Back To Index La Fanciulla Del West
 Barnes & Noble La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West) is the original spaghetti western. Puccini was confident it would be a success to match La Boheme, but despite the composers unflagging popularity, Fanciulla never really caught on. This is a shame, really, for despite its lack of hit tunes, the score is among Puccinis most inventive and, for those who find tragic endings too much to bear, the lovers do get to ride off into the sunset together. Maria Zampieri may not be the most feminine Minnie, but then again, Minnie is not the most feminine of Puccinis heroines. Zampieri emphasizes Minnies brassiness and strength of character over her vulnerability, convincingly demonstrating how a single woman could hold together a ragtag community of unruly gold miners. Placido Domingo is a dashing bandito, radiating suave sex appeal from his first entrance. Juan Pons makes the most of his part as the mercilessly vengeful Sheriff Rance. Although simple in its design, La Scalas production is on a large scale; even Minnies saloon seems cavernous, like the open landscape of the Wild West itself. Conductor Lorin Maazel elicits burnished yet brawny playing from the Milanese orchestra. The English subtitles are readable, but the disc includes no other on-screen features. Andrew Farach-Colton Interested in the song lyrics? - Check out themostlyrics.com! Looking For A DVD? - Check out dvd-a-rama.com! |
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