This early stereo Gianni Schicchi withTito Gobbi has been considered definitive from the day it was issued, but EMI made it frustrating to acquire since one had to buy all three parts of Il Trittico into the bargain. The Suor Angelica features de los Angeles, as does this Schicchi, but that recording sounds like re-processe mono, and Il Tabarro, the inferior entry in the tritych, rarely wins any partisans, even though Gobbi sings the black-hearted lead role.
Now we have Gianni Schicchi alone in best sound (thought not perfect -- there's some microphone shatter in climaxes), and it's a joy. Gobbi is a commanding trickster, more fierce than genial, and all the greedy relatives are played by superb Italian character singers. The young lovers are also winning (if only the tenor didn't try to reach the back row), the highlight being de los Angeles's 'O mio babbino caro.' It helps to have seen the opera's comic potential acted out onstage, but even if you have to hear it only on CD, the satire is totally engaging. --Santa Fe listener Read more.
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