MUSIC AND DANCE : RECORD REVIEWS : Disc Debut of a Major Opera Voice

ARIAS BY VERDI AND PUCCINI. Lubov Kazarnovskaya, soprano; Bolshoi Orchestra, conducted by Mark Ermler. Melodiya SUCD 10-00059. Unless one is disc-deceived, this recording marks the debut of a major voice--a true lirico-spinto soprano of surprisingly Italianate warmth and character. Kazarnovskaya, now resident in the West and singing in such houses as Zurich, Cologne and Covent Garden, has none of the usual Slavic soprano’s shrill, wobbly wiriness at the top. There is the hint of a flutter in high forte passages but nothing that suggests trouble. Her timbre is reminiscent of Mirella Freni’s, although the voice sounds bigger and weightier than the latter’s basically lyric equipment. The Russian artist would seem to be mistress of many vocal niceties: lovely piano shading, coloristic variety, imaginative phrasing and an honest-to-goodness messa di voce . She favors rather slow tempos (“Babbino caro” seems to go on forever), and stylistically she still has things to learn. But she knows the difference between Verdi and Puccini, a welcome trait.

FRENCH OPERA ARIAS SUNG BY SAMUEL RAMEY. London Philharmonic, conducted by Julius Rudel. Philips 432 080-2. Ramey’s luxuriant bass-baritone is always a pleasure to hear, and once the standard “Carmen,” “Hoffmann” and “Faust” bits are out of the way, he offers some welcome unhackneyed repertory, especially the aria from Bizet’s “Jolie Fille” and “Griselidis” and “Jongleur” pieces by Massenet. Meyerbeer’s “Pif, paf” is a boring aria, however, and seems to lie low for the singer. As is mostly the case with Ramey, the voice cannot be faulted, but if there is any imaginative characterization, these ears don’t hear it. Everything sounds fairly the same, nowhere more so than in the “Don Quichotte” death scene, in which the title character and Sancho Panza must be differentiated. Suave singing, yes, but not a modicum of pathos.

MOZART: “Don Giovanni.” Cesare Siepi, Elisabeth Grummer, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Erna Berger, Anton Dermota, others; Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Wilhelm Furtwangler. EMI CH 5 7 63860 2.

MOZART: “Don Giovanni.” Ferruccio Furlanetto, Lella Cuberli, Waltraud Meier, Joan Rodgers, Uwe Heilmann, others; Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Daniel Barenboim. Erato 2292-45588-2.

These two recordings, made nearly 40 years apart, testify to vast changes in both taste and musical values. Furtwangler’s is a lush, romantic reading, full of personality, individuality and affection for this great score. Some of the eccentricities, such as unexpected ritards, may irritate musicologists, but there is no denying that there was a musical point of view displayed here. That his tempos tend to be very slow does not impede the drama from building to a shattering banquet scene.

Siepi’s Don Giovanni--probably definitive for his era--was suave, multicolored and seductive, with touches of humor and menace when required. Grummer’s aristocratic Anna suffered from moments of strain but is otherwise a lovely memento of this artist, sadly underrated in this country. Schwarzkopf’s Elvira set the standard of her day, along with Della Casa and Jurinac, with platinum-edged tone and dramatic fervor. Berger’s fresh-voiced Zerlina sounded half her age (she was 53). Dermota, somewhat strained by the florid music and sometimes off pitch, nonetheless was a solid Ottavio, Otto Edelmann, despite some questionable Italian, a sonorous Leporello. Walter Berry’s youthful Masetto was a plus.

Barenboim’s reading, disciplined and straightforward, reveals all the charm and magnetism of an X-ray. Furlanetto is a one-dimensional Don, lacking personality and verve. Cuberli’s small-voiced Anna does manage the coloratura of “Non mi dir” with style. Rodgers’ Zerlina is pallid. Heilmann does not sound comfortable with the long lines of “Il mio tesoro.”