Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
Il trittico (1918)
Three one-act operas: Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi
Renata Tebaldi – Giorgetta/Suor Angelica/Lauretta (soprano)
Robert Merrill – Michele (baritone)
Mario Del Monaco – Luigi (tenor)
Giulietta Simionato – La Zia Principessa (mezzo)
Fernando Corena – Gianni Schicchi (bass)
Agostino Lazzari – Rinuccio (tenor)
Chorus and Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino /Lamberto Gardelli
rec. 1962, Teatro della Pergola, Florence, Italy
Decca 4786505 [3 CDs: 155]

One of the points of interest of this recording of Il trittico is that it was the first recording of all three operas in stereo. Prior to this only Gianni Schicci had benefitted from the switch to stereo in a now rough-sounding recording for EMI under Gabriele Santini. If any opera could benefit from the sense of space that stereo could deliver it is Il trittico because two of the three operas occur out of doors. The other point of interest here is that this was the first recording to include Puccini’s discarded aria for the barge owner Michele in Il tabarro. Puccini had originally written a very different scene for the New York premiere in 1918 which follows closely the text of Didier Gold’s La houppelande, the play which inspired the first opera of the triptych. Michele’s original aria had a more philosophical theme which Puccini later realized softened and confused the character of Michele too much. For the 1922 production at La Scala Puccini replaced it with the bitter rage of the aria we know today. Robert Merrill was given the opportunity to record the earlier version of the scene which appears as an appendix, on the first CD. It is also worth noting that Puccini changed a scene for the heroine of Suor Angelica for that 1922 Milan production. The earlier version of Angelica’s flower aria can be heard on the DG release Puccini Ritrovato (review).

Il trittico was Lamberto Gardelli’s first complete opera recording. If one remembers that, it certainly shows him to be a conductor of great promise in 1962. Mostly he favours brisk tempi which work best for Gianni Schicci. In the other two operas I find myself wishing he would pull back a bit here and there which would let Puccini’s score breathe a little more naturally.

In Il tabarro Robert Merrillis in robust, exciting voice as Michele. His tone possesses oodles of oomph and the listener can easily revel in his splendid vocal riches. As an actor though, his portrayal is relatively generalized; Tito Gobbi and Ingvar Wixell produce more dangerous characterizations on rival recordings. Renata Tebaldi sounds uncomfortable in the role of Giorgietta. Throughout the opera she seems overly tense and it shows in her voice, which is prone to a roughness not apparent in the other two operas. Mario Del Monaco uses his stentorian voice to semaphore his way through the role of Luigi. The first opera is not a very promising beginning to the cycle.

Suor Angelica fares much better; Tebaldi sounds more at home as the central character. Her Angelica is sung with sweet, rounded tone although she has to duck an exposed high note or two and she needs to alter Puccini’s vocal line slightly on one or two occasions, in order to get through the role. She also briefly has pitch trouble on the final note of “Senza mamma”. Her portrayal is a little too generalized emotionally, so one has to settle for just basking in the lovely sounds she produces, rather than being moved. Renata Scotto’s heart-rending Angelica on Lorin Maazel’s recording takes the listener on a much deeper emotional journey. Giulietta Simionato is an uttely regal sounding Princess. Her resplendent timbre is a joy to hear and she conveys the aristocratic coldness of one of the most unique characters in any Puccini opera.

Gianni Schicchi is the opera which benefits the most from Gardelli’s crisply energetic style. Fernando Corena is a jovial sounding Schicci. Corena was an important basso buffo in his day, so it is not surprising that he emphasizes the comic aspects of the wily Florentine. His voice oten lacks freedom and he resorts to vocal caricature much of the time. Tito Gobbi offers a richer portrait of the man on two rival recordings. I find Agostino Lazzari’s Rinuccio to be the most completely convincing portrait of a youthfully impulsive teenager that I have heard on any recording of Il trittico. His tone may not have the beauty of Plácido Domingo (for Maazel) in the role but Lazzari is the better vocal actor. Unfortunately Lazzari’s youth makes Renata Tebaldi sound a little matronly as Lauretta. She sings a lovely version of “O mio babbino caro”, but in general she sounds too stately to be the young teenager that Puccini envisioned. Again she has to omit an exposed high note towards the end of the opera.

The comprimario roles are cast from strong Italian performers. I find much to admire in the tangy sounding Lucia Danieli as La Frugola/The Abbess/Zita. Erik Smith’s spacious recording works really well for all three operas. Sound effects such as the blast from a tugboat in Il tabarro, as per the score, have been included have been added here and there for the sake of theatricality, whereas the previous mono recording on EMI omitted them altogether. Overall this is not a first choice among recordings of Il trittico; I would opt for the Maazel on Sony, though many others would prefer the Pappano EMI version (review). Still there are a few really fine contributions on this set to make it worth spending some time with.

Mike Parr

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Casts
Il tabarro
Renata Tebaldi (Giorgetta), Robert Merrill (Michele), Mario Del Monaco (Luigi), Lucia Danieli (La frugola), Renato Ercolani (Il Tinca), Silvio Maionica (Il Talpa), Piero de Palma (Venditore di canzonette), Dora Carral, Gianfranco Manganoti (Due Amanti)

Suor Angelica
Renata Tebaldi (Suor Angelica), Giulietta Simionato (La Zia Principessa), Lucia Danieli (La Badessa), Miti Trucato Pace (La Suora Zelatrice), Dora Carral (Suor Genovieffa/ Una novizia), Ana di Stasio (La Maestra delle Novizie/ la sorella infermiera), Jeda Valtriani (Suor Osmina), Giuliana Tavolaccini (Suor Dolcina), Jeda Valtriani, Dora Carral (Due suori cercatrici), Giuliana Tavolaccini, Lucia Danieli (Due converse)

Gianni Schicchi
Fernando Corena (Gianni Schicchi), Renata Tebaldi (Lauretta), Agostino Lazzari (Rinuccio), Lucia Danieli (Zita), Dora Carral (Nella), Miti Trucato Pace (La Ciesca), Renato Ercolani (Gherardo), Silvio Maionica (Marco), Paolo Washington (Simone), Giovanni Foiani (Betto di Signa), Antonio di Ninno (Gherardino), Giuseppe Morresi (Maestro Spinelloccio/ Ser Amantino di Nicolao), Mikołaj Trąbka (Ser Amantio di Nicolao), Angelo Mercuriali (Pinellino), Mario Frosini (Guccio)