Schumann: Adventlied op.71 – Carolyn Sampson

   in Opera Now (May, 2016)
Stylish is also the word for Un ballo in maschera, caught live in Vienna 30 years ago. There’s the air of an event about this recording, not just from the ecstatic applause, but generated by the occasion itself: megastar Pavarotti gracing the stage with his Riccardo, Piero Cappuccilli (a more regular Staatsoper performer) as Renato and local girl Gabriele Lechner seizing her big chance as a stand-in for Margaret Price, plus Abbado in the pit. Luxury indeed. The sound is excellent, and Abbado leads an exciting and pacey account, balancing the score’s elegance and violence, galvanising the orchestra into some superlative playing. Pavarotti is on top form, the voice fresh …