Album

Uruguayan bass-baritone Erwin Schrott has made a name for himself as a commanding and charismatic stage presence since the turn of the century, but this 2008 solo album represents his debut behind the microphone. (He's represented on disc by recordings of several live performances and is featured in an Opus Arte DVD in the title role in Le nozze di Figaro.) In this recital he sticks for the most part to core repertoire, but he does include arias from Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust, Verdi's Les Vêpres siciliennes, and Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable. He's not entirely consistent in his performances. The recital opens with Leporello's Catalogue Aria, which he has often sung on-stage, although he has since moved on to Don Giovanni and made it something of a signature role. He sounds a little vocally underpowered in the opening of the aria and is disastrously out of tune on a sustained note, but by the time he gets to "Nella biona," he seems fully in character and in full voice. The problem of intonation is recurring; although it is not as noticeable as in the first aria, there's the sense that razor-sharp tuning sometimes eludes him. He's hugely impressive in the Verdi; although he's made a name for himself primarily in Mozart roles, he sounds like a true Verdian. "Elle ne m'aime pas!" from Don Carlos is especially effective. He brings real emotional depth to the King's despair, and his voice has tremendous strength and resonance. In the other Mozart arias, as Don Giovanni and Figaro, he's completely persuasive, with the fire and vocal agility for which his live performances are renowned. Riccardo Frizza leads Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana in supportive accompaniment. Decca's sound is mostly good, but occasionally there's too much resonance around the voice, creating a cavernous effect.

© Stephen Eddins, All Music Guide

CD 1
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Don Giovanni, K.527 (opera buffa)...Act 1 Work Lorin Maazel Musical Direction, Orquesta de Valencia Orchestra, Erwin Schrott Bass, Riccardo Frizza Conductor
1	10.Aria: Madamina, il catalogo è questo (Catalogue Aria)	5:36			$0.99
Giuseppe Verdi Composer Don Carlo (opera)...Act 4 Work Lorin Maazel Musical Direction, Orquesta de Valencia Orchestra, Erwin Schrott Bass, Riccardo Frizza Conductor
2	1.Elle ne m'aime pas!	9:57			$1.49
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Don Giovanni, K.527 (opera buffa)...Act 2 Work Lorin Maazel Musical Direction, Orquesta de Valencia Orchestra, Erwin Schrott Bass, Riccardo Frizza Conductor
3	6.Canzonetta: Deh vieni alla finestra	2:05			$0.99
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Don Giovanni, K.527 (opera buffa)...Act 1 Work Lorin Maazel Musical Direction, Orquesta de Valencia Orchestra, Erwin Schrott Bass, Riccardo Frizza Conductor
4	28.Aria: Fin ch'han dal vino ('Champagne Aria')	1:29			$0.49
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K.492 (opera buffa)...Act 1 Work Lorin Maazel Musical Direction, Orquesta de Valencia Orchestra, Erwin Schrott Bass, Riccardo Frizza Conductor
5	6.Rectiativo: Bravo, Signor padrone!; 7.Cavatina: Se voul ballare, signore contino	3:25			$0.99
Giuseppe Verdi Composer Macbeth (opera)...Act 2 Work Lorin Maazel Musical Direction, Orquesta de Valencia Orchestra, Erwin Schrott Bass, Riccardo Frizza Conductor
6	4.Studia il passo, o mio figlio!; 5.Come dal ciel precipita	4:00			$0.99
Hector Berlioz Composer La Damnation de Faust, Op.24 (légende dramatique)...Part 2 Work Lorin Maazel Musical Direction, Orquesta de Valencia Orchestra, Erwin Schrott Bass, Riccardo Frizza Conductor
7	14.Air de Méphistophélès: Voici des Roses	2:46			$0.99
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K.492 (opera buffa)...Act 4 Work Lorin Maazel Musical Direction, Orquesta de Valencia Orchestra, Erwin Schrott Bass, Riccardo Frizza Conductor
8	6.Recitativo: Tutto è disposto; 7.Aria: Aprite un po' quegl'occhi	4:38			$0.99
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K.492 (opera buffa)...Act 1 Work Lorin Maazel Musical Direction, Orquesta de Valencia Orchestra, Erwin Schrott Bass, Riccardo Frizza Conductor
9	21.Aria: Non più andrai, farfallone amoroso	3:53			$0.99
Charles Gounod Composer Faust (opéra)...Act 4 Work Lorin Maazel Musical Direction, Orquesta de Valencia Orchestra, Erwin Schrott Bass, Riccardo Frizza Conductor
10	9.Vous qui faites l'endormie	2:36			$0.99
Giuseppe Verdi Composer I Vespri siciliani (opera)...Act 2 Work Lorin Maazel Musical Direction, Orquesta de Valencia Orchestra, Erwin Schrott Bass, Riccardo Frizza Conductor
11	1.Palerme, ô mon pays; 2.Ét toi, Palerme (O Patria, o cara patria; O tu, Palermo)	7:40			$1.49
Giacomo Meyerbeer Composer Robert le diable (grand opera) Work Lorin Maazel Musical Direction, Orquesta de Valencia Orchestra, Erwin Schrott Bass, Riccardo Frizza Conductor
12	Voici donc les débris ... Nonnes, qui reposez	3:45			$0.99