Although Marcelo Álvarez started his professional career comparatively late, he rose up quickly--perhaps too quickly. On his first CD, Bel Canto, which featured Italian arias, he displayed a bright, lyrical voice of great sweetness, a fine high range with a ringing top, and admirable breath control. His second CD, devoted to the music of his fellow Argentinean Gardel, was even more impressive for its stylistic and idiomatic identification.

This is Álvarez's third CD in three years; unfortunately, it is not as successful. One reason is that the program includes too many slow arias, several taken from operas better known in their Italian version. In fact, the aria from Donizetti's La Favorita is also included on Álvarez's Italian disc. Another reason is that his voice sounds a bit frayed, tight, and harsh under stress, and the florid passages seem labored. However, it is still beautiful in the soft, lyrical pieces. Among the highlights are the two arias from Massenet's Manon--the first for its passion, the second for its floating mezza voce--and the arias from Gounod's Faust and Verdi's Don Carlo. The program seems to have been chosen for its display of high Cs (there is even one D-flat), and Álvarez exploits them to the hilt, letting them last as long as possible, whether indicated by the composer or not. His expressiveness is genuine, but often exaggerated, his diction almost unintelligible. The orchestra plays well and sounds lush; among the solos those for violin and viola d'amore stand out. --Edith Eisler