Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (In Italian) Rossi-Lemeni, Zeani, Tagliavini; Maazel. Roma, 1965

$8.95

Listen to a Sample:

Husband and wife team Virginia Zeani and Nicola Rossi-Lemini are joined here in roles slightly outside of their comfort zones as Tatyana and Onegin. Onegin may be a little bit of a stretch for Rossi-Lemeni. There is nothing wrong with his singing but to my ears his voice lacks the charm and youthfulness that one wants in this role. Zeani, on the other hand, is very well suited to her part. Vocally she is able to make the journey from the shy teenager in Act I to the aristocratic lady in the last act. Hearing Franco Tagliavini singing his big aria one would think that it had been written in Italian. He brings an expansiveness to the line and Italian sense of pathos that I have never heard in this role. A young Lorin Maazel is the conductor. The sound is somewhat muddled but the performance comes through.

OD 10343-2