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01/28/2022
Vincenzo Bellini: I puritani
Laurence Brownlee (Lord Arturo Talbo), Sarah Coburn (Elvira), Azamat Zheltyrguzov (Sir Ricardo Forth), Tadas Girininkas (Sir Giorgio Walton), Liudas Norvaisas (Lord Gualtiero Walton), Tomas Pavilionis (Sir Bruno Robertson), Jovita Vaskeviciūtė (Enrichetta di Francia), Kaunas State Choir, Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, Constantine Orbelian (Conductor)
Recording: Kaunas Philharmonic, Lithuania (July 3-14, 2017) – 162’07
3 CDs DELOS Records DE 3537 (Distributed by Naxos of America) – Booklet in Italian and English
 
Kaunas, Lithuania. This recording of Bellini’s I puritani is a perfect occasion to remind us of the cultural and academic wealth of Lithuania’s second-largest city. Kaunas’s Opera and Ballet Company, along with a Symphony Orchestra, offer a complete season of interesting musical events. The American recording company DELOS has successfully established a strong relationship with Kaunas’s Symphony and its musical director Constantine Orbelian. Several critically acclaimed recording have been released, namely Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra and Rigoletto with the late Dimitri Hvorostovsky, two recitals by virtuoso tenor Lawrence Brownlee, and now I puritani with Brownlee and American soprano Sarah Coburn.
This recording might not equal the singing quality of Decca’s (Bonynge, Sutherland, Pavarotti, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov), or EMI’s (Serafin, Callas, Di Stefano, Russi Lemini, Panerai), but it is totally worth hearing. Brownlee as Arturo is highly convincing, as expected, with a stunning portamento and breath control. American soprano Sarah Coburn possesses the bel canto prerequisites. The timbre of her voice matches well Brownlee’s, while, at times, lacking dramatic undertones. Admittedly, the character of Elvira is fairly shallow. The rest of the cast deliver a more than honorable performance. The sound of the orchestra, under Constantine Orbelian is full and rich with clarity and style, and so is the chorus.
No one disappoints in this new release.
Christian Dalzon
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