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MASSENET: Manon. Victoria de los Angeles (s), Henri Legay (t), Michel Dens (b), Jean Borthayre (bs), et al.; Chorus and Orchestra of the Théatre National de L'OpéraComique, Pierre Monteux, cond. Seraphim ID 6057, $9.92 (four discs, mono only) [from RCA Victor LM 6402, 1956]. Few will question the "Great Recordings of the Century" rubric that beams proudly from the cover of this set. French opera has never fared too well on discs, but the Monteux De los Angeles /Opera-Comique Manon is a genuine classic--quite on a level with HMV's magnificent "thirty-year-old Pellas et Melisande conducted by Desormiére, probably the only other recorded performance of a French stage work in the GROC category (and well worth Seraphim's attention). Although France has not produced many great singers of late, it's doubtful that a Manon on discs would fare as well divorced from its home ground at the Opéra-Comique. In fact, much of this performance's stylistic elegance is due to the flavorsome contributions from the many expert comprimario singers and actors that flesh out the large cast. Monteux's supple, graceful, and subtly nuanced presentation of the score is a constant delight and De los Angeles, far more at ease and secure before the microphones than in her Manons at the Met during the mid-Fifties, creates a bewitching portrait of the fragile, willful heroine. True, Henri Legay accomplishes more through clever subterfuge than sheer vocal quality, but his Des Grieux is splendidly alive and committed. Seraphim has ingeniously brightened the excellent mono sound and provides a complete text and translation. There is currently no other Manon in the catalogue; even if there were, this recording would be required listening. MOZART: Opera Arias. Ezio Pinza, bass; Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera, Bruno Walter, cond. Odyssey 32 16 0335, $2.49 (mono only) [from Columbia ML 4036, recorded in 1946]. Probably more than any singer, Ezio Pinza helped to spark the Mozart revival at the Metropolitan Opera during the Thirties and Forties. Imagine twenty-one years without Don Giovanni or twenty-two seasons between productions of Figaro--yet such was the case when Pinza sang the Don at the Met in 1929 and Figaro in 1940. The basso's inimitable rich sonority and virile presence undoubtedly contributed immeasurably to the immense success of the operas, for he virtually owned these roles for the rest of his career. This disc unfortunately caught Pinza at his worst: the voice had lost much of its richness in the upper registers and there is a good deal of uneasy vocal compromise in the more difficult arias. Osmin's triumphant vengeance aria, for instance, sounds badly frayed up top and the rapid passages find the singer almost gasping for breath. Leporello's "Afadamina" is sluggish and ungainly, while Sarastrtis "Qui sdegno" lacks a truly smooth legato line. The concert aria " Mentre ti lascio" and Figaro's two arias give a better idea of the Pinza charisma, but even here one is slightly let down by the rather effortful delivery. Bruno Walter's accompaniments add nothing special to this program, and the disc's twenty-sixminute duration is short measure even by bargain-price standards. VERDI: Aida. Zinka Milanov (s), Fedora Barbieri (ms), Jussi Bjoerling (t), Leonard Warren (b), Boris Christoff (bs), et al.; Chorus and Orchestra of the Rome Opera, Jonel Perlea, cond. RCA Victrola VIC 6119, $8.94 (three discs, mono only) [from RCA Victor LM 6122, 1955]. With the proliferation of interesting mono-only budget versions of standard repertory operas, most vocal collectors will doubtlessly be tempted to supplement their first choices with one or two of these worthy reissues. A number of critics, in fact, hold the Milanov /Bjoerling Aida as the finest to appear on disc, and while I personally prefer the recently reissued version on London with Leontyne Price, there is certainly a great deal in favor of Victrola's 1955 recording. Best of all is Bjoerling's Radames: what Verdi tenor today delivers such bright, ringing tone together with such supple, aristocratic phrasing? Milanov's stately, slightly old-fashioned approach works well with Aida. She may have been a shade past her best in 1955, but the awkward moments are quickly passed and more than balanced by her typically exquisite, floating, soft-grained vocal-ism-"O patria mia" is only one such ravishing highlight. Fedora Barbieri's Amneris is a bit raw on occasion, but at least her singing is always lively and interesting. Less impressive is Warren's woolly Amonasro and Christoff's exaggerated Ramfis. Perlea leads a reliable, smoothly paced performance and the orchestra plays decently, although don't expect anything remarkable in this department. The recording favors the singers--just as well, perhaps-and in this respect the 1955 reproduction could hardly be improved upon. ELISABETH SCHWARZKOPF: "Portrait of the Artist." Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, soprano; various accompanists, orchestras, and cond. Angel SCB 3754, $11.96 (three discs) [from various Angel originals 1958-68]. BIRGIT NILSSON: "Portrait of the Artist." Birgit Nilsson, soprano; various orchestras and cond. Angel SCB 3745, $11.96 (three discs) [from various Angel originals, 1954-66]. FRANCO CORELLI: "Portrait of the Artist." Franco Corelli, tenor; various orchestras and cond. Angel SCB 3744, $11.96 (three discs) [from various Angel originals, 1959-68]. The most satisfying of these three grab-bag samplers is Schwarzkopf's: Angel could hardly have gone wrong with such a rich variety of recorded material at its disposal. Thanks to the soprano's versatility, it was possible to devote each side to a different facet of her talents: concert (excerpts from the St. Matthew Passion, Messiah, A German Requiem, and Mahler's Fourth Symphony); Mozart opera (Figaro, Così, and Don Giovanni); German and Italian Opera ( Freischütz, Otello, La Bohème, Gianni Schicchi) ; operetta (Heuberger, Zeller, Millöcker, Lehár); and lieder (Schubert, Strauss, Mahler, Wolf). In addition, one full side offers the concluding half hour of Schwarzkopf's most famous role, the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier. A very full portrait indeed. The Nilsson selections are entirely operatic and since she has recorded infrequently for EMI of late, a good deal of it is not representative of this artist's current work (almost half the music here dates from the midFifties and has been rechanneled). Still, there's much enjoyment to be had from this stupendous voice, especially the Wagner (Tannhauser, Lohengrin, Dutchman, Tristan), Weber ( Freischütz, Oberon ), and Puccini (Turandot's "In questa reggia" and riddle scene). The selections by Verdi (Aida, Ballo, and Forza), Mozart (Don Giovanni), and Beethoven (Fidelio and Ah, perfido!) face keen competition from other quarters. Corelli's package is even more variable-a group of predictable Italian arias, many of them wrenched rather awkwardly from complete sets. The voice is, of course, a magnificent one, but his robust tenorizing is best sampled in small doses. One full record is dominated by lighter Neapolitan songs which would have benefited from a more stylish delivery. PETER G. DAVIS.
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