Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas

Dido and Aeneas, opera, Z. 626
Composed by Henry Purcell
Performed by Collegium Musicum 90
with James Bowman, Mary Plazas, Pamela Helen Stephen, Patricia Rozario, Jamie MacDougall, Maria Ewing, Karl Daymond, Sally Burgess, Rebecca Evans
Conducted by Richard Hickox

Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas,Karl Daymond,Henry Purcell,Richard Hickox,James Bowman,Pamela Helen Stephen,Sally Burgess,Collegium Musicum 90,Mary Plazas,Patricia Rozario,Rebecca Evans,Jamie MacDougall,Maria Ewing,Chandos,British Baroque Opera,Classical,Classical Music,Opera

Average customer rating:

This is a great album
Great CD
Hooked
Not bad, vocals are severely lacking however
EAST VILLAGE OPERA CO.

The East Village Opera Company

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000AMJE3W
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Tracks:

Overture (Redux)
Nessun Dorma (Redux)
Flower Duet (Redux)
La Donna E Mobile (Redux)
Un Bel Di (Redux)
Au Fond Du Temple Saint (Redux)
O Mio Babbino Caro (Redux)
Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana (Redux)
Che Gelida Manina (Redux)
Habanera (Redux)
When I Am Laid Earth (Redux)
E Lucevan Le Stelle (Redux)

Customer Reviews:

This is a great album.......2007-04-26

I never liked opera before. I guess it's all about how the music is presented. The performances are top-notch, and taken from real operatic classics, but the way it is done makes it very nice to listen too. If you can only get one album of this genre, this is the one to get!!!!

Great CD.......2007-03-16

I enjoy this different kind of opera music. Very nice and still giving you the feeling of the opera it self but in more modern way.

Hooked.......2007-03-15

I love this CD. I have it in my car, and now know practically all of the Italian words by heart. Infectious and uplifting. Good tears and fun listening.

Not bad, vocals are severely lacking however.......2007-02-28

I love music. I especially love classical music. When I find musicians who have taken classical music and presented it in a new way, I'm always excited. EVOC has done exactly that with these tried-and-true opera classics. The orchestrations are wonderful and the musicians obviously very talented. The vocalists, however, sometimes really don't deliver. All in all, it's a fun CD and I will certainly enjoy listening to it again and again.

EAST VILLAGE OPERA CO........2007-02-13

I SAW THEM ON T.V. AND HAD TO HAVE IT - JUST A REFRESHING TREATMENT POF OPERA

Purcell: Dido and Aeneas / James, Lewis, Baker, Herincx

Average customer rating:

Gorgeous performance, richly reproduced
After the Puritans England rediscovers music, singing and drama
What the hell
A Performance Resonating With Emotional Intensity
INFANDUM, REGINA, IUBES RENOVARE DOLOREM (Aeneid 2/3)

Purcell: Dido and Aeneas / James, Lewis, Baker, Herincx

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Essential Purcell
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Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
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ASIN: B00004C8TE
Release Date: 2000-04-11

Tracks:

Dido and Aeneas: Overture
Dido and Aeneas: Act One: Shake The Cloud From Off Your Brow
Dido and Aeneas: Act One: Ah! Belinda, I Am Prest With Torment
Dido and Aeneas: Act One: Whence Could So Much Virtue Spring?
Dido and Aeneas: Act One: Fear No Danger To Ensue
Dido and Aeneas: Act One: See, Your Royal Guest Appears
Dido and Aeneas: Act Two: Prelude For The Witches - Wayward Sisters
Dido and Aeneas: Act Two: Ruin'd Ere The Set Of Sun?
Dido and Aeneas: Act Two: Ritornelle - thanks To these Lonesome Vales
Dido and Aeneas: Act Two: Oft She Visits This Lone Mountain
Dido and Aeneas: Act Two: Behold, Upon My Bending Spear
Dido and Aeneas: Act Two: Stay, Prince, And Hear Great Jove's Command
Dido and Aeneas: Act Three: Prelude - Come Away, Fellow Sailors
Dido and Aeneas: Act Three: See The Flags And Streamers Curling
Dido and Aeneas: Act Three: Your Counsel All Is Urg'd In Vain
Dido and Aeneas: Act Three: But Death, Alas! ... When I Am Laid In Earth
Dido and Aeneas: Act Three: With Drooping Wings Ye Cupids Come

Customer Reviews:

Gorgeous performance, richly reproduced.......2007-05-13

The piece is a treasure; the singers, legends; and the recording is exquisite in recreating this hallmark performance. Alive with a depth of feelings...love's vulnerability and worries, evil's powerful delusions, the pain of parting and death..,

Simple and profound, this remarkable recording plucks the strings of our sweetest humaness.

After the Puritans England rediscovers music, singing and drama.......2006-12-20

England is finally getting out of her puritan revolution, her puritan sixty or eighty years and the Stuarts are back for a short while and finally the Glorious Revolution brings freedom in 1688, a freedom the English haven't had for a long time, especially after the plague had desertified London in 1665 and then the Great Fire had cleaned up the dirty plate that looked more like a trashcan or a giant hearse in 1666. Life can finally come back and be enjoyed. So they reopen the theatres and they start looking for new shows. They sure are pushed towards the French style of the Great Century of the Sun King by the Stuarts coming back from their golden exile in Paris. But that is not enough to give these new generations of artists an inspiration, or even a style. They go back to Marlowe and Shakespeare and they rediscover Dido and Aeneas, Venus and Adonis, and so many other Midsummer Night Dream that they may call the Fairy Queen. They also need a new form, a new genre to celebrate this newly reacquired liberty and they invent the semi-opera. Dido and Aeneas is one of the best in this line. The story comes from Ancient times and Vergil. Dido was also a heroin in Ovid's poetry and in a tragedy by Marlowe. Perfect indeed, and Purcell reinvents the Queen of Carthage. We can only have the music on this CD and these songs, arias and choruses are nothing but intermezzos in a big play intersperced with ballet pieces, operatic songs and other interludes. That is a semi-opera. Today we have more or less forgotten that there was a tragedy behind and that this genre was the invention of the opera in England, since England had never had operas. Purcell was the pioneer and Handel will be the great master after him who will finally reach the full form of the opera and give it a completely new dimension. Purcell is of course at his best in this music. Very clear voices constrasting and complementing one another marvellously though he has not yet understood what he could do with contraltos and countertenors. The female contralto is the sorceress and the male countertenor is some spirit and false messenger, in other words both are secondary characters. We will have to wait for Handel who will make the countertenor, or male alto the main hero in some of his operas like Saul for instance. Moreover the instruments are light, very light and splendidly full of genius and great art, the best mention having to be addressed to the archlute that is fingerpicked as if it were prefiguring the yet to come guitars, thus contrasting with the traditional use of the other strings with a bow. Purcell is a great composer that can bring together many instruments who remain, each one of them, perfectly free and particular, never getting merged into some kind of mash. This art is supposed to serve the drama, the tragedy. The escaping Aeneas arrives shipwrecked in Carthage. He accepts and uses Dido's love for him to reconstruct his fleet and try to fly away. Dido is naive and does not count on the sorceress's hatred for her and these infamous witches are going to plan Aeneas departure. And yet Dido will grant Aeneas his leave just before flinging herself into a pyre and dying in the flames. We can imagine the feelings at the time. The Puritans were finally forgotten and rejected and we could celebrate love affairs, ancient pagan fables, suicides, witches and sorceresses, spirits and other supernatural beings. And what's more we could enjoy it, dance and get thrilled with this story. Dances are even punctuating the tragedy, furies, sailors and witches don't hesitate to spin a couple of measures for our pleasure. And Dido as a mezzosoprano reminds us of the dramatic and tragic plot that lurks behind the beautiful front with a deep and grave lamenting coloration of her words and her voice contrasts so well with the egoistic and vain tenor that Aeneas is. Purcell managed to stage the revival of English music and drama with the saddest of all love drama. Irony of the artist in times of woe and joy at the same time. We must not forget how Queen Mary only reigned six years, ravaged and killed by some disease, uncurable in those days. Dido first produced at the very time of the Glorious Revolution will be reproduced some six years or so after Queen Mary's death, conveying thus some mourning, some dirge in remembrance of this deeply loved Queen.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Paris Dauphine & University of Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne

What the hell.......2006-05-25

Look at the prices on the Used section. It is ridiculous. This is a great recording. Get it quick.

A Performance Resonating With Emotional Intensity.......2005-11-26

Janet Baker's performance of Dido's Lament is absolutely stunning in its emotional intensity and would be enough to make this performance unforgettable. But there is more to commend this recording. Baker's vocal clarity, and of all of the other characters, is another outstanding feature of this CD. The chorus is first-rate throughout this recording, especially at the end, as they sing, "With drooping wings ye Cupids come, and scatter roses on her tomb . . . " Although another reviewer has commented that he finds Raimund Herincx's voice as Aeneas too gruff, I find powerful, moving, and thoroughly convincing, as when he lowers his voice and sings in a voice that is anything but gruff, "but with more ease could die."

It's true, as one of the other reviewers comments, that there is something about Monica Sinclair's voice and enunciation as the Sorceress that reminds one a bit of the Wicked Witch of the West and gives her performance an air of contrived theatricality, making her supposed malevolence less than convincing. But the other aspects of this performance are so outstanding that this one reservation is not enough to lower my rating below a 5.

The performance of the English Chamber Orchestra and of Thurston Dart on harpsichord are also of the highest quality.

The quality of the sound from this analog recording made in 1961 is outstanding; the sound engineers who have made this 24-bit digital remastering are truly to be commended.

The CD booklet contains photos of Janet Baker and Raimund Herincx, the entire libretto, and two well-written and informative essays, the first by Alan Blyth on Janet Baker, with an analysis of her singing, and the second by one of the original performers on this recording, Thurston Dart (harpsichord), on the story and music of this beautiful opera.
Very highly recommended.

INFANDUM, REGINA, IUBES RENOVARE DOLOREM (Aeneid 2/3).......2001-10-03

I can't recommend this strongly enough to music-lovers who, like me, are not very well up in 17th century composers.

First, this opera has a good strong, clear libretto. The story moves fast, the characters and situations are strongly delineated and contrasted, the sense of developing tragedy is powerful and moving. Purcell's Dido has has the stature of Virgil's
--- regina graui iamdudum saucia cura ---
--- the queen long since wounded with a heavy care
a queen and a strong woman driven to suicide by a betrayed love, the part grandly realised by Baker. Herincx has the right idea of Aeneas too, big and 'heroic' despite needing only token prompting from the powers above to abandon Dido and anything she might have meant to him. Virgil's malevolent Juno is replaced by a stagy cast of witches and whatnot, and rightly so for greater theatricality. (I'm OK by staginess and exaggeration here.)

Tracks:

Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol. 5: Welcome, Welcome Glorious Morn. Symphony And Opening Chorus
Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol. 3: Be Welcome Then, Great Sir
Complete Secular Solo Songs Vol.1: Oh, Fair Cedaria
The Choir Of The King's Consort: Hear My Prayer, O Lord
Great Baroque Arias: When I Am Laid In Earth ('Dido's Lament')
Complete Anthems And Services Vol.1: Let Mine Eyes Run Down With Tears (Part 1)
Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.4: The Sparrow And The Gentle Dove
Complete Secular Solo Songs Vol.1: If Music Be The Food Of Love (First Setting)
Complete Anthems And Services Vol.5: Rejoice In The Lord Always ('The Bell Anthem')
Complete Anthems And Services Vol.3: Hosanna To The Highest
Complete Anthems And Services Vol.7: Thou Knowest, Lord, The Secrets Of Our Hearts
Mr. Henry Purcell's Most Admirable Composures: Fairest Isle, All Isles Excelling
Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.6: Mark, How Readily Each Pliant String
Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.8: Sound The Trumpet
Complete Secular Solo Songs Vol.3: She Loves And She Confesses Too
Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.8: O How Blest Is The Isle
Complete Anthems And Services Vol.3: Remember Not, Lord, Our Offences
Complete Anthems And Services Vol. 11: An Evening Hymn
Complete Church Music Vol.2: Vouchsafe, O Lord, To Keep Us This Day
Complete Odes And Welcome Songs Vol.2: With Rapture Of Delight... Hail Bright Cecilia

Amazon.com essential recording

The "Essential" Purcell? Well, you could get a bunch of critics to argue about that for a few days, but in the meantime, here is a sampler of highlights from the King's Consort's three admirable Purcell series: the Complete Odes and Welcome Songs, Complete Anthems and Services, and Complete Secular Solo Songs. There are, of course, some of Purcell's most-performed pieces (which probably are "essential"): Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas, "Sound the trumpet" from Come, ye sons of Art, Rejoice in the Lord alway (the "Bell Anthem," named for the string figure at the opening that sounds like pealing bells), the gently patriotic "Fairest isle, all isles excelling" (sung by a miscast James Bowman), and a selection from the funeral music for Queen Mary. There are also some delightful surprises--particularly among the little-known secular songs and church music. The plaintive "O fair Cedaria" gets a lovely performance by Barbara Bonney (a singer not usually associated with Purcell); tenor Rogers Covey-Crump (possibly the ideal high tenor for Purcell) sings the enchanting "If music be the food of love"; the church anthems "Let mine eyes run down with tears" and "Remember not, O Lord, our offences" have some startling harmonies as daring as any Monteverdi ever wrote. If you're unfamiliar with Purcell, this reasonably priced disc is a good place to start exploring without a big initial investment. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Mad about Baroque.......2007-02-12

This is a terrific CD. The music is breathtaking. Just buy IT !!!!!

The beauty of the songs brings tears to my eyes.......2002-08-21

Absolutely beautiful baroque music! The arrangament, singing and instrumentation is superb. It is too bad that Henry Purcell is not as widely known as Bach, because he should be recognized equally well."The Sparrow and the Gentle dove" is alone worth the price of the album! I can not stop playing it!

Brilliant.......2001-10-31

Like in his renditions of Handel's oratorios, Robert King manages to bring a freshness and strenght to Purcell's music that I had seldom heard before. This CD also features some of the best performers of early music in the world. My favourite tracks are Oh, Fair Cedaria, sung by the multi-talented Barbara Bonney; Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas, sung by Gillian Fisher; She Loves and she Confesses too, sung by the wonderful Susan Gritton; and Welcome, Welcome Glorious Morn, sung by Rogers Covey-Crump. The only track I didn't find absolutely wonderful is Fairest Isle, sung here by James Bowman. Don't get me wrong, I generally love Mr Bowman, I think that his performance in Mr Purcell's Most Admirable Composures (also conducted by Robert King) makes it another essential Purcell recording; but I find that Fairest Isle was much better done elsewhere, particularly by Christopher Hogwood and Barbara Bonney.

These songs aren't only beautiful, they're also poignant, sweet and unpretentious. I think that it will be very clear to anyone who listens to this recording that Mr Purcell was one of the finest composers that ever lived.

Be Welcome then, great Sirs (and Mesdames)........2001-10-20

If anyone has benefitted from the reversion in the last three or so decades to period instruments and historical reconstruction, it is Henry Purcell. Before, he was merely great, the peerless word-setter in the English language, a virtuoso of boundless range, a professional composer whose offical commissions were always imbued with personality and invention. But period instrumentation has added to this a greater depth, an other-worldly texture of sound. With his intricate, multi-part vocal writing, his preference for low, rumbling instruments such as the bass viol and the strange and remarkable theorbo, as well as his often sombre and low-key subject matter and treatment, Purcell creates a round, glowing, humming sound as pregnantly full as dub reggae.

This has an extraordinary effect on the listener. Whereas Bach, with his mathematical abstractions, sounds universal and timeless, Purcell's music takes the listener back 300 years, back to different ways of thinking about, feeling about and addressing things we still think etc. about today - death, love, friendship. The emotion is timeless, but the music's beauty is alien, THEIRS, hence its preciousness.

A lot of intelligence has gone into the unity of this compilation, beginning with two Welcomes (to the dawn and to the listener, in this case a King), and ending with thoughts of evening, death and a Baroque 'Thank you for the music'. These are bright, fanfare-like works, but the predominant mood is slow, ruminative, quiet. The selection covers the wide range of Purcell's oeuvre, from opera and funeral marches to secular songs and odes, and includes his most famous vocal works - Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas, sung by Gillian Fisher, and never more evocative of pagan loss and death; the massive 'Bell Anthem', with its ingenious opening symphony and joyful antiphon; and a miraculously serene 'Evening Hymn', Dido's opposite, death indicating hope, the treble voice swirling over the heavy ground bass like the soul released from the inert body.

it might seem quixotic to choose highlights from an exemplary collection of highlights, but the entry of the strings washing over the serene repetition of 'Be Welcome then, great Sir' always makes my heart stop still, while the musical picture of 'Bold Honour', the 'noisy Nothing, stalking shade', blocking the poet's amorous intentions in 'She loves and confesses too', adds a chilling hint of life's transience to a bouyantly bawdy song.

Brilliant Purcell Disc .......2000-11-30

With this album director and Purcell expert Robert King provides the listener with an excellent introduction to the composer's vocal works. The pieces presented here were taken from Mr. King's recordings of 'The Complete Odes and Welcome Songs', 'The Complete Anthems and Services', 'The Complete Secular Solo Songs' and diverse anthology discs. King, his wonderful soloists and musicians do the brilliance of Purcell's music fully justice. Whether he was commissioned by royalty, the church or theatre, Purcell shone in all areas. This disc certainly demonstrates the variety and originality of his craft, not to speak of his uncanny ability of setting words to music.

An outstanding Purcell offering. With a beautiful perfomance by Barbara Bonney of 'Oh, fair Cedaria'. Susan Gritton is equally captivating in 'She loves and she confesses too'. Gillian Fisher's rendition of the famous 'Dido's Lament' is haunting and poignant. Further an intelligent and brilliant 'Hosanna to the highest' by Michael George. James Bowman and Michael Chance sparkle in the countertenor duet 'Sound the trumpet' (from 'Come Ye sons of Art away'). And I should not forget to mention the joyous, luminous performance of the beautiful 'Bell Anthem'. To name but a few favourites, only James Bowman's 'Fairest Isle' was a disappointment.

Those who are familiar with Purcell's music will get an excellent disc with some of his most beloved works. If you are new to Purcell, this is, as already said a great introduction. Which might be the incentive to further explorations of Purcell.

by stardustraven

Average customer rating:

Outstanding Collection With Exquisite Vocals
Why is this beautiful set so low in Amazon sales?

Baroque Adagios
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Cello Adagios
Guitar Adagios
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Violin Adagios

ASIN: B00005UWKY
Release Date: 2002-02-12

Tracks:

Pachelbel: Canon
Vivaldi: Winter: Largo
Albinoni: Adagio
Gluck: Dance of the blessed spirits (Orfeo)
Vivaldi: Guitar Concerto in D: Largo
Bach: Concerto for 2 violins in D minor
Marcello: Oboe Concerto in D minor
Vivaldi: Nisi Dominus: Cum dederit delectis
Handel: Concerto grosso in A minor: Larghetto affteuoso
Handel: Organ Concerto "The cuckoo and the nightingale": Larghetto
Bach: Sleepers awake (excerpt)
Tartini: "The Devil's Trill" Sonata: Larghetto affetuoso
Bach: Obo Concerto in F: Siciliano
vivaldi: Concerto for 2 oboesin D minor: Largo
Corelli: Concerto grosso in D: Largo
Bach: Keyboard Concerto in A: Larghetto
Bach: Goldberg Variations: Aria
Handel: Ombra mai fu (Largo) (Xerxes)
Vivaldi: Nulli in mundo pax sincera (excerpt)

Tracks:

Bach: Air on a G string: Orchestral Suite No. 3
Handel: Lascia ch'io pianga
Vivaldi: Spring: Largo
Bach: Keyboard Concerto in D: Adagio
Albinoni: Oboe Concerto in D minor: Adagio
Bach: Cello Sonata in G minor: Adagio
Handel: Concerto in B flat for Harp & 2 flutes: Larghetto
Bach: Violin Concerto in A minor: Andante
Bach: Brandenburh Concerto No. 5: Affetuoso
Pergolesi: Stabat Mater: Stabat Mater
Bach: Arioso: Cantata, BWV 156
Vivaldi: Concerto in G for 2 Mandolins: Andante
Bach: Concerto for Oboe & Violin: Adagio
Vivaldi: Autumn: Adagio molto
Telemann: Oboe Concerto in D minor: Adagio
Scarlatti/Avison: Concerto grosso in D: Largo
Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in A minor: Largo
Croft: Ground
Purcell: Dido's Lament (Dido and Aeneas)

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding Collection With Exquisite Vocals.......2005-09-18

I could not agree more with the review written by Frank T. Manheim. All I would add to his comments are that the recording quality is excellent, and that there are, amongst all of the wonderful selections on this CD, two vocal selections that I found deeply moving. On the first CD, there is a powerful, yet at the same time delicate performance of Vivaldi's In Nisi Dominus, by Andreas Scholl. I had never heard this selection of Vivaldi before buying this CD and don't have other performances to compare it to, but Scholl's performance was so moving, as was the accompaniment of the musical instruments on this track, that I listened to it several times in a row. I did the same with Janet Baker's performance of Dido's Lament, by Henry Purcell, on the second CD of this 2 CD set, listening to her haunting passionate voice over and over again. As with Vivaldi's In Nisi Dominus, I had never heard this composition, nor in fact any composition by Henry Purcell before buying this CD. The emotional depth and intensity that Janet Baker brings to her performance is very deeply moving. This is, fittingly, the last track on CD 2, ending this collection on a musical and emotional level, or rather, summit, that will leave you with eyes closed, thinking of the stars. As a result of having heard Janet Baker's performance on this compilation, I bought the full recording of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. In fact, I bought several CDs of music by Henry Purcell after hearing Dido's Lament.

As Frank Manheim writes in his review, this CD can either be put on as background music, or it can be listened to intently, savoring every note. Although the title of this CD set has the work "Adagios" in it, this is no mere easy listening experience. There is plenty of musical passion on both CDs. This is a wonderful 2 CD set. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in classical, and especially, Baroque music.

Why is this beautiful set so low in Amazon sales? .......2005-09-15

While classical music is achieving a resurgence in the UK and Finland, in the U.S. the meager proportion of classical music among record store and department offerings still reflects classical's waning status. What we do find even in drugstores and supermarkets is inexpensive "mood" collections like "Romance", "Spring", "Melancholy", etc. I have no problem with this - some of the unnamed orchestras or soloists aren't bad although recording quality may disappoint.

"Baroque Adagios" is a big cut higher for both enjoyable listening, as well as background music for social occasions. The Baroque period simply overflows with memorable slow movement gems - both well-known, and rarely heard. The famous Italian tenor, Beniamino Gigli, confessed that many of his most favorite pieces came from the Italian baroque and earlier. Music of the earlier times combines emotional and melodic appeal with a restraint and depth that makes it wear well on many hearings. The only risk for background music is that the gorgeous melodies and resonant sonorities will draw people away from what they might otherwise do.

The choice of repertory is rich and varied, but this collection is particularly noteworthy for its long list of famous soloists and conductors. Besides Janos Starker, these include Heinz Holliger, Andras Schiff, Henryk Szeryng (in the Bach Double Concerto in D minor), Thurston Dart, Enrique Fernandez, Christopher Hogwood, Karl Munchinger, Neville Marriner, and many others.

I can think of few ways to better dissolve stress than to put this recording on a player and relax into a comfortable easy chair - or or put it into a car CD player on a longer trip. It makes a thoughtful present for both knowledgeable classic buffs and newcomers to classical music.

Average customer rating:

Perfect
a voice teacher and early music fan
DIDO AND AENEAS
Rushed rendition, strange guitar dance
DIDO AND AENEAS IS BROUGHT TO LIFE IN THIS GREAT RECORDING!

Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
Ian Bostridge , David Daniels , Camilla Tilling , Paul Agnew , Emmanuelle Haïm , Henry Purcell , and 32
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Monteverdi: L'Orfeo
Dido and Aeneas in Full Score
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ASIN: B0000E6POJ
Release Date: 2004-02-10

Tracks:

Overture
Shake The Cloud From Off Your Brow
Banish Sorrow, Banish Care
Ah! Belinda, I Am Pressed With Torment
Grief Increases By Concealing
When Monarchs Unite, How Happy Their State
Whence Could So Much Virtue Spring?
Fear No Danger To Ensue
See, Your Royal Guest Appears
Cupid Only Throws The Dart
If Not For Mine, For Empire's Sake
To The Hills And The Vales
The Triumphing Dance
Wayward Sisters, You That Fright
The Queen Of Carthage, Whom We Hate
Ruined Ere The Set Of Sun? Ho Ho Ho!
But Ere We This Perform
In Our Deep Vaulted Cell
Echo Dance Of Furies
Ritornelle
Thanks To These Lonesome Vales
Oft She Visits This Lone Mountain
Behold, Upon My Bending Spear
Haste, Haste To Town
Stay, Prince, And Hear Great Jove's Command
Come Away, Fellow Sailors
The Sailors' Dance
See The Flags And Streamers Curling
Our Next Motion
Destruction's Our Delight
The Witches' Dance
Your Counsel All Is Urged In Vain
Great Minds Against Themselves Conspire
Thy Hand, Belinda; Darkness Shades Me
When I Am Laid In Earth
With Drooping Wings

Amazon.com

This new, period instrument version of Purcell's wonderful, brief Dido and Aeneas shows up in a very crowded field. There are close to two dozen other versions available, many of them also historically informed. Here we have a dignified, beautifully sung reading, with instrumentalists performing with a similar sense of loveliness and reserve; indeed, the only time true overt emotionalism shows up is when the witches appear: Felicity Palmer is a nasty handful as the Sorceress. Susan Graham's Dido is elegant and, note-for-note, probably gives us among the best Didos on disc. Ian Bostridge's Aeneas is good without being outstanding; David Daniels and Paul Agnew make remarkable cameos. I prefer the performance led by René Jacobs or starring Janet Baker to this one for sheer drama, but you can't go wrong with Graham, et al, under Emmanuelle Haim's intensely musical leadership either. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Perfect.......2007-03-09

This CD is part of a Journey to the roots of beautiful music. The polyphony of the voices is almost hurting. When I Am Laid In Earth is so compelling. This is a must in the CD collection of Bach , Palestrina and Pärt lovers.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-02-21

Henry Purcell's 'Dido and Aeneas' was first performed at a girl's school in 1689. The librettist, Nahum Tate, was a playwright and poet with connections at the universities and with writers of educational books and works of moral instruction. From the moment the overture begins, the opera tells of tragedy and violence. The desertion of Dido by Aeneas and her subsequent death is related in Book IV of Virgil's 'Aenid'. Aeneas's dalliance with Dido distracts him from what ought to be his purpose: the foundation of Rome. He finally sails from Carthage to fulfill his destiny, and by her own hand, Dido dies. Tate represents Aeneas' Roman objective as an illusion, his instructions to embark for Italy as a device by the Sorceress to achieve her malign objective: the destruction of Queen Dido and her Kingdom. Therefore, this is the tragedy of Dido; her feelings, not Aeneas' mechanical obedience to orders (which are false; he is as much mislead as Othello), are what signify.

As to the performance on this disc, I must say that it's got some merit, that being the renditions of Ian Bostridge as Aeneas (actually a very brief part vocally speaking) and David Daniels as the Spirit (an even more brief part). They are both perfect in their performance and I would certainly have wished that they could have had more to sing!!!!I am not endeared by the female voices in their respective roles. To say that they were poor is not true, for they are all skilled singers, but just did not convey to me ,personally, what each was all about. Dido (Susan Graham) was not tragic, and Belinda (Camille Tilling) was not empathic. The minor roles were well-done; especially that of the Sorceress (Felicity Palmer) and I've already menioned Bostridge and Daniels (the real stars on this disc).

My Favorite Rendition: The 1992 recording with Bott-Kirkby-Ainsley under the direction of Christopher Hogwood. Just a great listen!!!!!!!

DIDO AND AENEAS.......2006-10-30

"Dido and Aeneas" is one of my favorite operas. I only wish that I could see it in, preferably, a venue intimate enough to capture its beauty and passion. I own 5 different cd versions and only the one with Von Otter and the one with Hunt Lieberson come close to this one. This is a truly magnificent accomplishment: Every singer is perfect for his or her role, the chorus is wonderful and the orchestra under Haim cannot be topped. Some, I've read here, find the tempos too fast or even rushed. I find them brisk and exciting. Graham and Bostridge cannot be beaten.

Rushed rendition, strange guitar dance.......2005-03-01

This is my third Dido and Aeneas recording, and I was struck by how rushed some of the parts are, in particular Belinda's parts. It turns out that this recording is 52:54 long, against EMI's 58:33, for instance. Another disturbing element of this recording is the guitar dance at the end of the first act, which threatens to turn into a Paco de Lucia flamenco.

I do find the chorus in this recording stronger and more nuanced than any other I have heard. I also think the Sorceress is just fine without the usual distortion prescribed for the part.

DIDO AND AENEAS IS BROUGHT TO LIFE IN THIS GREAT RECORDING!.......2005-01-26

Dido and Aeneas is really a rare gem among the Baroque operas. Even if it doesn't offer a great chance to the singers to show off their virtuoso singing in the same way Alcina, Giulio Cesare and many other operas do, it has been sung by many great artists and is still one of the most successful operas from the Baroque era. So, why would so many great singers be interested in singing this brief masterpiece? The answer for that lays in the pure and sincere drama of his music and in the deep and meaningful way Purcell used the English text to its most dramatic effect.

With an amazing cast headed by Susan Graham and Ian Bostridge and the fantastic Baroque expert conductor, Emanuelle Haïm, this recording has really surprised me. With such recordings sung by legends like Flagstad, Baker and Norman, I thought there were just good versions enough. I was wrong! This one impressed me mostly, particularly because of the lively and intelligent conducting and the inspiring atmosphere.

The role of Dido has been a challenge for some of the most legendary voices of the 20th century: Kirsten Flagstad, Janet Baker, Victoria de los Angeles, Jessye Norman and many others. Here Susan Graham joins the intensity of Flagstad, the feminineness of De los Angeles and the technical aplomb of Baker in one of the best interpretations of Dido ever. Her ''Ah! Belinda, I am prest" is an example of velvety singing and perfect breath control. Her final monologue ''When I am laid'' is sung with a tearful and lush tone. I thought her Dido was perfectly accurate, both in her singing and in her dramaticism. Her creamy voice evokes feminineness, sadness and tragedy very properly. This is certainly one of the most amazing Dido you'll ever hear!
Camilla Tilling, unlike many of her predecessors in the role of Belinda, is not a thin-voiced or unexpressive Belinda, but a vivid interpreter with a beautiful and steady tone. The great tenor Ian Bostridge may be an unusual Aeneas. However, his is a flesh-and-blood but nevertheless heroic characterization, and it's sung with a beautiful and darker tone. There's also the luxurious casting of David Daniels as the spirit, and it's no surprise his brief appearence is sung with aplomb and his usual rounded voice. In overall, it seemed everybody in the cast knew this opera isn't about a majestic Queen and an unsensitive Hero. In fact, the extremely human, sentimental melodies of Purcell must be sung with intimacy and feeling.
However, the achievement of this recording wouldn't be complete without the outstanding conducting of Emmanuelle Haïm. Its faster tempo helps us to listen the rich and exotic sounds that Purcell could create with a simple orchestra. Listen to the aria ''Oft she visits'' and compare it with the other versions: here it's lively, dramatic and rich, while in other recordings it may sound too placid. The same happens in all the opera, and you'll be amazed by so many lively rhythms that simply disappear in other recordings

Well, as a great fan of Dido and Aeneas, I wouldn't tell you to own just one version of it, since each recording has its own amazing qualities. However, if you want to know this opera, I'd recommend it as the most enchanting recording ever made! And if you just want to listen to some great singing, then you really need to buy it!

Purcell: Dido and Aeneas; Music for "The Gordian Knot Unty'd"

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Excitement, Entertainment, Theatrics
Baroque Opera and Purcell: Acquired Tastes
Flows with Lyrical Emotion
Dido, Aeneas and a bonus

Purcell: Dido and Aeneas; Music for "The Gordian Knot Unty'd"
Henry Purcell , Nicholas McGegan , Lorraine Hunt Lieberson , Lisa Saffer , Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra , Cambridge The Choir of Clare College , Donna Deam , Michael Dean , Christine Brandes , and Paul Elliott
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000007E6
Release Date: 1994-09-27

Tracks:

Dido and Aeneas: Overture
Dido and Aeneas: Act I: The Palace
Dido and Aeneas: Act I: The Palace
Dido and Aeneas: Act I: The Palace
Dido and Aeneas: Act I: The Palace
Dido and Aeneas: Act I: The Palace
Dido and Aeneas: Act I: The Palace
Dido and Aeneas: Act I: The Palace
Dido and Aeneas: Act II, Scene I: The Cave
Dido and Aeneas: Act II, Scene I: The Cave
Dido and Aeneas: Act II, Scene I: The Cave
Dido and Aeneas: Act II, Scene I: The Cave
Dido and Aeneas: Act II, Scene II: The Grove
Dido and Aeneas: Act II, Scene II: The Grove
Dido and Aeneas: Act II, Scene II: The Grove
Dido and Aeneas: Act II, Scene II: The Grove
Dido and Aeneas: Act II, Scene II: The Grove
Dido and Aeneas: Act II, Scene II: The Grove
Dido and Aeneas: Act II, Scene II: The Grove
Dido and Aeneas: Act III, Scene I: The Ships
Dido and Aeneas: Act III, Scene I: The Ships
Dido and Aeneas: Act III, Scene I: The Ships
Dido and Aeneas: Act III, Scene I: The Ships
Dido and Aeneas: Act III, Scene I: The Ships
Dido and Aeneas: Act III, Scene II: The Palace
Dido and Aeneas: Act III, Scene II: The Palace
Dido and Aeneas: Act III, Scene II: The Palace
Dido and Aeneas: Act III, Scene II: The Palace
Music For 'The Gordian Knot Unty'd'
Music For 'The Gordian Knot Unty'd'
Music For 'The Gordian Knot Unty'd'
Music For 'The Gordian Knot Unty'd'
Music For 'The Gordian Knot Unty'd'
Music For 'The Gordian Knot Unty'd'
Music For 'The Gordian Knot Unty'd'
Music For 'The Gordian Knot Unty'd'

Customer Reviews:

Excitement, Entertainment, Theatrics.......2006-04-30

Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695): Dido and Aeneas. Opera in 3 Acts. Music for “The Gordian Knot Unty’d”. Performed by: Lorraine Hunt[-Lieberson] (Dido); Lisa Saffer (Belinda); Donna Deam (Second Woman); Ellen Rabiner (Sorceress); Christine Brandes (First Witch and Spirit); Ruth Rainero (Second Witch); Michael Dean (Aeneas); Paul Elliott (A Sailor); The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge; The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Nicholas McGegan.
Recorded in September, 1993, at Skywalker Sound, Nicasio, California. Harmonia Mundi HMU 907110. Total time: 60’09”.

The number of recordings of Purcell’s ever-popular mini-opera “Dido and Aeneas” has increased greatly over the past years, and almost all of the best-known period-performance conductors have tried their hand at it: Ivor Bolton, William Christie (twice), Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Richard Hickox, Christopher Hogwood, Rene Jacobs, Nicholas McGegan, Andrew Parrott (twice), Trevor Pinnock … That alone gives evidence of how fascinating and attractive this music must be and puts a big question mark behind the comments of the reviewer who thinks that Purcell was not a good composer. In fact, of course, Purcell was a genius, combining his English heritage in a brilliant way with the latest influences from Italy (although he probably only knew these second-hand). Of course this work, written in the 1680’s, cannot be compared with music (and certainly not with opera!) from a later period; it has to be taken for its own value as it stands.

Personally, I own three CD versions of the piece, of which Nicholas McGegan’s is, in my opinion, the most attractive. But let me take things in chronological order. The oldest “Dido and Aeneas” in my collection is Andrew Parrott’s first recording, made in 1981 for the Chandos label and still kept available in the Chaconne series (CHAN 0521). This disk kept me happy for many years, its disadvantages being mainly peripheral: the analogue sound is not as good as many later digital recordings, and the thin booklet only offers a summary of the plot but not a libretto. Emma Kirkby as Dido is at the zenith of her career and sounds wonderful, although it has been suggested, quite plausibly, that her voice is a little too innocent and girlish for this role. She is supported here by the cr?me de la cr?me of the British early music scene: David Thomas as Aeneas has seldom filled out a role so well; Judith Nelson as Belinda has here not yet lost the freshness of her small but very pure soprano voice; Jantina Noorman as the sorceress can send chills down anybody’s spine; and the minor characters (Emily van Evera and Rachel Bevan as the witches, Judith Rees as the Second Woman and Tessa Bonner as the spirit) are all, to my ears at any rate, quite delightful, with the witches deliberately singing in a thoroughly ugly and hateful manner; only Rachel Bevan’s second role as the sailor comes over as a trifle weak.

After many years, I decided to obtain a newer version of the piece and purchased, within months of each other, the version by Nicholas McGegan (1993) and that by Emmanuelle Haim (Virgin Classics, 2003). Both are absolutely tremendous in their way, albeit quite different in their approach. French conductress Emmanuelle Haim is, as far as I can tell, strictly historical in her instrumentation, using recorders, a viola da gamba and an organ as well as the usual strings, winds and harpsichords. On the vocal side, she has gathered an ensemble of accomplished opera singers around her who are, to my mind at any rate, not early music specialists. Susan Graham gives a full-bodied Dido, absolutely first-class from a singer’s point of view, but with plenty of vibrato, something that has been the topic of debate in period performance circles for many years. Ian Bostridge, a tenor, was an unusual choice for Aeneas; his singing is, as ever, totally convincing, although I nonetheless found myself wishing that he had been a bass-baritone. Felicity Palmer, contralto, as the Sorceress produces some incredibly throaty tones that take a little getting used to, but in the end I think she was a great choice for this role. Camilla Tilling, Cecile de Boever, David Daniels and Paul Agnew are all great singers and fill their parts out with just the right amount of feeling and sensibility. Only the two witches were, I felt, too “normal” in comparison with other performances and did not really make my hair stand on end.

Nicholas McGegan’s offering has the edge as far as excitement goes: his tempi are, as usual, very fast, and it seems that on occasion he sacrifices “authenticity”, whatever that may be in this context, to entertainment. And entertaining his performance really is! Intending to compare the first act of his version with Haim’s, I found myself going on to listen to the whole opera again for the sheer pleasure of these wonderfully fresh voices and the lively orchestral playing – and that despite the fact that McGegan uses a comparatively large choir and a comparatively small orchestra, making do without the recorders, the viola da gamba and the organ. He also has the Second Woman sing some of Belinda’s text, which personally I did not find disturbing because Lisa Saffer and Donna Deam appear to form a magnificent team, their voices complementing each other quite ideally. The star of the performance is, of course, Lorraine Hunt[-Lieberson], who is here able to bring in the whole expressivity of her range and whose “early music” style I find quite incomparable. Michael Dean’s Aeneas I also found to be eminently enjoyable: not as polished as Ian Bostridge, perhaps, but from the point of view of timbre “just so”. Bravo! The witches and the sailor distort their voices in a highly entertaining manner: this is not just “opera”, not just “early music”, this is really “theater”!

And that is where I reach the conclusion of this long review. I think Mme. Haim’s CD is certainly the most polished of the three I have and would be most likely to satisfy lovers of opera and beautiful singing. But Nicholas McGegan’s has the edge as far as excitement, entertainment and theatrics is concerned. The recorded sound is equally good on both CDs. Choose your preference!

Baroque Opera and Purcell: Acquired Tastes.......2005-10-12

For opera lovers exploring outside of the Romantic era this is a place where you might want to listen to it before buying it: Baroque Opera and especially Purcell's work are somewhat of acquired tastes more than your typical classical composers. For those who know what they're getting into, this performance is quite good and McGegan is a pretty solid conductor for traditional interpretations of Purcell, Bach, and Handel works. The recording quality is excellent.

This work is essentially of prototype qualities in terms of the Rococco or Romantic operas of Mozart and Verdi and that's one of the reason's for it being an acquired taste in classical repertoire. The themes are always classisist myths such as this one which makes one think that, like Hulce's Mozart in 'Amadeus' said, the characters are "sh*tting marble!" The singing is primarily recitative and dialogue as opposed to arias or duets and so sounds conversational most of the time. Opera along with Ballet were actually just coming out of Versailles as new art forms invented by their genius creator Jean Baptiste Lully. Purcell was a contemporary and was really one of the first English musicians to import these styles into England along with Corelli's then revolutionary concerti grossi arrangements. Purcell by even the most reasonable of evaluations was not a terribly inventive composer in any sense and really didn't do much more than crudely import three different Italian and French styles of other composers into England. More often than not he simply translated them with some crude variations for his English audience and nothing more. To be truthful, other than some sporadic contributions by German composers like Handel/Haydn or truly English works in the 19th/20th centuries such as Elgar and Holst, English classical music is essentially the Tower of London of that entire genre and virtually every genre really until The Beatles and Stones. Most Baroque English music is either a crude imitation of imported styles or comparatively antiquated with Rennaissance styles, a lot of brass, and a lot of violas ornamented much heavier than in the French style that had evolved significantly away from such origins. English Early Baroque and Late Rennaissance is a actually a great source for very profound viola works by composers such as Hume, Gibbons, and Lawes who can match any French masters. Purcell is not really a good source for such works however or any works really.

This performance and recording was great but Purcell is not patricularly a brilliant composer for me in terms of his creativity as he never surpassed or equaled his sources by any degree. Purcell's introductions were certainly innovative in terms of English repertoire at the time which was virtually Medieval, but it certainly wasn't original in contrast to those of his continental contemporaries. This is also probably not opera that will appeal to the curious who don't know anything about opera outside of Romantic or contemporary compositions. The performance was great but my vain hope to find something unique of Purcell quickly disappeared after I got this CD. There are great English contemporaries or predecessors that were far more brilliant in their more domestic and original compositions that I would explore before idling too long with Purcell: he's simply too boring to listen to more often than not.

Flows with Lyrical Emotion.......2002-10-10

Unlike the other versions I've heard, this Harmonia Mundi recording flows brilliantly with the emotion of the story. The orchestration and singing is moved by the events and feelings of the story. It doesn't move slowly as if weighted down by later operatic traditions, but quickly with a light rocking feeling; the listener being rhythmically cradled in the arms of the performers. I was moved to tears by this presentation, and while I found other versions to be competent to excellent in their own way,nothing even approached the emotional and musical oneness of this Dido and Aeneas, which immerses the listener in its mythological grandness. Lorraine Hunt and Lisa Saffer are brilliant.

Dido, Aeneas and a bonus.......2000-11-12

Performing Purcell's 'Dido and Aeneas' is a task that has made conductors very curious - the many and varied recordings and performances of it prove it. The circumstances in which the work was originally performed is somewhat vague, the manner of performing Purcell generally is not very clear, the scores found are varied (no manuscript was ever found) and there are two missing parts - the prologue and probably a ballet or choir section at the end of the second act. I have heard several recordings of the work, however, I feel McGegan has done it in a way which sounds just right, as if this is how ot should have been done. First of all, the choice of basing the performance on a couple of the scores found seems to be appropriate, and in my opinion the right mix was done here. Lorraine Hunt makes a brilliant Dido, she has a very dramatic power mixed with a pure voice and a great sense of the time. Lisa Saffer is the most wonderfull Belinda I have ever heard, singing softly and sweetly and expressing the character very strongly. Michael Dean sounds as flat as Aeneas should be, in my opinion, but one can clearly sense he is understanding the role and singing that way intentionally. Donna Deam is doing a wonderfull job as the second woman - a role which is quite small but has great importance, especially in her air in the second act, which in my opinion is the greatest one in the opera, except, of course, for the lament. I was a bit bothered with Ellen Rabiner, as the Sorceress - she was using too much vibrato which, sometimes, made the pitch unclear, and was not very convincing dramatically. The choir of Clare College are absolutely brilliant. The orchestra plays beautifully and McGegan has got some brilliant passages on the harpsichord. The continuo section, generally, has the right balance between being very dominant and being gentle - in a very smart dramatic sense. In the lament they greatly emphasize the chromatic ground descending bass in a way which promotes the feeling of tension and grief. I was bothered, sometimes, with the choice of making the witches and the witches choir distort their voices, the music has it all inside and I believe there is no need of adding any unnatural distortion to it, although I can understand the reasons for doing it. I thought that the leaflet could use some more explanations, I especially wished McGegan himself would draw a few words explaining his aims and his choices. The sailor's air and chorus, for example, were sung in a very dominant folksy accent, and although I found it fresh and appropriate I would be more content if I could know the reasons for such a choice. The whole performance is a bit heavier than other HIP performances I have heard of this brilliant opera, however, I feel it fits perfectly with the drama and promotes it. The addition of music for 'The Gordian Knot Unty'd' is lovely. The orchestra plays it beautifully and it feels like a bonus!

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Fulfilling Overview of the Baroque Era in Music and Words
An Excellent Introduction to the Music of the Baroque Era

Discover Music of the Baroque Era

Manufacturer: Naxos
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Release Date: 2005-03-22

Customer Reviews:

Fulfilling Overview of the Baroque Era in Music and Words.......2005-05-09

Yet another great bargain-priced package from Naxos effectively provides an overview of the rich Baroque period with two discs containing more than 2 ½ hours of music and a comprehensive, 140-page primer booklet. Compiled by music historian Clive Unger-Hamilton, the collection is well-chosen to represent the many different facets of the era without recycling the more obvious candidates like Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons". The quality of the playing and singing is top-notch throughout, and the program contains quite a smorgasbord of pieces from dramatic opera arias to harpsichord pieces (sometimes played on authentic instruments, other times on modern grands) to full-blown choruses. Standout tracks include Allegri's "Miserere mei" with an ethereal boy treble soloist; two arias sung by soprano Ingrid Kertesi, in particular, Almirena's lament, "Lascia ch'io pianga" from Handel's "Rinaldo"; and a lovely "When I am laid in earth" from Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas" performed by soprano Kym Amps. The choral pieces can be astounding from Bach's "St Matthew Passion (BWV 244)" performed by the large Hungarian Festival Chorus and full symphony orchestra to the eight voices that wrap themselves around "For unto us a child is born" from Handel's "Messiah".

The booklet itself provides great value as you listen to the selections. There is a well written 85-page essay by Unger-Hamilton, who manages to encapsulate an enormous amount of information about this period which leaves a novice like me with a more solid basis of understanding the music of the Baroque era. In fact, what is quite valuable is that Unger-Hamilton provides a specific historical reference for each piece on the recording in his essay. There is also a very helpful glossary and an intriguing timeline which covers musical milestones relative to similar milestones in history, arts and architecture and literature. Moreover, there is an alphabetical list of the key Baroque composers and an accompanying map of Europe with important music centers and the composers associated with these cities. The thoughtful presentation of this package really makes the $8.98 price tag one of the great bargains here.

An Excellent Introduction to the Music of the Baroque Era.......2005-04-04

This is one of a series of the 'Discover ...' 2 CD sets -- at super-budget price -- from Naxos that makes use of complete movements of music from the era in question. It is accompanied by an excellent booklet - a thick one! - with an explanatory essay that gives background on the music as well as blow-by-blow descriptions of the music being presented. All the selections (from such composers as Monteverdi, Handel, Bach, Scarlatti, Schütz, Purcell, Corelli, Pachelbel, Charpentier, et al.) are from Naxos's extensive library of recorded music and as far as I can tell all the performances are top-notch.

In addition there is a Timeline of the Baroque Era that includes material about the music, history, art, architecture and literature of the times. There is a map of Europe that shows where various composers lived and worked. There is a list of composers (more than just those whose music provides the audio examples) with their dates and locations. There is a glossary of common musical terms. There is also an extensive list of music suggested for further listening. I can easily imagine this set being the springboard for a newcomer to baroque music to begin a lifetime of enjoyment of these and similar works.

The presentation is thoughtfully done and the whole thing is in a slipcase that will preserve the CDs as well as the booklet for years to come.

Scott Morrison

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The Incomparable LEONTYNE PRICE: "The Stradivarius of Singers"!!
Leontyne Price: The Ultimate Collection
The true prima donna asoluta
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Customer Reviews:

The Incomparable LEONTYNE PRICE: "The Stradivarius of Singers"!!.......2006-08-14

This collection is a wonderful, affordable, and welcome overview of one of Opera's greatest and beloved aritsts:the phenomenal American Superstar soprano LEONTYNE PRICE.

For those Opera-lovers who first encountered Ms. Price's magical vocalism from the recording studio, this collection includes the the entire legendary "Blue Album" which many operaphile consider to be one of the finest recordings ever. The selections gathered here vividly demonstrate the reason why Leontyne Price is regarded as the supreme VERDI soprano of her generation (30 years to date) a renowned PUCCINI specialist, and one of the greatest artists of all time. Recorded in the early 60's, Ms. Price's instrument was, in her own words "a juicy lyric". The intrinsic lyricism of her voice was aligned to warm, lustrous tone that pulsated in the middle voice, yielded a dark, uniquely sensuous sound in the lower regions, and gleamed with a distinctive, fast, liquid vibrato in the upper voice. That unique vibrato was elemental to this diva's ability to infuse Verdi and Puccini's most dramatic phrases with surging power (without pushing), and still produce lovely pianos in alt - soaring there with an ease that was singular to her, and that continued to her retirement in the 2002. Elsewhere the listener is treated to the rewards of Ms. Price's natural vocal evolution, wherein her voice developed into a full spinto with the middle throbbing, creamy, and lush, the low voice alternately chesty or breathy, slightly weaker -but retaining its smoky quality. It is in her upper voice, already superb, however, that Ms. Price revealed the rewards of maturation. The upper voice became rounder, less vibrant perhaps but refulgent with greater strength at the top, meeting the out-sized demands of STRAUSS and WAGNER (missing in this compilation) amongst others, while spinning out soft, exquisite pianos, and luxuriating in the long phrases of any number of composers, not the least of which were MOZART, VERDI and PUCCINI.

Leontyne Price recorded arias and scenas from every standard repertory VERDI opera with few exceptions (Nabucco/Luisa Miller/Vespri/Falstaff) in superlative fashion. Her onstage roles included the "Il Trovatore" Leonora, the role of her sensational MET debut (that resulted in a record 42 minute ovation), thrice recorded by her, and a signature role throughout her career. The selections on this recording were culled from her first complete recording of the opera. Here Ms. Price soars effortlessly to the heights repeatedly in "Tacea la notte", and sings the cabaletta fluently. "D'amor sull ali rosee" (once the sole property of Ms. Price's Verdian predecessor Zinka Milanov) is enhanced by the soprano's expert trills, musical nuances, and the glorious vibrato that carries her gossamer tones to the floated high C in alt. She was also the leading interpreter of Verdi's other Leonora -di Vargas- in "La Forza del Destino" which the diva recorded twice. There is also a Live MET performance available on DVD, recorded when the diva was nearing her retirement from Opera. (The two selections here also hail from her first complete recording of this work) "Son giunta!...Madre pietosa Vergine" is one of Verdi's most demanding scenas for soprano, but THIS soprano was a mistress of Verdian sweep, and supplies a wealth of dynamic shadings that illustrate the desperation of the hapless Leonora. Ms. Price produces silvery, vibrant, pulsing tone with amplitude that rises to the forte climaxes, riding them without overpowering the orchestra. This role was one of her most riveting potrayals from a dramatic viewpoint. The second "Forza" aria is the great lament "Pace, pace mio Dio" and is synonymous with Leontyne Price to this day. The diva sang this aria onstage more often than any other Verdi aria throughout her long career. Here she infuses the music with sorrow and despair, her voice in service to the text, and caps the aria with her stirring cries of "Maledizione!!" on a sustained forte high Bflat. Ms. Price's successful outings as Amelia are represented by the Act II aria "Morro, ma prima in grazia" from her stellar complete recording of "Un Ballo in Maschera". She sings the aria in a hushed, somber manner, climaxing on a brilliant high C, and with a lovely diminuendo at its end. One of the several operatic roles Ms. Price sadly did not assume onstage was Queen Elisabetta from "Don Carlo". We must be grateful for her warm, glowing, majesterial account of "Tu che le vanita", replete with burnished, opulent tone throughout. The leading newspaper of Italy said of Ms. Price that "..our great Verdi would have her the ideal Aida" and that sentiment has been adopted the world over. The "Aida" selections here are the first ones recorded by the American diva, and remains a revelation. In "Ritorna vincitor" the soprano's lyric instrument is indeed "juicy", declaiming her fierce opposition to the Egyptian invaders of her Ethiopian homeland with energetic and powerful vocalism. She then masterfully delineates the young princess' dilemma with fervent and youthful passion, ending with a prayerful "Numi pieta" suffused by warm, sable-colored tone. "O Patria mia" is another of Ms. Price's most revered performances, indeed the aria that garnered her a (5) five minute ovation on live television at her "farewell to Opera" performance in the same opera. The soprano injects Aida's farewell to her homeland with rich, smoky, plangent tones that rise effortlessly to a shining high C that bedeviled some of her most illustrous rivals, and would be bettered in the future only by the wonderful Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballe - and Ms. Price herself!!

Leontyne Price performed the veristic music of PUCCINI onstage in a number of his operas that included "Manon Lescaut"/"Tosca"/Madama Butterfly"/"La Faniculla del West"/"Il Tabarro"/ and "Turandot", albeit with less frequency than with Verdi. She brought a luminous, womanly quality to all of the composer's music. Here, she sings with particular intensity and emotion as the geisha girl Cio-Cio San (her favorite Puccini role)and offers limpid, melting tone as the fiery Roman prima donna Floria Tosca -the complete opera twice-recorded and highly-acclaimed. Puccini's music for the doomed Chinese slave-girl Liu are exquisitely sung, while "In quelle trine morbide" and "Senza mamma" benefit from the voluptuous, sensuous vocalism of the more mature Price. The most outstanding qualities of this diva in Puccini's music was a femininity and humanity, inherent in all of her singing, but most pronounced with this composer. She also fearlessly sang his highest phrases with a vocal splendor and freedom unrivalled by anyone, nowhere more than as the tragic Butterfly. However, until she retired from public singing, one aria remained a trademark for this diva: Chi bel sogno di Doretta" from Puccini's rarely performed operetta "La Rondine". The performance here was her first recording of it, and is a classic in its own right. Ms. Price's voice shimmers throughout, singing the high C with astonishing purity, and caressing, velvety tone elsewhere.

MOZART's operas also brought deserved glory to Ms. Price. Her plush-toned voice was considered to be almost too rich for some early in her career. This was amply belied by the rapturous reception her onstage performances brought her, most notably as Donna Anna, the leading lady of "Don Giovanni", ironically not included in this collection. Another aria Ms. Price enjoyed singing in concert, "Come scoglio" ("Cosi Fan Tutte") is missing here as well, though she performed the role of Fiordiligi at the MET. The soprano never performed in "Le Nozze di Figaro", but sang the scena "Dove sono" often in her live concerts, understandably, because of the smooth, elegant vocalism she lavished on this music. It is truly a pity that she didn't either record or perform the entire role. "Porgi amor" (also from Le Nozze) and "L'amero" (Il Re Pastore) were extracted from a Mozart aria recording, and are well-sung, if not as memorably as other Mozarteans.

It is good that RCA included several French selections, for Ms. Price's talents were marvellously well-suited to the Gallic idiom. Leontyne Price sang the leading role of Madame Lidoine in the American premiere of POULENC's "Dialogues des Carmelites", a few performances of MASSENET's "Thais" onstage (both sadly missing from this compilation) in addition to her celebrated recordings of BIZET's "Carmen" and BERLIOZ's song cycle "Nuits D'ete". She lent a deliciously silken tone to the more nuanced passions of the French repertoire. The "Carmen" excerpts are exceptionally vivid in Price's hands, successfully capturing the earthy, sultry qualities of one of Opera's more mercurial creatures. Ms. Price's lower register is richly displayed in the Berlioz song, while Manon's wistful, poignant "farewell" is sung with delicacy and shimmery tone.

The German wing is represented by music that Ms. Price sang onstage, and recorded as well. While the diva recorded Richard STRAUSS' entire "Four Last Songs" song cycle as well as the title heroine in a complete opera recording of "Ariadne auf Naxos" , the listener gets a good sampling of the potency, range, and the "dunkel" qualities she brought to this music. Fortunately, there is a CD of Richard Strauss arias sung by Ms. Price mid-career that is impressive in its breadth, and vocally sumptuous.

Versatility was a Price by-word. In the recording studio she stylishly performed the music of composers that ranged from the early music of PURCELL's "Dido & Aneas" to the 20th Century musings of Samuel BARBER, who wrote the opera "ANTONY & CLEOPATRA" for Ms. Price to open the New MET in 1966 - another historic milestone. Both selections included here are superbly rendered by the artist. The "Dido" aria is sung with a fuller, richer tone than is usually associated with this period (though it should be noted that two great Wagnerian sopranos Kirsten Flagstad and more recently Jessye Norman have been much admired in this music), but with no loss of style, her vibrato evoking pathos and beauty in this plaintive music. The "Antony" scena is sung with all of the majesty, seductive guile, and courage of Cleopatra, one of history's most storied women - and Ms. Price shines in this music written expressly for her voice. RCA also includes the diva's inimitable performance of "Summertime" the opening aria of GERSHWIN's American opera "Porgy and Bess".

This compilation is a superb introduction to the glories of this magnificent artist for a neophyte...and a treasure trove of musical excellence for the connoisseur of great voices, and they come no greater than America's diva assoluta soprano LEONTYNE PRICE.

Leontyne Price: The Ultimate Collection.......2005-07-20

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