Rossini - Il Barbiere di Siviglia / Horne, Nucci, Ramey, Dara, Barbacini, Chailly;

The Barber is presented complete in this recording, which boasts being the first in digital sound. Riccardo Chailly is still an underrated conductor; while he may not be the most dramatic leader on Earth, he always gives his singers--particularly the good ones--plenty of room to shine. And shine is what Marilyn Horne does here brilliantly. Her fans will not be disappointed by her almost three-octave range, machine-gun fast coloratura, sense of fun, and wild flights of embellished fancy. Paolo Barbacini, her Count, is a mess--the voice is smallish and uncomfortable with Rossini's "little notes," and because the performance is uncut, he has too many opportunities to fail. Leo Nucci's Figaro is fun--he too winds up singing a bit wildly, but his performance is a winner. Samuel Ramey almost walks away with the show with his wise, nasty, terrific Basilio, and Enzo Dara is genuinely funny as Bartolo. Horne fans have come to the right place. --Robert Levine