Montserrat Caballé was at her absolute peak when she sang the title role in Donizetti's Parisina in a concert performance with the Opera Orchestra of New York under Eve Queler in 1974. In this live recording of the event, she is an indomitable spirit on the stage, and from the moment she first appears it is as if a highly reactive substance has been let loose to explode in a series of virtuoso arias. The audience explodes with her, lapping up the excitement of such thrilling singing and breaking into deafening applause at the end of every number in which she appears.
It is nothing short of gripping to witness the velocity at which Caballé delivers every line of her Cavatina. Her stamina throughout the whole performance is extraordinary: not only is her intonation impeccable, but her voice was second to none at the time when this live recording was made, now reissued by Myto. Chromatic runs, jumping melodic lines, high pianissimos: she can do it all, and more. This performance, then, documents an important performance by one of the true greats singing at her best.
The opera, too, is of great interest, even if vocal display tends to take precedence over dramatic nuance. To my mind Donizetti is still an enormously underrated composer and Parisina contains many examples of his finest music. His thirty-sixth opera, Parisina d'Este had its premiere in 1833 and was performed around Europe and in America during the ensuing twenty years. Its subsequent neglect is partly to do with the subject matter: it has a rather silly preamble like Il trovatore and Simon Boccanegra that makes the plot hard to follow and the situations convoluted. Nevertheless, Donizetti provided the soprano in the title role with both a technical and dramatic showcase that is ideal material for Caballé here.
As is sometimes the way with Donizetti, the smaller roles are not as well-rounded as the central character of the heroine. Nevertheless, they need to be taken by singers with a sense of the bel canto style and vocal agility, and this recording unequivocally delivers. In particular, two singers who went on to much greater things are in their youthful prime. James Morris, who became James Levine's baritone of choice at the New York Met, is on heady form as Ernesto, especially in the opening scenes and the thrilling second-act finale. The late Louis Quilico, also a favourite at the Met, is the forceful Azzo, and his dramatic instinct makes him the ideal partner for Caballé in the vibrant duet between Azzo and Parisina in Act Two.
The other singers are rather anonymous, though tenor Jerome Pruett (a protégé of Nicolai Gedda, apparently) is in fresh voice as Ugo; Eleanor Bergquist's Imelda is also vocally secure, if unimposing.
Eve Queler's conducting is typical of my experience of her on record: high on thrills, low on subtlety. However, what this type of opera needs is energy and inspiration, and she scores highly on both points. Her partnership with Caballé in bel canto rarities stretched over a number of years, and their intuitive teamwork is partly why this performance has such an air of excitement about it. The Opera Orchestra of New York plays with lightness and elegance; the chorus contributes to the concertato numbers with gusto, even if they are a little rigid at times.
But all qualms - including the indifferent sound quality - fade into insignificance because of Caballé's extraordinary contribution.