VERDI: “SIMON BOCCANEGRA.” <i> Kiri Te Kanawa, Giacomo Aragall, Leo Nucci, Paata Burchuladze; Forces of La Scala, Milan, conducted by Georg Solti. London 425 628 (2 compact discs). </i>

This recordings goes astray in virtually every department. Solti’s affinity for this brooding tragedy of revenge and statecraft sounds minimal. He under-characterizes Verdi’s atmospheric orchestral writing and substitutes aggressive attacks for genuine pulse and grandeur. Te Kanawa seems bent on cultivating luscious soprano tone--which she does exceptionally well--rather than creating an Amelia of idiomatic urgency. Nucci’s baritone misses the weight for the dramatic climaxes that make the eponymous doge one of Verdi’s most complex creations. As Fiesco, Burchuladze’s approximate low notes, spread tone and mushy Italian belie the Russian basso’s international reputation. Aragall’s once-vibrant tenor is now frayed and plagued with intonation problems. The finest singing comes from Paolo Coni’s Paolo.