Bellini: Il Pirata

Il Pirata, opera
Composed by Vincenzo Bellini
Performed by American Opera Society Chorus
with Chester Watson, Pier Miranda Ferraro, Regina Sarfaty, Gleide Petersen, Maria Callas, Costantino Ego
Il Pirata, opera Oh! s'io potesso...Col sorriso d'innocenza
Composed by Vincenzo Bellini
Performed by Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
with Flora Rafanelli, Montserrat Caballe

Bellini: Il Pirata,Vincenzo Bellini,American Opera Society Chorus,Maggio Musicale Fiorentino,Maria Callas,Chester Watson,Costantino Ego,Flora Rafanelli,Gleide Petersen,Montserrat Caballé,Pier Miranda Ferraro,Regina Sarfaty,Verona,Classical,Classical Music,Italian Romantic Opera,Opera,Opera / Operetta / Oratorio

Average customer rating:

Yes, she DOES sing a High G!
Intriguing and powerful voice
A beautiful voice, but the wrong stylistic approach...
The Voice God
A Bel Canto Cake: Enjoy

Renée Fleming: Bel Canto
Gioacchino Rossini , Patrick Summers , and Orchestra of St. Luke's
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006589U
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Tracks:

Bellini/La sonnambula: "Ah!..se una volta sola"
Bellini/La sonnambula: "Ah!..non credea mirarti"
Bellini/La sonnambula: "Ah! non giunge uman pensiero"
Donizetti/Maria Padilla: "Abbracciami"
Donizetti/Maria Padilla: "Il piu tenero suon d'arpa morende"
Donizetti/Maria Padilla: "Ah! non sai qual prestigio si cela"
Rossini/Semiramide: Introduzione
Rossini/Semiramide: "Bel raggio lusinghier"
Rossini/Semiramide: "Dolce pensiero di quell'istante"
Bellini/Il pirata: Introduzione
Bellini/Il pirata: "Ah! s'io potessi dissipar le nubi"
Bellini/Il pirata: "Col sorriso d'innocenza"
Bellini/Il pirata: "Oh sole! ti vela di tenebre oscure"
Rossini/Armida: "D'Amor al dolce impero"
Rossini/Armida: "Gli augei tra fronde e fronde"
Rossini/Armida: "La fresca eta sen fugge"
Rossini/Armida: "Ah! si, godete amanti"
Donizetti/Lucrezia Borgia:"M'odi, ah m'odi, io non t'imploro"
Donizetti/Lucrezia Borgia: "Figlio!...Figlio!...Ola, qualcuno!"
Donizetti/Lucrezia Borgia: "Era desso il figlio mio"

Amazon.com

Surely Renée Fleming's soprano must be one of the most beautiful voices before the public today. Though renowned for her interpretations of Mozart, Strauss, and Verdi, as well as for her commitment to contemporary music, she says that the bel canto repertoire has always been central to her career. On this recording, which features scenes and arias from operas by Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini, she proves that she has achieved total, effortless technical mastery of the uniquely difficult vocal writing characteristic of the style. Every note is perfectly placed. Her runs, including scales over a huge range in both directions, are as clear and evenly paced as a chain of exquisite pearls. Her leaps always land in the center of the pitch. Her intonation is flawless.

Fleming also displays her emotional affinity for the drama, pathos, and lyricism of the music and her ability to identify with her larger-than-life heroines. Chosen from familiar and unfamiliar operas, the music is beguilingly beautiful, ranging from peacefully pastoral to darkly menacing. However, some listeners may feel that Fleming's tendency to overinflect, overphrase, make long pauses, and put swells on long notes, especially in the slow arias, undercuts the music's simplicity and the directness of her expressive communication. The performances are based on the latest scholarly research into the "bel canto" style regarding historically correct ornamentation (only in repeats) and the problems of balancing textual fidelity with imaginative freedom. The Orchestra of St. Luke's gives splendid support, with outstanding solos, especially from the winds. --Edith Eisler

Album Details

Bel Canto is Shrink Wrapped as a Strictly Limited Edition, with a Bonus Disc of Four Unreleased Tracks of Popular Favorites By: Bach, Handel, Mozart and Debussy

Customer Reviews:

Yes, she DOES sing a High G!.......2007-03-21

When I was reading the other reviews of this album, I saw people talking about Renee Fleming going up to a High G (that is G above High C), and I was a bit skeptical...I was used to hearing her in the roles that climax on High B-Flat or High C. But now that I have the album, I can verify that she does indeed go that high! She just touches on it, but hey, that counts! My favorite selections from this album are "Ah! Non Giunge" when she sings a brilliant high E-flat, and because I just love that bouncy little aria. And "Era desso il figlio mio"... that's the one where she sails up to a High G...and She ends the piece with another glorious High E-Flat. Her melismas are delectable. And her high notes are not grating or shrill. Her tone quality is, as usual, plush and sumptuous...and the way she turns the musical phrases so poetically is just amazing. I'm SO glad she made this CD!

Intriguing and powerful voice.......2007-01-21

Renee Fleming has an interesting voice and is obviously an accomplished bel canto singer. Her voice seems to have a heavier, darker sound than many sopranos who essay the coloratura corpus. The sound is very rich. While I'm not sure that I would call her voice ravishing or beautiful, it is clearly up to the task of producing a compelling sound.

This CD begins with a scene from Bellini's "La Sonnambula." Her version of "Ah! Non giunge uman pensiero" is nicely done. She displays an agile voice. She hits the high notes well. Other versions feature trills; hers does not. However, later cuts on this CD surely show that her trill is one of the better ones today. I had never heard even small selections from Donizetti's "Maria Padilla" before. However, Fleming does a very good job. In the final part of the scene that she sings, "Ah, non sai qual prestigio si cela," she trills wonderfully. I have been acquiring CDs and listening to contemporary bel canto singers lately and, to this point of those to whom I have listened, she has one of the best trills around.

"Bel raggio lusinghier" from Rossini's "Semiramide" is nicely sung. Again, she is agile, can hit the high notes, and displays good coloratura technique. The high notes are wonderfully wrought; appoggiaturas well crafted. A number of other reviewers comment on her high note to conclude the cut from Donizetti's "Lucrezia Borgia." She nailed it pretty well, as those others noted.

And so on. No need to go through each cut one by one. All in all, a very good CD. Her darker, heavier voice combined with her vocal agility and coloratura technique make for a very interesting work. She clearly has some of the better coloratura technique among sopranos working in the vineyards of opera today.

A beautiful voice, but the wrong stylistic approach..........2005-11-16

I remember hearing Renee Fleming's first CD - I was instantly struck by the extremely beautiful lyric sound, and the ease with which Ms Fleming sang repertoire that required a high tessitura. I was reminded very much of Kiri Te Kanawa's tone, atlhough at the time, of course, Ms Fleming didn't have the polish of Te Kanawa.

The voice itself is a miracle. It is one of the beautiful voices of this age. But increasingly, I have become disenchanted with the WAY in which Renee Fleming uses her voice. Endowed with such a lovely voice, with a rich and even legato quality throughout, one would think that bel canto repertoire would suit Ms Fleming perfectly. And I think potentially it does... If you do not already possess the full opera recordings of Rosmonda d'Inghilterra (Donizetti) and Armida (Rossini), with Fleming in the title roles, I would like to recommend that you purchase them. They are very beautiful - stunningly so.

A small digression... My CD collection, I should mention (just casually), is nearly 3000 CDs strong, all of which are classical, and the majority of which are vocal (opera, oratorio, Lieder, operetta, early music, French chansons, etc.). The bel canto portion of my collection is substantial. I am also a bel canto singer myself. I speak, thus, with a knowledge of bel canto style, with particular reference to the ways in which the composers would have expected singers to handle their works.

So I hope readers will understand that when I say that Ms Fleming isn't performing on this CD with appropriate bel canto style, I am not speaking out of ignorance, malice, or uninformed opinion. The liner notes shed light on Renee Fleming's approach: she mentions that "like the great singers who premiered these works, we must use our own musical intelligence and imagination to make this music come alive. For someone like myself, trained as a jazz singer, this comes as a liberating reveltion."

Yes. That puts the finger on the major difficulty here. Of course the arias and scenas need to give interpretation and wonderful ornamentation in the repeats of cabalettas, etc. - but NOT, please God, with jazz in mind. The two fields are completely different. This explains to me why Ms Fleming's later recordings fail to satisfy me as much as her earlier ones. I was surprisingly enchanted by her Schubert album, in which I thought a lot of careful interpretative work had gone, and those two earlier full recordings of bel canto operas were superb. How had that wonderful bel canto technique gone astray in this recording? I think - I may be wrong - but I think that Renee Fleming is now relying almost entirely upon her own idea of how bel canto should be sung, rather than being given detailed guidance from an experienced conductor who's both au fait with the requirements and not intimidated by Ms Fleming's very beautiful voice and star billing.

I did buy this CD with great anticipatory pleasure, and I was disappointed because I had such high hopes. I am sorry, because I adore Ms Fleming's voice, but the swoops and the bathos of the interpretations are not moving to me. I so much want Ms Fleming to record bel canto in the future with a great conductor guiding her to avoid the mannerisms that may seem very expressive to Ms Fleming, but strike many listeners as only detracting from the creamy and lovely tone.

Three stars from me, because the voice is unquestionably beautiful.

I do hope that Renee Fleming decides to follow the guidance of some bel canto specialists.

For more authentic bel canto soprano singing, I recommend the peerless Edita Gruberova (still singing wonderfully), the beautiful Sumi Jo, and the great classic recordings of Callas, the young Caballe, and the young Joan Sutherland.

The Voice God.......2005-09-08

I've been a lover of opera for the past 5 years, and I'm 20 now. Never have I been so utterly blown away from a recording, and I have many. After purchasing this CD, I quickly bought 4 of her other recordings, as well as her film. After listening to "Bel Canto" I am sure that you will be convinced, as I am that Renee Fleming is hands down this generation's greatest soprano. Every selection on the CD is amazing, especially the scene from Lucrezia Borgia where she hits a high G above high C. You can feel the passion and drama through her voice, it pierces your heart it's so beautiful! For me, this CD was truly an epiphany. I did not realize that the human voice could be so beautiful, and now singing is all that I want to do! I highly recommend this CD for anyone who wants to hear unbelievable singing.

A Bel Canto Cake: Enjoy.......2005-07-27

Renee Fleming is today's leading American opera diva and her many albums attest to her versatility and superb musicianship. Among these albums, the recent jazz album Haunted Heart, (Fleming originally intende to sing jazz)Strauss- Der Rosenkavalier, Arabella and Cappricio as well as Four Last Songs, Mozart Don Giovanni (in the role of Dona Ana) Nozze Di Figaro (Countess)Cosi Fan Tutte (Fiordiligi)The Schubert Album, and such successful roles as Violetta in Traviata, Massenet's Manon and Dvorak's Rusalka. Not to mention she sang for such films as Lord of the Rings (in Elvish) and Bride of the Wind about the composer Gustav Mahler's ambitious composer wife Alma. Fleming has established herself as the most beautiful voice of recent years in the opera scene. I didn't know of her until she rose to prominence in the late 90's (she is also credited in the Mass In C by Beethoven in the movie Immortal Beloved). Fleming is primarily a lyric voice, whose purity and focus on tone is more important to her than dramatic effect. In this way, she is only following the tradition of the techniques of such sopranos as Elisabeth Schwartkopff, Leontyne Price, Montserrat Caballe and Joan Sutherland. She does have an ethereal beautiful voice, and this album - bel canto - is a showcase for gorgeous legato, pianissimi and coloratura trills and roulade fireworks.

Bel canto literally means "beautiful singing" and Renee Fleming brings that meaning back. Because of the illustrious efforts of such singers as Beverly Sills, Shirley Verrett, Leyla Gencers and inevitably Maria Callas, bel canto has now been a vehicle for dramatic intensity. Callas was never afraid to sound ugly or gritty to bring out the dramatic portions in the opera. But Renee Fleming knows she has a miraculous voice of sheer beauty of sound and she pleasures our ears with the sound of it. But one also sees her own efforts to sound as dramatic as she can sound. In La Sonnambula, Bellini created a vehicle for beautiful lyric sopranos with coloratura prowess. Singers like Anna Moffo made it sound gorgeous but Callas sang it and unearthed its dramatic power. Fleming attempts the Callas effect and even at times sounds like Montserrat Caballe, especially in such arias from Il Pirata (an opera Caballe recorded and performed on stage). She sounds creamy, golden, full-voiced, with gleaming high tops and rich chest registers, effectively colorizing all the melodic lines. I have not heard singing like this in a long time, and again Montserrat Caballe comes to mind. Just listen to how she sings Lucrezia Borgia, especially in the outburst "E sperto! " (He's dead!) the dramatic moment when Lucrezia discovers she has poisoned her own son. Fleming is also exceptional in Rossini's Semiramide. This is not her first experience singing Rossini. She has sung Il Vaggio A Reims, a rare Rossini opera. Bel canto is truly challenging, and it was for her, but she stepped up to the challenge and came out on top.

What's in the future for Fleming ? I would love for her to take on heavier roles, but she is herself very cautious about ruining her voice. Lyric sopranos like her can easily break if not properly trained. While she has sung Handel well and modern operas like "Ghosts of Versailles" I fear she will never take on the roles I long for her to sing - Tosca, Norma, not even Madame Butterfly. Mirella Freni, a voice quite like Fleming's managed to transition to heavier repertoire well- she sang Butterfly and Tosca with flying colors. Perhaps Fleming will continue to sing purely lyric roles- more Desdemonas, more Tatianas in Eugene Onegin or perhaps the heroine in Queen of Spades. But perhaps she can step outside herself and sing Elisabeth Valois in Don Carlo, or perhaps Lucia Di Lammermoor (why hasn't she sung that ? It's tailor made for her)Who knows what she has in mind but whatever it is, she will sound brilliant.

Average customer rating:

Sings a wide range of works well
A great Caballe cd at a bargin price!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
A Bit disappointed
Bad sound :((((
Voice from heaven!

Diva:Montserrat Caballe
Giacomo Puccini , Gioachino Rossini , Vincenzo Bellini , Giuseppe Verdi , Arrigo Boito , Pietro Mascagni , Sir Charles Mackerras , Lamberto Gardelli , Gianandrea Gavazzeni , Riccardo Muti , James Levine , Anton Guadagno , Julius Rudel , Carlo Maria Giulini , Bruno Bartoletti , Alain Lombard , Montserrat Caballe , Alfredo Kraus , Agostino Ferrin , Julia Hamari , Stefan Elenkof , Astrid Varnay , and Jose Carreras
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 1995-08-08

Tracks:

Madama Butterfly: Un bel di vedremo (Atto II)
TOSCA: Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore (Atto II)
Guillaume Tell: Sombre foret (Acte II)
Il pirata: Col sorriso d'innocenza (Atto II)
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Giovanna d'Arco: O fatidica foresta (Atto I)
Macbeth: Una macchiae qui tutt'ora (Atto IV)
Mefistofele: L'altra notte in fondo al mare (Atto III)
Don Carlo: Non pianger, mia compagna (Atto II)
Aida: Qui Radames verra . . . O patria mia (Atto III)
Manon Lescaut: In quelle trine morbide (Atto II)
La Boh: Donde lieta usci (Atto II)
Cavalleria Rusticana: Voi lo sapete, o mamma
Turandot: Signore, ascolta! (Atto I)
Turandot: In questa reggia (Atto II)
La rondine: Chi il bel sogno di Doretta (Atto I)

Customer Reviews:

Sings a wide range of works well.......2007-04-29

On this CD, Montserrat Caballe sings a wide range of arias. She runs the gamut from the bel canto works of Rossini and Bellini to the verismo works of Puccini and Mascagni, with Verdi in between. Overall, this is a nice introduction to her work. While I would not rate her among the very greatest of sopranos, she certainly ranks high in the pantheon of sopranos from the 20th century.

A brief sampling of her work on this CD. From Puccini's "Madam Butterfly," the CD begins with "Un bel di vedremo." She sings smoothly with a nice sound to her voice. Normally, when she increases the volume of her singing, the sound of her voice is still good. There are some occasional unpleasant sounds, but nothing notable. This is a nice dramatic rendering of an iconic aria. She hits the higher notes well.

Rossini's "William Tell" isn't much performed these days. But Caballe's version of "Sombre foret" suggests that some good operatic music is not played often enough. This is well sung; Caballe shows good vocal agility at the close.

"Son vergin vezzosa," from Bellini's "I Puritani," shows off her agile vocal technique. Early on, she floats a nice piano high note. In terms of technique, it is disappointing that the trills are not evident. In the end, this is a good version of this work, but not at the level of Jo, or Sills, or Sutherland. Outside of trills, ornamentation is good, but that is like saying that outside of its lack of speed, a sports car is a lot of fun to drive. Still, other ornamentation is well done, including appoggiaturas. The Wikipedia says (under ornamentation): "In music, ornaments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to the overall melodic (or harmonic) line, but serve to decorate or "ornament" that line. Many ornaments are performed as "fast notes" around a central note. . . . From the Italian word appoggiare, "to lean upon". . . . The long appoggiatura is important melodically and often suspend the principal note by taking away the time-value of the appoggiatura prefixed to it (generally half the time value of the note, though in triple time, for example, it might receive two thirds of the time). The added note (the unessential note) is one degree higher or lower than the principal note; and, if lower, it may or may not be chromatically raised (see mordent)." I'm not sure, as a musical nonexpert, that I fully understand the technicalities here, but Caballe does seem to exhibit nice ornamentation as per the above.

From "La Boheme," we have "Donde liata usci," very nicely done. This is prettily sung, for the most part, with only a rare unpleasant sound intruding. Finally, from "Turandot," "Signore ascolta." This is a smoothly sung version. From this CD, it is clear that Caballe can sing Puccini very well indeed. There is a nice piano high note at the close.

So, Caballe is clearly an excellent soprano although not, in my judgment, among the "all time greats."

A great Caballe cd at a bargin price!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1.......2005-12-23

I love this cd.I've been playing it often for three years.Included here are a selection of arias from Caballe's greatest complete recordings,as well as a few selections from her solo puccini arias cd.This is a great starter cd for someone who is curious about Caballe's art.All the selections on Diva,effortlessly demonstrate the supreme beauty of the Caballe sound.On this cd are definitive selections from Don Carlo,Macbeth,Tosca,and many more.Most of these arias she sings here are the most beautiful editions in recorded history.In Un macchia e qui tutta'ora from Macbeth she even sings like a dramatic soprano with extraordinary power,I feared for her vocal chords,and yes the beautiful sound was still there.She even ended the Macbeth aria with an ultra high pianissimo,high d flat.All the tracks are first rate.Great picture of Caballe on the cover too.

This is one of the first caballe cds I bought,and I still feel it makes a nice demonstration of the legendary caballe sound.This cd is full of examples of why caballe is considered by many to have the most beautiful voice in opera history.The selection from don carlos has a ends with a stunningly beautiful pianissimo,on non pianger,mia compagna.And her signore ascolta,is the most beautiful ever recorded ending with a 15 second high piannissimo,that has to be heard to be believed!

A Bit disappointed.......2003-10-15

I liked Caballe the minute I heard the two Liu arias in a Decca release. I found her voice sweet and her floating notes exceptional, yet I'm a little bit disappointed with this CD. I've bought this CD at least a month ago and have only listened to it once.

What I find distracting in this CD is the sloppiness in which she sung the arias. Upon listening to it, I keep wondering why she can't sound as wonderful as she did on that Decca CD that I heard her in. Part of the reason I guess is that I find other sopranos to sing some of this repertoire much better than Caballe. Apart from the aria in Turandot, I find Tebaldi to be a better puccinian, while I like a true coloratura or a dramatic in the other roles. Even her one Liu aria in this CD is not as good as the one I've owned, again sloppiness.

The high notes are another problem. She sounds excellent when she floats them, but when she sung them in full voice they sounded more like screams. I just couldn't get over these two humps in which a soprano of her caliber should not have done.

Better luck next time I guess.

Bad sound :((((.......2001-03-07

The selection is very good, i just love her L'altra notte in fondo al mare but.... there's a noise, in my cd player i can't hear it, but when i hear it out loud it's unbearable! Barely can hear the orchestra.Montserrat is one of the best sopranos EVER in my opinion, but i would have saved my money to other cd

Voice from heaven!.......2000-12-22

This is a wonderful collection of arias and a marvellous introduction to the World of Montserrat Caballe, indisputably among the most beautiful soprano voices I've ever heard! Amazing legatos, perfect endings and unbelievable pianissimos(listen to "o patria mia"). One does usually not expect high powerful notes from Montserrat Caballe. I must however say that this is not always the case. A lot of times this woman surprises me and produces some trully enchanting high notes! Even though she is not my most favourite Puccinian soprano (it's Renata Tebaldi), her arias in these operas are ravishing! Just listen to her "signore Ascolta".On the other hand, I adore her and find her really unforgettable when it comes to Donizetti, Bellini and sometimes Verdi. Especially some of her recordings of their operas are a must for every true opera fan. (for example her Lucrezia Borgia, her Norma and her Aida). Even if an aria is a bit boring, she manages to enrich it with her personal touch that makes the aria unforgettable!The touch that only the melting, creamy voice of Montserrat has.If you want to find out why Montserrat Caballe is one of the greatest sopranos of the world, here's the proof.

Average customer rating:

Carulli, the Master of Sweetness!

Carulli: Music For Flute & Guitar

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000026EK
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Concerto For Flute, Guitar & Orchestra In G Major: I. Allegro
Concerto For Flute, Guitar & Orchestra In G Major: II. Tema con variazioni; III. Allegro
Duo For Flute & Guitar, OP. 104, No. 1 In D Major: I. Larghetto; II. Poco allagretto
Fantasy For Flute & Guitar, Op. 337 In G Major: Largo assai- Larghetto- Piu animato- Cantabile- Variazioni
Nocturne For Flute & Guitar, Op. 190 In A Major: Intoduzione: Largo- Alla polacca- Largo- Tempo primo (Alla polacca)
Duo For Flute & Guitar, Op. 104, No. 3 In C Major: I. Largo - II. Allegretto

Customer Reviews:

Carulli, the Master of Sweetness!.......2007-02-22

One just has to love Ferdinando Carulli. My love affair with his music started when I learned to play guitar as a teenager, on my own, from his "Guitar Method". The story that I have heard is that Carulli wrote his "Guitar Method" for a pretty student of his, who, however, was short on talent. He thus made even the simplest exercise sound very melodic, romantic, and sweet.
I have several recordings of Carulli's music, all of which I adore, but this one is quite unique, since it portrays flute. Carulli conveys "Italianate lyricism, mixed with joie de vivre and tendresse", in the words of the author of the booklet, which comes with the CD.
Jean-Pierre Rampal's flute is appropriately sweet, romantic, very lyric, but also playful. Alexandre Lagoya, guitar, is delicate, tender and gentle. As the record plays on, I imagine that I am strolling down some street in Italy and I begin to whistle along with the flute.
The selections on this CD are: "Concerto for flute, guitar and orchestra" in G Major, with Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, "Duo for flute and guitar", Op. 104, No. 1, in D Major, and No. 3, in C Major, "Fantasy for Flute and Guitar", Op. 337, on themes from Bellini's "Il pirata" (this is where one wants to whistle), and "Nocturne for flute and Guitar", Op. 190, in A Major.
You cannot go wrong with this most charming record!
I dedicate this review to my brother Vladimir, who is responsible for my introduction to guitar. As a teenager he traded an old bicycle chain for the guitar method, which he then gave to me. This is how it all started. Thank you, Vladimir!

Average customer rating:

Awesome!
Bizzare Liner
The PASSION of Callas
La Callas at her very best!
Awesome!

The Passion of Callas

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000DZGGR
Release Date: 2004-03-23

Tracks:

Una Voce Poco Fa
Merce, dilette Amiche
O Mio Babbino Caro
Si. Mi Chiamano Mimi
Gaultier Malde...Caro Nome
Ah, Fors'e Lui
Dov'e L'indina Bruna (Bell Song)
Un Bouquet !...Ah ! Je Ris (Jewel Song)
Samson, Recherchant Ma Presence...Amour ! Viens Aider Ma Faiblesse
L'amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle (Habanera)
Ah, Pour Ce Soir...Je Suis Titania (Polonaise)
Divinites Du Styx
Casta Diva
La Luce Langue
In Questa Reggia

Tracks:

Vissi D'arte
Un Bel Di Vedremo
Senza Mamma
Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana
La Mamma Morta
D'amor Sull'ali Rosee
Col Sorriso D'innocenza
Surta E La Notte...Ernani, ernani, Involami
Ritorna Vincitor!
Carreau! Pique! (Card Song)
In Quali Eccessi, O Numi!...Mi Tradi Quell'alma Ingrata
Tu Che Le Vanita
Suicidio!
Sola, Perduta, Abbandonata

Album Description

Limited edition double CD 2003 compilation from EMI with a slipcase.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome!.......2004-07-14

What a compilation! Like listening to an enraptured goddess! This is a must for every fan of great singing!

Bizzare Liner.......2004-06-27

I am a huge Callas fan and own most of her discography, both commercial and pirate/private. I only bought this collection for 2 arias I did not previously have on other recital/collection discs of hers - the jewel song from Faust and the aria from Alceste (in French).

As an introduction to Callas this CD is as good as any I guess. The liner notes are Bizarre though, linking each aria to Callas's personal life. Weird and pointless. Much more interesting would have been information about Callas relationship to the arias as an artiste. (not as a debutante or a divorcee or whatever... I repeat Weird!)

Anyway, I think to fully appreciate Callas's talent and her legacy, listening to a complete opera rather than a recital or compliation disc is a better idea. The studio recordings obviously have the best sound reproduction but some of the live recordings are terrifically exciting and capture something intangible which the studio does not.

Five suggestions for the Callas novice;

1953 Studio Tosca (careful, not the 1964 version!)
1953 Studio Cavelleria Rusticana (paired wth Pagliacci, a bonus but buy it for Cavelleria)
1955 Live Lucia di Lammermoor (performed in Berlin with Karajan conducting)
1955 Studio Rigoletto (Gobbi in the title role who was as talented a baritone as Callas was soprano. Gobbi is also in the above mentioned Tosca)
Norma - There are two studio versions and about 5 live versions - pick one, any one!

Cheers & Ciao

The PASSION of Callas.......2004-05-21

Callas wasn't only a beautiful, feminine woman but a superb singer. Here her very best recordings are put together with some lovely pictures. It's as essential as Sutherland's SUPREME "The art of the primadonna". Enjoy the recital of a lifetime!

La Callas at her very best!.......2004-05-20

You never heard this CD, did you? It's absolutely beautiful. BTW: Many called Amazon to have your nasty, against the guidelines reviews checked. Bashing isn't right, you'll learn that one day!

Awesome!.......2004-05-20

The former review was written a Callas-Basher who never heard Callas. Ignore him!

Average customer rating:

Il pirata: young Bellini's masterpiece
If You Don't Enjoy This Music, I'll Double Your Popcorn Back
THIS IS AN OPERA TO ENJOY LIFE
By far Caballe's best studio recording!
What a glorious production

Bellini: Il Pirata

Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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:

Bellini: Beatrice Di Tenda
Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Donizetti: Lucrezia Borgia
Bellini - I Capuleti e i Montecchi / Kasarova · Mei · Vargas · Chiummo · Alberghini · R. Abbado
Verdi - Don Carlo / Domingo · Caballé · Raimondi · Milnes · Verrett · Estes · Giulini

ASIN: B00001SVM2
Release Date: 2002-08-05

Tracks:

Il pirata: Sinfonia
Il pirata: Act One - Scene One: Ciel! qual procella orribile
Il pirata: Act One - Scene One: Nume, che imperi, che affreni il mare
Il pirata: Act One - Scene One: Coraggio! costanze! (Solitario)
Il pirata: Act One - Scene One: io vivo ancor! (Gualtiero, Solitario)
Il pirata: Act One - Scene One: Ascolta. Nel furor delle tempeste (Gualtiero, Solitario)
Il pirata: Act One - Scene One: Del disastro di questi infelici
Il pirata: Act One - Scene One: Per te di vane lagrine (Solitario, Gualtiero)
Il pirata: Act One - Scene One: Sorgete; e in me dover (Imogene)
Il pirata: Act One - Scene One: Lo sognai ferito, esangue (Imogene)
Il pirata: Act One - Scene One: Quando a un tratto il mio consorte (Imogene)
Il pirata: Act One - Scene One: Sventurata, anch'io deliro (Imogene)
Il pirata: Act One - Scene Two: Evviva! allegri!
Il pirata: Act One - Scene Two: Ebbeme?...Verra (Imogene)
Il pirata: Act One - Scene Two: Perche contanta io prendo
Il pirata: Act One - Scene Two: Se un giorno fia che ti tragga
Il pirata: Act One - Scene Two: Tu sciagurato! Ah! fuggi
Il pirata: Act One - Scene Two: Pietosa al padre!
Il pirata: Act One - Scene Two: Bafnato dalle lagriime d'un cor (Imogene, Gualtiero)
Il pirata: Act One - Scene Two: Grazie, pietoso ciel (Imogene)
Il pirata: Act One - Scene Three: Piu temuto, piu splendido nome
Il pirata: Act One - Scene Three: Si, vincemmo (Ernesto)
Il pirata: Act One - Scene Three: M'Abbraccia, o donna (Ernesto, Imogene, Solitario)
Il pirata: Act One - Scene Three: Il suo disegno (Imogene, Gualtiero, Ernesto, Solitario)
Il pirata: Act One - Scene Three: Parlarti ancor per poco
Il pirata: Act One - Scene Three: Ebben; cominci, o barbara
Il pirata: Act One - Scene Three: Ah! partiamo, i miei tormenti (Gualtiero, Ernesti, Imogene, Solitario)

Tracks:

Il pirata: Act Two - Scene One: Che rechi tu?
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene One: Vieni; Siam sole alfin (Imogene)
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene One: Arresta...Ognor mi fuggi!
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene One: Tu m'apristi in cor ferita
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene One: Ah! lo sento: fra poco disciolta
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene One: Che rechi? (Ernesto, Imogene)
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Two: Lasciami, forza umana non puo (Gualtiero)
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Two: Eccomi a te, Gualtiero (Imogene, Gualtiero)
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Two: Per noi tranquillo un porto
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Two: Crudele! e vuoi?
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Two: Parti alfine: il tempp vola (Gualtiero, Imogene, Ernesto)
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Two: Sventurata! fa core (Imogene)
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Three: Lasso! perir cosi
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Three: Giusto ciel! (Gualtiero)
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Three: Tu vedrai la scenturata (Gualtiero)
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Three: Gia s'aduna il gran sonsesso
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Three: (ma on fia sempre odiata (Gualtiero)
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Three: Udiste? E forza, amiche
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Three: Scena
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Three: Oh! s'io potessi sissipar le nubi
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Three: Col sorriso d'innocenza
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Three: Qual suono ferale echeggia (Imogene)
Il pirata: Act Two - Scene Three: Oh, Sole! ti vela tenebra fonda (Imogene)

Customer Reviews:

Il pirata: young Bellini's masterpiece.......2005-07-08

Il pirata was Bellini's first great success and don't think it is a work of a beginner. For me it is on the same level with his most famous operas. It even has something that his later operas don't. It is so dramatic and exciting from the beginning to the end! I don't know if you can find so many beautiful melodies in any other opera. Every scene is a hit. Just listen to "Nel furor delle tempeste", "Lo sognai ferito, esangue", or "Parlarti ancor per poco". His recitatives, ariosos and ensembles are sometimes even more interesting than his arias. I don't know why this opera doesn't belong to the standard repertory. Perhaps because it is almost unsingable.
But fortunately we have this wonderful recording conducted by Gavazzeni. Caballé (Imogene) and Cappuccilli (Ernesto) are simply excellent. Marti (Gualtiero) is not the greatest tenor in the world, but he is not bad at all and I am grateful to him that he sang this role to us. I don't know why other great tenors avoid it because it offers so much!
I think this recording is the best available. Callas in her live performance is dramatically more intense and sometimes even better but the other singers are not on her level and the opera is cut. The newer Aliberti recording has an interesting Gualtiero of Stuart Neill, but the others are not as great as here.

If You Don't Enjoy This Music, I'll Double Your Popcorn Back.......2003-11-16

In his short life, Bellini was a major innovator. He was the ONLY composer that Richard Wagner praised whole-heartedly (and deliberately imitated in his "long melodies"). The plot of IL PIRATA is about as stupid as any in all of opera, but its music is out of this world. Here and there, one hears passages that remind us that this is the person who composed the far better-plotted and, rightly, more famous opera NORMA. Forget about IL PIRATA's plot and immerse yourself in this amazing man's music.

THIS IS AN OPERA TO ENJOY LIFE.......2002-11-07

Actually, I love opera, although I am not an opera-goer. This opera is sung by Montserrat Caballé as Imogene, and her husband, Bernabé Martí, as Gualtiero. I saw her onstage at the Teatro Colón, in Buenos Aires, and if you want to know my opinion, her singing is so beautiful personally as it is in her recordings. In this, for example. You have to listen to it if you want to know who is Calla's best pupil. Just amazing.

By far Caballe's best studio recording!.......2002-03-25

I can't remember the last time I enjoyed Caballe so much! This is one of her favourite roles and we hear why. It is also an answer to those who say that she can't sing the high notes. Just listen to the way she ends the ensembles and eventually the entire opera. Sure, her highest notes are not as secure as Sutherland's or Callas' but I couldn't care less. I can't listen to the boring Sutherland for more than an aria / cabaletta and Callas' piano sounds like speaking although I admire them both. Montserrat here is simply unsurpassed, justifying her title as the last true diva. A voice so radiant, clear and beautiful we definitely miss today.

Il Pirata has so many beautiful moments that I cannot understand why it is neglected. Maria Callas revived the score in the late 50s but from extracts that I have heard she doesn't sound as involved and enchanting as Caballe. Next to Caballe here is, her husband if I'm not mistaken, Bernabe Marti. He is the only thing I don't like in this recording. He sounds monotonous and sings loud most of the time but one gets used to him after a while and then he's ok. What a pitty that Kraus (as in the Lucrezia Borgia set) or Bergonzi (as in the Traviata) could not be in this recording. Capuccilli is good, though not an expert in bel canto. Raimondi is better. Maestro Gavazzeni is a very fine conduct. Never trying to compete with the singers or overpower them.

On the whole, a lovely opera and an amazing performance by Montserrat Caballe.

What a glorious production.......2000-07-28

Despite some tessitura problems with Caballe and some ugly noises from hubby Berbie that should have been redone, this is the kind of exceptional production that reminds us that RAI can bowl us over with the real whiff of the opera house...from the studio.

The entire cast is amazingly on cue, rehearsed within an inch of its life by Gavazzeni, and the extraordinary contribution of the RAI Rome Orchestra is surrounded with some of the loveliest sound EMI ever came up with in an opera recording. The plot, full of intrigue and a wide emotional spectrum gave Verdi all kinds of room to move around and paint a great diorama for us to take in. Every artist has room for characterization and all parts show Verdi's loving attention. It amazes me that this great work isn't better known outside Italy. But, then again, Italy is swamped with so many beauties maybe she simply can't get around to sharing all of them.

Tracks:

Casta Diva...Fino Al Rito...Ah! Bello A Me Ritorna
Oh, Rimembranza!...Ah Si, Fa Core
Perfido! Or Basti!
Mira, O Norma...Cedi, Deh Cedi!...Si, Fino All'ore Estreme
In Mia Man Alfin Tu Sei
Deh! Non Volerli Vittime
Sorgete; E In Me Dover...Quando A Un Tratto - Various Artists
Ah! Lo Sento
Cedo Al Destin Orribile
Oh! S'io Potessi Dissipar Le Nubi...Col Sorriso D'innocenza..Oh, Sole! Ti Vela Di Tenebra Fonda

Tracks:

Care Compagne...Come Per Me Sereno...Sovra Il Sen
Son Geloso Del Zefiro Errante
D'Un Pensiero E D'un Accento...Non Piu Nozze - Various Artists
Ah! Non Credea Mirarti
Ah! Non Giunge
Regnava Nel Silenzio...Quando Rapito In Estasi
Qui Di Sposa...Verranno A Te
Soffriva Nel Pianto...Tu Che Vedi Il Pianto Mio
Chi Mi Frena - Various Artists
Il Dolce Suono...Ardon Gli Incensi...Spargi D'amaro Pianto - Various Artists

Tracks:

Dei Tuo figli...O Fatal Vello D'or
Creonte A Me Solo
E Che? Io Son Medea!
Come, Innocente Giovane...Non V'ha Sguardo
Io Sentii Sulla Mia Mano - Various Artists
Ove Sono?...In Quegli Sguardi Impresso...Ah! Segnata E La Mia Sorte - Various Artists
Va, Infelice
Fin Dall'eta Piu Tenera...Salira D'Inghilterra Sul Trono
Piangete Voi?...Al Dolce Guidami...Qual Mesto Suon?...Coppia Iniqua - Various Artists

Tracks:

Di Mio Padre...Deh! Pelopea Stirpe!...O Tu, Che In Tua Pieta Crudel
Sommi Dei!...O Sventurata Ifigenia
Il Voto Pago Andra...Io Ti Veggio
Ah! L'esecrando Rito...Io T'imploro Anelante
Di Quai Soavi Lagrime
Omai Da Lunge...Perche Di Stolto Giubilo
Donna...Che! Possente Numi!...Quest'alma E Troppo Debole
Ah! Fuggi Da Morte
Ecco Il Segnal!
Ecco L'orrido Campo...Ma Dall'arido Stela Divulsa
Teco Io Sto...O Qual Soave Brivido
A Tal Colpo...Morro, Ma Prima In Grazia

Tracks:

Libiamo, Ne' Lieti Calici
E Strano! E Strano...Ah! Fors'e Lui...Sempre Libera
Non Sapete...Ah! Dite Alla Giovine
Dammi Tu Forza, O Cielo!
Teneste La Promessa...Addio Del Passato
Ah, Violetta!...Se Una Pudica Vergine - Various Artists
Ritorna Vincitor!
Al Tuo Consiglio Io Cedo...Gloria All'egitto - Various Artists
Qui Radames Verra!...O Patria Mia
Ciel! Mio Padre!
O Terra, Addio

Tracks:

Nel Di Della Vittoria...Vieni! T'afferetta!...Or Tutti Sorgete
La Luce Langue
Una Macchia E Qui Tuttora
Gente La Dentro!...Mario! Mario!...Non La Sospiri, La Nostra Casetta
Orsu, Tosca, Parlate - Various Artists
Vissi D'arte
Senti, L'ora E Vicina...Amaro Sol Per Te...Presto! Su, Mario! - Various Artists
Ecco L'altare...Ervate Possente
Come Sa Amare!...La Mamma Morta
Benedico Il Destino! - Various Artists

Tracks:

Ben Io T'invenni...Anch'io Dischiuso Un Giorno (Abigaille, Act II)
Dov'e L'indiana Bruna? (Bell Song) (Lakme, Act II)
Tutte Le Torture (Costanze, Act II)
Ahime! Che Notte Oscura...Ombra Leggera (Shadow Song) (Dinorah, Act II)
Depuis Le Jour (Louise, Act III)
D'amore Al Dolce Impero (Armida, Act II)
Bel Raggio Lusinghier (Smiramide, Act I)
Ma Chi E Questa Bella...Ai Vostri Giochi...Ed Ora A Voi (Ofelia, Act IV)
Vanne, Lasciami...D'amor Sull'ali Rosee (Leonora, Act IV)
Pace, Pace, Mio Dio! (Leonora, Act IV)
Dolce E Calmo (Liebestod) Isolde, Act III)

Tracks:

Una Voce Poco Fa (Rosina, Act I)
Tu Che Vedi Il Mio Tormento (Tu Che Invoco) (Giulia, Act II)
Surta E La Notte...Ernani! Nernai, Involami (Elvira, Act I)
Tu Che Le Vanita (Elsabetta, Act IV)
Si. Mi Chiamano Mimi (Mimi, Act I)
L'altra Notte In Fondo Al Mare (Margherita, Act III)
L'amour Est Un Oiseau rebelle (Habanera) (Carmen, Act I)
Pres Des Remparts De Seville (Seguedille) (Carmen, Act I)
Nacqui All'affanno...Non Piu Mesta (Cenerentola, Act II)
Je Ne Suis Que Faiblesse...Adieu, Notre Petite Table (Manon, Act II)
Werther! Qui M'aurait Dit...Des Cris Joyeux (Charlotte, Act III)
Tu? Tu? Piccolo Iddio (Butterfly, Act II)
O Mio Babbino Caro (Lauretta)

Customer Reviews:

Just the best of the best........2006-02-08

From all the compilations of Maria Callas EMI has issued this is BY FAR the best one.

Unlike her studio recitals, unequal and mostly recorded when her voice was starting to decay, this live records take you back to the glorious early fifties when the young Callas was changing the history of opera forever.

The first 6 CD's are scenes from stage performances and the last 2 from recitals.

Chronollogically, this compilation starts with the legendary (and controversial) 1951 Mexico-City "Aida" and ends with the 1964 Covent Garden "Tosca" (when Callas' voice was just the shade of itself but at the peak of her dramatic skills).
Listen to the electrifying poetry of the 1952 "La sonnambula", to the devorating flame of 1955 "La traviata" and "Lucia". Not to forget the 1952 "Norma", the 1957 "Ana Bolena" and some rarities like "Andrea Chénier", "Ifigenia in Tauride" and "Poliuto".
The only great absent of this collection is "Armida"...

As for the the 2 recital CD's, the first one contains arias from concerts between 1952 and 1958, when Callas was in full command of her voice. Nobody else was capable of singing arias from Nabucco and Lakmé on the same recital! And listen to the last aria: Wagner's Isolde's dead.

The second one, contains arias from 1959 to 1963. Here, Callas voice had diminished considerably and she was not anymore capable of the same technical miracles, but she still managed to give thrilling dramatical interpretations (listen to the dead scene of Madama Butterfly of the 1963 Paris recital!!!)

In 80% of this compilation you can hear the young Callas creating her own legend, giving herself completly on the stage.

Average customer rating:

horrible album
Very well sung
A Decent Introduction to One of Today's Best Tenor's....
Don't pass this one by as just another tenor/aria indulgence
The most under-rated tenor of today

Marcello Giordani - Tenor Arias

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

$6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Marcello Giordani: Sicilia Bella
Joseph Calleja - Tenor Arias
Italian Songs for Tenor and Piano
Bel Canto: Arias by Bellini & Donizetti; Roberto Alagna
The Tenor's Passion

ASIN: B0000TSR0G
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Tracks:

Asile Hereditaire
Ah! Mes Amis, Quel Jour De Fete!
Un Ange, Une Femme Inconnue
Nel Furor Delle Tempeste
Per Te Di Vane Lagrime
Torna, Vezzosa Fillide (Chamber Aria)
Son Giunto!
La Fleur Que Tu M'avais Jetee
La Mia Letizia Infondere
Quando Le Sere Al Placido
Ah, Si, Ben Mio, Coll'essere
Di Quella Pira L'orrendo Foco
Mamma, Quel Vino E Generoso

Album Description

"Marcello Giordani sang like a god." (The New York Times) The Sicilian born tenor, Marcello Giordani, has garnered many accolades for his performances, which include Tosca, Un ballo in maschera, Eugene Onegin, La Damnation de Faust, La favorita, La bohème, Lucrezia Borgia and Verdi's Requiem. Emerging as one of the leading Romantic tenors of the present day, Marcello Giordani is in demand at the world's major opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, La Scala, Vienna, Zurich and Verona.

Customer Reviews:

horrible album.......2005-11-30

Giordani can be excellent in the theater, but this album seems to have caught him at a bad time. He always seems to be changing gears during his performances here. He seems to have several voices in each register and you don't know from one minute to the next what you are going to get. I found this album to be a very unpleasant listening experience and think it was a mistake for Giordani to let Naxos issue it.

If you want to hear a better performance by Giordani, pick up a copy of Verdi's Jerusalem on Philips which catches him in much better vocal estate.

Very well sung.......2005-09-29

This CD is well presented and the sound quality is OK. I say that because it still sounds like it was recorded from a distance, giving the impressions of not fully being there. The orchestra is led well, and the clarity of the various parts is perfectly balanced, as are the tempi chosen for the various selections. Giordani is a wonderful tenor (and I have to say, for NAXOS label, that is something, for as a rule, I really don't enjoy many of the tenors they select for various projects, though a few really fine ones do turn up from time to time), and like so many have stated, so underrated. His production is not perfect, and there are times his held higher notes wobble more than have a finely handled vibrato. However, that is not problematic to enjoying the music. I find it sad that the selections were edited, by that I mean, in the aria and scene from Rossini's William Tell we only get the cabaletta with chorus once. I love that piece and I think the repeat is very exciting. He manages the High C's so wonderfully that a repeat (so we hear all 9 high C's written) would have been simply wonderful. I was also impressed with how he handled the terribly difficult aria from Bellini's I Pirata, which was written for the great Rubini (who also created the horribly high and difficult tenor role of Arturo in I Puritani, going to a top F, of course, he sang NONE Of those notes from the chest as we hear them here, all were sung in a falsetto) and sung the high D's masterfully. I stress he SANG them because often they are so pushed out by other tenors they are a strain to even listen to.

I never found Giordani straining for anything, but I did find that there were times he seemed to be feeling the music one way, and the conductor felt it differently. There were times I really felt he wanted to "pause" on a note, to draw out a phrase (and in each case I felt this he would have been completely correct to do such a thing), but the conductor was more intent on moving ahead. Those moments gave the impression he was rushed beyond his resources.

Giordani NEVER forces his sound, which is refreshing to hear, but it has presence, it has that something that does command attention. That is why I am so mystified with why we have heard so little, or nearly nothing of him. His voice is extremely pleasing. The balance between his well-developed lower tones and the blend from them to his highest tones is very excellent. His voice doesn't "drop off" as many tenors do when they are approaching the lowest notes in this music. So many tenors have wonderful top notes but virtually no bottom ones. Giordani, on the other hand, has a well developed lower range that carries well, is almost baritonal, but not really, never throaty or husky like some dramatic tenors, and never weak and wimpy like other very strong top note tenors. His voice blends perfectly from one register to the other. There is complete balance in his voice. He uses volume in a very musical way knowing just went to diminish a tone and when to let it pour forth in all its splendor. He is not stuck on simply singing super loudly all the time, or whisper singing to sound delicate and sweet. His musicality is tremendous. He also has sung a long time, and the voice is not as fresh as perhaps it was near the beginning (but it is NOT in decline).

I rated this recording only a 4 because of the basic sound quality. I really hate recordings where I have to turn up the volume to get the real "feel" of the music. Sometimes with NAXOS one is forced to play their recordings at a much higher volume to feel part of the music, to feel the "presence" of the sound. I really don't like that. I should be able to hear that even at a very low level of sound. One could with the old recordings back in the days of Decca and Curshaw engineering things, in many of the older recordings for the 60's. The energy of the performance came through loud and clear. It doesn't in this recording, and it is not the fault of the singer or the orchestra or the skills of the conductor. It is fully the skills of the technicians.

A Decent Introduction to One of Today's Best Tenor's...........2004-10-29

Though he has been singing professionally for nearly twenty years now, Marcello Giordani has only recently "come into his own" as a tenor. Part of this, I believe, is the lack of hype surrounding him and lack of an exclusive recording contract. While recordings by the likes of Bocelli, Alagna, Cura, and Alvarez flood the CD stores, Giordani's output has been minimal. This is quite unfortunate because, for the most part, Marcello Giordani is better than these singers.
This disc serves as a good introduction to the wonderfully warm and versatile vocie of this Sicilian tenor. He is not necessarily heard at his best here, though. Some of this may have to do with the fact that it was recorded rather quickly at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo. While it's nice that the CD has a sort of "live" quality to it, Giordani too often sounds rushed and labored. Still, there are moments to here treasure.
Having seen most of his recent triumphs in New York City over the last couple of years (ADRIANA LECOUVREUR, IL PIRATA & LA GIOCONDA) I feel that his voice is best appreciated live. There are moments where he definitely comes up short on this recording, but there are two major exceptions: the aria from CARMEN and the aria from IL TROVATORE.
Giordani has always professed his love for singing French opera, and that is quite evident with the CARMEN excerpt. It is sung sweetly and with the final high note is right on the mark.
While it may be too soon for Giordani to tackle the role of Manrico in IL TROVATORE, his "Ah! Si Ben Mio" is absolutely perfect and I can safely say that I haven't heard this aria sung that well in quite some time.
While he does well with most of the other pieces on this disc, he won't exactly make you forget any other singers takes on them.
I admire NAXOS for releasing a CD of this tremendously underrated singer, however Giordani deserves even more. One hopes that a recording contract is in the works for him and listeners can then get an even better taste of this great voice.
Those who live in the New York area will have the chance this season to see him at the MET in two of his best roles: Gustavo in UN BALLO IN MASCHERA and Cavaradossi in TOSCA. This will be a way to hear this great singer at his best.

Don't pass this one by as just another tenor/aria indulgence.......2004-02-09

It took a couple of years to be released but finally it's here and well worth the wait. Giordani's voice embraces fluidly the Italian as well as the French. His flexibility is astounding with no perception of a struggle to attain those notes, high and low. Equally wonderful is Steven Mercurio's always "note-worthy" orchestrations. Mercurio's arrangement of Track 6 and Giordani's excellent vocals, make this a standout on the CD. Another favorite is Bizet's "La fleur..." Giordani's voice really shines in this piece with sweet passion from start to finish. As a whole this CD is full of great music. Every track is a gem. I look forward to future works from both Giordani and Mercurio. Superb CD!

The most under-rated tenor of today.......2003-12-10

When you hear the seemingly endless "fourth tenor" talk, you rarely hear the name Marcello Giordani. This is both good and bad. The good part is that every artist needs to be appreciated as an individual, not simply as a "second XYZ tenor". Another good aspect is that given the context of this discussion, we probably will not see Giordani making a foray into the glitzy world of pop music. The bad part, though, is that the man and his art are not well known on this side of the Atlantic safe for the recent run of "Eugeny Onegin" at the MET. There are precious few commercial recordings available with him, a notable exception being recently released complete "Jerusalem" under Luisi.
So it's a small miracle of sorts that we're able to get this CD, and at an extremely low price.
The voice itself never fails to impress. It has a marvelous bronze ring and a well-focused top, with velvety "baritonal" timbre. It pleasantly reminded this listener of young Jose Carreras. This is a voice that's perfect for early Verdian romantic hero roles, as well as the roles of bel-canto repertoire. This disc, therefore, is a showcase for Giordani's skill in these areas since Verdi, Bellini, and Rossini are prominently featured. Do not delay in getting this CD, this is a tenor you have to hear.

Average customer rating:

Only Caballé

Manufacturer: Bmg Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00008HATV
Release Date: 2003-05-20

Tracks:

Mi Chiamano Mimi
Vissi D'Arte
Libiamo Ne'Lieti Calici (Brindisi)
Addio Del Passato
Egli Non Riede Ancora!
Merce, Dilette Amiche
Casta Diva
Col Sorriso D'Innocenza
Com'e Bello!
Havvi Un Dio
Inflammatus Et Accensus

Tracks:

Habanera
Io Son L'Umile Ancella
Qual Fiamma - Avea Nel Guardo!
Intermezzo Sinfonico
Barcarolle: Belle Nuit
Air De La Lettre: Mon Cher Amant
Im Chambre Separee
Duett Papageno-Papagena: Pa-Pa-Pa...
Tanz Der Sieben Schleier
Ah! Du Wolltest Mich Nicht Deinen Mund
Sie Ist Ein Ungeheuer, Deini Tochter
Ah! Ich Habe Deinen Mund Gekusst

Average customer rating:

Callas fan
Callas from the vaults
Maria Callas In Great Studio Voice Rarities

The EMI Rarities

Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Callas, Maria | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Verdi: I Vespri Siciliani
Verdi: La Forza Del Destino (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Richard Tucker, Tullio Serafin, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan
Bellini: La Sonnambula (complete opera live 1957) with Maria Callas, Nicola Zaccaria, Antonino Votto, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

ASIN: B000002SA7
Release Date: 1998-01-20

Tracks:

Don Giovanni: Non mi dir (Atto II.) (Take 1)
Don Giovanni: Non mi dir (Atto II.) (Take 2)
Macbeth: Una macchia e qui tuttora (Atto IV)
Semiramide: Bel raggio lusinghier (Atto 1)
I Vespri Siciliani: Arrigo! ah, parli a un core (Atto 4)
Lucrezia Borgia: Tranquillo ei posa... Com'e bello (Atto 1)
Guglielmo Tell: S'allontanano alfine...Selva opaca (Atto 2)
Semiramide: Bel raggio lushinghier (Atto 1)
Il pirata: Sorgete...Lo sognai ferito, esangue (Atto1)

Tracks:

Don Carlo: O don fatale (Atto IV)
La Cenerentola: Nacqui all'affanno...Non piu mesta (Atto II)
Oberon: Ocean! Thou Mighty Monster (Act II)
Aida: Pur ti riveggo, mia dolce Aida (Atto III)
l Lombardi alla prima crociata: Te, Vergin santa (Atto I)
Il Trovatore: Vanne...D'amor sull'ali rosee (Atto IV)
l vespri siciliani: Arrigo! ah, parli a un core (Atto IV)
Attila: Liberamente or piangi (Atto 1)
l Lombardi alla prima crociata: Te, Vergin santa (Atto 1)

Customer Reviews:

Callas fan.......2006-08-25

I bought this CD as a gift for my opera buff son, who is a Callas fan. He said the CD had some tracks that he did not have and it was a valuable addition to his collection.

Callas from the vaults.......2006-07-16

This anthology (released in 1997) is a compilation of material from the vaults of EMI, some of it released for the very first time, and all, except the "Macbeth" Sleepwalking scene, after Callas had died. In other words, material that Callas did not approve for release. In the case of the "Macbeth" aria, it was discovered that the closing section on the mono vesrion differed slightly from the stereo version, and was interesting enough to publish separately. In this case the difference, is very slight. We do hear Lady Macbeth moving off into the distance in this version, but otherwise it is as excellent and inimitable as the stero version. Indeed, no other Lady Macbeth comes within a mile of Callas's dramatic insight and musical perspicacity.
For the rest, we have Callas in variable voice, not surprising as there is a 16 year gap between the first and last of these recordings. We have both test versions of Donna Anna's "Non mi dir" from "Don Giovanni". These were made just prior to her first studio recording of "Lucia di Lammermoor", and were made to give the engineers a feel for the voice. Differences between the two performance are again slight, the miking being slightly more becoming in the second version. In both versions, Callas sails through the aria as if it was the easiest thing in the world (it isn't) and gives the lie to people who say she couldn't sing Mozart. Her legato in the first part of the aria is, as usual, perfection, the breath control prodigious, and of course the coloratura of the second part holds no terrors for her whatsoever. Moreover, she invests the notes with a character lacking in many other versions of this aria. After all the words are "Perhaps someday Heaven will take pity on me", sentiments often forgotten by sopranos wishing to show off their technique.
The rest of this disc is taken up with alternative takes of material, that were released during Callas's lifetime. The majority is from sessions recorded between 1960 and 1961 with Antonio Tonini conducting. Though she is in fesher voice here, than she was when she re-recorded them with Nicola Rescigno, the later verions are often preferable, being more committed. However I do prefer the version of Cenerentola's aria published here to the one that eventually appeared on her Rossini/Donizetti Arias disc.
You will probably want to know about the "Aida" scene with Corelli. To be honest, I found this vocally rather trying, though certain things, like the insinuating way, she sings "se tu m'ami" are incomparable. Corelli is in terrific voice, making one regret that he wasn't used on Callas's complete set, recorded 10 years before. The biggest surprise is the last 3 arias, recorded in 1969, 4 years after Callas's last stage appearances. The "Vespri Siciliani" and "Attila" arias are actually preferable to the 1965 takes, both sung more smoothly and with lovely, gentle tone. The tessitura of the "Lombardi" troubles her more, and this is rather trying to listen to.
However, when genius is involved, as it most definitely is here, then we can make allowances. Callas's musical and dramatic instincts never let her down, even when her voice does. We will never hear her like again, and we are the richer for having these performances, even if the diva herself would have prefered us not to hear them.

Maria Callas In Great Studio Voice Rarities.......2005-05-16

What year was this recording made ? She sings arias from great operas with the Paris Opera orchestra. EMI did much for distributing Callas records during the post World War II Era and culminating in the late 70's. Maria Callas continues to be a much talked about opera singer, and were she alive today, she'd revel in it, even in the mixed praises. For some, Callas had a big voice, no doubt, but it was "ugly" (actual quote), it was wobbly, it was choked, it was forced, as if she were dying. But that's only because Callas found that opera was a passion, and it was indeed a matter of life and death for her. Opera was her life and it was her death. She lost her voice in the 70's, her illustrious career, which read like that of a Hollywood movie star- complete with Audrey Hepburn image- ended in a disastrous concert in Japan. She died in 1977 in her Paris apartment, almost like Violetta in the last act of La Traviata. In this recording, we find her in great voice, though I'm no expert on Callas. Most collect the earliest recorded material- 40's and 50's. In concert in Paris, we find she has a vast repertoire and glorious dramatic technique. "Ocean, Thy Might Monster" she sings in its original English, with excellent English diction and powerful lungs. She sings "O Don Fatale" from Verdi's Don Carlo, a role that is usually given to dramatic mezzo-sopranos. But her interpretation takes the crown. An aria from Aida, "Non mi dir" from Don Giovanni, sounding graceful and tortured as Dona Ana pleads with her fiance to be patient with her, for she is still in mourning for her dead father. Everything on here is a string of pearls and all fans will not regret owning this album. Thank you EMI for giving us the great singers on record.