IL TROVATORE:Verdi
Rudolf; Baum, Stella, Madeira, Merrill, Moscona
Original Air Date: 03/16/1957
SID.20140648
This is a performance well worth hearing. Stella and Merrill are blessed with two of the richest voices ever to be before the public and both are in their absolute prime. I don’t much care for Baum, but for some he is more listenable. He is the Manrico most frequently encountered in the 40s and 50s. This is his 6th and last broadcast Trovatore (only Martinelli exceeds Baum’s 60 Manricos with 69). Madeira is tied with Mignon Dunn for 4th (Homer, Zajick, and Cossotto are #1-3). Her voice is a real alt, so the end of the opera is a bit beyond her. The conductor Max Rudolf was “head of music staff” in this period and just as his Butterfly recording with Steber and Tucker is quite tidy, so is this Trovatore. Take a listen to this performance and see how you think it ranks with this season’s Trovatore.