Word: simionato
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Ponchielli: La Gioconda (Anita Cerquetti, Franca Sacchi, Mario del Monaco, Cesare Siepi, Giulietta Simionato, Ettore Bastianini; conducted by Gianandrea Gavazzeni; London, 3 LPs). A first-rate cast gives a racy reading to Amilcare Ponchielli's old campaigner from Venice, proves that there is a lot more to it than its pop-concert Dance of the Hours. Mellow-voiced Soprano Cerquetti gives a superb performance as "the joyous female" of the title role who loses her blind mother and her lover before she plunges a dagger in her heart. Tenor del Monaco sings so gustily that he conceals the fact...
...night. Despite major obstacles-including a Texas chorus that had a lot of trouble learning to sing in Italian-the production turned out to be topnotch, with bright sets, smooth and funny staging. The cast, mostly imported and mostly unknown in the U.S. (except for brilliant Mezzo-Soprano Giulietta Simionato). had been so ably picked by Impresario Kelly that the total effect surpassed the Met's memorable Don Pasquale, something of a standard for opera buffa. Said one opera veteran: "As of today, Dallas is on the map as an opera town along with New York, San Francisco...
...still effective in declamatory passages, but the many lyric moments are sung roughly. Tebaldi tends to be shrill as Leonora, although parts of her performance are controlled and lovely. The opera itself is uneven, so the singers must sometimes surpass their material. They have only partial success: contralto Giulia Simionato is fine, but basso Cesare Siepi is a disappointment. The best performance comes from baritone Bastianini, making his debut on records. His voice is rich and big, and handled very sympathetically. He contributes the only consistent luster to an otherwise spotty recording...
Meneghini CallasX The offering: Cima-rosa's charming // Matrimonio Segreto (The Secret Marriage), with such Scala names as Caro Badioli, Eugenia Ratti, Graziella Sciutti and Giulietta Simionato -all first-rate singers but not of world reputation. The opera has been performed scores of times at La Scala (last in 1948), but in the vast house it never came across with such gusto, immediacy or subtlety. The press was as happy as the audience, and only a few backstage complaints about the cramped space kept the accolade from being unanimous...
Rossini: L'ltaliana in Algeri (Giulletta Simionato, Cesare Valletti; La Scala Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini; Angel, 2 LPs). A gay, foolish romp through romantic North Africa, featuring a harem, a love-bored bey and a high-spirited Italian girl. Hardly an ounce of musical passion, but plenty of pretty coloratura parts and some elegant singing by the principals...