I don't care for this recording, and had it not been included in the Domingo boxset, would not have vbeen bothered with it.
First of all, I like the three leads, especially Liu (Hendricks). Ricciarelli is one of my favourite sopranos, and her Turandot is atypical but acceptable.
As for Domingo, though really no Corelli, sounds plangent enough, if sometimes a bit forced. However, I really don't like the sound balance, especially in ensembles involving the Unknown Prince (UP), where Domingo's voice is invariably given far TOO MUCH SOLO presence. In the Act 1, when the UP is being persuaded by the ministers to avoid Turandot, ONLY the voice of the UP is heard, turning the entire scene that paves the way to LIU's suicide a mere monologue of the UP (CALAF).
The voices of Timur, Ping, Pong and Pang could scarcely be heard, so is the chorus. The result is gross dramatic inbalance that robbed the work of its allure.
For the three leads, two stars (Hendricks one, Riccarelli 0.5, Domingo 0.5).
Don't waste your money.
I don't care for this recording, and had it not been included in the Domingo boxset, would not have vbeen bothered with it. First of all, I like the three leads, especially Liu (Hendricks). Ricciarelli is one of my favourite sopranos, and her Turandot is atypical but acceptable. As for Domingo, though really no Corelli, sounds plangent enough, if sometimes a bit forced. However, I really don't like the sound balance, especially in ensembles involving the Unknown Prince (UP), where Domingo's voice is invariably given far TOO MUCH SOLO presence. In the Act 1, when the UP is being persuaded by the ministers to avoid Turandot, ONLY the voice of the UP is heard, turning the entire scene that paves the way to LIU's suicide a mere monologue of the UP (CALAF). The voices of Timur, Ping, Pong and Pang could scarcely be heard, so is the chorus. The result is gross dramatic inbalance that robbed the work of its allure. For the three leads, two stars (Hendricks one, Riccarelli 0. 5, Domingo 0. 5). Don't waste your money.