Sunday Classics flashbacks: Sutherland and Pavarotti; and "authentic" "Raging Bull" music

Sutherland and Pavarotti in Il Trovatore (San Francisco, 1975)

by Ken

On the whole I was pretty satisfied with the tribute to Joan Sutherland I put together (a) on short notice and (b) drawing only on what I've got on CD -- most of the "standard" Sutherland recordings I've had for ages in their original LP formats.

I should perhaps have been more specific in calling attention to the historic partnership of Sutherland and mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne, although I think it was represented as well as it could have been by our 1970 Norma excerpts. I was sorry, though, not to represent another famous Sutherland partnership: with tenor Luciano Pavarotti. Sutherland and her husband, conductor Richard Bonynge, may not have "discovered" Pavarotti, but they gave his career a big boost by making him part of their "road" company for their Australian touring.

Maybe this isn't the ideal remembrance -- Violetta not having been Sutherland's most memorable role -- but here are the famous drinking song and the "Un dì felice" duet from Act I and the "Parigi, o cara" duet from Act III of Verdi's La Traviata.

VERDI: La Traviata:
Act I, "Libiamo, libiamo"

Act I, "Un dì felice, eterea"

Act III, "Parigi, o cara". . . "Ah, non più" . . .
"Ah, gran Dio, morir si giovine"

Joan Sutherland (s), Violetta Valéry; Luciano Pavarotti (t), Alfredo Germont; Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Richard Bonynge, cond. Live performance, Oct. 22, 1970


AND A FOLLOW-UP ON THE RAGING BULL MUSIC

We have some unfinished business here. As I mentioned, I ordered and received the two-CD soundtrack recording from Raging Bull which was issued nearly 25 years after the film was released. I think we did better with our performances of the three Mascagni pieces used, but here are the "authentic" soundtrack ones with Arturo Basile conducting (again, I'm guessing) the Orchestra of the Teatro Comunale of Bologna.

MASCAGNI:
Cavalleria rusticana: Intermezzo: mostly just the "big tune"

Silvano: Barcarolle

Guglielmo Ratcliff: Act III Intermezzo ("Ratcliff's Dream")



IN TOMORROW'S SUNDAY CLASSICS PREVIEW

We arm Brahms with a violin and a cello and stand back as we prepare for "Double Concerto" Sunday.

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