Description:

Ok, so the sound of this Turandot is far from perfect, but the cast was too delectable to pass up especially because these were roles that were off the beaten path for the three principals. Ingrid Bjoner’s steely, cool voice is perfect as the ice princess. She manages to come across alluring and ferocious simultaneously. James King demonstrates that if he hadn’t gravitated towards Wagner he could have easily have distinguished himself as one of the preeminent Italianate tenors of his day (no small feat considering the competition.) His voice is robust and beautiful and he treats the audience to a spectacular high C in the riddle scene. Hilde Güden is surprisingly good as Liù, bringing a sumptuous quality to her voice that I had not heard previously. There are also some fun Bjoner extras including a concert performance of ”In questa reggia” in very good sound, a performance of ”Pace mio dio” and the Aida/Amneris duet with none other than Regina Resnik!

BONUS:
Ingrid Bjoner sings excerpts from Turandot, La Forza del destino and Aida

OD 11085-1