Buying Adriana in an uncertain economy
Dear frugal opera lover, I have bad news for you: you'll have to buy two Adrianas. You see, one Adriana has to be sung by Magda Olivero - almost certainly, there is a law against not having an Olivero recording of this role, since it was hers from the moment she first adopted it- and Olivero Adrianas only come in live recordings, which is almost never the best thing, and definitely not if the recording predates digital technology. So, whatever recording of Olivero is presently available will give you the best Adriana there ever was, and will likely be wanting in all other aspects.
I have a recording that doesn't seem to be listed on Amazon - perhaps it's out of print - as well as this one, with Renata Scotto. Scotto is very good, but she is absolutely no match for Olivero, not vocally (she loses control in her fortissimi, while Olivero's strike you with a force seldom encountered outside of the Wagner fach) and not as an actress: don't forget that some of the most prominent scenes in Adriana are actually spoken.
Why has it been so difficult to find a decent Princess Bouillon over time? Obrasztova is dreadful, and so is Mimi Aarden on my Olivero recording: their voices are almost identical, and both sound like dying horses. It makes you appreciate a fine alto when you finally run into one.
But with Scotto you also get an outrageous Domingo: I say "outrageous" because I'm not really convinced that he's portraying his Maurizio correctly; no mistaking a military man here, but there is absolutely not tenderness, no seductive grace - you wonder what could have possibly attracted Adriana to this aggressive macho... unless she liked aggressive machos, of course. Domingo sings like he's determined to bust his vocal chords, and whether right or wrong in terms of the role, vocally he is never less than superlative. Corelli? No, never mind Corelli. This is tenor singing without compare.
You also get James Levine and a splendidly illuminated interpretation of the score. Why is this so important in a verismo opera, where we principally focus on the grit of bloody events before us? Well, because the grit in question is rather mediocre, while the score is quite good. Be advised: Adriana Lecouvreur is by no means a great libretto; although both Adriana and Maurizio really existed, their occasionally sad and often sordid affair had little to do with Arturo Colautti's ho-hum adaptation. While there is some charm in the humorous behind-the-scenes look at the life of actors, mostly the libretto is a contrived bore that mistakes soap for verismo.
Cilea's music is a different matter altogether. Although he stole bits and pieces here and there, from Verdi, Puccini, and yes, even from early Wagner, and although he threw in a custom that must have been quite dead by his time--a ballet intermezzo in the middle of act two--he did all of this very, very well. The actual arias are few (arguably, there is only one for Adriana that qualifies as a true aria), and I wouldn't blame you if you decided that you could live happily with just the arias, found on diverse compilations. But if you want a full Adriana, in order to hear dramatic recitation that just might impress you, you're stuck: you need Olivero and you need someone recorded in a studio. Scotto will do fine.

One of the finest opera recordings ever
Despite my loyalty to Olivero, Corelli and Bastianini in the live 1959 Naples recording - one of the greatest documents of its kind - I have to give this 1977 set pride of place. First, the sound is amazingly clear and atmospheric; secondly, Levines's direction is so sensitive and fluent, wholly responsive to the ebb and flow of this rip-roaring verismo classic; thirdly, the singers surpass themselves: Milnes creates a fully rounded, subtly sung Michonnet and really draws out the character's pathos; Domingo is heroic and nuanced, Scotto sublime in the depth of her characterisation and the delicacy of her quieter singing, Obratsova stupendously powerful and stirring as the jealous Princess - and even the supporting cast is flawless; especially good is the bass who sings the Prince, Giancarlo Luccardi, a singer unknown to me but who ought to be more famous. OK, the beat in Scotto's voice in louder, higher passages, just slightly bothers me, but her artistry virtually silences criticism.

I still love the old Naples version and have time, too, for Tebaldi and Del Monaco in their barn-storming performance, but this is the set to introduce anyone frightened of opera to a truly memorable, melodic, dramatic experience - a wonderful recording which makes me wonder why this most tuneful and gripping of operas (despite the hokey denouement) is not more often performed.

SIMPLY AWESOME
MY FIRST ADRIANA, AND I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH HER, AND THE MUSIC. MY RULE OF THUMB FOR VERISMO: IF THERE IS RECORDING WITH OLIVERO, BUY IT FIRST. BUY LIVE RATHER THAN STUDIO. COMPARE FOR EXAMPLE HER WALLY TO TEBALDI'S, OR HER FEDORA WITH EVA MARTON'S. HER ADRIANA IS NOW AVAILABLE, WITH CORELLI AND GOBBI! I HAVE NOT RECEIVED IT YET. BUT I CAN TRULY SAY, SCOTTO IS OLIVERO'S REENCARNATION. SHE TOO CAN MAKE ME SIT UP AND TRY TO FORCE MY LISTENING TO THE MAXIMUM. DOMINGO IS HIS USUAL SELF: IMPECABBLE. OBRATZOVA PEELS THE PAINT OFF THE SPEAKERS. ONLY MILNES SEEMS SOMEHOW DETACHED. LEVINE IS IN A CLASS ALL BY HIMSELF. WE NEED ARTISTS OF THIS CALIBER TO RECORD SOME OF THE OTHER MOSTLY FORGOTTEN VERISMO MASTERPIECES SUCH AS SILVANO, I ZINGARI, SIBERIA, REZURREZIONI.

The Premiere Adriana Recording
CAST: Renata Scotto[Adriana Lecouvreur] ** Plácido Domingo[Maurizio] ** Sherill Milnes [Michonnet] ** Elena Obraztsova) [Princess di Bouillon] ** Giancarlo Luccardi [Prince of Bouillon] ** Lillian Watson [Madame Jouvenot] ** Anne Murray [Madame Dangeville] ** Paul Crook [Poisson] ** Paul Hudson [Quinault] ** Paul Crook [A Man-Servant] ** Ambrosian Opera Chorus ** Philharmonia Orchestra ** James Levine (conductor)

This late 70's recording of Francesco Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur is an outstanding example of how this rare and out-of-vogue opera can be thrilling and powerfully moving. Most opera houses in the States, the Met included, don't stage Adriana anymore as it's faded into a kind of curiosity, a remnant of the turn-of-the-century verisimo opera era. Now, only two arias - "Io Sono La Umile Ancella" and "Poveri Fiori" sung by Adriana remain popular arias for concerts and recitals. This particular recording is of special importance because it marked the last time that Placido Domingo, Renata Scotto and Sherill Milnes worked together on a studio recording, after a period of time in the late 70's when they recorded for RCA - namely Otello and Andrea Chenier. For fans of these singers, and mezzo-soprano Elena Obrazstova, this recording is a treasure and a must-have. In addition, James Levine is conducting with his usual supreme artistry and the Philharmonia Orchestra brings out both beautiful moments and dramatic ones, nuance and subtleties. This one is for me the best Adriana Lecouvreur, even if there is a recording with everyone's god-damn favorite Maria Callas.

RENATA SCOTTO understood both the textual and musical aspects of Italian opera and she is largely considered, along with Mirella Freni, to be one of the last true Italian divas. Scotto had her share of critics and fanatics. There were some performances in which her voice failed her and one could sense her fury (very much like Maria Callas in this respect). Her Norma is thought to be the worst operatic disaster. But in the intense, Italian verisimo operas - Tosca, Cavalleria Rusticana, Andrea Chenier- she is unrivaled. But she is just as successful in more lyrical Italian operas - La Traviata, La Boheme, and of course her signature role Madama Butterfly. Adriana Lecouvreur fits her like a glove in so many levels. The Italian phrasing, with strong dramatic emphasis on certain exclamations, suits her type of dramatic voice. She uses chest register to effectively sound dramatic and fiery. Adriana is an actress of the Comedie Francaise in 1730 Paris. The fact that a diva is playing a diva is delicious, and with Scotto providing the singing, one is in for a real treat. In many instances, I felt that Scotto is singing a lot like Puccini's Tosca, but the music feels a lot longer and less hurried than Tosca. She can therefore relax her voice in the more lyrical portions. She is feminine, alluring, regal and vulnerable. The last scene, in which she expires after smelling poisoned flowers (the weakest and lamest ending of an opera heroine yet but go figure)does not become excessively dramatic or laughable. She is wholly convincing as a woman who just happened to smell poison and is short of breath and dies. This role is perhaps one of her best. There is absolutely nothing I find wrong with the voice. It's fresh, powerful and beautiful and she gets into character so well.

PLACIDO DOMINGO, SHERILL MILNES AND ELENA OBRAZSTOVA: The rest of the cast is admirable and excellent. Domingo as Maurizio is brilliantly sung, even if we are not getting anything too different from his Italian romantic hero roles. He is in fine vocal shape, he sounds passionate, his sense of lyrical melody is well-placed and his attention to detail is exact. If Pavarotti had sung this instead of Domingo, one would quickly find fault with Pavarotti's lack of musical intelligence and singing for the sake of showing off. Not so with Domingo who gets into character each time. His duets and scenes with Scotto's Adriana are beautiful, especially in the moving finale.
Another reason why his Maurizio is especially powerful is because he is singing a role that was one of the great Enrico Caruso's greater operatic successes. All true analytical opera connoisseurs recognize a similar timbre and vocal quality between Enrico Caruso and Placido Domingo. Domingo never really imitated Caruso but his voice was somewhat similar in its sheer, sensual, expressive lyrical strength.

Baritone Sherill Milnes is also not singing anything too different from his other baritone roles. His part here is not that big when compared to the evil and jealous Princess Di Boullon. Milnes sings everything in a grand manner, and each aria showcases his phenomenal lung power and lower voice with great bravura. Russian mezzo soprano sensation Elena Obrazstova was internationally acclaimed for a time in the 70's and 80's. She is a supremely exciting high mezzo with an amazingly strong lower range. Consequently, her Carmen, Princess Eboli in Don Carlo, Amneris in Aida, Santuzza in Cavalleria, Azucena and other roles are the best on record. In this opera, she is playing the villain, Adriana's jealous rival, the Princess of Boulon who, in an effort to get Maurizio for herself and to get rid of her enemy, sends Adriana poison flowers. Obraztsova pulls out all the stops for this one, especially because this role is a principal one, allowing her more opportunities to act and sing with fiery intensity. Her duets and scenes with Domingo are electrifying. Her solo arias are simulatenously lyric-expressive and powerfully bombastic. Very few mezzos sang like Elena Obraztsova but it is also said that her Slavic/Russian category of voice helped to make her roles especially thunderous. She does not have the more lyric Italian mezzo voice- like those of Giuletta Simionato and Fiorenza Cossotto. But truthfully, while those singers have their own good aspects, so does Obrazstova who could thrill audiences with a far bigger voice and a more dramatic interpretation.

This one is a winner. Everything from the music to the singer's strong talents come together for what is the premire recording of Adriana Lecouvreur. Hopefully some day soon, the Metropolitan Opera and other major opera houses in the States and Europe will remember just why Adriana was a great opera at the turn of the century when verisimo was in vogue. This opera was another of Enrico Caruso's success. Perhaps with that knowledge, people will re-discover the greatness of Adriana Lecouvreur, despite that pathetic ending in which she dies after smelling flowers that didn't sit well with her nostrils.

Why her?
Elena Obraztsova's voice ruins this A.L. for me... Heard once and forgot about it.