Verdi: Falstaff

A common failing of recent Falstaff recordings is the hole in the middle--the larger-than-life Sir John sung by baritones several sizes too small for the role, both vocally and dramatically. That problem doesn't exist here. Bryn Terfel's outsized singing personality perfectly matches Verdi's conception. Whether bellowing in rage, preening in praise of his fleshly abundance, or crooning sweet nothings to his intended conquests, Terfel dominates this performance as a Falstaff should. As his adversaries, Thomas Hampson's Ford is outstanding, well-sung and characterized, and Adrianne Pieczonka's Mistress Ford is quite good, too. Indeed, there's little to complain about with the rest of this well-assembled cast. If some older recordings of the opera boast more distinctive touches (e.g., the way Cloe Elmo's Mistress Quickly relishes her repeated "reverenzas" for Toscanini), few are as well-matched. Claudio Abbado gets the Berlin Philharmonic to play well in music it can't have done before. The engineering is adequate, if opaque, with orchestral details too often fading into the background. In sum, while Abbado's Falstaff doesn't match the classic Toscanini (RCA), Karajan (his first), or Solti, it's by far the best of the current crop and indispensable for Terfel's and Hampson's performances. --Dan Davis