Attila

"The vocal strengths of this cast are near ideal for the music and story. In the eponymous role Ildebrando D'Arcangelo is not quite on top form, as his normally mellifluous bass voice is sometimes a little raw. His acting, however, is convincing, as is his stage presence ... As Ezio, the opponent Attila admires and honours, Simone Piazzola is a new voice to me and welcome for its Italianate quality ... He sings with strength, variety of tone and acts well. As Odabella, Uruguayan Mari José Siri, is also new to me. She is an outstanding actress with a warm well-centred voice with more than adequate vocal strength to her tone to ride the demands of Verdi's stirring music ... I have not mentioned the production or staging, which is minimalist ... The playing of the orchestra, and the contribution of the chorus, are of the highest order".

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"D'Arcangelo lacks the gritty edge to make his Attila truly fearsome, but the flipside of this is that his limpid, idiomatic delivery of Solera's libretto fives the character warmth and humanity ... There's more fire from María José Siri's Odabella, gutsy in attack and affecting in more lyrical repose, if just occasionally wavering off pitch".

"Die Inszenierung von Arturo Gama mach sich keine mühe ... Der Attila des so eindrücklich seine behaarte Brust wie seine kraftvoll zupackende Stimme vorführenden Ildar Abdrazakov ist ein mehr oder wenig edler Wilder ... Natürlich fegen Chor und Orchester der Petersburger auch hier jeden Einwand im Notensturm davon".

"Vocally, [Abdrazakov] is up to the task, matching his Ezio's top notes in their duet ... and commanding the stage in the grand set pieces. The rest of the cast make up in force what they lack in finesse ... Markarova starts wildly ... but gains in flexibility in time for her Act 1 solo scene ... There is better singing to be heard on rival recordings ... but Gergiev leads his cast here in a typically sturdy all-round Mariinsky performance".