Italian Album, the debut solo recording by Welch tenor Timothy Richards, includes music of Verdi and Puccini. Most of the scenes and arias are from the standard repertoire, but some of the selections, like "Ah, la paterna mano" from Macbeth and "Ha ben ragione" from Il tabarro, are from somewhat off the beaten path. Richards' warm spinto has plenty of heft for these roles, and his weight sounds ideally suited to Italian Romantic opera. His voice is amply resonant, solid throughout, and his arsenal of colors gives him a broad expressive range. He interprets the roles thoughtfully without simply relying on standard conventions. One of the nicest moments is the opening of "Nessun dorma," which many tenors belt out with such force and volume that it is little wonder no one in Peking can get to sleep. Richards begins the aria contemplatively, which allows his build to the climax to have a real impact. The vocal tracks only take up about 35 minutes, so the album is filled with preludes or interludes from La Traviata, Macbeth, and La forza del destino. The Minsk Orchestra, conducted by Wilhelm Keitel, is fine, and better than perfunctory, but it doesn't have the edge to make its performances truly distinctive. The un-manipulated sound of MDG's SACD is exemplary in its clarity, definition, warmth, and naturalness, but in some of the louder passages the orchestra's prominence is too much for the vocal volume.
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