I have a number of different versions of Handel's sublime Ombra mai fu aka the Largo from Xerxes. But which is the best?
Ombra mai fu
Di vegetabile
Cara ed amabile
Soave piu
Never was the shade
of vegetation
more dear and friendly,
more sweet
I have whittled down to a shortlist of three, based on the goosebump factor.
Bryn Terfel - sings too falsetto in the recitative, but in the aria, the timbre of his bass-baritone is so rich and so nearly pure. And the lower strings resonate like velvet. Definitely three goosebumps.
Plácido Domingo - oh heck, there's no contest, his voice is richer and more resonant than Bryn's, as he caresses the ears. Itzhak Perlman's stupendous violin plays the recitative gorgeously, but in the aria, to my surprise, I don't like it as much as Bryn's Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Five goosebumps. This morning I would have predicted Bryn Terfel to be the overall winner.
Kathleen Ferrier - do I make allowance for the technically primitive recording? That aside, I don't rate her at all in the recitative. In the aria, she sings much more slowly than the other two, and her voice has an ethereal quality. The LSO under Sir Malcom Sargent is unimpressive, which is a shame, because there are moments of four goosebumps, but I would have to settle for an overall three.
I'm not sure about old recordings. I suppose they have a curiosity value, and, of course, it means that we living today have the privilige of listening not only to the current top singers, but also to those who died years ago. There was a programme on telly recently about Caruso. They played one of his records, and I thought, "I'm sure he had a good voice but I simply don't hear it on this,", and, frankly, that's all how his legions of fans would have heard him sing. Then there was a film clip and I went "Oh! Wow!" Then I find Vesti la Giubba on the interwebnet, and I am undecided. Yes, it tells me that he must have had an amazing voice, but, when it boils down to it, there are so many more recent, technologically better versions of Vesti la Giubba, do I have to waste my time listening to Caruso?
