Recordings

“Il Trittico” is a cunningly constructed, infrequently recorded set of three diverse one-acters, with the Debussy-like scene-setting and brutal conclusion of “Il Tabarro” and poignant pieties of “Suor Angelica” giving way to the sparkling, roguish comedy of “Gianni Schicchi.” It is difficult to do equal justice to all of “Trittico’s” moods and subjects--and not surprisingly, this new set, the latest installment in Pappano’s EMI Puccini cycle, is quite uneven. In “Tabarro,” Pappano never really establishes the seductive night atmosphere in the first half of the piece, nor does Guelfi quite convey the overwhelming, brooding, savage presence of the cuckolded bargemaster Michele. Yet Pappano turns around and makes a beautiful case for “Angelica,” usually the weakest link in the chain, with a uniformly good female cast headed by Gallardo-Domas’ emotionally wide-ranging Angelica. The usually dignified Van Dam displays enough of a comic touch in the title role of “Schicchi” to put it over, but Pappano doesn’t catch much of the score’s wit, and while Alagna and Gheorghiu sound glorious together, Alagna is a fairly ordinary tenor on his own. When “Suor Angelica” comes off as the most satisfying piece of the three, something is out of balance.