No matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to hear this music nowadays without drawing comparisons with Marilyn Horne, who, for most of us at least, (re)invented the contralto sound and epic style of Rossini-singing gone by. Her way with coloratura, including the embellishments for second verses, the huge leaps, the rapid-fire fiorature-singing without aspirating, the baritonal low notes and gleaming soprano-ish high ones, seemed as if it never would be equalled. And then along comes Mme Podles, a Polish contralto of real stature. Much of the material on this CD repeats what she recorded for Naxos a few years back, but the fact that this is live and spontaneous–and still incredibly accurate and involving–is quite a feat. The sound itself is so formidable (it’s even naturally darker than Horne’s) that the wonder we experience at each acrobatic, small-notes-in-place turn never grows stale.
Podles tries to draw real characters as well and does manage to distinguish between heroic and, well, non-heroic; but perfect examples of what she vaguely lacks that Horne had in abundance can be experienced in Rosina’s aria from Barbiere and to a lesser degree with Isabella’s music from L’Italiana in Algeri: charm. She simply can’t pull off the “girlish” bit; everything else is amazingly in place. But should we complain? Absolutely not–this recital is a knockout. Two singers like this in a lifetime is staggering. Orchestral accompaniment is sympathetic and professional; the Barber overture is well played too, and the live sound is first rate. Pity there’s no real chorus to interject in Isabella’s scenes, but that’s a minor quibble. Podles must be heard, and the Maometto II aria alone is enough to prove the point.
