Un Ballo in Maschera<\/a>\u201d when Charles Castronovo\u2019s signature chiaroscuro repeatedly proved the very backbone of his vocal physiognomy. \u201cNoble Renegades,\u201d for Delos Productions, purportedly builds on established strengths; but by dwelling mostly on (quasi-)stock characters from Verdi\u2019s early to mid-career, the New York tenor outfits the recording\u2019s 19 tracks with a seemingly unsophisticated allure bearing the hallmarks of some gently pervading lack of distinction, if not uniformity, between roles.<\/p>\nRisking Sameness<\/h3>\n
The album does not proceed chronologically; and although it opens with Don Carlos\u2019s \u201cFontainebleau\u2026 Je l\u2019ai vue\u201d (1867; in French) the majority of arias stem from Verdi\u2019s self-coined \u201cyears in the galley.\u201d Conversely, \u201cRigoletto,\u201d and – somewhat surprisingly – \u201cIl Trovatore\u201d are not part of \u201cNoble Renegades.\u201d Instead, it encompasses Jacopo Foscari\u2019s \u201cDal pi\u00f9 remoto esilio,\u201d Oronte\u2019s \u201cLa mia letizia infondere,\u201d \u201cAh s\u00ec, ben dite\u201d from \u201cIl Corsaro,\u201d and the more widely established \u201cQuando le sere al placido.\u201d<\/p>\n
From the very outset, Castronovo demonstrates an uncanny ability to mold his voice into the honeyed diminuendos. The arioso of \u201cFontainebleau\u201d is a case in point. Sadly, this variability does not mitigate the prevailing forte with which his characteristically virile timbre is expanded otherwise. The top notes, while impressive, come at the risk of feeling unsteady, especially outside of a gradually building line, and the emission tends to be audibly strained.<\/p>\n
Still, his legato is generously spun, and commensurate with avoiding the pitfalls of trying to imbue Romantic opera with a proto-veristic expressiveness. On the flipside, the phrasing only barely delineates the context and personality of his characters, leaving Castronovo\u2019s own profile surprisingly blank. Only Macduff\u2019s \u201cAh, la paterna mano,\u201d and Rodolfo\u2019s Act two soliloquy escape this pattern by their more personalized phrasing. \u201cQuando le sere al placido,\u201d with its widely arched lines, induces a welcome range of dynamic variation; and Macduff\u2019s pledge from the final act of \u201cMacbeth\u201d conveys his vengefulness through the tenor\u2019s uncompromisingly muscular tone.<\/p>\n
Constantine Orbelian, at the head of the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, is fairly engaging, though not equipped with nearly enough ductility for this kind of repertoire. For instance, in \u201cLa mia letizia infondere\u201d (cut short on Spotify) he does not pick up on the playfulness of the tempi, putting Castronovo at a potential disadvantage. How much is lost can be gleaned from comparison with Tagliavini\u2019s 1940 Cetra recordings, reproduced on \u201cLebendige Vergangenheit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Predating \u201cUn Ballo\u201d<\/h3>\n
\u201cNoble Renegades\u201d predates his Met performance by over one year during which Castronovo\u2019s artistry has conceivably evolved. It reaches occasional highs, and his \u201cSe m’e forza perderti\u201d already displays full command over his instrument\u2019s capabilities, including the proverbial tear (in \u201cdel nostro amor\u201d).<\/p>\n
Yet altogether his latest monograph does not do the singer justice, and having expanded the repertory into the period of Verdi\u2019s full compositional maturity might have proven beneficial. Even an excursion into Boito (Castronovo sang a sensational Faust in 2016) would have been a very valid, and tested alternative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Met audiences will cheerfully remember last season\u2019s run of \u201cUn Ballo in Maschera\u201d when Charles Castronovo\u2019s signature chiaroscuro repeatedly proved the very backbone of his vocal physiognomy. \u201cNoble Renegades,\u201d for Delos Productions, purportedly builds on established strengths; but by dwelling mostly on (quasi-)stock characters from Verdi\u2019s early to mid-career, the New York tenor outfits the recording\u2019s 19 tracks with {…}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":92165,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72,8],"tags":[1948],"class_list":["post-92133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvd-and-cd-reviews","category-in-review","tag-charles-castronovo"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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