Seul [Import]

1. Gitan

2. Que L'amour Est Violent

3. Demande Au Soleil

4. Seul

5. Sous Le Vent

6. Je N'attendais Que Vous

7. Criminel

8. Le Calme Plat

9. Au Plaisir De Ton Corps

10. La Moiti Du Ciel

11. Lis Dans Mes Yeux

12. Jusqu' Me Perdre

13. Gambler

14. L'adieu

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Debut Album from Excellent French Singer. The Record Includes Duet with Celine Dion 'sous Le Vent'.

Tracks:

Act II: 'Una furtiva lagrima': L'Elisir d'Amore
Act III: 'Ah! si ben mio coll'essere': Verdi: Il Trovatore
Act I: Di tu se fedele': Un Ballo in Maschera
Act I: 'Se quel guerrier': Aida
Act I: 'Recitar!...Vesti la giubba': I Pagliacci
Act I: 'Che gelida manina': La Boh
Act I: 'O soave fanciulla': La Boh
Act I: 'Recondita armonia': Tosca
Act Three: 'E lucevan le stelle': Tosca
Act Three: 'Ch'ella mi creda libero': La Fanciulla del West
Act Three: 'Nessun dorma!': Turandot
Act Three: 'Amor ti vieta': Fedora
Act II: 'E la solita storia': L'Arlesiana
'Mi batte, il cor... O paradiso': L'Africaine
Act III: 'Salut! demeure chaste et pure': Faust
Act III: 'Je suis seul!...Ah, fuyez, douce image': Manon
Act III: 'M appari tutt'amor': Martha
Cujus animan: Stabat Mater

Customer Reviews:

Voice of the 20th Century.........2000-07-13

Björling tops most polls as "singer of the 20th century", and justly so. Whether one prefers his velvety,lyrically smooth voice of the 30s and 40s, or his more full-bodied, darker power-tenor of the late 50s (he was ready to take on Lohengrin and Otello just before his death), no other human voice has left a legacy of Björling's caliber in recording history.

This collection is a wonderful presentation of the young Björling. His voice was said to have a direct appeal to emotions. Listen to "Ch'ella mi creda libero" with its almost extraterrestial "lift" and try to keep the lump in your throat from growing!

The-37 "O Paradiso" is a fantastic display of power blended with beauty - which is also the case with the Tosca arias presented here.

"Che Gelida Manina" is by many regarded as Björling's signature aria, just as "La Boheme" was said to be his signature opera. The -36 version here shows Björling aged 25 with wonderful silvery tone and grasp of message, problems with Italian pronounciation or not.

Björling never lapsed into self parodic sobbing or exaggerated shouts or gliding "loops" to get a message across. He insisted on sticking to what the composer actually had written down...and within these vocal restraints, Björling still managed to portray an unexplored universe of human feelings. "Vesti La Giubba" is a good example of this: no sobbing or bitter laughter but downright hartbreaking nonetheless. True art!

His -44 studio version of "Nessun Dorma" makes an interesting comparison with his -59 recording from the complete Turandot. Touch and go which one to go for as the second or third best version of "...Dorma" ever in recording history. The shining beacon is in my opinion from a radio concert in Sweden in 1944, where Björling for once actually DOES go beyond the strict readings of the work. His final B just stretches on and on and on into eternity - read heaven.

As for his famous ringing high notes, his final D flat on Cujus Animan may be THE one most beautiful sound I've ever heard from a human being!

If you do not have any Björling CDs, this may be a perfect introduction to his art.

And where to go from there? Well,"O Paradiso" is one of many excellent collections from the 50s. There's also a Norwegian compilation called "jussi's Beste" (which sold to platinum in Norway 35 years after his death...). This CD contains among other highlights the wonderful Christmas song "O Helga Natt", in which the final high note is sung with such force that it threatens to blow your speakers to oblivion, never mind your ears...(if it is the last sound I will ever hear, it is OK by me...).

If you want a complete opera recording, you just have to invest your hard earned cash (or bank credit as is the case with me) on Beechams "La Boheme".

Someone said elsewhere that once you have listened to Björling, you may never want to listen to any other tenor...ever: HOW VERY TRUE!

The OTHER essential Bjoerling CD; 10 stars! 20!.......1999-03-15

Along with the "Pearl Fishers Duet" CD, to me this is the other essential Bjoerling. (The more than 2 dozen friends who've received those 2 CDs as a gift can testify to that!)

The "Vesti" is completely heartbreaking, maybe because there's none of the histrionic sobbing that usually accompanies it. And of course there is that 1945 recording of "Nessun dorma!", which I have seen referred to as one of the 5 greatest recordings of all time. The arias from Tosca are also outstanding. The only addition that would make this perfect CD "even more perfect" would be the inclusion of the Gonoud "Ah! Leve-toi, soleil!"

Although I have loved classical music since I was a kid, until Jussi every tenor I ever heard sounded like an opera parody. Jussi is different; he doesn't make you think "Now there's a guy taking a deep breath and singing loud." To steal a line from Amadeus, when he opens his mouth you "hear the voice of God"; absolute, divine beauty, untainted by ego or eccentricity. that seems to flow without strain or effort.

Tracks:

Manon: Il Sogno ('En Fermant Les Yeux')
Tosca: E Lucevan Le Stelle
l'elisir D'amore: Una Furtiva Lagrima
Il Trovatore: Di Quella Pira
L'africana: Mi Batti Il Cor .... O Paradiso
Pagliacci: Recitar .. Vesti La Giubba
Don Sebastiano: Deserto In Terra Solo
Rigoletto: Questa O Quella
La Forza Del Destino: Della Natal Sua Terra ....
La Regina Di Saba: Magiche Note
PagliacciI: No! Pagliaccio Non Son
Aida: Se Quel Guerrier Io Fossi .. Celeste Aida
Manaon: Je Suis Seul ...Ah! Fuyez Douce Image
Un Ballo In Maschera: Di Tu Sse Fedele
Un Ballo In Maschera: Forse La Soglia ...Ma Se M'e Forza
Lo Schiavo: Qui Fortuna Insistenza ...Quando Nascesti Tu
Rigoletto: Ella Mi Fu Rapita ...Parmi Veder Le Lagrime
Manon Lescaut: Donna Non Vidi Mai
Il Duca D'alba: Angelo Casto E Bel
La Juive: Rachel, Quand Du Seigneur

Amazon.com

Sounding across the years, through the haze of primitive (though remarkably vivid) recordings, the voice of Enrico Caruso is still a miracle. The sense of style, the feeling of effortless control and power held in reserve, and, most of all, the uncanny expressiveness that comes through in Caruso's combination of phrasing, accent, and intensity: it all compels the greatest admiration. Nimbus helpfully specifies the provenance of the takes collected on this disc. They span a period of 17 years, from several matrices recorded early in 1904--two years after Caruso had made his first recordings for The Grammophone Company--to a 1920 Victor recording of "Rachel, quand du Seigneur" from Halévy's La Juive, one of the tenor's signature pieces. Caruso died at the age of 48, when a lot of today's tenors are just reaching their peak. But as these selections show, he was a seasoned artist from the time he was 28. No wonder the world fell at his feet. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

window into the past.......2006-03-24

What a great recording! Basically, a digital version of recordings made on the first analog recording technology. The beauty of Caruso's singing, his anachronistic melodramatic style and the bumps and scratchings of the orgininal recording blend together for a total effect that is quite persuasive and effective. Love it.

timeless beauty.......2004-11-24

When one hears the richness of Caruso's voice, and the depth of the emotion he expresses, it's hard to fathom that some of these recordings date back 100 years. The tracks are in chronological order, from February 1904 to September 1920.
The first three selections from 1904 are exquisite, and have only a solo piano accompaniment. The "Una Furtiva Lagrima" (track # 3) has a grace and luminosity that is breathtaking.
There are many arias that have remarkable aspects to them, like "Magiche note" from Goldmark's "La Regina di Saba", where he does a series of pianissimos, and of course, his most famous role was as Canio, in Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci", and this CD has both "Vesti la giubba" from 1907, and "No ! Pagliacco non son" from 1910. The latter is phenomenal, and has a deep, dark quality, sounding more like a baritone than a tenor.

There are some rarely heard pieces here, like the Goldmark aria, and "Deserto in terra solo" from Donizetti's "Don Sebastiano", and only occasionally heard is the beautiful "Rachel, quand du Seigneur" from Halevy's "La Juive", and no one can equal Caruso's interpretation of it.
What stands out most about his singing aside from the glorious sound is his phrasing, which is dramatic as well as supremely musical...one of the many reasons the name Caruso has become synonymous with "Italian operatic tenor".

The booklet insert has liner notes on Caruso's career, and a brief synopses for each aria.
The sound considering the age is a marvel, re-mastered from 78 RPM recordings, and states "A breakthrough in archive sound reproduction, Nimbus Natural Ambisonic Transfer technology preserves the immediacy and fidelity of the original performance". Thank goodness Caruso's emergence as a singer and the gramophone came into existence at the same time, so that recordings like this can still be heard.
Total playing time is 74'58.

A Very Good Place to Start with Caruso's Art.......2004-04-03

The best transfer of Caruso I can lay my hand on so far. There is no surface noise and the beauty of his voice is not at all compromised, it sounds as though it is recorded in the 50s !

Caruso eclipses the great tenors of all other ages with ease. However be reminded that to some audience, his singing is dated at least so in term of taste. Others may wish to add more songs or arias to show the best of his voice etc.

The fact is, this CD runs 69.31 minutes which is more than sufficicinet to give the audience a good profile of the greatest voice of the century.

There is No Better..........2003-10-05

Caruso has no better in the male sphere of singing in terms of his range and the beauty of his voice. This recording verifies the case completely. He truly puts the so called 3 tenors of 2000 immediately into the background of mediocrity.

My feeling with regard to Caruso is that he sang songs that he really didn't always convince me about. When you hear this CD, which I must say buy, buy, buy, you will understand. It is possible to float the most beautiful male vox over nonchalance; it certainly is done quite regularly. I think if Caruso had created his own songs on a regular basis, I would be even more convinced of him being the greatest male singer of all time. There is no better...

Matthew Hahn...

Best singer to date; period !.......2001-02-28

Thank you Nimbus Records for getting this CD out. I have owned this CD since 1998 and have listened to it numerous times.

Enrico Caruso is one of my most favorite singers. Truly, after listening to Caruso sing you will agree that his talent was just enormous. In number after number the VOICE will engulf you, and move you to new heights. Listen to track thirteen, "Ah! Fuyez Douce Image". You will not find a better rendition ANYWHERE.

Customer Reviews:

Valuable compendium.......2007-01-24

This set is extremely valuable, not only as an overview of Dame Joans career but because it contains three complete LP sets that have been very hard to find. The sets are the 2 LP French opera (operetta) set, the Mozart album and the Wagner album. Although some of these do not show her to her best advantage (the Wagner set) they all have some very beautiful things and the French items are superb. The annotations and photos are interesting as well and there are some piano songs with Bonynge that are released here for the first time along with a scene from a live Covent Garden Norma.

Rareties available on CD at last!.......2006-03-29

While Joan Sutherland has recorded a number of impressive aria collections throughout the many years of her recording career, they tend to get lost in the shuffle of the countless reissues Decca/London has endlessly repackaged. While some of the original collections have appeared intact on CD--"The Art of the Prima Donna," "The Age of Bel Canto," "Love Live Forever" (her operetta collection that was originally titled "The Golden Age of Operetta"), to name a few--others are currently represented in the CD catalogue by only a few selections on discs that also include excerpts from complete opera recordings or duplicates of selections from other original collections. As a result, it has been impossible to assemble a CD collection of her recordings without a LOT of duplication, and some of the most interesting collections are still unavailable (e.g. "Command Performance" and "Serate Musicale").

While this newest set does include a lot of bits of this and that, ranging from her very first LPs to excerpts from complete recordings most Sutherland fans already have and a few "live" performances, what is perhaps most significant about it is that it features the complete contents of the "Sutherland Sings Wagner" LP--a real repertoire departure for her--and the double-LP album called "French Opera Gala" (in the U.S.--the British title was "Romantic French Arias"), neither of which, to the best of my knowledge, has been available on CD before. "Opera News" magazine once ran an article in which they asked various stars to name the one album that they felt best represented their artistry for future generations, and Dame Joan selected the "French Opera Gala," so for Sutherland fans, this is a long-awaited treat.

I'm not going to waste space saying how miraculous I consider Dame Joan's artistry. If you are familiar with her work already, you know whether you adore her or not; and if you aren't, this massive set is probably not the best place to start (that would be "The Art of the Prima Donna" album that introduced her to most listeners decades ago)--especially since this newest set doesn't contain the lyrics, a must for newcomers. Let's hope Decca/London gets around to releasing the rest of her recordings intact instead of endlessly scrambling and repackaging the same selections over and over.

Heavenly.......2006-01-31

I first heard of Dame Sutherland while on the internet while listening to a internet radio station. I was instantly a fan, her control, technique, and tone is perfectly executed and rivals the equally fantastic Maria Callas. She has a powerful voice and presence that will evoke every emotion from her listeners. Highly recommended to all Opera Diva fans.

WHO ELSE CAN SING LIKE THIS TODAY?.......2005-04-10

This is Decca's second multi disc evaluation of this fantastic singer's long career and many recordings. True that a lot on the first set is duplicated here, but there are a few exceptions here and there that make it a worthy addition. Of particular interest are the very early items of Handel and Italian baroque arias, some forgotten song recordings and a live performance of the duet from Norma. It can't be said too many times - who can sing like this today? For sheer vocalism it's hard to find anyone on the same wavelength. This set will give very young opera goers an idea of what they missed.

Average customer rating:

RIP, JERRY HADLEY 1952-2007
INTERESTING REPERTOIRE, WELL SUNG

Jerry Hadley - The Age of Bel Canto

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Jerry Hadley and Thomas Hampson - Famous Opera Duets (Tenor/Bass)
Jerry Hadley - Golden Days - Tenor hits from the Golden Age of Operetta
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ASIN: B000003FTA
Release Date: 1996-01-16

Customer Reviews:

RIP, JERRY HADLEY 1952-2007.......2007-07-18

Among his numerous recordings of opera, concert and lighter works, this one CD best serves the late tenor's art. Arias, both familiar and not, exemplify his clear, clean singing, wonderful diction and musicality. Although it is currently unavailable, I'm hoping RCA will see fit to reissue it soon in memory of a truly fine American-trained artist and singer.

INTERESTING REPERTOIRE, WELL SUNG.......2003-11-14

While currently out of print BMG might well reissue the album so some comments are in order. The album has a repertoire that is, under any conditions, exceptionally demanding with the arias from Dom Sebastien, La dame blanche, Les Huguenots, etc., being among the most difficult to sing in the tenor literature. For the most part Hadley proves a wealth of beautiful, well posed tone running into trouble only when he must deal with troublesome top notes that have never been his forte. The top c-sharp taken in the aria "Seul sur la terre" from Dom Sebastien in pure head tone( read falsetto )is really stylistically correct but the versions by Marcelo Alvarez, Roberto Alagna, Luciano Pavarotti( as "Deserto in terra" ), and, of course, Alfredo Kraus are much more thrilling with the top note ringing out in full voice. Kraus was well into his 60s but his ageless voice took the top notes with consummate ease.

The arias from Lucia di Lammermoor, L'elisir d'Amore, Mignon, Lakme, and The Bohemian Girl are all well done with really beautiful tone and stylistic elan. The arias from Les cloches de Corneville, L'eclair, and The Rose of Castille and Sigismondo are well sung but so new to me as music that a critical evaluation is not possible.

The aria from Martha sung in the original German as "Ach, so fromm" is, at the climax, rather stressful and strained.

The sound is excellent and the direction of the English Chamber Orchestra by Richard Bonynge is a real plus for both Hadley and the listener.

Tracks:

Rigoletto: La Donna E Mobile
Aida: Se Quel Quel Guerrier Io Fossi... Celeste Aida
Macbeth: O Figli, O Figli Miei... Ah, La Paterna Mano
Il Trovatore: Ah, Si Ben Mio
Il Trovatore: Di Quella Pira
Un Ballo in Maschera: Forse La Soglia Attinse
La Juive: Rachel, Quand Du Seigneur
L'Africaine: Mi Batte Il Cor... O Paradiso!
Manon: Je Suis Seul... Ah, Fuuyez, Douce Image
Le Cid: Ah! Tout Est Bien Fini!
Martha: M'Appari Tutt' Amor
La Gioconda: Cielo E Mar
I Pagliacci: Recitar!... Vesti La Giubba
TOSCA: Recondita Armonia
Petite Messe solennelle: Domine Deus
La Danza: Taratella Neopolitana
I Pagliacci: Comparison Track - Orig. Version: Recitar... Vesti La giubba

Amazon.com

The idea behind Caruso 2000 is actually not new. In the early '30s, RCA rerecorded some of the legendary tenor's acoustic recordings with newly added orchestral accompaniments, to rather crude results. With today's computer know-how, one can carry out this concept with infinitely more finesse and musicality, as the present release proves. What we have are some of Caruso's most famous and memorable sides, with the voice's overtones pretty much intact, minus the shellac surface noise. Likewise, the blatty orchestras are virtually rubbed out, replaced here in new performances by the Vienna Radio Symphony. It's amazing how accurately conductor Gottfried Rabl pinpoints accompaniments around Caruso's very personalized rubatos. In fact, Rabl sometimes anticipates the singer's special effects rather than reacts to them. The basic problem is that you don't get a tangible sense of Caruso's projection. Compare, for instance, the 1907 "Vesti la Giubba" from I Pagliacci (track 17) to its reconstituted counterpart (track 13). The unadulterated recording reveals the voice in proportion to the blatty orchestra in a finite space, with no dial twiddling or body miking to beef things up. In the new version, voice and orchestra are miraculously matched, yet don't blend. A vocalist will normally adjust his or her voice to the environment, but singers can't do such things when they're dead. Still, a release like this will surely instigate Caruso awareness among budding opera fans, just as Ted Turner's colorized films make classic movies palatable to viewers allergic to black and white. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Caruso 2000 - The world's greatest Tenor ever..........2007-01-11

Tenor Enrico Caruso - who died in 1921 - in the year 2000?!? YES, if you like Caruso or if you just like opera and would like to hear Caruso, this is a good starter. It is Caruso's voice with a new recorded orchestra. Almost 100 years between!
I find this CD VERY entertaining. For Caruso specialists this might be of lesser interest, because it is so different from the originals - being the scratchy old 78s recorded acoustically.

Use this CD as you would use any other music CD, listen and enjoy. I have to rate this as a 5 star release.

I love it!
René

Simply Disgraceful.......2005-04-12

What they have done to Caruso's voice for the sake of fitting his voice to the modern orchestration is simply disgraceful and offensive. The producers of this CD clearly must have assumed that anyone listening to it, would not have heard the original recordings on '78. But I have--all of arias compiled on the CD. And the Caruso voice is so distorted in most of the arias that it is almost unrecognizable. It is as though the producers sped up or slowed down the tempos of the Caruso original recordings to best fit the orchestration. If you want to hear Caruso's voice as it really sounded, don't buy this CD. Stick to the original '78's.

a wonderful effort.......2002-11-24

After reading the lastest negative reviews of this cd. I am compelled to answer the critique. Ok the cd is not perfect. But we are talking about recordings almost a century old. To be able to sit and listen to Caruso without annoyance is marvelous. The reviewer starts his dialogue by saying the Caruso's voice is over rated and this is where he is coming from. I have heard and seen the best and they are all compared to Caruso.

Exellent!.......2002-08-01

This Enrico Caruso CD sounds great! His voice has been remastered, to sound richer and clearer, more like himself. The music on the CD is just wonderful. There is no noise, or static-sound on the CD like the origional recordings. This is just one of the best Enrico Caruso CD's as far as sound, and the songs are favorites.

A Great Effort.......2002-06-24

This Caruso 2000 CD is a great effort to show us what The Great Caruso actually sounded like. Unfortunately no modern creations can really fix the old recordings and give us what He really sounded like; BUT, if you suspend your disbelief, just a little bit, this is not bad at all; and in fact is quit good. All the pops and static in the orgnakl recording is completely gone, its very clean in that regard, the vocals still sound like they were recorded mono, but with this clearer recording you can get glimpses of how great Caruso was. For example on Vesti la Giubba Caruso's vocal power is fantastic; as well as on just about every other selections hear (Great choice of song's). I give this CD a 5 for effort, and for being the best Caruso collection I have ever heard. I only wish we could go back in time with Digital recording equipment and record Caruso, then we would all know if he really was the greatest or not. But, I will tell you this, even with the mono sounding vocals hear, if he was not the best, he sure was one of them, the power and emotion are still evident even without being recorded by modern technology.

Rolando Villazon - Gounod · Massenet Arias

Average customer rating:

the way teens are to Britney or Madonna....
Villazon finds his niche...go French
Bad diction, engineering gimmicks besot otherwise noble effort
Bean sings?
A fine romantic interpreter

Rolando Villazon - Gounod · Massenet Arias
Rolando Villazon , Natalie Dessay , and Evelino Pido
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Gitano

ASIN: B0006IQM5I
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Tracks:

Ah! Tout Est Bien Fini... O Souverain
Enfin, Manon... En Fermant Les Yeux
Oui, Ce Qu'elle M'ordonne... Lorsque L'enfant Revient
L'amour! L'amour!... Ah! Leve-toi, Soleil
Source Dcieuse
Faiblesse De La Race Humaine!... Inspirez-moi, Race Divine
Voix Qui Me Remplissez D'une Ineffable Ivresse
Je Suis L'oiseau
Traduire... Pourquoi Me Riller
Anges Du Paradis
Salut, Tombeau
Salut, Demeure Chaste Et Pure
Je Suis Seul!... Ah! Fuyez, Douce Image
Je Vais La Voir!
Ah! Parais!

Amazon.com

Rolando Villazon's follow-up CD to his sensational debut recital of Italian arias is devoted to music by Gounod and Massenet: some as familiar as Faust's, Romeo's and Des Grieux's arias, some as rare as pieces from Gounod's Polyeucte and La Reine de Saba and Massenet's Roma and Le Mage. But almost more important than the interesting repertoire, familiar or otherwise, is Villazon's handling of the music. In Werther's passionate Act II outburst to God about suicide, which is almost never excerpted, Villazon manages, in four minutes, to create a complete character, with all his neuroses, mania, and desperation--and he caps it with a ringing high B natural which is as beautiful as it is heartfelt. He sings both of Des Grieux's arias with feeling and tenderness (aided in "Le reve" by Natalie Dessay!). An aria from La Reine de Saba turns out to bequite a showpiece, with a drop-dead high C at its close. As singing and as interpreting, this CD is a must-have. Villazon's dark-hued, expressive tone is always used in the service of the music, and following his career will be a joy for all lovers of great tenorizing. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

the way teens are to Britney or Madonna...........2007-01-04

Villazon brings out the teenybopper in me. I could wear the grooves out!~just as I did with my early heros at 12 and 13 years of age. Seriously, his sound, phrasing and timbre are transcendent and ethereal. May the music never end.

Villazon finds his niche...go French.......2006-02-25

Rather than beefing up his voice for the big (money-paying) Italian roles that are one size too large for him, Rolando Villazon naturally excels in these roles from Gounod and Massenet. The narrow French vowels add a needed edge and vibrancy to his voice, the placement of the music in the head tones brings out Villazon's best timbre, and he seems temperamentally suited to refined heros. In fact, it's remarkable to hear the transformaiton here when comparing him in the recent DG La Traviata, where his Alfredo was convincing but hard work. French opera is rhtorical and poetic rather than visceral and passionate. I think Villazon fits that mold, as nearly eery aria here domonstrates.

Bad diction, engineering gimmicks besot otherwise noble effort.......2006-02-02

A tenor very quickly on the rise, this is Villazon's second recital disc, one devoted to arias by Gounod and Massenet, all in sets of three, three for Massenet, and two for Gounod. While still showing great promise, some concerns that were mildly serious with the first disc are even more so, in the French repertoire, in part because diction comes up so short here.

"O souverain" from Le Cid continues to show Villazon's command of line and squeezed but adequately forceful upper register, so that the volume boosts from the control room are really unnecessary. Diction here is already an issue, as many `u' vowels get dipthonged, especially when Villazon's sound is placed back for added weight and volume. `La reve' from Massenet's Manon is comfortably floated, with support from Natalie Dessay as Manon enhancing the intimacy of feeling to this number. Would Villazon been able to sing the short aria by Alain (who appears to the heroine at first to perhaps be little more than an apparition - shades of Frau ohne schatten perhaps? - in almost a chamber opera), from Massenet's Griselidis (track 8), at least as softly and lightly, as both the music and dramatic situation require, this could have also been very successful. He instead turns the ABA shape of this mere chanson inside out and makes a wreck of it.

The less often excerpted "Lorsque enfant" from Werther closes out the first Massenet set, as does "Pourquoi me reveiller" the second. Villazon's identification with the distraught main character of this opera is abundantly clear in both. He capitalizes well on the quixotic emotions and dreamy tendencies of the distraught main character especially well in the first selection, and he is also less intruded upon by the producers or sound engineers there as well.

It is quite curious how the control room follows the tenor up a crescendo on a line that closes out the first section of the excerpt here from Massenet's Roi de Lahore, featuring a hero (from Hindu myth) that bound to certain stipulations, has literally returned from the dead. Not quite as ostentatious as Massenet's near remake of Lohengrin, Esclarmonde (but with female protagonist instead), it is one of Massenet's most colorful scores. It has only been recorded complete once commercially, with Joan Sutherland, Luis Lima, and appearing only ten minutes apart, James Morris, and for the part of General unfortunately eliminated from this scene here, John Tomlinson, along with one other cut to Villazon's part. It would've been more valuable to have all this complete instead of one or two other arias. He captures the incipiently worried tone of Alim well, but his coloring up the vowel sounds makes it seem that he has come from a place as remote from French culture as where the opera takes place.

Most successful of the Gounod selections are two of the three rarities. The first is Source delicieuse from Polyeucte, based on the Corneille play. It opens very well with a minute of orchestral cortege. It perhaps has only been recorded once before and well, by Roberto Alagna ten years ago; Villazon conveys the heroism of the piece somewhat well, if not as securely as Alagna. Anges du paradis from Mireille (which Mirella Freni championed and recorded complete for EMI), is third, perhaps a study for Ah leve toi, soleil (Romeo), several years down the road. The second Gounod rarity on this disc is "Inspirez-moi, race divine," said to be a Caruso favorite, from Reine de Saba. Its text indicates King Solomon's prize hired builder, Adoniram, to be a very confident, if mildly haughty chap. Villazon's interpretation seems to portray a hero that constantly has to look behind his back, with all the incipiently yet controllably vibrato ridden throb and backphrasing Villazon engages in here. The high C at the end, however, is convincing. Such device as in the above, also accents and colors most phrasing in the tomb scene from Romeo et Juliette.

"Ah! leve toi soleil" opens the first Gounod set, and is sung with the right ardor, conventionally marked by tiny captured scoops, coming off phrases. Villazon's entrance and two later lines catch for having placed so far back in the throat, and intonation gets momentarily derailed. "Salut, demeure" from Gounod's Faust quickly becomes expressively leaden and monochrome.

Recitative and the beginning of the aria, "Ah! fuyez" from Manon begin well nuanced enough, and for the aria, truly softly as a change from so much else on this disc, but all-purpose bench pressing and volume boosts intrude before long. That leaves two truly atmospheric selections from two Massenet rarities, to close this recital - first, an aria from Roma, Massenet's swan song for the lyric theater and "Ah! parais" from Le Mage, opera with plot line similar to that of Verdi's Aida, following. The melody, introduced by the cellos at the outset for the latter, somewhat takes after "Pays merveilleux" from Meyerbeer's Africaine, but in more voluptuous color, such as in Thais, and Villazon and Pido both capitalize well on its opulence. Pido's work, on numerous other numbers on this disc, seems heavy, lumbering, cloying, or just simply out of his idiom, so to speak.

Word has it that Villazon, while not having a big voice, is dramatically exciting on stage and probably more immediately engaged with the content of what he is singing. How this picked up a major award from Gramophone, for the specific problems this disc has, and over two more qualified nominations (Ciofi/Di Donato Handel Duets and a Florez album) is mystifying. So much digression here is over the very specific demands that French opera makes on singers. There's much reason for hope for this tenor, but this disc, for two-thirds of it, does little to help fulfill it.

Bean sings?.......2006-01-05

A friend lent me Villazon's debut album as an introduction to the man. I loved it - but this is the one I have bought. If, like me, you have tired of the comparisons between Villazon and others (esp Domingo) fear not, this artist is an original. I must confess that on seeing the cover I wondered if Brit comedian Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean / Black Adder - now there's a new comarison!) had strayed into the wrong studio, but a few tracks into either disc and you'll know you're listening to the real thing. True, he has baritonish notes in the lower register, and an easy reach for the upper notes but I honestly have not heard anyone quite like him before. His is a warm voice with an early maturity that should ensure he has a long career ahead of him. His diction is excellent, without the staccato enunciation or lack of French interpretation abilities that mar lesser singers' performances. Such vocal ease makes the sung word seem as natural as the spoken word is to us lesser mortals. That his song selection moves away from the 'usual suspects' of the tenor repertoire is to his great advantage; he knows what suits him and he brings each piece to new life. The overly familiar tracks of which there are thankfully few serve only to highlight through comparison to those we know Villazon's unique timbre and interpretation. This collection includes inspired music choices, incomparable renditions, marvellous orchestration and leaves the listener keenly anticipating his next release. The recording and production are impeccable (worth ***** in their category). It does not get much better than that. Atkinson may make you laugh (or not) - Villazon will make you smile and keep you feeling that way.

A fine romantic interpreter.......2005-12-20

If not quite a poet in the manner of, say, Edmond Clément, Rolando Villazón is a first rate romantic interpreter. His French is surprisingly good and he really understands how this school of writing needs to be lived and phrased, so that he doesn't summarily yell through all phrases like some "Italian" second-rater: he shades and molds the music in the elegant style of great French tenors of a bygone era: Clément, Franz, Dalmorès, Beyle, Vaguet, Scaremberg, D' Arkor, Thill...

Just like the damned record companies to give us a mere CD of Rolando Villazón's lovely art, whilst recording the above "Italian" second-rater in every complete French rôle under the sun!

Villazón's voice itself is more like a Spanish tenor's in timbre, none too pellucid, but a manly, resonant instrument of middle weight, which he never forces.

I don't know who Evelino Pido is, or how he got through school with that name, but he is a damned sight better than the much-touted Pappano (as in EMI's horrible latest Manon.) There are no metronomic run-throughs [RUIN-throughs!] on this disk.

If you adore Gounod and Massenet as I do, this CD will be very good news indeed to you.

Roberto Alagna & Angela Gheorghiu - Duets & Arias

Average customer rating:

Poor mix
a fine example of two shining opera stars......
A musical marriage made in heaven!
A Nice Collection, But Something's Missing
Perfection

Roberto Alagna & Angela Gheorghiu - Duets & Arias
Pietro Mascagni , Jules Massenet , Gaetano Donizetti , Jacques Offenbach , Leonard Bernstein , Charles Gounod , Gustave Charpentier , Hector Berlioz , Giacomo Puccini , Richard Armstrong , Roberto Alagna , Angela Gheorghiu , and Covent Garden Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
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

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Gheorghiu, Angela | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Diva
Roberto Alagna - Opera Arias

ASIN: B000002RWA
Release Date: 1996-04-23

Tracks:

Suzel, boun di...
L'amico Fritz, Atto 2: Tutto tace
Manon, Acte 3: Je suis seul! . . . Ah, fuyez
Toi! Vous! . . . Oui, c'est moi! . . .
Manon, Acte 3: N'est-ce plus ma main
Anna Bolena, Atto 2: Al dolce guidami castel natio
Don Pasquale, Atto 2: Tornami a dir
La Belle Helene, Acte 1: Au Mont Ida, trois deesses
West Side Story, Act 1: Only you . . .Tonight
Il se fait tard . . .
Faust, Acte 3: O nuit d'amour
Louise, Acte 3: Depuis le jour
Les Troyens, Acte 4: Nuit d'ivresse
La Boheme, Atto 1: O soave fanciulla

Customer Reviews:

Poor mix .......2006-02-20

There is no climatic piece in the whole album. It appears it was gathered selections...by that I mean, somebody said "oh let's use this one and this one..." The selections just drift from one to the next and carry little emotional impact on this listener. Yet I love Angela, but Roberto is second rate. Overall, not much on here to remember.

a fine example of two shining opera stars.............2005-10-28

How perfect is it that tenor Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu are a madly in love, married opera couple with voices like angels? I remember when this album first came out in the mid-1990s. At the time, I didn't have a CD player, and their album was a motivation for me to get one, if that says anything about how much I LOVE both of them, as well as the music samples I first heard on NPR.

Alagna's resonance is clear, but, never piercing. Gheorghiu's clean-sounding soprano is expressive, but never shrill, and exhudes a warmth, as well as a softness, when she attacks the really high notes. What sets Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu apart from the pack of young opera stars is their own original, highly energetic and sincere interpretations of popular opera duets, featured here. They include "Tonight" from West Side Story (which I really wouldn't consider opera, but, more an example of musical theatre), and "O soave fanciulla" from La Boheme. I guarantee that listening to this album will make you fall in love with these two wonderful singers.

A musical marriage made in heaven!.......2003-12-01

In the early 1990s I began following the careers of two immensely talented young singers then on the verge of international stardom. The French tenor Roberto Alagna wowed Covent Garden audiences as Romeo and Rodolfo, and had received rave reviews throughout Europe. The splendid Mimi of Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu enlivened an otherwise lackluster 1994 Metropolitan Opera broadcast, and an astounding triumph at Covent Garden as Violetta followed. I had often longed for these two splendid young artists to sing together, and I got my wish in spades when it was publicly announced that they were madly in love - this disc was recorded 6 months before and released in the U.S. 4 days before their real-life marriage. While I and many opera fans are hopeless romantics who are delighted by such things, what really matters is that their VOICES are married. Let's just say that I have heard other singers who are either married or otherwise romantically involved who do not have nearly the rapport that these two people do. They are supremely sensitive to and supportive of each other's artistry and even more importantly, are ultimately the servants of the composer.

Alagna's sweet, warm, earthy tenor and Gheorghiu's velvety, starlit soprano blend so perfectly that it often seems one voice is coming out of two mouths. Nowhere is this more true than on the triumph of the disc, 'Nuit d'ivresse' from Hector Berlioz's 'Les Troyens'. This is a good candidate for the best joint recording they have ever made and is certainly their best individual duet recording. While it is usually sung by a tenor with a heavier voice and a mezzo-soprano, the sheer lyricism of their voices renders this music utterly ravishing - I have never heard this piece sung more beautifully. And how many typical operatic 'love duet' albums would include something this rare? Their 'one voice' quality is also evident in 'Tornami a dir' from 'Don Pasquale', a triumph of heady sweetness, and again, not exactly standard fare. Throughout these selections, and indeed the entire album, we hear superb dynamic sensitivity and gorgeous pianissimo singing, and everything is sung with such dramatic intensity and immersion in character that you think you're hearing a live performance and not a recording. About the only quibble I have is that Alagna's diction in both French and Italian is so perfect that Gheorghiu's comes up a bit short by comparison.

The Cherry Duet from 'L'Amico Fritz' which begins the album is full of sweet affection and wistfulness. In the Saint Sulpice scene from 'Manon', Gheorghiu is irresistibly seductive and tender and Alagna believably torn between Des Grieux's pain at Manon's betrayal and his love for her. Some may actually prefer this version of the duet to the slightly more 'verismo' and less subtle rendition of their complete recording under Antonio Pappano. The Garden Scene from 'Faust', albeit not quite as intense as in their recent Metropolitan Opera performances, is still a triumph of French style, sensitivity, and drama, again with absolutely gorgeous pianissimo singing, this time at 'Eternelle!'. This should be no surprise to anyone who has heard them sing 'Romeo et Juliette'. And, of course, these masters of Gounod's version of 'Romeo and Juliet' also make something special of Bernstein's. I don't believe I've ever heard 'Tonight' more beautifully and musically sung - and as Gheorghiu pointed out in an interview, this is not 'easy' music to sing. The only problem here is that 'West Side Story' is more about Anglo/Puerto Rican culture clash than about family feuds, and so it hurts somewhat that the singers have the wrong (and more importantly, too similar) accents. Nevertheless, their English is clear and understandable, and as usual they mean every word they sing. The disc concludes with a radiant 'O soave fanciulla', where Rodolfo's and Mimi's romance is off to a tender and teasing start.

In addition to the six duets, each singer has two solo arias. Alagna's first is a splendid 'Ah, fuyez douce image', where he not only begins the aria pianissimo, but he makes more of the words than just about any tenor since Georges Thill. He follows this with a rollicking version of Paris' Entrance from 'La Belle Helene'. While not even Alagna can negotiate the B flat octave leaps with the ease of Jussi Bjorling (in his unsurpassable 1938 Swedish-language recording), he has the considerable advantage of native French speech, and a far better appreciation of the piece's humor. Gheorghiu has surpassed her two solo selections since making this recording - the 'Al dolce guidami' on her 'Casta Diva' bel canto disc and the 'Depuis le jour' on her live Covent Garden recital - but these versions demonstrate her ravishing top, command of legato, and extraordinary emotional expressivity.

Richard Armstrong (the music director of the Scottish Opera, who also conducted Alagna's solo debut album) is with his singers all the way and he has the Covent Garden Orchestra play gorgeously . In particular, his molding of the orchestral line and color in the Berlioz is very impressive. Excellent documentation, with full texts and translations, by British vocal collector John Steane. Although this is focused (as it should be) on the music rather than the singers, there is also brief biographical information on both Alagna and Gheorghiu, which none of their subsequent EMI CDs have had.

In short this album is a triumph from beginning to end and an absolute must for any lover of the human voice, absolutely giving lie to the common whine of 'all the great singers are gone forever'. Of course, you'll also have to buy Alagna's and Gheorghiu's complete opera recordings, their equally stunning Verdi duets CD, and too many individual solo albums to count. Almost anything either of these splendid artists do, separately or together, is worth buying and devouring. They're a Golden Age all by themselves!

A Nice Collection, But Something's Missing.......2003-11-09

Since Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu are opera's favorite lovebirds, and real life husband and wife, it is not inconceivable that EMI would release a disk of arias and duets featuring the couple. The disk is reasonably good. It has the standard duets such as "O Soave Fanciulla" from LA BOHEME and "The Cherry Duet" from L'AMICO FRITZ as well as a few lesser known pieces that make the disk interesting. The Broadway stage is also included in a duet from Leonard Bernstein's WEST SIDE STORY. As beautiful as Bernstein's music is, it somehow does not fit in this recording. The two do a reasonably good job, both as soloists and together, but the disk lacks power. The two fail to generate the energy on this disk that the two seem to have on television and in video performances. Their acting abilities surpass many "Golden Age" stars, but their music, while technically good, fails to generate the same excitement as a Corelli--Price, Pavarotti--Freni, or a Callas--Di Stefano pairing would generate. None-the-less, the recording is not bad, and it will certainly be pleasing to fans of the two.

Perfection.......2001-12-06

This is lovely from beginning to end. These two singers really know how to put together a recital CD. It's always satisfying no matter how often I listen to it. The selections they sing are well suited to their voices. It's a pleasure. I can't recommend this CD enough. It's truly a shared program with neither one overwhelming the other. They each get their solo turns and the duets are wonderful.

Average customer rating:

How one CD made a conductor's career
The best since Mravinsky and a superbargain
unforgettable
One of the best performances
so small sound

Tchaikovsky: Symphony Pathetique
Tchaikovsky , Pletnev , and Russian National Orchestra
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
Great Recordings Of The Century - Schubert: Symphonies nos. 3, 5, & 6 / Beecham, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, 6 "Pathetique"
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 - Carlos Kleiber / Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Beethoven: Fidelio

ASIN: B000027JET
Release Date: 2000-02-01

Tracks:

I. Adagio - Allegro con brio
II. Allegro con grazia
III. Allegro molto vivace
Finale: Adagio lamentoso
Marche Slave, Op. 31
I. Prelude
II. Fugue a 4 voix
III. Impromptu
IV. Marche funebre
V. Mazurque
VI. Scherzo

Tracks:

Introduction
Danse des pages
Vision d'Aurore
Andante
La Fee-Argent
Le Chat Botte et la Chatte Blanche
Gavotte
Le Canari qui chante
Le Chaperon rouge et le loup
Adagio
Finale
I. Janvier (au coin du feu)
II. Fevrier (Carnaval)
III. Mars (Chant de l'alouette)
IV. Avril (Perce-neige)
V. Mai (Les nuits de mai)
VI. Juin (Barcarolle)
VII. Juillet (Chant des moissonneurs)
VIII. Aout (La moisson)
IX. Septembre (La chasse)
X. Octobre (Chant d'automne)
XI. Novembre (Course en troika)
XII. Decembre (Noel)

Customer Reviews:

How one CD made a conductor's career.......2005-09-24

Only Pletnev's biggest fans would claim that this noted russian pianist turned into a great conductor, but he became a famous one as the result of recording this Tchaikovsky 'Pathetique." Wwith the collpase of the Soviet Union, orchestras that were once state supported ran into jeopardy, and Pletnev rescued many musicians by forming the Russian Naitonal Orch. to provide jobs and income. If not their first, this was nearly their first recording, and the British press hailed Pletnev's efforts as a new condcutor as if her were, well, Mravinsky reborn.

He wasn't. This Pathetique has sensitive, careful playing and man interesting ideas about phrasing, but in ohter respects Pletnev is almost the anti-Mravinsky. He lacks the old master's passion and excitement, and he's metronomic and rigid where Mravinsky was flexible and inspired. You sense that a fine musician is on the podium, but not a born maestro (I get the same feeling from Vladimir Ashkenaz, another favorite in London). Virgin's sonics are excelent, and the orchestra's execution is first-rate.

I know there are reviewers who adore this performance, but my attention is more captured by Pletnev's piano playing on CD 2, which centers on his reduction of excerpts from Sleeping Beauty for solo piano. He's imaginative in ways he never equals on the podium (compare his respectable but rather lifeless DG recording of the complete ballet) and deserves the high praise this CD won when it was first released. At tis low price I'm happy to have his Pathetique

The best since Mravinsky and a superbargain.......2002-04-23

This performance conveys the same kind and degree of passion, intensity and commitment as the famous Mravinsky DG stereo recording. Although I still prefer the Mravinsky in a some respects, namely his subtle use of rubato to highlight expressive details, his more sharply characterized second movement, and the cutting edge detail of the brass (which I think is more due to the use of a more distant perpective in the Pletnev recording than in the performances themselves), Pletnev fully matches Mravinsky in the drive and dramatic intensity he imparts to the development section of the first movement, and the third movement, in which this recording conveys the impact of the drums more clearly than with Mravinsky. At its superbudget pricepoint, plus its inclusion of items from Tchaikovsky's rarely played music for solo piano, it is truly a must have.

unforgettable.......2001-12-25

This is without a doubt the finest recording of the Pathetique ever made. In Pletnev's hands, the music flows naturally and the climaxes are extremely powerful. Indeed, he brings out all the pathos in this great symphony. Just listen to the violent development section of the first movement to witness this drama for yourself; the way Pletnev brings out the climax is simply unsurpassed. The second movement is very beautifully played as well, although there's nothing special about it which sets it apart from other recordings. Pletnev then takes the third movement at a death-defying speed. Indeed, no conductor has ever played this movement at such a rapid tempo, but Pletnev allows the listener to feel a sense of impending doom Tchaikovsky must have felt when writing this movement. This is simply the most exciting performance of this famous march ever committed to record. The fourth movement is also outstanding in terms of bringing out the pathos inherent in this work, although Pletnev does not quite match Mravinsky in sheer power of the brass in the closing pages. Nonetheless, it is safe to say that this performance of the Pathetique is a desert island disc and would be a top recommendation even if it cost far more. In fact, the Penguin Guide to CDs has given this recording the highest possible rating (three stars plus a rosette). The sound throughout is wide-ranging and is in the demonstration bracket, although it is true that you'll have to turn up the volume a notch from other CDs due to the wide range.

If the only thing you were getting on the CD was the symphony, it would be a "must have" any day of the year. However, Virgin is extremely generous and includes outstanding performances of the Seasons and excerpts from the Sleeping Beauty (arranged and played by Pletnev on piano). Marche Slav is also included as an apt coupling to the symphony and is an exciting performance, though the closing minutes are not as spectacular as some other performances, notably that conducted by Erich Kunzel on Telarc. But for two CDs at the cost of one MID-PRICED CD, and one of the most legendary performances ever, everyone needs to have these precious discs in his or her collection, whether you like the couplings or not.

One of the best performances.......2001-06-02

This is one of the best performances out there. Pletnev really knows how this masterpiece should be played. Especially, the final movement is deeply moving. I have listened several recordings of this symphony, but I've never heard a better final mvt. After listening this CD, I found the Jansons - Oslo recording a little bit monotonous than this one.

This CD is also coupled with wonderfully played "Marche Slave", 6 piano pieces, music from The Sleeping Beauty, and The Seasons, but it's still 1 CD price. Great deal.

Rating 1 star only because the recording volume level is low? Don't be bothered with the poor rating below. You will never disappointed if you have a decent CD player (& headphone). By the way I don't think the volume level is that low.

P.S. Gramophone CD Guide and Penguine Guide both recommend this CD as the best recording of this symphony.

so small sound.......2001-05-21

When I heard this CD last night, I was very disappointed. I love the music of Pletnev. When I bought , I heard and heard that CD. So I thought "I will buy his CD all, and I bought . The CD was also very good. The melody and technic caught me in every track. In Korea, there is not so many CDs about Pletnev. This Tchaikovsky CD is in Korea, but it was very very disappointed to me. Aboveall, the volume is very low. I can't hear the sound of this CD with my portable CD player at highest volume level. Although a music is very beautiful, it is useless to me.

However, I want to hear Pletnev continuously. Because he is one of the greatest pianist in our world.

Very Best of
Average customer rating:

This is the very best

Very Best of
Jussi Bjorling
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Leoncavallo | Leoncavallo, Ruggiero | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Björling, Jussi | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000083GOH
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Tracks:

Questa O Quella - Jussi Bjorling
La Donna E Mobile - Jussi Bjorling
Ah Si, Ben Mio - Jussi Bjorling
Di Quella Pira - Jussi Bjorling
Di Tu Se Fedele - Jussi Bjorling
Se Quel Guerrier Io Fossi!...Celeste Aida - Jussi Bjorling
Ingemisco - Orchestra
Cujus Animam - Orchestra
Una Furtiva Lagrima - Royal Orchestra
Cielo E Mar - Orchestra
Come Un Bel Di Di Maggio - Jussi Bjorling
Amor Ti Vieta - Orchestra
E La Solita Storia - Nils Grevillius
Donna Non Vidi Mai - Royal Orchestra
Che Gelida Manina - Jussi Bjorling
In Un Coupe?...O Mimi, Tu Piu Non Torni - Robert Merrill
Recondita Armonia - Jussi Bjorling
E Lucevan Le Stelle - Nils Grevillius
Nessun Dorma - Orchestra
Mamma! Quel Vino E Generoso - Nils Grevillius
Recitar!...Vesti La Giubba - Jussi Bjorling
No. Pagliaccio Non Son - Robert Shaw Chorale

Tracks:

Mi Batte Il Cor...O Paradiso - Orchestra
Salut! Demeure Chaste Et Pure - Orchestra
Ange Adorable - Nils Grevillius
Ah! Leve - Toi, Soleil - Royal Orchestra
Intant Charmant...En Ferment Les Yeux - Orchestra
Je Suis Seul!...Ah, Fuyez, Douce Image - Royal Orchestra
La Fleur Que Tu M'Avais Jetee - Orchestra
Je Crois Entrende Encore - Royal Orchestra
Adelaide - Harry Ebert
Morgan! - Harry Ebert
Cacilie - Harry Ebert
In The Silence Of Night - Nils Grevillius
Lilacs - Nils Grevillius
Ideale - Orchestra
'O Sole Mio - Orchestra
Mattinata - Orchestra
Becuase - Royal Orchestra
Only A Rose - Orchestra
For You Alone - Orchestra
Uti En Skog Pa Berget Ida (Au Mont Ida Trois Deesses) - Orchestra
Nu Ar Jag Pank Och Fagelfri ( Ich Hab Kein Geld) - Orchestra
Julsand (O Helga Natt) - Royal Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

This is the very best.......2007-01-25

Unless, you are as crazy as I am about Bjorling and willing to buy everything available anyway, this is the collection to purchase.

It includes the best of all the other compilations. The sound is very clean: much better than some of the records that I have with the same material.

The French stuff is wonderful -- especially Le Reve. There is something so melancholic about his voice. He doesn't need to act or add anything phony. As soon as he opens his mouth, you know this story is not going to end well.

The collection covers more than 20 years. It's amazing that the voice changed so little. His voice lost none of it beauty or power over the years.

Best Beethoven Adeliade ever. What a pity he never recorded any Schubert song cycles.

My God, this collection even includes Adam's Julsang -- which as far as I know existed only in a Swedish RCA 33 rpm. You will never think of "Oh, Holy Night" the same way again.

If you have not listened to Bjorling before, you will never think of some other famous tenors the same way either.

And a bargain. Two disks for $17? Start here.

Average customer rating:

A Superstar To Remember
I'm am so glad I found this CD!
My growing affection
A great voice and a great lady!
A Bible of Soprano Singing

Very Best of
Mirella Freni
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Very Best of
A Celebration
The Very Best of Victoria de los Angeles
The Very Best of Lucia Popp
The Very Best of Giuseppe di Stefano

ASIN: B000083GOK
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Tracks:

Quel Guardo Il Cavalier...So Ancho'io
Si. Mi Chiamano Mimi - Nicolai Gedda
Addio...D' Onde Lieta Usci - Nicolai Gedda
Vissi D'arte
Un Bel Di Vedremo
Son Pochi Fiori
Ecco! Respiro Appena...Lo Son L'umile Ancella
Poveri Fiori
C'est Des Contrebandiers...Je Dis Que Rien Ne M'epouvent
Me Voila Seul...Comme Autrefois
Allons!...Adieu, Notre Petite Table
Je Voudrais Bien Savoir...Il Etait Un Roi De Thule...Ah ! Je Ris (Jewel Song)
Voyons, Nourrice...Je Veux Vivre
O Nuit Divine ! - Franco Corelli

Tracks:

Vedrai, Carino
O Rendetemi La Speme...Qui La Voce Sua Soave...Vien Diletto
E' Stano...Ah! Fors' E Lui...Sempre Libera
Chi Il Bel Sogno Di Doretta
O Mio Babbino Caro
Senza Mamma
Signore, Ascolta
Tu, Che Di Gel Sei Cinta
Son Giunta!...Madre, Pietosa Vergine
Pace, Pace Mio Dio!
Ritorna Vincitor!
Qui Radames Verra...O Patria Mia
Mia Madre Avea Una Povera Ancella...Piangea Cantando... - Stefania Malagu
Ave Maria

Customer Reviews:

A Superstar To Remember.......2007-01-10

I fell in love with opera because of Mirella Freni. I heard her sing Mimi to Pavarotti's Rodolfo in La Boheme about 30 years ago. Hearing this CD was like seeing a long-lost love, and appreciating them even more this time around.

Freni was a Puccini specialist, and you get an embarrasment of Puccini riches on this CD. Of course, you get the arias "Si, mi chiamano Mimi" and "Addio...D'Onde lieta usci" from La Boheme. Those also feature the incredible Niccolai Gedda. I sure would have liked it if they threw in "O soave fanciulla" as well. You also get arias from Tosca, Madama Butterfly, La Rondine, Gianni Schicci, Suor Angelica, and Turandot.

But wait, there's more! I had not heard Freni sing Micaela until this CD. Wait until you hear the "Je dis que rien ne m'epouvant". It will set you free. Then she throws in "Comme autrefois" from Pearl Fishers. Donizetti, Cilea, Mascagni, Massenet, Bellini, Gounod, Mozart, even Verdi(!)...all here.

There was one thing I found unusual about this compilation, and that was the noticeable absence of "Dove sono" and/or "Porgi amor". I mean, those roles are clearly in the reach of any lyric soprano. I did a little research, and found that she really didn't sing the Countess role in Figaro, she sang Susanna! OK, so let's just say her voice was on the light end of the lyric fach. If that's the case, it makes selections from Tosca, Butterfly, Traviata, Turandot, and Forza kind of curious, doesn't it?

In the end, it doesn't matter. This is an awesome compilation from one of the greatest sopranos of all time. No one is like Freni, and no opera lover should be without this performance record.

Highly recommended.

I'm am so glad I found this CD!.......2004-07-17

I'm a casual opera fan and I admit that until a few days ago I didn't even know who Mirella Freni was. Then a friend, whose taste I respect mentioned that an Italian lady named Freni was the second greatest Violetta he'd ever heard. He went into raptures and I decided that I had to hear this woman. This morning I bought the CD, put it in my player and was astounded and delighted to hear one of the sweetest voices I have ever heard in my life. Mirella Freni's singing is simply beautiful.

My growing affection.......2004-05-25

Freni is a soprano I didn't much care for in the past. For some reason I took her for granted and didn't listen to her records a lot. However, in search for an lyric soprano with ample coloratura to tackle bel canto roles as well, Freni was one of the few I could think of who had the qualities I was looking for; unmistakeable Italian phrasing and musicality, a firm middle register with an easy top and a sweet timbre.

This new release is a great introduction to her big recording legacy. She didn't possess the largest instrument but her technique and wise choices allowed her to expand her repertoire in many areas. The lyrical roles such as Zerlina, Mimi, Liu suit her the best but notice how a more florid part like Norina in Don Pasquale or even the more demanding Puritani Elvira benefits from her firm lyric sound. She avoids the highest notes and if needed sings them carefully but everything is so charmingly sung that a single note cannot ruin the whole. Sincere classical singing does not lie in a single note. Even without the large voice these roles need, she handles the heavy Verdi parts impressively. "O patria mia" and especially Desdemona's scene are magnificient.

This collection has increased my admiration for this wonderful artist. If all the sopranos were flowers in a garden, Freni would be a lovely daisy.

A great voice and a great lady!.......2004-02-07

Mirella Freni's singing even today when she's over sixty still teaches all the young sopranos a lesson how a voice can be preserved. Her singing is lovely, creamy and colourful. She's by far my favourite Liu and part of the Mimi-Triumvirate: Victoria de los Angeles, Maria Callas and Mirella Freni. Her first Mimi with Nicolai Gedda was a revelation, the complete set is a must for ever Puccini-Lover. And despite its not being idiomatic and her poor French her Juliette is riveting and lovely. But my favourite Freni-role will always be Elisabetta in Verdi's "Don Carlo" which she sang to perfection on a live-recording from La Scala (Abbado) featuring Carreras, Ghiaurov, Obraszowa etc. etc. An amazing set for those who want to know why Mirella is still adored today!

A Bible of Soprano Singing.......2003-04-30

Many of these items were available on different cd, now out of print. That disc introduced me to the art of Mirella Freni, and one listening had me hooked. Mirella Freni is my favorite artist in any genre. She has taken such good care of her voice that she is still singing and getting fantastic reviews at the age of 68. She started off by singing lyric/coloratura roles such as Adina, Susanna, Zerlina, Micaela, the Puritani Elvira, then came Mimi, Juliette, Violetta, Marguerite, Manon, which which had heavier orchestrations. The seventies saw Freni's voice expanding and growing naturally very unlike Renata Scotto, who pushed her voice to sing roles too heavily orchestrated. Scotto is a great artist, but nobody can deny the fact that her voice turned terribly shrill. New roles for Freni were Desdemona, Elisabetta, Aida, Tosca and Butterfly (on record) and Boito's Marguerita. Never forcing or pushing, she sang these roles with great success and beautiful tone. She also was expanding emotionally and her characterizations grew deeper and more intense. In the 80's, she continued to expand her repertoire, though not giving up old roles, to include Manon Lescaut, Adriana Lecouvreur, Tschaikovsky's Tatyana and Liza with incredible results. She still added new roles in the 90's and into the 21st century, Fedora, Madame Sans Genes and Tschaikovsky's Maid of Orleans (a mezzo role). Unlike Tebaldi and other Italian sopranos, Freni often sang roles in their original language, French, Russain and songs in German. We only get to hear French and Italian here, and I strongly urge any opera lover to seek out her recordings on other labels than EMI. DG, for her wonderful Manon Lescaut, 2nd Butterfly, 2nd Tosca, Tatyana, Boccanegra's Amelia. On London/Decca, her Mimi (legendary), Butterfly, Nedda, Nannetta, Margharita, Mathilde, Tosca, the Trittico heroines (a Suor Angelica that is supreme).
Now, about the singing on this disc:
The Pasquale aria is nicely done (though I prefer Sill's rendition). The Boheme numbers are legendary, enough said. The Tosca aria is my favorite of all soprano's and ever Freni's (she recorded it at least twice more), beautiful and slow. Her Butterfly is regarded as "model" and her singing of both arias are intense and heart wrenching. Her Amico Fritz arias are perfectly judged and performed. The Adriana arias are fine, though they would grow in character when she took on the full role in the 80's and I prefer her later recording of them for Decca on her Verismo Arias disc. Her Micaela is also regarded as legendary and this recording shows why. The Pearl Fishers, Faust and Manon arias are gorgeously sung with golden tone and the Romeo arias show her technical skills in coloratura, well done. Her Mozart, too, is wonderful, receiving praise from, of all people, Renata Scotto in her autobiography. Her Violetta is secure and rich with brilliant coloratura in the Sempre Libera section. Her Doretta is ok, with some odd breath points that should have been eliminated. The other Puccini sections are very special, showing what a superb Puccinian she is. She is a commanding Verdian in the Forza arias, but the acoustic is horrible. Her singing is worth it, though. The Aida items are intense and with long breaths. I just love her as Aida but the engineers did not capture her voice as richly as it was at that time. Still this is masterful singing of difficult music. Willow Song and Ave Maria are, in my mind, the best ever committed to disc. If you are not under her spell in these tracks, then you must be stone-hearted. My only regret is that her gorgeous Tu che le vanita from Don Carlos is not included here......a serious omission!!!!!
This is a great showcase for a supreme artist. Buy it.....you won't regret it!

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