Puccini: Le Villi

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Puccini's first two operas may have been written before he came to full maturity, but they do not deserve the neglect that they have suffered on disc.
If the complications of Edgar detract from... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

Release Date: 7th Aug 2003
Catalogue No: V4958
Label: Naive
Length: 67 minutes

Puccini: Le villi, Act I, Scene 1: Preludio

Work length2:41

$1.05

$1.35

Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Guy Comentale, Marco Guidarini

Puccini: Le villi, Act I, Scene 2: Eviva! Eviva!

Work length5:53

$1.05

$1.35

Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Marco Guidarini, Guy Comentale, Chœur de Radio France

Puccini: Le villi, Act I, Scene 3: Se come voi piccina io fossi (Anna)

Work length6:44

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$1.35

Melanie Diener, Marco Guidarini, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Guy Comentale

Puccini: Le villi, Act I, Scene 4: Non esser, Anna mia (Roberto, Anna)

Work length5:33

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$1.35

Aquiles Machado, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Guy Comentale, Marco Guidarini, Melanie Diener

Puccini: Le villi, Act I, Scene 5: Presto in viaggio (Anna, Roberto, Guglielmo)

Work length7:55

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Marco Guidarini, Aquiles Machado, Guy Comentale, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Chœur de Radio France, Melanie Diener, Ludovic Tézier

Puccini: Le villi, Act II, Scene 1: L'abbandono (Récitante)

Work length5:42

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$1.35

Sylvie David, Guy Comentale, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Marco Guidarini, Chœur de Radio France

Puccini: Le villi, Act II, Scene 2: La tregenda (Récitante)

Work length4:41

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Sylvie David, Marco Guidarini, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Guy Comentale

Puccini: Le villi, Act II, Scene 3: Anima santa della figlia mia (Guglielmo)

Work length5:09

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Ludovic Tézier, Marco Guidarini, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Guy Comentale

Puccini: Le villi, Act II, Scene 4: Torna ai felici (Roberto)

Work length12:50

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Aquiles Machado, Marco Guidarini, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Guy Comentale

Puccini: Le villi, Act II, Scene 5: Gran scena e duetto (Anna, Roberto)

Work length10:23

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$1.35

Melanie Diener, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Guy Comentale, Marco Guidarini, Aquiles Machado

Reviews
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Reviews

2010

Puccini's first two operas may have been written before he came to full maturity, but they do not deserve the neglect that they have suffered on disc.
If the complications of Edgar detract from its impact, Le Villi might almost suffer from the opposite problem, when the story – very similar to that of Adam's ballet, Giselle, with the Willies (Le Villi) destroying the faithless lover, Roberto – is so severely telescoped. After Act 1, when Roberto leaves swearing loyalty to Anna, a narrator has to be introduced, to explain first that Roberto has been led astray and then that Anna has died of a broken heart. Where the CBS/Sony set had Tito Gobbi as narrator, the new one has Sylvie David, lighter and more conversational. The telescoping of the story also involves two striking interludes, The Abandonment and The Witches' Sabbath, a superb showpiece, which Pappano also recorded as fill-ups for his set of La Rondine.
Marco Guidarini proves a convincing Puccinian, bringing out the dramatic bite of such passages as these, as well as moulding the big melodies affectionately. The Sony set had Lorin Maazel conducting, but he was not helped by the closeness of the Sony sound, which at times makes him sound too aggressive. Equally Renata Scotto is not flattered by the closeness, and though both she and Plácido Domingo as Roberto are more characterful than Melanie Diener and Aquiles Machado on the new disc, the refinement of sound helps to make the fresh, sensitive singing of the newcomers just as enjoyable. Equally Ludovic Tezier is clear and direct as Anna's father Guglielmo.
Very welcome indeed.

Puccini: Le Villi

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