| Disc: 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Prologue: A Square in Genoa | |||
| 2. Prologue: A Square in Genoa | |||
| 3. Prologue: A Square in Genoa | |||
| 4. Prologue: A Square in Genoa | |||
| 5. Prologue: A Square in Genoa | |||
| 6. Act I, Scene 1: Garden of Grimaldi, Outside Genoa | |||
| 7. Act I, Scene 1: Garden of Grimaldi, Outside Genoa | |||
| 8. Act I, Scene 1: Garden of Grimaldi, Outside Genoa | |||
| 9. Act I, Scene 1: Garden of Grimaldi, Outside Genoa | |||
| 10. Act I, Scene 1: Garden of Grimaldi, Outside Genoa | |||
|
See all 14 tracks on this disc
| |||
| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. Act I, Scene 2: Council Chamber, Doge's Palace | |||
| 2. Act I, Scene 2: Council Chamber, Doge's Palace | |||
| 3. Act I, Scene 2: Council Chamber, Doge's Palace | |||
| 4. Act II, Scene 1: Doge's Quarters, Ducal Palace, Genoa | |||
| 5. Act II, Scene 1: Doge's Quarters, Ducal Palace, Genoa | |||
| 6. Act II, Scene 1: Doge's Quarters, Ducal Palace, Genoa | |||
| 7. Act II, Scene 1: Doge's Quarters, Ducal Palace, Genoa | |||
| 8. Act II, Scene 1: Doge's Quarters, Ducal Palace, Genoa | |||
| 9. Act II, Scene 1: Doge's Quarters, Ducal Palace, Genoa | |||
| 10. Act II, Scene 1: Doge's Quarters, Ducal Palace, Genoa | |||
|
See all 15 tracks on this disc
| |||
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This intensely mixed-up opera, set in medieval Venice, is about political conflict, intrigue and assassination, confused identities, and the tenderness and anxieties of a father-daughter relationship. It had severe libretto problems in its first version, in 1857, that were only partly corrected in the 1881 revision. But however illogically its incidents sometimes follow one another, it inspired Verdi to some deeply felt and powerfully composed music, particularly in the title role. Beginning collectors would do well to acquire good recordings of Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Otello, and Falstaff first (not necessariy in that order), but this extraordinary recording should find its way, eventually, into any serious Verdi collection, as much for the magnificent singing and conducting as for the opera itself. --Joe McLellan
Last summer we had an incredible 20th anniversary trip to Italy. As a side trip from Venice, we planned a night in Verona. Neither my wife or I had been to an opera.
Is this how its supposed to be...
...an incredible star filled night with a three quarter moon, the largest stage and outdoor theatrical production on the planet, all taking place in a roman colleseum (arena) built in 180 a.d., an incredible colorful set and production with a full symphony orchestra and voices that don't come easy. Aida.
Now I know what all the hpye is as you opera fans sure are lucky to have such a beautiful setting for all your productions.
Okay, we got spoiled. But I also found myself getting spoiled on the Italian composer Verdi.
For me, this set is not only a "take me back to Verona" trip, but a great introduction to Verdi's other works. With some of the biggest names in the opera world in starring roles, I listened to both discs twice the first night they arrived.
And, of course, we are planning a return trip to Verona in the very near future to see some more Verdi...perhaps Nabucco or Otello or Macbeth...I'll even settle for Aida again. It was such a magical experience and a superb introduction to opera and Verdi.
This set continues that magical moment for us and provides a great introduction to a master of the opera...Verdi.
The more that I listen to Renee's music or see her in recitals, the more I adore the lady. The standouts on this disc are "Casta diva", "Lo son l'umile ancella", "Je suis encor tout etourdie", and "Ah! Je veux vivre", "Signore ascolta", etc.
The story opens in Genoa in 1339. Simon Boccanegra, a corsair, has had an affair with Maria Fiesco, daughter of Jacopo Fiesco, the leader of the patricians; this liaison produced an illegitimate child (named after her mother), whom Boccanegra ordered reared in secret on the faraway shore of Pisa by a matron named Giovanna. The opera opens with Paolo Albiani and Pietro, two plebeians, plotting how to elect a suitable doge for Genoa; the current candidate favored by the plebeians, Lorenzino, is negated by Paolo, who asserts that he has "sold himself to the Fiesci." The two come to the conclusion that Boccanegra will be the best candidate: he will be easily manipulated and willing to reward his supporters. Boccanegra is at first unwilling to place himself in the political fray and he assents only when Paolo suggests that Maria will marry him if he is elected. However, the subsequent appearance of Fiesco informs the listener that Maria has died, and the nobleman has sworn lifelong vengeance upon Boccanegra for inflicting such shame upon her. Boccanegra attempts to calm the enraged patriarch, but the latter insists that he will only forgive the former if he is allowed access to his estranged grandchild; Boccanegra then reveals the fact that Giovanna died and the young child, alone in the world, disappeared from her humble home. Fiesco coldly leaves Boccanegra in shambles; the latter enters the palace of the Fiesci, only then to discover that his beloved Maria is dead. Moments later, Paolo and Pietro announce that he has been elected doge of Genoa.
The remainder of the opera occurs twenty-five years later. During this time, Boccanegra has eliminated most of his political enemies by exiling them and confiscating their properties and riches. Fiesco, also exiled, now lives under the pseudonym of "Andrea" and resides in the palace of the Grimaldi, his allies, outside Genoa. The Count of Grimaldi's daughter, who lived in a convent in Pisa, died some years ago; that same day, a young, wandering foundling appeared at the convent. The count, in his beleaguered grief, adopted her almost instantly. "Andrea" has acted as her guardian in recent years and has given her the name "Amelia Grimaldi," so that the riches of the noble family will not be confiscated by Boccanegra. (Fiesco does not, however, understand that "Amelia" is actually his granddaughter.) This summation will suffice; the rest of the opera is no more difficult to follow than any other.
Claudio Abbado is unsurpassed as a Verdian conductor; with Macbeth (Shirley Verrett, Piero Cappuccilli, Nicolai Ghiaurov, and Plácido Domingo), Don Carlo (Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli, Ruggero Raimondi, Lucia Valentini-Terrani, and Leo Nucci), Aida (Ricciarelli, Domingo, Elena Obraztsova, and Nucci), or Falstaff (Bryn Terfel and Thomas Hampson), his lyrical and clever triumphs are unsurpassed. This recording, however, is easily the greatest victory of his expansive career, regardless of the fact that it has boasted marvelous productions of every opera from Mozart to Mussorgsky to Berg; it ranks among the finest recordings of Italian opera produced, and it has been restored immaculately by Deutsche Grammophon engineers. The Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala plays with expected precision and depth. The opening sweeping, rustic strings immediately transport the listener to an Italy of yesteryear, of sun-drenched beaches, of hills carpeted in olive groves, and of imposing, shadowy, marble, Romanesque cities. The prelude to Act I, a strikingly uncharacteristic departure for Verdi, is also a distinct victory for the orchestra; it is an impressionistic musical introduction to a burgeoning dawn. One can see the pastel hues of the morning sky and smell the salty air cast up from the lapping waves; even the flowers and foliage of Maria's verdant garden, gently swaying in the wind, are vibrantly painted.
Piero Cappuccilli brings the multi-faceted, tortured Simon Boccanegra, a helpless man used for (and eventually murdered over) politics, to life with dramatic fury that Guinness and Gielgud would find impressive. His Prologue duet with Ghiaurov ("Suona ogni labbro il mio nome" ... "Se concedermi vorrai"), in which he is pleading and genuinely distraught and the latter is coldly retaliatory and scornful, is a masterful palate of the deep male register. Conversely, he is simultaneously majestic and terrifying as he condemns Paolo in Act I ("In te resiede l'austrero dritto popolar"); the frightful damnation closes malignantly with the Genoese populace hissing "May he be accursed" ("Sia maledetto!"). Boccanegra's subsequent lament in Act II ("Doge! Ancor proveran la tua clemenza") is a brittle, despondent tapestry of doom; as he drinks from the poisoned goblet, the scene is transformed into a dreamy, almost phantasmagoric state as he plunges into a drugged slumber.
Nicolai Ghiaurov is thunderous and appropriately hostile as the wronged and mourning father Jacopo Fiesco. His performance of "A te l'estremo addio...Il lacerato spirito," one of the most impressive arias ever conceived for the bass voice, in the Prologue, is rapturous. (The Coro del Teatro alla Scala is also successful here; the gentle, female choral intonations are pale and ghostly, but equally reverent and serene.) The sumptuous Act I duet ("Vieni a me, ti benedico") between Ghiaurov and Carreras is also superb; the Bulgarian bass is especially touching as the consenting patriarch, allowing the impassioned youth to marry his charge. Fiesco's music is classically lyrical but Gabrielle's music is strikingly antiquated and almost mystical.
Mirella Freni is a veritable goddess as Maria, Simon Boccanegra's estranged daughter, during her oscillating Act I aria ("Come in quest'ora bruna"). José Carreras is a portrait of masculine ardor as Gabrielle Adorno. His future vocal downfall and premature retirement, brought on by leukemia, is a distant thought from this endearing, astounding performance. His offstage introduction ("Cielo di stelle orbato"), set to the ecstatic, entranced plucking of harp, was a superb technical stroke of genius for Abbado; he is equally lyrically sumptuous during his Act II aria ("Sento avvampar nell'anima ... Cielo pietoso, rendila"), a hellish becoming for Boccanegra's torturous end and the subsequent lament for his supposedly wronged Maria. He and Freni, who excelled as Don Carlo and Elisabetta and (less admirably) as Aida and Rademès, are angelic as the young lovers during "Vieni a mirar la cerula," a charming duet of infatuation and "Sì, sì, dell'ara il giubilo," a frenzied, panicked exchange as Maria begs Gabrielle to marry her and save her from the advances of the "favorite" of the Doge.
José van Dam is the consummate schemer as the rapacious, deceiving Paolo Albiani. He is a spitting cobra in his brief but poignant Act II monologue ("Me stesso ho maledetto!...Qui ti stillo una lenta"); thumping bass strings and descending woodwinds perfectly animate his diabolical mind as he drips what is certainly an inky, turbid potion into Boccanegra's carafe. Giovanni Foiani is an august, weighty Pietro, Paolo's majordomo in plotting.
Some of the most impressive instances of the recording are the puissant Verdian ensembles. In the finale of the second scene of Act I ("Plebe! Patrizi! Popolo"), Cappuccilli is thunderous as the livid Boccanegra who shrewdly soothes his councilors by painting a pastoral panorama of the Italy conjured in the opening strains of the opera; an ensemble of the most succulent and gorgeous complexity emerges, with Freni begging for peace among fellow Italians, Ghiaurov lamenting Boccanegra's rule over Genoa, and Carreras confessing his affections for Maria. The smaller Prologue ensemble ("L'atra magion vedete?"), with van Dam cunningly turning the Genoese plebeians against the Fiesci with the opaquely mysterious, tragic tale of Boccanegra's Maria, is a marvelous meshing of a single voice with a chorus.
However, there are two areas of the recording which are unsurpassed by any other sector: the Act I duet ("Orfanella il tetto umile" ... "Figlia!...a tal nome io palpito") between Boccanegra and Maria and the entirety of the brief third act. The former is one of those operatic duets that erupts with so much passion that one cannot help but be swept away with the characters. The ecstatic Act I exchange between Butterfly and Pinkerton and the closing conversation between Onegin and Tatyana are two comparable examples. This is also one of Verdi's most tender duets, and it is surely more endearing than the exchange between Rigoletto and Gilda. Boccanegra, who has spent much of his life in an exhaustive search for his daughter, has finally found her; Maria, who was been equally perplexed by her bleak past, has been reunited with her true father. Freni is ineffably touching as Maria, but Cappuccilli is the star here: Boccanegra is a man who has found his redemption. His suffering and searching is ended and, though he has been the doge of Genoa for nearly a quarter of a century, now he can truly be joyful. The finale, constructed upon a heart-breaking blanket of strings and the soothing voice of the harp and Cappuccilli's last ecstatic utterance of "Daughter!" ("Figlia!"), could easily melt the iciest of hearts.
Oppositely, Act III is a pinnacle of Verdian tragedy. It is a marvelous outpouring of Italian melody and passion, from the opening choral shouts of jubilant victory to the closing moans of bereavement, accentuating by the saturnine pulse of a bass bell. Cappuccilli's bereft entrance ("M'ardon le tempia...un'atra vampa sento") recognizes that Boccanegra is a broken man, worthy of the pen of Thomas Hardy. He has been eaten from within by Paolo's vicious poison, and only the shell of the former seaman and adventurer is left. The frothy strings of the sea breeze restore, if only momentarily, his peace and health. It is once again affirmed that Boccanegra was not a politician, which adds a deeper vein to the tragedy of the story; he was a man manipulated by political corrupters onto the throne of the doge, a title he never had any desire to achieve. Ghiaurov's entrance ("Delle faci festani al barlume") is totally vindictive; Fiesco, the old, Godunovian lion, now an ancient nobleman after years of wrongdoing and hatred, has finally received the ultimate gift. Boccanegra is ruined; he is a mere shade of his former greatness and the purple of his nobility has rotted to nothing as he dies in lonesome shame. Their reconciliation ("Piango, perché mi parla") is one of the most touching musical portraits Verdi ever penned; both, though Boccanegra has finally received the forgiveness of Fiesco, are left broken after their years of separation. One was ruined by the fiend who catapulted him to power, the other by his all-consuming revulsion for the former. Ghiaurov is unimaginably tragic and Cappuccilli is desolating in his bewildered ecstasy. The act closes with a final ensemble ("Gran Dio, li benedici"); mustering his last tremor and ounce of human strength, Boccanegra blesses the marriage of Maria and Gabriele Adorno, his former enemy. The two downcast children harken in brokenhearted agony and Fiesco bemoans aside in woe. With his last breath, Boccanegra hands his throne to Adorno and whispers the name of his only beloved, "Maria."
It is, perhaps, a fortune in disguise that Simon Boccanegra remains the "black horse" of Verdi's later operas. No other possible recording, short of the resurrection of Boris Christoff and Jussi Björling, could be comparable to this masterwork, either in musical and vocal precision or in dramatic interpretation. This is, in short, a testament to the mastery of the conductor, orchestra, and singers involved, and it can crown numerous careers as a work of Verdian perfection.
Credit must be given primarily to Abbado for handling such a complex Verdi score. The luminescent and chiaroscuro shades and the dramatic colors begged by the 1881 revision of the score presents a challenge to any conductor willing to undertake the difficult task of presenting the work before an audience. In several aspects, I think Simon Boccanegra is second only to Don Carlo and Otello as the most difficult works of Verdi to conduct. In my opinion, only Abbado, Serafin, Mitropoulos, and recently, Fabio Luisi, have been able to successfully bring out the shades of ochre, crimson, and sienna that characterize this masterpiece. Abbado, of course, attained perfection in his interpretation of the score when he realized the many subtleties. The La Scala strings have never sounded more shimmering and beautiful, and the typical Verdian musical language is gracefully incorporated by Abbado into producing dramatic moments rather than distinctive arias. No, Abbado doesn't treat it like Otello, but rather as the continuous drama that it should be with elements of early Donizettian style taken from his incubation period to the thespian sense of his latter years.
Saying that, I think the cast also contributes to the success of this recording. In the history of the opera's performances, there is perhaps no Amelia more successful than Mirella Freni, and by that I say that she is better than Renata Tebaldi, Zinka Milanov, Antonietta Stella, Astrid Varnay, Karita Mattila, and Kiri te Kanawa, among the other singers who have assumed this demanding spinto role. Her beautiful, youthful timbre, her natural sense of phrasing, her mastery of the language, and her impeccable legato line allow her to focus herself on the drama of the performance, thus giving us a three-dimensional portrait of Amelia often turned into a cardboard cut character by most sopranos. A definitive performance indeed, and perhaps her greatest Verdi character on record. Gabriele Adorno is played by the youthful Jose Carreras, whose youthful, sweet tone is a refreshing change of pace among the dramatic bulls who have no business sticking their noses in a role where lyricism favors dramatic weight. I would say that he and Carlo Bergonzi are the greatest exponents of this short yet elegant tenor role. The roles of Paolo and Fiesco are taken respectively by Jose Van Dam and Nicolai Ghiaurov, two of the greatest low male voices in the history of opera. Nicolai Ghiaurov gives a searingly noble characterization of Fiesco, much like the grand portrayal he gave of King Filippo II in Don Carlo. I would say that he and Ferruccio Furlanetto are the only basses to have given so much insight to this role.
In addition to all those amazing singers, I believe that the reason to get this recording is to listen to the Doge of Piero Cappuccilli. There is no doubt that he was one of the greatest Verdi baritones of a bygone era, and in perspective with his Amonasros, Rodigros, di Lunas, and Iagos, there is perhaps no greater assumption of this role than what Cappuccilli has to offer. There is a nobility, a compassion, and a elegiac quality to his singing that elevates his Boccanegra to a definitive status. Without a doubt, one of the greatest characterizations in his long career.
My verdict? This is the best recording of the opera that you will find in the market, so I hope you don't waste a chance to grab it.
I just got this opera because a) I needed to fill out the order of the useless Bodum glass beaker replacement part I got with it, so I could get the free shipping,and b) I liked the sound of the name Simon Bocanegra
I would go as far as to say Boccanegra ranks among Verdi's best operas along with Don Carlos, Aida and Otello. The Council Chamber Scene is included here. It was featured in the later revised libretto and is opera's most beautiful moments. Each singer sings of their woes in a most moving manner and soaring above the ensemble is the soprano's cries of "Pace! Pace! (Peace! Peace!). Mirella Freni as Maria Boccanegra/Amelia is a revelation. Other than sounding like a pure lyrico-spinto or dramatic soprano, she sings with subtleties, with sweetness and with vigorous passion. While I still think that Verdi wasn't a particularly great repertoire for her, she does excell in this particular role as well as Queen Elisabeth Di Valois in Don Carlo. She sang Aida and that recording is on Deutsche Grammophone which also stars Cappuccilli and Jose Carreras but that is not the way Aida should be sung. As the Doge's daughter in this one, she is excellent and here we have a very fine dramatic singing-actress. Plus, she blends beautifully with Jose Carreras's rich, dark, velvety tenor voice. Although I would have preferred Placido Domingo in the role of Gabriel, which doubtless suited him, Carreras sings with unbeatable dramatic and lyric grandeur. All his arias are perfect for him. He was a terrific Verdi tenor.
This opera, however, is not a star vehicle for the tenor and soprano, which is the most unusual thing! Therefore, don't expect to hear much of the singing to come from Jose Carreras and Mirella Freni. The star is the Doge himself, sung by baritone Piero Cappuccilli. This is a magnificent showcase for a Verdi baritone, which Cappuccilli is. His singing is emotive, grand, invective, heart-felt and human, so human. The masculine timbre is fatherly and regal. This is exactly the kind of singing a Verdi baritione should have. Cappuccilli died only about a year ago, but his legacy as a great baritone is well documented in a few films and plenty of recordings. He made a terrific Macbeth, Amonasro and King Nabucco. Verdi was his specialty and on this recording, he pulls out all the stops.
Likewise, Jose Van Dam sings with supreme musicality, intoning every phrase with bravura, but to a lesser extent than the star Piero Cappuccilli. Fans of Van Dam will want to own this recording, as he was in his prime, singing with versatility. Only two years later he would be seen as Leporello in Joseph Losey's dark film version of Don Giovanni starring Ruggero Raimondi. He has a very virile quality to his singing and excellent control of breath. And as if the dark lower voices of Cappuccilli and Van Dam were not enough, Nicolai Ghiaurov has a part in this opera too. His bass never bordered on a growl. It was deep, beautiful and majestic. His fans will want to own this recording as well. This is a superb album.
As a voice teacher, conductor and tenor I can tell you that he CAN NOT SING!!!!
I always love hearing tenors take a shot at Verdi's "Di quella pira" from "Il Trovatore." Once, in a moment of madness, I taped 10-15 tenors, back to back, singing this. What a range of singers! Caruso, Tucker, Corelli, and so on, and so on. Some great, some not so great, some poor. But you can really divide up the singers by listening to one after the other (ad nauseam). Truthfully, Licitra can't handle this work, compared with the greatest of those luminaries. His light voice is overwhelmed at the end by the orchestra and chorus. While his technique seems okay, he just doesn't have the voice to make this memorable. A Franco Corelli or Richard Tucker or Mario del Monaco just soars over the orchestra and chorus.
I thought he did much better in "Nessun Dorma" and the two Tosca arias, "E Lucevan le stella" and "Recondita armonia," and others. To me, his voice seemed to fit those more compellingly.
Again, keep in mind that I am not an expert, but his "Celeste Aida" featured (is this the right term?) scooping as he went from "celeste" to "Aida." I have a clear memory of listening to Richard Tucker singing this (I can't get my hands on the tape right now) where he went from one note to the other without a scoop. Same with "forma divina," if I understand aright.
All in all, "Debut" is a nice work, a promising start to a career, but we all ought to hold off on any comparisons with the greats until Licitra has a chance to grow and earn such accolades.
Licitra opens the album with a stunning "E Lucevan La Stelle" from Tosca, still the opera he is most famous for interepreting. His Cavaradossi is a welcome change from past interpretors, though Licitra is more along the lines of Pavarotti's lyric bravura and razzle-dazzle than the more cerebral portrayals of Corelli, Domingo or Carrerras. Other impressive arias on here include "Di Quella Pira" from Trovatore, another successful Verdi venture of his. He has the right tone for Manrico's bravura and even passion. I foresee that this tenor's career will be composed of Verdi, Puccini, (perhaps Wagner if he trains hard for it) and certainly he has the voice for Mozart and French repertoire (possibly Hoffman is in his future or Romeo or Des Grieux if he hasnt already sung Des Grieux). His Calaf from Turandot is outstanding. He is more like Franco Corelli in some respects but his biggest influence is Pavarotti, no doubt about it. It's possible he will parallel the career of Roberto Alagna but any comparisons would be unfair since both singers bring in something different to the table. Let's hope the press doesn't pull the wool over our eyes and have Licitra and Alagna portrayed as rivals. If youre a fan of Licitra, this recording is a must have. I highly recommend it. It's gorgeous and he has a sexy, strong presence on stage. His eyes are the handsomest blue I have ever seen. He is the new Pavoratti and better too.
Giuseppe Verdi was one of the 19th centuries most influential composers of operas and orchestrated music. Verdi's operas are very, well 'user-friendly', if you are new to opera. I am slowly learning to appreciate operas after a decade of love for classical music without vocals.
This is a very good CD for those looking to break in to operatic scores. It has large, haunting compositions for chorus, solos, duets, trios and a good mix of orchestrations with no vocals, perfectly showcasing Verdi's gift as a composer.
Performers on the album include Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and other well known and talented artists as well as some of the most famous, gifted and revered orchestras in the world.
This CD contains Verdi singing the likes of which have totally disappeared from today's opera stages. Get it while you can!
The duets from I Lombardi and I Masnadieri are particularly nice, as they are not often heard. Bravos all around to Abbado and the Berliner as well.
This is a thoroughly enjoyabled disc.
Enjoy this tribute to a simple Modenese goddess.
Thank you for the music, Miss Freni.
DECCA's "In Celebration" answers these questions unequivocally. This CD answers such questions and leaves the listener in awe - at least it did me - of the beauty, power and subtlety of the female voice.
Second reason to own this CD is the voice itself. Mirella Freni's soprano is round, open and full. Said another way: no nasal lapses from this singer. Her tone is rich and smooth, and her diction is - well, she was born in Modena, Italy. It's a voice that needs no further explanation. Musically and vocally, this 2-CD set is a winner all around.
As readers of these reviews know, it is this reviewer's opinion that a CD has to set and hold a mood and not break that mood once established. It's no joy to have to reach for the "skip" button on the remote when listening to music. That's not to say this collection doesn't have variations or that it's all maudlin - not that there's anyting wrong with being maudlin. By consistent theme I mean it doesn't have unnecessary interruptions in its overall operatic mood. You expect to hear Mirella Freni's voice in some of her most communicative moments, and that's what you get. Lasty, accompaniment is provided by different orchestras at different times in her career, but the different orchestras present no problem. The overall sound quality of this CD set is superb throughout. The transition to digital is balanced and won't necessitate any adjustment in volume in any of the 23 enjoyable and vocally descriptive cuts. I recommend it.
On both CDs, is Gobbi in his finest: from comedy (All'idea di quel metallo/Come Paride vezzoso) to tragedy (Nemico della Patria), from grand opera (Cruda, funesta smania) to verismo (Si puo?).
The first CD includes some selections of less known operas (such as Zazà, Fedora, I gioielli della Madonna or L'arlesiana) that adds value thanks to Gobbi's artistry.
But it is truly on the second CD where Gobbi shines as the powerful artist he was. Devoted entirely to Giuseppe Verdi's incredible rols for baritone, track after track Gobbi reveals himself as one of the milestones in opera; his deeply emotional approach of Di Provenza il mar (La Traviata) and A tal nome palpito (Simon Boccanegra) matches perfectly with the grandeur of Eri tu (Un ballo in maschera) or Dio che nell'alma infondere (Don Carlo), and chilling Pietà rispetto amore (Macbeth) and Iago's Credo (Otello).
Cherry over the cake: his portrait of Falstaff...
Do not miss this album. Not only a excellent tribute to Gobbi, but also one of the best double sets of The Very Best series of EMI.
baritone of days long gone. In 65 years as an opera lover, I never heard a
better Figaro or a more bone-chilling Scarpia.
This intensely mixed-up opera, set in medieval Venice, is about political conflict, intrigue and assassination, confused identities, and the tenderness and anxieties of a father-daughter relationship. It had severe libretto problems in its first version, in 1857, that were only partly corrected in the 1881 revision. But however illogically its incidents sometimes follow one another, it inspired Verdi to some deeply felt and powerfully composed music, particularly in the title role. Beginning collectors would do well to acquire good recordings of Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Otello, and Falstaff first (not necessariy in that order), but this extraordinary recording should find its way, eventually, into any serious Verdi collection, as much for the magnificent singing and conducting as for the opera itself. --Joe McLellan
Giuseppe Verdi: Simon Boccanegra,Giovanni Foiani,José Van Dam,Giuseppe Verdi,Claudio Abbado,La Scala Theater Orchestra & Chorus,Mirella Freni,José Carreras,Antonio Savastano,Maria Fausta Gallamini,Nicolai Ghiaurov,Piero Cappuccilli,Polygram Records,Classical,Classical Music,Italian Romantic Opera,Opera,Opera / Operetta / Oratorio
Average customer rating: 
|
Essential Verdi
Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  All Works by Verdi
| Verdi, Giuseppe
| ( V )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Requiems
| Forms & Genres
| Early Music
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General Modern
| Modern, 20th, & 21st Century
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
| ( B )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
London Philharmonic Orchestra
| ( L )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
National Philharmonic Orchestra London
| ( N )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Paris Symphony Orchestra
| ( P )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
| ( V )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Symphonies
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Italian
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Requiems
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
The Decca Records Store
| Specialty Stores
| Music
More Titles at Least 20% Off
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
All Classical Music Blowout
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Verdi, Giuseppe
| ( V )
| Composers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
| ( B )
| Performers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
London Philharmonic Orchestra
| ( L )
| Performers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
National Philharmonic Orchestra London
| ( N )
| Performers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Paris Symphony Orchestra
| ( P )
| Performers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
| ( V )
| Performers, A-Z
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Opera & Vocal
| Classical Music Blowout
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B000056JSW Release Date: 2001-02-13 |
Tracks:
- Rigoletto: La donna e mobile - Luciano Pavarotti
- Nabucco: Va pesiero - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- La forza del destino: Overture - Kirov Orchestra
- La Traviata: Un di felice - Joan Sutherland
- I Vespri Siciliani: Merce dilette amiche - Maria Chiara
- La Traviata: Libiamo ne' lieti calici - Joan Sutherland
- Il Trovatore: Di quella pira - Jose Carreras
- Il Trovatore: Vedi! le fosche notturne spoglie - Chicago Symphony Orchestra And Chorus
- Il Trovatore: Stride la vampa! - Stefania Toczyska
- Aida: Ritorna vincitor! - Leontyne Price
- Don Carlo: Dio che nell'alma infondere - Carlo Bergonzi
- La Traviata: Prelude - Orchestra E Coro Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
- Rigoletto: Caro nome - Joan Sutherland
- Don Carlo: O don fatale - Olga Borodina
- Aida: Se quel guerrier io fossi! Celeste Aida - Carlo Bergonzi
- Emani: Ernani! Ernani involami - Joan Sutherland
- Un Ballo in Maschera: Di tu se fedele - Jussi Bjorling
- Un Ballo in Maschera: Morro ma prima in grazia - Margaret Price
- Luisa Miller: Quando le sere al placido - Luciano Pavarotti
- Aida: Gloria all'Egitto - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Tracks:
- Requiem: Dies irae - Wiener Philharmoniker
- La forza del destino: Pace pace mio Dio - Angela Gheorghiu
- Rigoletto: Questa o quella - Carlo Bergonzi
- Rigoletto: Bella figlia dell'amore - Luciano Pavarotti
- Otello: Ave Maria - Renee Fleming
- La Traviata: Parigi o cara - Frank Lopardo
- Macbeth: Ah la paterna mano - Luciano Pavarotti
- Il Trovatore: Squilli echeggi la tromba guerriera - Chicago Symphony Orchestra And Chorus
- Don Carlo: O Carlo ascolta - Dmitri Hvorostovsky
- Requiem: Ingemisco - Luciano Pavarotti
- Simon Baccanegra: Come in quest'ora bruna - Kiri Te Kanawa
- Macbeth: Salve o Re! Si colmi il calice - Lucia Aliberti
- Aida: O patria mia - Leontyne Price
- I lombardi: La mia letizia infondere - Placido Domingo
- Aida: Lo sguardo avea degli angeli - Montserrat Caballe
- La forza del destino: Solenne in quest'ora - Nikolai Putilin
- Macbeth: Patria opressa - Chicago Symphony Orchestra And Chorus
- Il Trovatore: Tacea la notte - Katia Ricciarelli
- I due Foscari: Dal piu remoto esilio - Odio solo ed odio atroce - Jose Carreras
- Don Carlo: Spuntato ecco il di esultanza - Orchestra E Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala Di Milano
Customer Reviews:
OKAY, TAKE ME AWAY........2006-01-20
Last summer we had an incredible 20th anniversary trip to Italy. As a side trip from Venice, we planned a night in Verona. Neither my wife or I had been to an opera.
Is this how its supposed to be...
...an incredible star filled night with a three quarter moon, the largest stage and outdoor theatrical production on the planet, all taking place in a roman colleseum (arena) built in 180 a.d., an incredible colorful set and production with a full symphony orchestra and voices that don't come easy. Aida.
Now I know what all the hpye is as you opera fans sure are lucky to have such a beautiful setting for all your productions.
Okay, we got spoiled. But I also found myself getting spoiled on the Italian composer Verdi.
For me, this set is not only a "take me back to Verona" trip, but a great introduction to Verdi's other works. With some of the biggest names in the opera world in starring roles, I listened to both discs twice the first night they arrived.
And, of course, we are planning a return trip to Verona in the very near future to see some more Verdi...perhaps Nabucco or Otello or Macbeth...I'll even settle for Aida again. It was such a magical experience and a superb introduction to opera and Verdi.
This set continues that magical moment for us and provides a great introduction to a master of the opera...Verdi.
Great music...stunning recording quality.......2002-11-01
Incredible.......2002-06-05
Just Stunning!.......2002-01-26
Average customer rating: 
|
Renée Fleming
Giacomo Puccini , Jules Massenet , Georges Bizet , Alfredo Catalani , Ruggero Leoncavallo , Francesco Cilea , Charles Gounod , Giuseppe Verdi , Vincenzo Bellini , London Philharmonic Orchestra , Sir Charles Mackerras , Renée Fleming , and London Voices Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bellini, Vincenzo
| ( B )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Gounod
| Gounod, Charles
| ( G )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Leoncavallo
| Leoncavallo, Ruggiero
| ( L )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Massenet
| Massenet, Jules
| ( M )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Puccini
| Puccini, Giacomo
| ( P )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Verdi
| Verdi, Giuseppe
| ( V )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General Modern
| Modern, 20th, & 21st Century
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
London Philharmonic Orchestra
| ( L )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Romances
| Classical (c.1770-1830)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Modern & 20th Century
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
French
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Italian
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
The Decca Records Store
| Specialty Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B00004YLU5 Release Date: 2000-09-26 |
Tracks:
- Puccini: O mio babbino caro - Gianni Schicchi
- Puccini: Un bel di vedremo - Madame Butterfly
- Puccini: Quando men vo - Musetta's waltz - La Boheme
- Puccini compl. Alfano: Signore, ascolta - Turandot
- Leoncavallo: Stridono lassu - I Pagliacci
- Cilea: Io son l'umile ancella - Adriana Lecouvreur
- Catalani: Ebben? Ne adnro lontana - La Wally
- Massenet: Je suis encore etourdie - Manon
- Massenet: Adieu notre petite table - Manon
- Bizet: Micaela's aria - Carmen
- Gounod: Je veux vivre - Romeo & Juliette
- Verdi: come in quest'ora bruna - Simon Boccanegra
- Bellini: Casta Diva - Norma
- Verdi: Bolero - Les Vepres Siciliennes
Amazon.com essential recording
Surely, Renée Fleming has one of the most beautiful voices to be heard anywhere today. It combines velvety warmth, creamy richness, soaring radiance, and flawless purity, and seems to flow out without effort, every tone impeccably centered and in tune, capable of almost too much variety of color and nuance. Fleming's breath control is incredible; she can spin out long, arching phrases and build up climaxes with thrilling intensity. The program of this recital displays Fleming's vocal and dramatic gifts to full advantage, and includes both familiar and lesser-known arias from Italian and French operas. Although some of these are not in her repertoire, she clearly feels close to them. The three opening Puccini favorites from Gianni Schicchi, Madama Butterfly, and La Bohème are a bit fussy and over-inflected, hardly suited to the characters' simplicity; but, from then on, Fleming seems completely at one with both her tragic and her lighthearted heroines. She captures their warm inwardness, rapture, passion, ecstasy, and desperation; darkening and lightening her voice at will. Her top notes soar gloriously, her trills laugh. The orchestra is splendid, supporting her all the way and sounding wonderful. --Edith EislerCustomer Reviews:
Glorious Renee.......2007-03-28
The more that I listen to Renee's music or see her in recitals, the more I adore the lady. The standouts on this disc are "Casta diva", "Lo son l'umile ancella", "Je suis encor tout etourdie", and "Ah! Je veux vivre", "Signore ascolta", etc.
One of Miss Fleming's absolute bests!.......2006-05-09
An amazing cd and a great introduction into the world of opera.......2006-04-20
The New La Divina.......2005-11-22
Gorgeous.......2005-09-30
Average customer rating:
|
Verdi - Simon Boccanegra / Freni, Cappuccilli, Carreras, Ghiaurov, van Dam, Foiani, Teatro alla Scala, Abbado
Giuseppe Verdi , Claudio Abbado , Mirella Freni , José Carreras , Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala , Piero Cappuccilli , Nicolai Ghiaurov , José van Dam , Giovanni Foiani , and Maria Fausta Gallamini Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Verdi
| Verdi, Giuseppe
| ( V )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Italian
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Operettas
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Freni, Mirella
| Divas
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Deutsche Grammophon: Music
| Specialty Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B000001GXJ Release Date: 1998-01-27 |
Tracks:
- Simon Boccanegra: Preludio - 'Che Dicesti?'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'L'Altra Magion Vedete?'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'A Te L'estremo Addio ... Il Lacerato Spirito'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Suona Ogni Labbro Il Mio Nome'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Oh, De Fieschi Implacata'
- Simon Boccanegra: Preludio : L'Aurora
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Come In Quest'ora Bruna'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Cielo Di Stelle Orbato ... Vieni A Cerula Marina Tremolante'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Propizio Ei Giunge!'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Il Doge Vien'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Orfanella il tetto umile ... Figlia! ... A Tal Nome Io Palpito'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Che Rispose'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Messeri, Il Re Di Tartaria Vi Porge'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Ferisci! - Amelia!'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Amelia, di Come Fosti Rapita'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Plebe! Patrizi! Popolo .., Piango su voi'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Ecco la spada ... Sia maladetto!'
Tracks:
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Quei due vedesti?'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Prigioneri in qual loco m'adduci?'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Udisti?' - 'Vil disegno!' ... 'Sento avvampar nell'anima' ... ' Cielo pietoso, rendila'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Tu qui?' - 'Amelia!'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Figlia! - Si afflitto, o padre mio?'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Oh! Amelia ... ami ... un nemico ... Perdono, Amelia'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'All'armi, all'armi, o Liguri'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Evviva il Doge!'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'M'ardon le tempia ... Come un fantasima Fiesco l'appar'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Piango, perche mi parla in te'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Chi veggo!'
- Simon Boccanegra: 'Gran Dio, li benedici'
Customer Reviews:
Perfection.......2007-07-11
The story opens in Genoa in 1339. Simon Boccanegra, a corsair, has had an affair with Maria Fiesco, daughter of Jacopo Fiesco, the leader of the patricians; this liaison produced an illegitimate child (named after her mother), whom Boccanegra ordered reared in secret on the faraway shore of Pisa by a matron named Giovanna. The opera opens with Paolo Albiani and Pietro, two plebeians, plotting how to elect a suitable doge for Genoa; the current candidate favored by the plebeians, Lorenzino, is negated by Paolo, who asserts that he has "sold himself to the Fiesci." The two come to the conclusion that Boccanegra will be the best candidate: he will be easily manipulated and willing to reward his supporters. Boccanegra is at first unwilling to place himself in the political fray and he assents only when Paolo suggests that Maria will marry him if he is elected. However, the subsequent appearance of Fiesco informs the listener that Maria has died, and the nobleman has sworn lifelong vengeance upon Boccanegra for inflicting such shame upon her. Boccanegra attempts to calm the enraged patriarch, but the latter insists that he will only forgive the former if he is allowed access to his estranged grandchild; Boccanegra then reveals the fact that Giovanna died and the young child, alone in the world, disappeared from her humble home. Fiesco coldly leaves Boccanegra in shambles; the latter enters the palace of the Fiesci, only then to discover that his beloved Maria is dead. Moments later, Paolo and Pietro announce that he has been elected doge of Genoa.
The remainder of the opera occurs twenty-five years later. During this time, Boccanegra has eliminated most of his political enemies by exiling them and confiscating their properties and riches. Fiesco, also exiled, now lives under the pseudonym of "Andrea" and resides in the palace of the Grimaldi, his allies, outside Genoa. The Count of Grimaldi's daughter, who lived in a convent in Pisa, died some years ago; that same day, a young, wandering foundling appeared at the convent. The count, in his beleaguered grief, adopted her almost instantly. "Andrea" has acted as her guardian in recent years and has given her the name "Amelia Grimaldi," so that the riches of the noble family will not be confiscated by Boccanegra. (Fiesco does not, however, understand that "Amelia" is actually his granddaughter.) This summation will suffice; the rest of the opera is no more difficult to follow than any other.
Claudio Abbado is unsurpassed as a Verdian conductor; with Macbeth (Shirley Verrett, Piero Cappuccilli, Nicolai Ghiaurov, and Plácido Domingo), Don Carlo (Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli, Ruggero Raimondi, Lucia Valentini-Terrani, and Leo Nucci), Aida (Ricciarelli, Domingo, Elena Obraztsova, and Nucci), or Falstaff (Bryn Terfel and Thomas Hampson), his lyrical and clever triumphs are unsurpassed. This recording, however, is easily the greatest victory of his expansive career, regardless of the fact that it has boasted marvelous productions of every opera from Mozart to Mussorgsky to Berg; it ranks among the finest recordings of Italian opera produced, and it has been restored immaculately by Deutsche Grammophon engineers. The Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala plays with expected precision and depth. The opening sweeping, rustic strings immediately transport the listener to an Italy of yesteryear, of sun-drenched beaches, of hills carpeted in olive groves, and of imposing, shadowy, marble, Romanesque cities. The prelude to Act I, a strikingly uncharacteristic departure for Verdi, is also a distinct victory for the orchestra; it is an impressionistic musical introduction to a burgeoning dawn. One can see the pastel hues of the morning sky and smell the salty air cast up from the lapping waves; even the flowers and foliage of Maria's verdant garden, gently swaying in the wind, are vibrantly painted.
Piero Cappuccilli brings the multi-faceted, tortured Simon Boccanegra, a helpless man used for (and eventually murdered over) politics, to life with dramatic fury that Guinness and Gielgud would find impressive. His Prologue duet with Ghiaurov ("Suona ogni labbro il mio nome" ... "Se concedermi vorrai"), in which he is pleading and genuinely distraught and the latter is coldly retaliatory and scornful, is a masterful palate of the deep male register. Conversely, he is simultaneously majestic and terrifying as he condemns Paolo in Act I ("In te resiede l'austrero dritto popolar"); the frightful damnation closes malignantly with the Genoese populace hissing "May he be accursed" ("Sia maledetto!"). Boccanegra's subsequent lament in Act II ("Doge! Ancor proveran la tua clemenza") is a brittle, despondent tapestry of doom; as he drinks from the poisoned goblet, the scene is transformed into a dreamy, almost phantasmagoric state as he plunges into a drugged slumber.
Nicolai Ghiaurov is thunderous and appropriately hostile as the wronged and mourning father Jacopo Fiesco. His performance of "A te l'estremo addio...Il lacerato spirito," one of the most impressive arias ever conceived for the bass voice, in the Prologue, is rapturous. (The Coro del Teatro alla Scala is also successful here; the gentle, female choral intonations are pale and ghostly, but equally reverent and serene.) The sumptuous Act I duet ("Vieni a me, ti benedico") between Ghiaurov and Carreras is also superb; the Bulgarian bass is especially touching as the consenting patriarch, allowing the impassioned youth to marry his charge. Fiesco's music is classically lyrical but Gabrielle's music is strikingly antiquated and almost mystical.
Mirella Freni is a veritable goddess as Maria, Simon Boccanegra's estranged daughter, during her oscillating Act I aria ("Come in quest'ora bruna"). José Carreras is a portrait of masculine ardor as Gabrielle Adorno. His future vocal downfall and premature retirement, brought on by leukemia, is a distant thought from this endearing, astounding performance. His offstage introduction ("Cielo di stelle orbato"), set to the ecstatic, entranced plucking of harp, was a superb technical stroke of genius for Abbado; he is equally lyrically sumptuous during his Act II aria ("Sento avvampar nell'anima ... Cielo pietoso, rendila"), a hellish becoming for Boccanegra's torturous end and the subsequent lament for his supposedly wronged Maria. He and Freni, who excelled as Don Carlo and Elisabetta and (less admirably) as Aida and Rademès, are angelic as the young lovers during "Vieni a mirar la cerula," a charming duet of infatuation and "Sì, sì, dell'ara il giubilo," a frenzied, panicked exchange as Maria begs Gabrielle to marry her and save her from the advances of the "favorite" of the Doge.
José van Dam is the consummate schemer as the rapacious, deceiving Paolo Albiani. He is a spitting cobra in his brief but poignant Act II monologue ("Me stesso ho maledetto!...Qui ti stillo una lenta"); thumping bass strings and descending woodwinds perfectly animate his diabolical mind as he drips what is certainly an inky, turbid potion into Boccanegra's carafe. Giovanni Foiani is an august, weighty Pietro, Paolo's majordomo in plotting.
Some of the most impressive instances of the recording are the puissant Verdian ensembles. In the finale of the second scene of Act I ("Plebe! Patrizi! Popolo"), Cappuccilli is thunderous as the livid Boccanegra who shrewdly soothes his councilors by painting a pastoral panorama of the Italy conjured in the opening strains of the opera; an ensemble of the most succulent and gorgeous complexity emerges, with Freni begging for peace among fellow Italians, Ghiaurov lamenting Boccanegra's rule over Genoa, and Carreras confessing his affections for Maria. The smaller Prologue ensemble ("L'atra magion vedete?"), with van Dam cunningly turning the Genoese plebeians against the Fiesci with the opaquely mysterious, tragic tale of Boccanegra's Maria, is a marvelous meshing of a single voice with a chorus.
However, there are two areas of the recording which are unsurpassed by any other sector: the Act I duet ("Orfanella il tetto umile" ... "Figlia!...a tal nome io palpito") between Boccanegra and Maria and the entirety of the brief third act. The former is one of those operatic duets that erupts with so much passion that one cannot help but be swept away with the characters. The ecstatic Act I exchange between Butterfly and Pinkerton and the closing conversation between Onegin and Tatyana are two comparable examples. This is also one of Verdi's most tender duets, and it is surely more endearing than the exchange between Rigoletto and Gilda. Boccanegra, who has spent much of his life in an exhaustive search for his daughter, has finally found her; Maria, who was been equally perplexed by her bleak past, has been reunited with her true father. Freni is ineffably touching as Maria, but Cappuccilli is the star here: Boccanegra is a man who has found his redemption. His suffering and searching is ended and, though he has been the doge of Genoa for nearly a quarter of a century, now he can truly be joyful. The finale, constructed upon a heart-breaking blanket of strings and the soothing voice of the harp and Cappuccilli's last ecstatic utterance of "Daughter!" ("Figlia!"), could easily melt the iciest of hearts.
Oppositely, Act III is a pinnacle of Verdian tragedy. It is a marvelous outpouring of Italian melody and passion, from the opening choral shouts of jubilant victory to the closing moans of bereavement, accentuating by the saturnine pulse of a bass bell. Cappuccilli's bereft entrance ("M'ardon le tempia...un'atra vampa sento") recognizes that Boccanegra is a broken man, worthy of the pen of Thomas Hardy. He has been eaten from within by Paolo's vicious poison, and only the shell of the former seaman and adventurer is left. The frothy strings of the sea breeze restore, if only momentarily, his peace and health. It is once again affirmed that Boccanegra was not a politician, which adds a deeper vein to the tragedy of the story; he was a man manipulated by political corrupters onto the throne of the doge, a title he never had any desire to achieve. Ghiaurov's entrance ("Delle faci festani al barlume") is totally vindictive; Fiesco, the old, Godunovian lion, now an ancient nobleman after years of wrongdoing and hatred, has finally received the ultimate gift. Boccanegra is ruined; he is a mere shade of his former greatness and the purple of his nobility has rotted to nothing as he dies in lonesome shame. Their reconciliation ("Piango, perché mi parla") is one of the most touching musical portraits Verdi ever penned; both, though Boccanegra has finally received the forgiveness of Fiesco, are left broken after their years of separation. One was ruined by the fiend who catapulted him to power, the other by his all-consuming revulsion for the former. Ghiaurov is unimaginably tragic and Cappuccilli is desolating in his bewildered ecstasy. The act closes with a final ensemble ("Gran Dio, li benedici"); mustering his last tremor and ounce of human strength, Boccanegra blesses the marriage of Maria and Gabriele Adorno, his former enemy. The two downcast children harken in brokenhearted agony and Fiesco bemoans aside in woe. With his last breath, Boccanegra hands his throne to Adorno and whispers the name of his only beloved, "Maria."
It is, perhaps, a fortune in disguise that Simon Boccanegra remains the "black horse" of Verdi's later operas. No other possible recording, short of the resurrection of Boris Christoff and Jussi Björling, could be comparable to this masterwork, either in musical and vocal precision or in dramatic interpretation. This is, in short, a testament to the mastery of the conductor, orchestra, and singers involved, and it can crown numerous careers as a work of Verdian perfection.
The best Verdi opera in Abbado's Studio discography.......2007-06-14
Credit must be given primarily to Abbado for handling such a complex Verdi score. The luminescent and chiaroscuro shades and the dramatic colors begged by the 1881 revision of the score presents a challenge to any conductor willing to undertake the difficult task of presenting the work before an audience. In several aspects, I think Simon Boccanegra is second only to Don Carlo and Otello as the most difficult works of Verdi to conduct. In my opinion, only Abbado, Serafin, Mitropoulos, and recently, Fabio Luisi, have been able to successfully bring out the shades of ochre, crimson, and sienna that characterize this masterpiece. Abbado, of course, attained perfection in his interpretation of the score when he realized the many subtleties. The La Scala strings have never sounded more shimmering and beautiful, and the typical Verdian musical language is gracefully incorporated by Abbado into producing dramatic moments rather than distinctive arias. No, Abbado doesn't treat it like Otello, but rather as the continuous drama that it should be with elements of early Donizettian style taken from his incubation period to the thespian sense of his latter years.
Saying that, I think the cast also contributes to the success of this recording. In the history of the opera's performances, there is perhaps no Amelia more successful than Mirella Freni, and by that I say that she is better than Renata Tebaldi, Zinka Milanov, Antonietta Stella, Astrid Varnay, Karita Mattila, and Kiri te Kanawa, among the other singers who have assumed this demanding spinto role. Her beautiful, youthful timbre, her natural sense of phrasing, her mastery of the language, and her impeccable legato line allow her to focus herself on the drama of the performance, thus giving us a three-dimensional portrait of Amelia often turned into a cardboard cut character by most sopranos. A definitive performance indeed, and perhaps her greatest Verdi character on record. Gabriele Adorno is played by the youthful Jose Carreras, whose youthful, sweet tone is a refreshing change of pace among the dramatic bulls who have no business sticking their noses in a role where lyricism favors dramatic weight. I would say that he and Carlo Bergonzi are the greatest exponents of this short yet elegant tenor role. The roles of Paolo and Fiesco are taken respectively by Jose Van Dam and Nicolai Ghiaurov, two of the greatest low male voices in the history of opera. Nicolai Ghiaurov gives a searingly noble characterization of Fiesco, much like the grand portrayal he gave of King Filippo II in Don Carlo. I would say that he and Ferruccio Furlanetto are the only basses to have given so much insight to this role.
In addition to all those amazing singers, I believe that the reason to get this recording is to listen to the Doge of Piero Cappuccilli. There is no doubt that he was one of the greatest Verdi baritones of a bygone era, and in perspective with his Amonasros, Rodigros, di Lunas, and Iagos, there is perhaps no greater assumption of this role than what Cappuccilli has to offer. There is a nobility, a compassion, and a elegiac quality to his singing that elevates his Boccanegra to a definitive status. Without a doubt, one of the greatest characterizations in his long career.
My verdict? This is the best recording of the opera that you will find in the market, so I hope you don't waste a chance to grab it.
Filler.......2007-03-25
I just got this opera because a) I needed to fill out the order of the useless Bodum glass beaker replacement part I got with it, so I could get the free shipping,and b) I liked the sound of the name Simon Bocanegra
A superb Verdi opera not to be missed.......2007-01-13
The Greatest Account Of Simon Boccanegra Available.......2006-01-31
I would go as far as to say Boccanegra ranks among Verdi's best operas along with Don Carlos, Aida and Otello. The Council Chamber Scene is included here. It was featured in the later revised libretto and is opera's most beautiful moments. Each singer sings of their woes in a most moving manner and soaring above the ensemble is the soprano's cries of "Pace! Pace! (Peace! Peace!). Mirella Freni as Maria Boccanegra/Amelia is a revelation. Other than sounding like a pure lyrico-spinto or dramatic soprano, she sings with subtleties, with sweetness and with vigorous passion. While I still think that Verdi wasn't a particularly great repertoire for her, she does excell in this particular role as well as Queen Elisabeth Di Valois in Don Carlo. She sang Aida and that recording is on Deutsche Grammophone which also stars Cappuccilli and Jose Carreras but that is not the way Aida should be sung. As the Doge's daughter in this one, she is excellent and here we have a very fine dramatic singing-actress. Plus, she blends beautifully with Jose Carreras's rich, dark, velvety tenor voice. Although I would have preferred Placido Domingo in the role of Gabriel, which doubtless suited him, Carreras sings with unbeatable dramatic and lyric grandeur. All his arias are perfect for him. He was a terrific Verdi tenor.
This opera, however, is not a star vehicle for the tenor and soprano, which is the most unusual thing! Therefore, don't expect to hear much of the singing to come from Jose Carreras and Mirella Freni. The star is the Doge himself, sung by baritone Piero Cappuccilli. This is a magnificent showcase for a Verdi baritone, which Cappuccilli is. His singing is emotive, grand, invective, heart-felt and human, so human. The masculine timbre is fatherly and regal. This is exactly the kind of singing a Verdi baritione should have. Cappuccilli died only about a year ago, but his legacy as a great baritone is well documented in a few films and plenty of recordings. He made a terrific Macbeth, Amonasro and King Nabucco. Verdi was his specialty and on this recording, he pulls out all the stops.
Likewise, Jose Van Dam sings with supreme musicality, intoning every phrase with bravura, but to a lesser extent than the star Piero Cappuccilli. Fans of Van Dam will want to own this recording, as he was in his prime, singing with versatility. Only two years later he would be seen as Leporello in Joseph Losey's dark film version of Don Giovanni starring Ruggero Raimondi. He has a very virile quality to his singing and excellent control of breath. And as if the dark lower voices of Cappuccilli and Van Dam were not enough, Nicolai Ghiaurov has a part in this opera too. His bass never bordered on a growl. It was deep, beautiful and majestic. His fans will want to own this recording as well. This is a superb album.
Average customer rating: 
|
Salvatore Licitra - The Debut
Giuseppe Verdi , and Carlo Rizzi Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Opera & Vocal
| The Sony BMG Masterworks Store
| Amazon.com Label Stores
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B000068TL8 Release Date: 2002-07-02 |
Tracks:
- Puccini: Tosca: E lucevan le stelle
- Puccini: Turandot: Nessun dorma
- Puccini: La Fanciulla Del West: Ch'ella mi creda
- Puccini: Tosca: Recondita armonia
- Puccini: Manon Lescaut: Donna non vidi mai
- Puccini: Madama Butterfly: Addio fiorito asil
- Verdi: Aida: Celeste Aida
- Verdi: La Forza Del Destino: La vita e inferno...Oh tu che in seno
- Verdi: Simon Boccanegra: Sento avvampar nell'anima
- Verdi: Un Ballo In Maschera: Baccarole: Di tu se fedele
- Verdi: Un Ballo In Maschera: Forse la soglia attinse
- Verdi: Macbeth: Ah! La paterna mano
- Verdi: Il Trovatore: Manrico? Che?...Di quella pira
Amazon.com
Tenor Salvatore Licitra recently made headlines when he stepped in at the last moment for the, sad to say, probably finished Luciano Pavarotti at the Metropolitan Opera's final Toscas of the season. In fact, there's little Licitra could have done wrong under the circumstances, but he was a great success, and judging from his recent Trovatore and this recital CD, he will be most welcome. The good-sized, somewhat dark-hued voice is appealing--and truly Italian--with an innate caressing quality and sense of line, even from top to bottom (he takes the very low option in the Ballo Barcarolle, which most tenors take up an octave), and nice and free on top. He has no trouble sustaining the high tessitura (or big sound and broad phrases) of Alvaro's aria from Forza; he sounds sincerely regretful as the caddish Pinkerton, and might even be the Dick Johnson (in Fanciulla) we've been looking for. This is an impressive debut recital, recommended for those who have been waiting for Italian opera to fall back into the hands of an Italian tenor. --Robert LevineCustomer Reviews:
Verdi is rolling in his grave.......2007-02-24
As a voice teacher, conductor and tenor I can tell you that he CAN NOT SING!!!!
Nice sound, but an all time great?.......2007-01-09
I always love hearing tenors take a shot at Verdi's "Di quella pira" from "Il Trovatore." Once, in a moment of madness, I taped 10-15 tenors, back to back, singing this. What a range of singers! Caruso, Tucker, Corelli, and so on, and so on. Some great, some not so great, some poor. But you can really divide up the singers by listening to one after the other (ad nauseam). Truthfully, Licitra can't handle this work, compared with the greatest of those luminaries. His light voice is overwhelmed at the end by the orchestra and chorus. While his technique seems okay, he just doesn't have the voice to make this memorable. A Franco Corelli or Richard Tucker or Mario del Monaco just soars over the orchestra and chorus.
I thought he did much better in "Nessun Dorma" and the two Tosca arias, "E Lucevan le stella" and "Recondita armonia," and others. To me, his voice seemed to fit those more compellingly.
Again, keep in mind that I am not an expert, but his "Celeste Aida" featured (is this the right term?) scooping as he went from "celeste" to "Aida." I have a clear memory of listening to Richard Tucker singing this (I can't get my hands on the tape right now) where he went from one note to the other without a scoop. Same with "forma divina," if I understand aright.
All in all, "Debut" is a nice work, a promising start to a career, but we all ought to hold off on any comparisons with the greats until Licitra has a chance to grow and earn such accolades.
Oh dear oh dear..........2006-10-29
You're kidding, right?.......2006-08-22
The New Pavarotti.......2005-10-13
Licitra opens the album with a stunning "E Lucevan La Stelle" from Tosca, still the opera he is most famous for interepreting. His Cavaradossi is a welcome change from past interpretors, though Licitra is more along the lines of Pavarotti's lyric bravura and razzle-dazzle than the more cerebral portrayals of Corelli, Domingo or Carrerras. Other impressive arias on here include "Di Quella Pira" from Trovatore, another successful Verdi venture of his. He has the right tone for Manrico's bravura and even passion. I foresee that this tenor's career will be composed of Verdi, Puccini, (perhaps Wagner if he trains hard for it) and certainly he has the voice for Mozart and French repertoire (possibly Hoffman is in his future or Romeo or Des Grieux if he hasnt already sung Des Grieux). His Calaf from Turandot is outstanding. He is more like Franco Corelli in some respects but his biggest influence is Pavarotti, no doubt about it. It's possible he will parallel the career of Roberto Alagna but any comparisons would be unfair since both singers bring in something different to the table. Let's hope the press doesn't pull the wool over our eyes and have Licitra and Alagna portrayed as rivals. If youre a fan of Licitra, this recording is a must have. I highly recommend it. It's gorgeous and he has a sexy, strong presence on stage. His eyes are the handsomest blue I have ever seen. He is the new Pavoratti and better too.
Average customer rating: 
|
Verdi: Greatest Hits
Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Verdi
| Verdi, Giuseppe
| ( V )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Requiems
| Forms & Genres
| Early Music
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Italian
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Requiems
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
CDs $7 - $10
| Classical General
| Classical
| Today's Deals in Music
| Formats
| Music
All Bargain Titles
| Classical General
| Classical
| Today's Deals in Music
| Formats
| Music
CDs $7 - $10
| Requiems
| Classical
| Today's Deals in Music
| Formats
| Music
All Bargain Titles
| Requiems
| Classical
| Today's Deals in Music
| Formats
| Music
CDs $7 - $10
| Choruses
| Opera & Vocal
| Today's Deals in Music
| Formats
| Music
All Bargain Titles
| Choruses
| Opera & Vocal
| Today's Deals in Music
| Formats
| Music
CDs $7 - $10
| Operas
| Opera & Vocal
| Today's Deals in Music
| Formats
| Music
All Bargain Titles
| Operas
| Opera & Vocal
| Today's Deals in Music
| Formats
| Music
4-for-3 Classical
| 4-for-3 Music
| Stores
| Music
4-for-3 All Music
| 4-for-3 Music
| Stores
| Music
Opera & Vocal
| The Sony BMG Masterworks Store
| Amazon.com Label Stores
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B000002A2B Release Date: 1994-08-09 |
Tracks:
- Aida: Grand March
- Rigoletto: La donna e mobile
- Il Trovatore: Anvil Chorus
- La forza del destino: Overture
- Aida: Celeste Aida
- Don Carlos: O don fatale
- La Traviata: Drinking Song
- La Traviata: E strano!... Ah, fors'e lui
- Falstaff: L'onore!...L'onore! Ladri
- Aida: Ritorna vincitor
- Luisa Miller: Quando le sere al placido
- Nabucco: Slave Chorus
- Manzoni Requiem: Dies irae
- Simon Boccanegra: Come in quest'ora bruna
- Don Carlos: E lui!...desso!...l'infante
Customer Reviews:
A sound compilation of Verdi's famous works.......2007-05-05
Giuseppe Verdi was one of the 19th centuries most influential composers of operas and orchestrated music. Verdi's operas are very, well 'user-friendly', if you are new to opera. I am slowly learning to appreciate operas after a decade of love for classical music without vocals.
This is a very good CD for those looking to break in to operatic scores. It has large, haunting compositions for chorus, solos, duets, trios and a good mix of orchestrations with no vocals, perfectly showcasing Verdi's gift as a composer.
Performers on the album include Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and other well known and talented artists as well as some of the most famous, gifted and revered orchestras in the world.
Average customer rating:
|
Eileen Farrell Sings Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi , Fausto Cleva , Eileen Farrell , Columbia Symphony Orchestra , and Sedgwick Clark Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Verdi
| Verdi, Giuseppe
| ( V )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Italian
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Opera & Vocal
| The Sony BMG Masterworks Store
| Amazon.com Label Stores
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B0000029PJ Release Date: 1997-01-14 |
Tracks:
- Come in quest' ora bruna - From Simon Boccanegra (Act I)
- Ritorna vincitor! - From Aida (Act I)
- Pur ti reveggo - From Aida (Act III)
- Tacea la notte placida - From Il trovatore (Act I)
- D'amor sull' ali rosee - From Il trovatore (Act IV)
- lo vengo a domandar - From Don Carlo (Act I)
- Ave Maria - From Otello (Act IV)
- Pace, pace, mio Dio - From La forza del destino (Act IV)
- Ma dall' arido stelo divulsa - From Un ballo in maschera (Act II)
- Teco io sto - From Un ballo in maschera (Act II)
Customer Reviews:
Supreme Verdi singing.......2005-01-10
This CD contains Verdi singing the likes of which have totally disappeared from today's opera stages. Get it while you can!
TRUE BEAUTY.......2004-12-20
Verdi singing doesn't get better than this!.......2003-04-10
This disc is very highly recommended. I pray that every up and coming spinto, American or otherwise, listens to Farrell's singing closely and learns from her. It is truly a disgrace to Verdi's name that Angela Gheorghiu's Verdi recital has been praised to the heavens by the blind music critics. No light lyric soprano should even consider recording an entire album of Verdi soprano arias, no matter how talented they are. When you hear this recital, you will be mad at Gheorghiu for even attempting to sing this music. This just may be the best Verdi recital ever recorded.
Eileen Farrell should be heard by every Verdi fan!!!.......2003-04-10
In her prime, Eileen Farrell had an enormous voice capable of thrilling, wall-shaking power. Her voice's tone is one of the most rounded of all recorded sopranos', even matching the rounded tone of Joan Sutherland's voice. The voice itself has an unmistakable timbre. Besides the magnificent voice, this lady can really sing!
One of the greatest voices EVER.......2002-07-09
This recording contains ten glorious arias and duets from Verdi operas such as Aida, Il trovatore, Don Carlo, and Otello (and others). I don't know how you can not want this in your collection. Just glorious music making and a voice to die for.
Average customer rating:
|
Angela Gheorghiu & Roberto Alagna - Verdi per due
Giuseppe Verdi , Berliner Philharmoniker , Claudio Abbado , Angela Gheorghiu , Roberto Alagna , London Voices , and Berlin Philharmonic Manufacturer: Angel Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Verdi
| Verdi, Giuseppe
| ( V )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
| ( B )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Italian
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B00000DFNW Release Date: 1998-11-03 |
Tracks:
- E Dessa! ... Un Detto, Un Sol ... - Angela Gheorghiu
- Ma Lassu Ci Vedremo - Angela Gheorghiu
- Oh Belle, A Questa Misera ... - London Voices
- All'Armi! ... Che Ascolto! - London Voices
- Cielo Di Stelle Orbato ... - Angela Gheorghiu
- Vieni A Mirar La Cerula - Angela Gheorghiu
- Gia Nella Notte Densa - Angela Gheorghiu
- Pensando A Me! ... E Dolce Raggio Celeste Dono - Angela Gheorghiu
- Giovanna, Ho Dei Rimorsi ... - Angela Gheorghiu
- E Il Sol Dell'Anima ... - Angela Gheorghiu
- Che M'Ami, Deh, Ripetimi - Angela Gheorghiu
- Addio! Speranza Ed Anima - Angela Gheorghiu
- La Fatal Pietra Sovra Me Si Chiuse ... Immenso Ftha ... - London Voices
- O Terra, Addio - London Voices
- Qual Mare, Qual Terra Da Me T'Ha Diviso ... - Angela Gheorghiu
- Qui Nel Bosco? Solinga? Smarrita? ... - Angela Gheorghiu
- Lassu Risplendere Piu Lieta E Bella - Angela Gheorghiu
- Miserere ... Quel Suon, Quelle Preci - London Voices
- Libiamo, Ne' Lieti Calici - London Voices
Amazon.com
Today's most glamorous husband-and-wife opera team offer a recital in which energy and enthusiasm more than compensate for lack of polish. Seldom do artists on a studio recording throw themselves into each "scene" as if they were onstage actually performing an opera, as these two do here. Abbado and the Berlin are second to none when it comes to accompanying Verdi, and when needed, extra soloists and chorus are included to complete the production. Although a number of Verdi's most famous moments are included, lesser-known music (e.g., I Lombardi and I Masnadieri) proves equally challenging and dramatic. Fine sound, from the Jesus Christus-Kirche in Dahlem (Berlin). --Paul TurokCustomer Reviews:
Verdian voices that love each other.......2003-12-09
The disc begins with the final Carlo-Elisabetta duet from 'Don Carlo'. This is my favorite opera and I believe that the 'ma lassu ci vedremo' section which concludes this selection is one of Verdi's greatest inspirations. Needless to say, I am extraordinarily picky about the way it is performed, and it is glorious - full of sublimated passion and pain, tenderness and resignation. The title role (in French) is already one of Alagna's greatest stage and recording triumphs, and Gheorghiu is so musically and dramatically intense that you would never believe she learned the duet at Abbado's suggestion 3 days before the recording!
Best of all, however, is the great love duet from 'Otello'. Never before have I heard this music sung so beautifully or with such tenderness and nuance, the lyric voices really making the romance between Otello and Desdemona believable. Admittedly this is probably the most lyric section of the score, and whether Alagna is up to the some of Otello's big outbursts, even in a small theater, is debatable, though Gheorghiu is an ideal Desdemona. Still, Alagna's astonishing pianissimo swell on 'Vien, venere splende' is alone worth the price of the entire disc. No less fine is the ravishing high note with which Gheorghiu ends the scene from 'Simon Boccanegra', where the singers easily go from tender serenade to dramatic urgency to seductive radiance.
The Tomb Scene from 'Aida' is also very effective, although it is true that Gheorghiu's is a more lyric voice than I would like for Aida, her excellent recording of 'O patria mia' on her 'Verdi Heroines' album notwithstanding. Alagna is about as light as I would go for Radames, but as it is really a spinto and not a true dramatic role, he copes very well, darkening his tone. Both artists, as usual, are totally alert to the drama, and this makes up for them possibly having the 'wrong' voices. I only wish this pair of lyric singers could have sung the final B flat in 'si schiude il ciel' pianissimo, as did Zinka Milanov and Jussi Bjorling - I believe Gheorghiu obliges and Alagna doesn't.
Another real treat is the rarities - how many 'love duet' albums include scenes from 'I Lombardi', 'I Vespri Siciliani' or 'I Masnadieri'? Again, all so marvelously sung - especially the rousing cabaletti - that we are convinced these are by no means the 'lesser' works that many critics claim, although it is a pity that the 'Vespri' selection isn't in the original French.
Turning back to more familiar music, having heard Alagna sing the Duke in 'Rigoletto' first at the Met under the flaccid Carlo Rizzi and then on the Sony recording under the hard-driving, pedantic Riccardo Muti, I was delighted to hear how fresh-voiced, dashing and impetuous he sounds in 'E sol dell'anima' here. Clearly all he needs is the right conductor! Gheorghiu's voice is a bit more mature than most people would think of for Gilda, but fully conveys her longing for her lover and her growing sexual awareness. The 'Miserere' from 'Il Trovatore' is also splendid, although not quite as intense as the version on their complete recording. A spirited and ravishing rendition of the famous drinking song from ýLa Traviataý brings the disc to a delighful close.
Besides the luxurious support of the Berlin Philharmonic (as Gheorghiu put it in an interview, 'the Rolls Royce of orchestras'), London Voices makes a splendid choral contribution in their four selections. There is also excellent work from contralto Sara Mingardo, better known in baroque repertory, as Giovanna and Amneris, as well as from the singers who take on Ceprano and Borsa in the 'Rigoletto' excerpt.
The documentation has full texts and translations plus excellent notes written by British voice maven John Steane, who points out the considerable musical and dramatic variety that exists among love duets, even ones written by the same composer. Unfortunately, there is no biographical information at all of any of the artists, let alone typical CD gush (so much for 'the overhyped Alagnas'!). The pictures in the booklet's interior are wonderful, with the couple relaxing in a Berlin park, but the cover's attempt to be 'romantic' is hokey - they look like airbrushed mannequins.
As with most of their other operatic recordings, Alagna's and Gheorghiu's work here is a must listen to anyone who cares about this music or the human voice. You will rarely hear this music served so well by contemporary artists. It turns out this disc is essential for a less pleasant reason as well - I have just read the horrible news that EMI has decided not to continue making studio opera recordings, making it extremely unlikely that we will ever hear Alagna and Gheorghiu together in this repertory on disc again. What a tragedy not only for the singers but also for Verdi, and all the more reason to cherish the beauty we have here.
Sensitive, compelling performances.......2003-06-09
The duets from I Lombardi and I Masnadieri are particularly nice, as they are not often heard. Bravos all around to Abbado and the Berliner as well.
This is a thoroughly enjoyabled disc.
A well presented and very listenable album.......1999-10-25
Average customer rating:
|
A Celebration
Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Boito, Arrigo
| ( B )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Puccini
| Puccini, Giacomo
| ( P )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Tchaikovsky
| Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich
| ( T )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Verdi
| Verdi, Giuseppe
| ( V )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Rossini
| Rossini, Gioacchino
| ( R )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General Modern
| Modern, 20th, & 21st Century
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
| ( B )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Freni, Mirella
| ( F )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
London Philharmonic Orchestra
| ( L )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
National Philharmonic Orchestra London
| ( N )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
| ( V )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Romances
| Classical (c.1770-1830)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Boito, Arrigo
| A to B
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Catalani, Alfredo
| C to G
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Cilea, Francesco
| C to G
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Puccini, Giacomo
| M to P
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Rossini, Gioacchino
| Q to T
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich
| Q to T
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Vocal Works by Verdi
| Verdi, Giuseppe
| U to Z
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Italian
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Russian
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
The Decca Records Store
| Specialty Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B0007404H8 Release Date: 2005-04-12 |
Tracks:
- Si, Mi Chiamano Mimi
- Mario! Mario! Mario! Son Qui...Ah! Quegli Occhi...Qual'occhio Al Mondo
- Vissi D'arte
- Viene La Sera
- Vogliatemi Bene
- Un Bel Di, Vedremo
- Con Amor Muore...Tu? Tu? Piccolo Iddio!
- In Quelle Trine Morbide
- Sola, Perduta, Abbandonata
- Tu Che Di Gel Sei Cinta
- Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana
- Poveri Fiori
- S'allontanano Alfine...Selva Opaca
- Qual Fiamma Avia Nel Guardo...Stridono Iassu
Tracks:
- Ritorna Vincitor!
- Ecco L'orrido Campo
- Tu Che Le Vanita
- Canzone Del Salice (Willow Song)
- Ave Maria
- Come In Quest'ora Bruna
- Sul Fil D'un Soffio Etesio
- L'altra Notte In Fondo Al Mare
- Puskai Pogibnu Ya, No Pryezhde (Letter Scene)
Customer Reviews:
La Regina.......2005-05-31
Enjoy this tribute to a simple Modenese goddess.
Thank you for the music, Miss Freni.
How beautiful is the female voice? try this!.......2005-05-05
DECCA's "In Celebration" answers these questions unequivocally. This CD answers such questions and leaves the listener in awe - at least it did me - of the beauty, power and subtlety of the female voice.
Second reason to own this CD is the voice itself. Mirella Freni's soprano is round, open and full. Said another way: no nasal lapses from this singer. Her tone is rich and smooth, and her diction is - well, she was born in Modena, Italy. It's a voice that needs no further explanation. Musically and vocally, this 2-CD set is a winner all around.
As readers of these reviews know, it is this reviewer's opinion that a CD has to set and hold a mood and not break that mood once established. It's no joy to have to reach for the "skip" button on the remote when listening to music. That's not to say this collection doesn't have variations or that it's all maudlin - not that there's anyting wrong with being maudlin. By consistent theme I mean it doesn't have unnecessary interruptions in its overall operatic mood. You expect to hear Mirella Freni's voice in some of her most communicative moments, and that's what you get. Lasty, accompaniment is provided by different orchestras at different times in her career, but the different orchestras present no problem. The overall sound quality of this CD set is superb throughout. The transition to digital is balanced and won't necessitate any adjustment in volume in any of the 23 enjoyable and vocally descriptive cuts. I recommend it.
Average customer rating:
|
The Very Best of Tito Gobbi
Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Donizetti
| Donizetti, Gaetano
| ( D )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Leoncavallo
| Leoncavallo, Ruggiero
| ( L )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
| Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
| ( M )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Puccini
| Puccini, Giacomo
| ( P )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Verdi
| Verdi, Giuseppe
| ( V )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Wolf-Ferrari
| Wolf-Ferrari, Ermanno
| ( W )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Rossini
| Rossini, Gioacchino
| ( R )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical (c.1770-1830)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General Modern
| Modern, 20th, & 21st Century
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
London Philharmonic Orchestra
| ( L )
| Featured Performers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Classical (c.1770-1830)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
| Cantatas
| Romances
Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
German
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Italian
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B0000A5BXS Release Date: 2003-09-02 |
Tracks:
- Si Puo?
- Non Piu Andrai
- Largo Al Factotum
- All'idea Di Quel Metallo - Luigi Alva
- Resta Immobile
- Come Paride Vezzoso
- La Donna E Originale... Venti Scudi
- Cruda, Funesta Smania
- La Pietade In Suo Favore
- Buona Zaza
- Zaza, Piccola Zingara
- Come Due Tizzi Accesi
- Ecco Il Monologo
- La Donna Russa
- Nemico Della Patria
- Aprile O Bella
- Tosca E Un Buon Falco!
- Minnie, Dalla Mia Casa
- Tre Sbirri, Una Carrozza
Tracks:
- Di Provenza Il Mar
- Pari Siamo
- Povero Rigoletto...Cortigiani, Vil Razza Dannata
- Ah, Prigioniero Io Sonno...Dio Di Giuda!
- Perfidi!...Pieta, Rispetto, Amore
- Alla Vita Che T'arride
- Alzati!...Eri Tu
- Urna Fatale Del Mio Destino
- Era La Notte
- Dinne...Figlia! A Tal Nome Palpito
- Plebe! Patriz!
- Questo Arcano...Dio, Che Nell'alma Infondere
- Per Me Giunto E Il Di Supremo
- O Carlo, Ascolta
- Vanne!...Credo In Un Dio Crudel
- Quand'ero Paggio
- L'Onore! Ladri!
Customer Reviews:
A great tribute for a truly great artist.......2007-04-22
On both CDs, is Gobbi in his finest: from comedy (All'idea di quel metallo/Come Paride vezzoso) to tragedy (Nemico della Patria), from grand opera (Cruda, funesta smania) to verismo (Si puo?).
The first CD includes some selections of less known operas (such as Zazà, Fedora, I gioielli della Madonna or L'arlesiana) that adds value thanks to Gobbi's artistry.
But it is truly on the second CD where Gobbi shines as the powerful artist he was. Devoted entirely to Giuseppe Verdi's incredible rols for baritone, track after track Gobbi reveals himself as one of the milestones in opera; his deeply emotional approach of Di Provenza il mar (La Traviata) and A tal nome palpito (Simon Boccanegra) matches perfectly with the grandeur of Eri tu (Un ballo in maschera) or Dio che nell'alma infondere (Don Carlo), and chilling Pietà rispetto amore (Macbeth) and Iago's Credo (Otello).
Cherry over the cake: his portrait of Falstaff...
Do not miss this album. Not only a excellent tribute to Gobbi, but also one of the best double sets of The Very Best series of EMI.
Pleased to find this CD........2006-11-10
baritone of days long gone. In 65 years as an opera lover, I never heard a
better Figaro or a more bone-chilling Scarpia.
Average customer rating:
|
No Tenors Allowed: Famous Duets for Baritone and Bass
Giuseppe Verdi , Vincenzo Bellini , Gaetano Donizetti , Münchner Rundfunkorchester , Miguel Gomez-Martinez , Thomas Hampson , Samuel Ramey , and Domenico Cimarosa Manufacturer: Teldec ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bellini, Vincenzo
| ( B )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Cimarosa, Domenico
| ( C )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Donizetti
| Donizetti, Gaetano
| ( D )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
All Works by Verdi
| Verdi, Giuseppe
| ( V )
| Featured Composers, A-Z
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Chamber Music
| Forms & Genres
| Classical (c.1770-1830)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical (c.1770-1830)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Chamber Music
| Forms & Genres
| Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Chamber Music
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Classical (c.1770-1830)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
| Cantatas
| Romances
Romantic (c.1820-1910)
| Historical Periods
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Italian
| Languages
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B00000I8T3 Release Date: 1999-03-16 |
Tracks:
- Il matrimonio segreto: Se fiato in corpo avete
- Don Pasquale: Cheti, cheti immantinente
- Marino Faliero: Israele, che vuoi?...Se pur giungi a trucidarlo
- I Puritani: Il rival salvar tu dei...Suoni la tromba
- Attila: Uldino, a me dinanzi...Tardo per gli anni
- Don Carlos: Restez!
- Simon Boccanegra: Suona ogni labbro il mio nome
- Un Giorno de Regno (Il finto stanislao): Tutte l'ami!
Amazon.com
This disc is remarkable in many ways. Not only does it bring together two of opera's reigning lower-voiced superstars, it shows them at their best and presents, in addition, repertoire we rarely get to hear. In the past, Samuel Ramey has occasionally come across as bland and Thomas Hampson as just a bit too eager for a man with what is essentially a very lyric baritone voice. But their chemistry here works: Ramey is filled with passion--some of it comic (as Don Pasquale), some of it vitriolic (as Fiesco), and some of it loony (as Attila); throughout, his burnished tone never lets him down. Hampson is charming and in handsome voice as well--equally light and patterful when comic (a delicious Malatesta), and nicely dire (Ezio and Rodrigue). He isn't up to Simon Boccanegra's stature either vocally or emotionally (for that, listen to the classic performance of Piero Cappuccilli, but the sheer loveliness of his singing is enough to carry the day. A must for fans of either gent, and an intelligent, unhackneyed collection of music to boot. --Robert LevineCustomer Reviews:
The Troubles with Thomas.......2005-12-31
Make sure you buy 2!.......2005-01-05
But one complaint.......2004-08-21
Voices of power.......2004-03-21
The basso cantante of Samuel Ramey and the baritone of Thomas Hampson swirl together like chocolate liqueur in coffee. This CD vibrates with dark sonics. Both artists bring their considerable powers of interpretation to these roles--no fooling around with buffo here, just wonderful singing.
There are a total of eight duets by Cimarosa, Donizetti, Bellini, and Verdi on this CD. Among my favorites:
"Cheti, cheti immantinente" from Donizetti's "Don Pasquale"--The elderly Don Pasquale (Ramey) and his personal physician Malatesta (Hampson) plot to catch Pasquale's young 'bride' in the garden with her lover. This might not sound like a particularly jolly situation, but the duet captures the verve of a hilarious plot--lots of "oh ho's," "ha ha's," and "hee hee's" scattered throughout--the very epitome of bass-baritone hilarity. Listening to this duet, I'm almost tempted to regret Ramey's preference for serious roles over lighter repertory like "Don Pasquale." His old buffoon schemes and whines and chuckles without a trace of vulgarity, just pure musicality. Both singers are patter-perfect.
"Suona ogni labbro il mio nome" from Verdi's "Simon Boccanegra"--This is the first of two great duets between adversaries Jacopo Fiesco, patrician and currently Doge of Genoa (Ramey) and Simon Boccanegra, a plebian and the future Doge (Hampson). Fiesco still hasn't forgiven Boccanegra for stealing the love of his daughter, Maria, who has borne Boccanegra a daughter out of wedlock. In this duet, Ramey's fury contrasts vividly with Hampson's pleading, "Padre mio, pieta t'implora..." as the baritone tells him of the loss of his little daughter (Fiesco's granddaughter). What Boccanegra does not yet know is that his lover, Maria has died. This duet is another fine example of a Verdian father-daughter heartbreaker, in which both men are mourning the loss of a daughter. Hampson sings with dramatic conviction, almost a sweet sound compared to the menacing undercurrent of Ramey's bass, but also dignified.
If you are a fan of the lower fach in Italian opera, NTA is a 'must' for your CD library.
A Masterful Double Bill.......2002-08-13
Meditation Music:
- Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice
- Jacques Offenbach: Salon Pitzelberger
- Janácek: The Cunning Little Vixen
- Johann Strauss Jr.: A Night In Venice
- Krenek Jonny Spielt Auf
- La Boheme
- Leos Janacek: Jenufa
- Libuse
- Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana
- Millöcker: The Beggar Student
Meditation Music
La Maestranza - 10th Biennial Of Flamenco