Decca has already devoted albums in its Grandi Voci and The Singers series to
Teresa Berganza, but this release, Una voce poco fa: a Portrait of Teresa Berganza, is the first collection to address the real breadth of her work, and should be the first choice for anyone looking to get to know this fine singer.
Berganza's staple operatic roles, such as Rossini's Rosina and Mozart's Cherubino, form the core of the first disc, which also includes arias by Gluck, Handel, and Bizet.
Berganza's defining vocal traits are on display: the sweetness of her tone, the elegance of her phrasing, and her unflappable composure in even the most difficult music. The two arias from Handel's Alcina are a nice touch, since, though known mostly for her Mozart and Rossini,
Berganza was an accomplished performer of Baroque opera. Of the performances included, only "Come scoglio" from Così fan tutte and the arias from Carmen come up short, wanting for a more dramatic sound and more fiery temperament than
Berganza can muster. As good as the first disc is, the second is what makes this collection special, exploring
Berganza's extensive recital repertory, and especially her mastery of Spanish art song and Zarzuela. Song literature brings out
Berganza's full expressive potential, revealing a more colorful vocalism and more of a willingness to take musical risks. There is an infectious joy to her work with pianist Felix Lavilla, and together they find just the right tone for everything from arias by Pergolesi and Scarlatti to the songs of
Enrique Granados and Manuel de Falla. The two Zarzuela excerpts, from works by Jacinto Guerrero and Pedro Miguel Marqués, suffer from inferior sound quality, but they are excellent examples of an underappreciated musical tradition, and they capture
Berganza at her most passionate.