Puccini: Il Tabarro
Capriccio releases a CD featuring a live recording of “Il Tabarro” that took place in a concert in 2010. Starring the late Johan Botha in the role of Luigi and Elza van den Heever as Giorgetta, Wolfgang Koch as Michele and Bertrand de Billy conducting the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Critical acclaim
“…van den Heever fully embodies the character of Giorgetta with total comprehensiveness in her vocal expression. There are dynamically engaging vocal shades that vary between aggression and fragility.”
[“… van den Heever ontgin die karakter van Giorgetta voluit en met ’n totale omvattendheid in vokale uitdrukkingskrag. Daar is dinamies boeiende vokale skakerings wat genuanseerd tussen aggressie en broosheid wissel.”]
“Offset by conductor Bertrand di Billy’s dynamic presence at the head of the ORF Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the power of Ms van den Heever and Mr Botha’s rhapsodic singing at the climax of in their reminiscence episode (track 9) is spine-tingling, almost (but not quite) eclipsing the visceral impact of Renata Scotto and Placido Domingo at the peak of their magnificent form in Lorin Maazel’s famous 1977 Sony Classical recording.
Hearing Botha and van den Heever triumphantly riding the waves of Puccini’s quintessential groundswell of passion (track 11) is enough to induce a rush of pride in any South African opera-lover’s heart, underlining the terrible loss the tenor’s premature demise two years ago was to the international music scene.”
