Domenico Scarlatti: Sonates Vol.1 – Federico Colli

   in Opera Now (May, 2014)
I’ve seen Alastair Miles sing several bass roles in European opera houses for years, and he’s always struck me as reliable but unexciting: I particularly remember him as the man who made the title role of Boito’s Mefistofele seem rather a nice chap. So this disc was rather a surprise as, after the 174 bars of hectic introduction to Wolf ’s Prometheus, Miles’s voice bursts into the first line of the song with a vengeance. And so it continues through the programme – a rich and resonant tone, even throughout its easy range, excellent diction and a strong identification with the text. Marie-Noelle Kendall’s accompaniment matches her singer all the way …