OPERA DUETS BY MASSENET, MASCAGNI, VERDI, BELLINI,...

OPERA DUETS BY MASSENET, MASCAGNI, VERDI, BELLINI, BIZET. Agnes Baltsa, mezzo-soprano; Jose Carreras, tenor; London Symphony, Placido Domingo, conductor. Sony 53968. There have been some strange releases over the years, but this disc, recorded in London in 1990 and 1991, is one of the oddest. It sounds as if Baltsa and Carreras were in separate studios, with the tenor practically sitting on the mikes, while the mezzo’s voice seems to be piped in from the Scottish border. In most unison singing she is all but drowned out. His voice is distressingly threadbare, with little suggestion of the gorgeous lyric shine it had early on. The tone appears produced by main force. Hers shows such shifting of gears from one register to the next that it’s anybody’s guess what sound is going to emerge. Domingo demonstrates no special insight in his conducting chores. The “Werther” is best, because the music is droopy, anyway. The “Trovatore” scene emerges limp and plodding, with no tension, no line and both singers sadly overparted. The “Traviata” duet is gimmicky; Verdi certainly could not have intended his Violetta to have a mezzo’s coloration. There may well have been some soul searching for three years before releasing the record. Unfortunately, here it is.