Giulini: Nozze di Figaro: German Columbia (w/g) 3LP set
$
92
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Description
ITEM DESCRIPTION:
This handsome 3LP box set from German Columbia/EMI (C 91 184/86, German pressing, white/gold labels – equivalent to Columbia SAX2381/4, stereo, booklet/libretto included) features Carlo Maria Giulini's now legendary presentation of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro K. 492 (The Marriage of Figaro), recorded in 1959 (producer: Walter Legge) with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus and a truly starry line-up of vocal soloists.
The cast was comprised of the following singers:
Giuseppe Taddei (bar) Figaro
Anna Moffo (sop) Susanna
Eberhard Waechter (bar) Count Almaviva
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (sop) Countess Almaviva
Fiorenza Cossotto (mez) Cherubino
Dora Gatta (sop) Marcellina
Ivo Vinco (bass) Bartolo
Renato Ercolani (ten) Don Basilio, Don Curzio
Piero Cappuccilli (bass) Antonio
Elisabetta Fusco (sop) Barbenne
Wrote S.S. in the January 1990 issue of The Gramophone: "The Giulini Figaro, first issued nearly 30 years ago, has stood at the top of most people's preferences for 20 or more of them. Its quality is unmistakable; for sheer musicianship it stands in a class by itself. In saying that, I am perhaps commenting on changes in values and Interpretative thinking over the last few decades. The emphasis in Giulini's performance, as far as the singing is concerned, rests firmly and confidently on the musical line, its beauty, its shaping, its timing. No one is allowed to transgress in such matters for the sake of dramatic effect; if a dramatic effect cannot be made within certain quite severe limits, then, Giulini is implicitly saying, it's not worth making. I fancy that Mozart would have agreed, though not all other conductors do.
"With a large majority of Italians, by descent as well as birth, among the cast, the words are in safe hands. Da Ponte is done proud as well as Mozart. And among the non-Italians there is Schwarzkopf, a Countess of exceptional grace and pathos in her two great arias. Outstanding too is Taddei's strong, darkish Figaro. Cossotto makes a ripe, rather full Cherubino, Moffo a fine, spirited Susanna, Waechter an imposing and irascible Count. The orchestral textures are luminous; not one of Mozart's purposeful, illuminating phrases is allowed to go astray—and the Philharmonia is in its very best form for Giulini. Above all, the pacing of the opera is immaculately managed; there is a wonderfully natural flow to the performance. There are things to grumble at, of course: the arias in Act 4 for Marcellina and Basilic, are omitted, and appoggiaturas are conspicuous only by their absence. But this set is nevertheless a classic, along with the 1955 Erich Kleiber version on Decca (now transferred to CD and to be reviewed later), and I cannot imagine that many Mozartians would want to be without it."
Note: The full-size booklet contains notes in German, while the accompanying libretto is in Italian with German (only) translation.
CONDITION:
The condition of the box is near-MINT. There is minor edgewear and discoloration, but that is all. There are no seamplits, bends, or other defects and the whole remains extremely solid, bright, and glossy – overall an excellent collector's copy of this beautiful issue, the first German Columbia stereo pressing.
The condition of the full-size booklet/libretto is near-MINT. There are no owners' markings and the pages remain crisp, the binding perfect.
All 3 LPs have been play-graded and are in near-MINT condition. All 3 play without defect of any kind – oustanding collector's copies.
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