Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Performer: Carlo Guelfi, Aleksandrs Antonenko, Barbara di Castri, Krassimira Stoyanova, Paolo Battaglia, Juan Francisco Gatell, Eric Owens, Michael Spyres, David Govertsen, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Children’s Choir
Orchestra: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Riccardo Muti
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: CSO Resound
Catalogue: CSOR9011301
Release: 2013
Size: 2.04 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Otello
CD 01
01. Act I. Una vela! Una vela!
02. Act I. Esultate!
03. Act I. Roderigo, ebben, che pensi?
04. Act I. Fuoco di gioia!
05. Act I. Inaffia l’ugola!
06. Act I. Capitano, v’attende la fazione ai baluardi
07. Act I. Abbasso le spade!
08. Act I. Già nella notte densa…
09. Act II. Non ti crucciar
10. Act II. Credo in un Dio crudel, “Iago’s Credo”
11. Act II. Eccola… Cassio
12. Act II. Dove guardi splendono raggi…
13. Act II. D’un uom che geme…
14. Act II. Desdemona rea!
15. Act II. Era la notte…
16. Act II. Sì, pel ciel marmoreo guiro!
CD 02
01. Act III. La vedetta del porto ha segnalato…
02. Act III. Dio ti giocondi, o sposo…
03. Act III. Dio! Mi potevi scagliar tutti i mali…
04. Act III. Vieni, l’aula è deserta
05. Act III. Questa è una ragna
06. Act III. Viva! Evviva!
07. Act III. A terra!… sì… ne livido fango
08. Act IV. Era più calmo?
09. Act IV. Piangea cantando
10. Act IV. Ave Maria
11. Act IV. Chi è là?
12. Act IV. Aprite! Aprite!
13. Act IV. Niun mi tema
Coinciding with the 200th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi’s birthday, CSO Resound releases its second recording with Maestro Riccardo Muti featuring Verdi’s second-to-last opera, ‘Otello’. The recording joins remarkable fidelity to the instrumental and choral score with a spellbinding collection of vocal soloists, and will be treasured by opera lovers and anyone who enjoys thrilling music. Recorded live in concert at Symphony Center in 2011, this album will stand as benchmark in Verdi performance and interpretation by one of today’s finest conductors. Maestro Muti and the CSO’s first recording together was a lauded album of Verdi’s ‘Messa da Requiem’, which won two Grammy® Awards. A musical force in Chicago and around the world, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is consistently hailed as one of the finest international orchestras. Its expansive catalogue of more than 900 recordings has earned 62 Grammy® Awards—more than any other orchestra in the world.
Italian libretto with English translation, liner notes & perfomer biographies in English, French, German
Released in 2013 in celebration of Giuseppe Verdi’s bicentennial, this recording of his late opera Otello is taken from three concert performances by Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, recorded on April 7, 9, and 12, 2011. This is Muti’s second release on the CSO Resound label, following his critically acclaimed recording of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem in 2010, and his position with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is evidently secure, if the polished results of these ambitious performances are any indication. Featuring Aleksandrs Antonenko as a commanding Otello, Krassimira Stoyanova as a passionate Desdemona, and Carlo Guelfi as the scheming Iago, the international cast has remarkable confidence and presence, offering credible interpretations in this unstaged presentation. Add to this the overwhelming power of the large chorus and the vividness of the orchestra’s playing, and this performance of Otello easily ranks with the finest of past recordings, though it is assured a special place among audiophiles. Released in standard CD and hybrid SACD formats, the sound is extraordinarily clear and powerful, with deep dimensions and dynamics that are utterly realistic and even shocking at times.