RECORD REVIEWS : Maazel’s New ‘Aida,’ Monteux’s Vintage ‘Manon’

VERDI: “Aida.” Maria Chiara, Luciano Pavarotti, Ghena Dimitrova, Leo Nucci, Paata Burchuladze, others; forces of Teatro alla Scala, Milan; Lorin Maazel conducting. London 417 439-2 (three compact discs).

VERDI: “Aida.” Juliya Viner-Chenisheva, Alexandrina Milcheva, Nikolai Smochevski, Nicola Ghiuselev, others; forces of Sofia Opera; Ivan Marinov conducting. AVZ(2) 3017 (two compact discs).

London’s new recording is an example of the difficulties in properly casting standard Italian repertory these days. Chiara has all the right instincts for a good Aida; unfortunately, the voice has little personality or impact. Distressingly, there are also signs of unsteadiness. Pavarotti manages some suave singing in the Nile duet and the Tomb Scene, but he is hard-pressed in the dramatic outbursts and virtually blasts an extended B-flat at the close of “Celeste Aida” (which sounds as if some dials are being twirled to suggest a diminuendo).

Nucci is his usual monochromatic self as Amonasro and Burchuladze’s bass is craggy. Dimitrova, a dramatic soprano rather than the prescribed mezzo, delivers the outstanding singing in the set as an Amneris with a weighty voice secure throughout the range and with just the right dramatic punch. Such a disciplined conductor as Maazel gives us, obviously, what he wants us to hear, but his interpretation varies between very fast and annoyingly ponderous.

If the Seiji Ozawa/Jessye Norman “Carmen” was the party record of last year, the budget-line “Aida” from Bulgaria is a prime candidate for 1990. Milcheva’s Amneris is serviceable (she has the top notes), but Viner-Chenisheva sounds as if the recording just might, or ought to be, her farewell performance. Nikolov, who sang two Met performances 30 years ago, bleats his way through Radames’ music, wielding his voice like a machete in a sugar-cane field. Ghiuselev’s Ramfis is decent enough.

Most of the singers have that Slavic back-of-the-throat production, which means almost all open vowels are swallowed. Some of the Italian pronunciation verges on the comical. Marinov and his crew must be using scores with the majority of dynamic markings erased. Still, they certainly are all enthusiastic. No cue numbers for individual arias or ensembles, and no libretto. Positive point: the set requires two CDs, while London’s takes three.