supposed to be, but everything she does is vocal magic. In “Par le rang et par l’opulence”, she portrays a restrained sorrow which matches that of the cello that accompanies her. On hearing her regimental song, one is left desperately wanting to enlist in her army.
What can one write about Luciano Pavarotti’s Tonio that has not been written somewhere else before? His unique, penetrating tone is caught in its youthful prime. The famous Act One aria, which earned him the title of “King of the High C’s”, is one of the miracles of opera recording history. He is even better in his Act Two Romance, where his tender, heartfelt singing insinuates itself to the listener. While his French is not perfect, it is surprisingly good. He shows that he can be a sensitive partner to Sutherland in their amusingly awkward Act One Duet. Throughout, one is constantly grateful to hear such magnificently secure tone.
Spiro Malas is an engaging Sargent Sulpice. He brings infectious enthusiasm to the table and acts the role as much as he sings it. While his voice does not have an especially memorable tonal quality, he is virile-sounding and the voice is full of sap. Monica Sinclair sounds much more a contralto than a mezzo as the Marquise. She brings bags of character to the role and her solid tone repels all those who attempt to challenge her hegemony in the role. The renowned mezzo Edith Coates, puts in a cameo as a wonderfully cranky Duchess of Crakentorp.
Decca’s recording in the wonderful Kingsway Hall is superb. The dialogue does not wear out its welcome, and it is vividly directed and performed by the cast. The sound field is quite spacious, as was very common in those days, and there are a few small sound effects (like the rustling of papers) added to enhance the experience. Only sample the lesson scene that opens the Second Act. It fairly drips with comedic style, while the three singers are clearly having an enormously good time performing it. I sampled this recording in the high resolution (96 khz/ 24 Kbps FLAC format). The added depth of the higher rate was especially noticeable in the greater response of woodwind and percussion sections. It all leaves me wondering, what if Decca had paid too much attention to Rosenthal’s ill-humored review? For 58 years we would have been deprived of one of the happiest achievements in all of recorded opera. A digital booklet comes with this purchase.
Mike Parr
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