Catalani: “La Wally.” Eva Marton, Francisco Araiza,...

Catalani: “La Wally.” Eva Marton, Francisco Araiza, Alan Titus, Francesco Ellero d’Artegna, others; forces of Munich Radio, Pinchas Steinberg, conducting. BMG 69073-2-RC (two compact discs). Despite skillful orchestral writing and the deserved popularity of “Ebben? Ne andro” with sopranos, Catalani’s most famous opera promises more than it delivers. This recording is unlikely to win new converts. Given the polyglot cast here, there is neither linguistic nor stylistic cohesion, much less distinction. The basically unsympathetic heroine is helped little by Marton’s feeble effort, marked by poor Italian monochromatic tone and consistent unsteadiness at the top. Araiza’s once admired lyric tenor has gone the way of Di Stefano, as he pursues parts too heavy for his gifts, resulting now in a gray, characterless sound. With his smooth, if light, baritone, Titus is the best of the lot, and Steinberg shows enough vitality to suggest he might have done better if he had proper principals.