BOCELLI, ANDREA

W/PAOLETTA MARROCU/STEFANO ANTONUCCI/A.O.

This recording of a complete opera by pop-star-almost-turned-opera singer Andrea Bocelli is of Mascagni's one-act potboiler, the popular Cavalleria Rusticana. Bocelli's role, Turiddu, is an insensitive cad, a ladies' man who dumps our heroine, Santuzza, cruelly and without care. The role is relatively heavy--more of a Domingo-sized voice is required than, say, a Pavarotti. And sad to say, Bocelli isn't even close. Even more so than in his other opera recordings, his voice comes across as underpowered, and he is so closely miked that he sounds as if he's clenching his throat for volume. He is almost strained to the breaking point in the "Brindisi." He effectively darkens his tone at times, but the overall impression is of an out-of-town tryout. Dramatic soprano Paoletta Marrocu sings Santuzza with a nice, dark tone, but she has severe pitch problems throughout. Stefano Antonucci's fine baritone is pushed in the role of Alfio. Stephen Mercurio leads with a sense of excitement. I fear that even Bocelli's greatest fans will be disappointed. For a truly thrilling recording of this opera, stick with the one starring Placido Domingo and Renata Scotto, led by James Levine. --Robert Levine