Verdi: Requiem
Jessye Norman (soprano), Agnes Baltsa (mezzo-soprano), José Carreras (tenor), Evgeny Nesterenko (bass)
Riccardo Muti / BRSO & Chorus (BR Media)
(scroll down for English review)
巴伐利亞電台把這個慕提指揮巴伐利亞電台交樂團，威爾第《安魂曲》的1981年現場錄音推出，原來連同月和日來看，正好是40年前的音樂會。令我有興趣聽的卻不是慕提或樂隊，而是兩位女獨唱：Norman及Baltsa，兩位叮噹馬頭、當時處於巔峰狀態的歌手。
只有她們其中一個，或會破壞平衡，但聽這個錄音時，除非你很熟這首樂曲，隨時會搞不清這一刻是女高音還是女中音在唱，因為Norman及Baltsa都是很全面的歌手，Norman既有穩妥的高音，中低音也非常強勁；Baltsa的高音連許多女高音都不及，如果她是我們這個年代的歌手，發揮空間一定會更大，又怎輪到DiDonato。假如想針對Norman或Baltsa來聽，Norman當然是要聽「解放我」（軌16），除了頭尾的激昂，我覺得最美妙是中段的柔和高音，至於Baltsa就聽「審判之辭」（軌四）及和男低音合唱的「落淚之日」（軌十）頭半。
集合到這種歌手，還要有賴指揮的功力，慕提今年80歲，相信是現今指揮威爾第《安魂曲》經濟最老到的指揮之一，另外一位應該是梅塔。這個演出之所以整體上都非常傑出，全賴慕提既有火力，也有控制一切細節的功力，才能令刺激之處倒不虛發，而深情的時候，他又知道要減慢步伐來釋放濃情。此錄音的實體版要用上兩張CD這一點也是可圈可點，因為近二三十年的指揮，傾向指得較快，隨時是在唱片公司慫恿下要在一張CD內指完，但也難免水過鴨背。
It was exactly 40 years to the day of this Muti concert of the Verdi Requiem in Munich. What caught my eye weren’t Muti nor BRSO, but the combo of Jessye Norman and Agnes Baltsa, both in their prime.
Just one of them might have thrown off the balance, but Baltsa previously recorded the work under Muti with another soprano. Unless you’re very familiar with their voices, or with the work, it could be hard to tell one from the other. Norman and Baltsa were both versatile singers, capable of doing much more than their pigeonholed fachs. Norman’s top notes were so secure, yet she could blast out massive low notes. Baltsa’s high range could make most sopranos blush; she might have a wider range of opportunities if she were in our age. Libera me (track 16) not only featured Norman at her most majestic, the softer middle section is truly amazing. As for Baltsa, you might try her Liber scriptus (track 4) or her heart-wrenching duet with Evgeny Nesterenko in the start of Lacrimosa (track 10).
But outstanding singers had to revolve around a certain sun. Muti, now 80, is probably the living conductor most experienced with the Verdi Requiem. This live recording was so well rounded, thanks to Muti’s superbly calibrated thunder. But also in slower and gentler passages Muti knew how to slow down and let his singers show off their goods. Verdi Requiems used to be issued on two CDs but now the trend is to squeeze it into one disc, and sadly some nuances are lost and have to be rediscovered through older recordings.