Splendid stuff here from Marco Berti, one of the pre-eminent Italian singers of his generation, performing a selection of unfamiliar verismo arias by six composers. This is repertoire that suits him down to the ground: his sense of style is impeccable and the tone on the top notes is radiant, while it's a pleasure to hear the language sung by a native Italian.
Berti memorably sang Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at Covent Garden, and the first two items on this new disc from Michael Storrs Music find him returning to Puccini, this time in his two early operas, Le Villi and Edgar. The two performances are nicely contrasted. Roberto's 'Torna ai felici dì' from the former is sung with a vocal bloom and ardent sound that suits the despairing text ('Now all is covered with gloomy mystery, and I have in my heart only sadness and terror'), but for me Berti really excels himself in Edgar's 'Orgia, chimera dall'occhio vitreo', a poetical and commendably restrained performance (who says that verismo can't be subtle?).
It's good to have two extracts from Leoncavallo's La bohème, a setting of the same story as Puccini's more familiar opera but with a greater focus on the Musetta-Marcello relationship. I'm aware of a complete recording of this opera, but Berti's renditions of Marcello's two arias easily outdo the competition. Again, the pair is neatly contrasted, with 'Non parlate così' the more sensitively understated and 'Musetta! O gioia della mia dimora!' the heartfelt outpouring of a rejected lover; the third Leoncavallo item, 'Non saria meglio di troncar' from Chatterton, is no less touching.
Continuing with inspired repertoire choices, it is reassuring to hear two arias by Alfredo Catalani, the much-underrated composer of La Wally who died tragically before his fortieth birthday. On this disc we get Hagenbach's 'Oh! come furon lunghi' from La Wally, and Berti's committed performance reveals the aria's lucid word-setting and large vocal arch. However, the thrills really come in 'Nel verde maggio' from Loreley - his vocal reserves are beyond belief.
The three remaining tracks are all just as impressive, and here the choice of composers is at its most obscure. 'Studenti! Udite' from Alberto Franchetti's Germania is a post-Risorgimento aria if ever I heard one ('He who dies for this country, never dies!'), but Berti eschews the temptation to exaggerate the message and instead gives it a dignified, reserved rendition. Giuseppe Pietri is represented by 'Io conosco un giardino' from his opera Maristella, an exquisitely shaped love song that calls on romantic imagery and stirs Berti to his most sincere singing. Finally, from Riccardo Zandonai's setting of the Romeo and Juliet story comes Romeo's monologue on discovering the dead Juliet's body. It is remarkable how Berti shades down the weight of his voice to characterise the teenage Romeo more believably, capping a splendid series of vocal performances.
The Parma Opera Ensemble led by Michelangelo Mazza offers immaculate and sensitive accompaniments throughout. Having been slightly underwhelmed by two of the late Verdi pieces in the recent release Stolen Notes, I was apprehensive as to whether the chamber ensemble would carry enough weight for this late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century repertoire, but I have no reservation on that count in this new CD.
Only two criticisms remain. Firstly, the booklet does not match the quality of the recording. Although we get full texts and translations there are several spelling mistakes, and no discussion of the background to the operas or composers is offered. I don't think I'll ever recover from reading Merle L. Becker's flippant essay 'Verismo: the Agony and the Ecstasy' (which also contains some glaring grammatical errors); Becker generalises about Mozart and Wagner and concludes with an utterly banal analogy to food and the Atkins diet.
The other major concern is the running time, which, at less than thirty-five minutes, is roughly half the length it could be. There is such a wealth of material from this style and period - operas by Giordano, Mascagni (the father of verismo), Boito, even Montemezzi's recently-revived L'amore dei tre Re - that there seems little reason for the brevity of the disc.
Nevertheless, this is an excellent opportunity to hear a range of interesting and neglected arias sung with passion and finesse.