Un Jour Un Enfant [Import]

Track Listings

 
1. Jour un Enfant
2. Enfant aux Cymbales
3. Moulins de Mon Coeur
4. Johnny Jambe de Bois
5. Ne Me Quitte Pas
6. Venise Va Mourir {From l'Adieu À Venise and Anonimo Veneziano}
7. Pour Vivre Ensemble
8. Belle du Luxembourg
9. Trop Jeune Ou Trop Vieux
10. Cent Mille Chansons
11. Autrefois
12. Soleil d'Amour
13. Whiskey de Papa
14. Île Nue
15. Girouette
16. Croix, l'Étoile et le Croissant
17. Taureau
18. Funérailles d'Un Laboureur Brésilien
19. Brandy (Brandy Is My True Love's Name)
20. Berceuse Pour Luciana
See all 23 tracks on this disc

Un Jour Un Enfant,Frida Boccara,Polygram Int'l,Int'l & World Music,Pop,Popular Music,World Beat,World Music
100 Best Opera Classics
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Superlative collection
  • Great value for the money
  • Great for the money and a good starter on opera....
  • Amazing Value
100 Best Opera Classics

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

All Works by BeethovenAll Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Bellini, VincenzoBellini, Vincenzo | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAll Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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GeneralGeneral | Saint-Saëns, Camille | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by StraussAll Works by Strauss | Strauss, Richard | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by ThomasAll Works by Thomas | Thomas, Ambroise | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by VerdiAll Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by WagnerAll Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by WeberAll Works by Weber | Weber, Carl Maria von | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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GeneralGeneral | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
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FrenchFrench | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GermanGerman | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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  1. The Most Famous Opera Arias
  2. Best Classics 100
  3. The Best of Italian Opera
  4. The Most Famous Opera Duets
  5. The #1 Opera Album

ASIN: B0007QOERC
Release Date: 2007-05-14

Tracks:

  1. Voi Che Sepate - Teresa Berganza
  2. Porgi Amor - Heather Harper
  3. Deh, Vieni Alla Finestra - Thomas Allen
  4. Batti, Batti, O Bel Masetto - Elizabeth Gale
  5. Der Holle Rache - Edda Moser
  6. O Isis Und Osiris - Cornelius Hauptmann
  7. Temerari...Come Scoglio - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
  8. La Calunnia E Un Venticello - Ruggero Raimondi
  9. Nei Giardin Del Bello - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
  10. Casta Diva - Maria Callas
  11. Se Quel Guerrier...Celeste Aida - Franco Corelli
  12. Tenesta La Promessa...Addio Del Passato - Beverly Sills
  13. Niun Mi Tema - Jon Vickers
  14. Un Bel Di Vedremo - Renata Scotto
  15. E Lucevan Le Stelle - Placido Domingo
  16. Si, Mi Chiamano Mimi - Mirella Freni
  17. In Quelle Trine Morbide - Montserrat Caballe
  18. Signore, Ascolta - Kiri Te Kanawa
  19. Recitar...Vesti La Giubba - Jose Carreras
  20. Amor Ti Vieta Di Non Amor - Roberto Alagna

Tracks:

  1. Le Veau D'Or Est Toujours Debout - Boris Christoff
  2. Ou Va La Jeune Hindoue? - Mady Mesple
  3. L'Amour, L'Amour...Ah! Leve-Toi, Soleil - Alfredo Kraus
  4. Allons! Le Faut...Adieu Notre Petite Table - Ileana Cotrubas
  5. Toute Mon Ame Est La Pourquoi Me Reveiller - Nicolai Gedda
  6. Quand La Flamme De L'Amour - Jose Van Dam
  7. L'Amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle - Victoria De Los Angeles
  8. A Cette Voix...Je Crois Entendre Encore - Alain Vanzo
  9. Une Puce Gentille - Gabriel Bacquier
  10. Je Vais Mourir...Adieu, Fiere Cite - Regine Crespin
  11. Mon Coeur S'Ouvre A Ta Voix - Rita Gorr
  12. Wie Todesahnung...O Du Mein Holder Abenstern - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
  13. Johohoe! Traft Ihr Das Schiff Im Meere An? - Anja Silja
  14. In Fernem Land - Chor Der Wiener Staatsoper
  15. Heil Dir, Sonne! - Siegfried Jerusalem
  16. Mild Und Leise - Helga Dernesch

Tracks:

  1. Che Faro Senza Euridice? - Agnes Baltsa
  2. Der Vogelfanger Bin Ich Ja - Walter Berry
  3. Finch'Han Dal Vino - Nicolai Ghiaurov
  4. E Susanna Non Vien!...Dove Sono - Barbara Hendricks
  5. Abscheulicher! - Christa Ludwig
  6. Ne M'Abandonne Pas, Espoir De La Vengeance...Asile Hereditaire - Nicolai Gedda
  7. Largo Al Factotum - Tito Gobbi
  8. Ella Giammai M'Amo! - Ruggero Raimondi
  9. La Donna E Mobile - Alfredo Kraus
  10. Di Quella Pira - Franco Corelli
  11. Esultate! - James McCracken
  12. Dio! Mi Potevi Scagliar - Placido Domingo
  13. Vissi D'Arte, Vissi D'Amore - Maria Callas
  14. In Questa Reggia - Ghena Dimitrova
  15. Tanto Amore - Janine Micheau
  16. O Mio Babbino Caro - Montserrat Caballe
  17. Ed Anche Beppe Amo - Luciano Pavarotti
  18. Poveri Fiori - Maria Callas
  19. Come Un Bel Di Di Maggio - Roberto Alagna

Tracks:

  1. Les Grands Seigneurs...Ah! Je Ris De Me Voir Si Belle - Victoria De Los Angeles
  2. Marie, Avec L'Enfant Jesus - Jules Bastin
  3. Heureux Petit Berger - Janine Micheau
  4. Connais-Tu Le Pays - Jane Rhodes
  5. Elle Ne Croyait Pas Dans Sa Candeur - Nicolai Gedda
  6. Votre Toast, Je Peux Vous Le Rendre...Toreador - Victoria De Los Angeles
  7. Les Oiseaux Dans La Charmille - Mady Mesple
  8. Maintenant, Chantons...Devant La Maison De Celui Qui D'Adore - Gerard Souzay
  9. Depuis Le Jour - Beverly Sills
  10. Da Geht Er Hin - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
  11. Einsam In Truben Tagen - Regine Crespin
  12. Dich, Teure Halle - Hildegard Behrens
  13. Leb Wohl, Du Kuhnes, Herrliches Kind - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
  14. Hojotoho! Hojotoho! - Ute Walther

Tracks:

  1. Non Piu Andrai - Thomas Allen
  2. La Ci Darem La Mano - Graziella Sciutti
  3. Duo: Pa-Pa-Pa - Andreas Schmidt
  4. Soave Sia Il Vento - Delores Ziegler
  5. Mira, O Norma - Maria Callas
  6. Il Dolce Suono - Edita Gruberova
  7. Com'e Gentil - Alfredo Kraus
  8. Una Voce Poco Fa - Maria Callas
  9. Libiamo Ne' Lieti Calici - Alfredo Kraus
  10. Gualtier Malde!...Caro Nome - Michele Pertusi
  11. Ritorna Vincitor - Birgit Nilsson
  12. Ave Maria - Katia Ricciarelli
  13. Nessun Dorma - Franco Corelli
  14. Che Gelida Manina - Nicolai Gedda
  15. Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana - Barbara Hendricks

Tracks:

  1. Mes Amis, Ecoutez L'Histoire - Nicolai Gedda
  2. Mieux Vaut Mourir...Amour Sacre De La Patrie - Alfredo Kraus
  3. Ah! Je Veux Vivre Dans Ce Reve - Mady Mesple
  4. Puisqu'on Ne Peut Flechir...Vainement, Ma Bien-Aimee - Henry Legay
  5. Suis-Je Gentille Ainsi?...Je Marche Sur Tous Les Chemins - June Anderson
  6. Belle Nuit, O Nuit D'Amour - Jessye Norman
  7. La Fleur Que Tu M'Avais Jetee - Jose Carreras
  8. C'est Toi!...Au Fond Du Temple Saint - John Aler
  9. Werther, Werther, Qui M'Aurait Dit...Ces Lettres! - Tatiana Troyanos
  10. Viens, Mallika - Mady Mesple
  11. Ah! Je Suis Seule Enfin...Dis-Moi Que Je Suis Belle - Beverly Sills
  12. Alerte, Alerte!...Anges Purs, Anges Radieux - Nicolai Ghiaurov
  13. Boris's Farewell - Boris Christoff
  14. Schreckensschwur! - Gary Lakes
  15. Die 'Selige Morgentraum-Deutweise'...Selig, Wie Die Sonne - Peter Schreier
  16. Was Am Besten er Kann...Nothung! Nothung! - Siegfried Jerusalem

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Superlative collection.......2006-10-11

A collection of 100 individual arias and ensembles from the EMI catalogue of complete works recorded between 1955 and 2003. It includes selections from operas by Italian, Austrian, German, Russian and French composers. The French composers are especially well represented unlike most such anthologies. And there are several more obscure contributions, such as an aria from Catalani's La Wally. A well-judged balance of musical periods and styles, and the very best singers of the last half of the last century. And remarkably, the whole collection of 6 CDS, over 7 hours of music, is being sold for the cost of only 1 CD !

5 out of 5 stars Great value for the money.......2006-04-23

This is simply the best collection of opera arias that I have seen. It's not 100% in that there are a few well-known arias that are not here, but what is here is simply a treasure. The organization is a bit strange, but there's some logic. For example, Disk 6 is mostly from French operas. A seemingly endless amount of glorious music. Just fabulous. You won't be disappointed.

4 out of 5 stars Great for the money and a good starter on opera...........2006-01-07

This cd is a splendid collection of songs, and the price is unbeatable; I have but a few minor complaints about the overall product. The cd would have been much more enjoyable if they had put the music in some sort of order, rather than jumping around from artist to artist sporatically. My only other complaint would be that they could have chosen some better vocalists to play some of the songs. For example, in CD 6, track 3: Romeo et Juliette, the singer was not nearly as strong and definative as she should have been and I've definately heard in various other versions that were way better than this. This disappointed me greatly. But even with these few small complaints, this collection is still great and the price is amazing. It includes MOST of the famous opera pieces, as well some great songs that are often overlooked such as the beautiful song from Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (CD 6, track 16) along with others.

5 out of 5 stars Amazing Value.......2005-08-23

I am so impressed by this collection that I must share my joy at getting so many beautiful arias, duets, et al in one collection. It captures many of the great operatic voices in stellar performances spanning the last 50 years. If you are enchanted by beautiful operatic highlights, removed from their operatic storylines, this set is for you. Hours of gorgeous music for practically pennies!
Kathleen Battle at Carnegie Hall
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Ms. Battle does it again
  • A charming, lightweight song recital
  • Kathleen Battle Takes On Carnegie Hall
  • I'd give this CD 20 stars if I could! Sheer perfection!
  • Lovely
Kathleen Battle at Carnegie Hall

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by GershwinAll Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Strauss Jr., JohannStrauss Jr., Johann | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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GeneralGeneral | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
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Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
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Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
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Handel, George FridericHandel, George Frideric | H to L | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Mozart, Wolfgang AmadeusMozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | M to P | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Rachmaninov, SergeiRachmaninov, Sergei | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Strauss Jr., JohannStrauss Jr., Johann | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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AnonymousAnonymous | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ItalianItalian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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  1. The Best of Kathleen Battle
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  3. Kathleen Battle Sings Mozart
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  5. So Many Stars

ASIN: B000001GG5
Release Date: 1992-08-11

Tracks:

  1. Serse: Frondi tenere - Ombra mai fu
  2. Giulio Cesare In Egitto: E pur cosi - Piangero la sorte mia
  3. Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte
  4. Ridente la calma
  5. S'il est un charmant gazon
  6. Comment, disaient-ils
  7. Enfant, si j'etais roi
  8. Oh! Quand je dors
  9. Amor
  10. An die Nacht
  11. Vocalise
  12. Zdes' Choroso
  13. V molcan'i noci tajnoj
  14. Ne poj, krasavica
  15. Porgy And Bess: Summertime
  16. Good News
  17. Louise: Depuis le jour
  18. Die Fledermaus: Mein Herr marquis
  19. Over My Head I Hear Music
  20. He's Got The Whole World In His Hand
  21. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Ms. Battle does it again.......2006-03-29

Ms. Battle covers musical styles from baroque all the way to spirituals on this CD, and excels at each song she sings. My personal fav's are "Frondi tenere...ombra mai fu" "Mein herr marquis" "Vocalise" "Swing Low" "Piangero la sorte mia". One impression I get when I hear this CD, is that Ms. Battle had fun with each one of these songs. She sounds like she is enjoying singing them and is totally relaxed with full confidence in her voice. So many singers you hear sound tense, but not here. It's hard to explain really, but generally, when a singer is struggling and fighting to sustain a good sound or sing artistically, you can sense it. This CD is would make a wonderful sampler for someone new to Ms. Battle's voice. It is a shame, though, that she is such a "diva". Nevertheless, this is a delightful recording and I would strongly recommend it.

3 out of 5 stars A charming, lightweight song recital.......2005-09-18

This recital is a pale shadow of the great one Battle gave with Levine from Salzburg, so I wasn't satisfied with one track after another of pretty, charming singing without deep musicality or committment. battle is capable of much beter. Her fans will be pleased, and that's about all.

5 out of 5 stars Kathleen Battle Takes On Carnegie Hall.......2005-04-04

Every big artist wants to perform at Carnegie Hall, its' a sign of a true career. For Kathleen Battle, this must have been quite a night. This album captures that great night, solely built around her, in which she sang aria after aria in a spectacular showcase. Handel was a specialty of hers, and the lyric texture and coloratura heights are nearly dizzying. She makes it all seem so effortless. Furthermore, Miss Battle was a magnificent French singer- most coloratura sopranos excell in the French repertoire- as Beverly Sills did and as did Madie Mesple. However, Battle always makes me feel mixed emotions. One the one hand, she does have a classic, lyric-coloratura voice that nearly became extinct after the reign of Beverly Sills and even earlier with the likes of Lily Pons and Amellita-Galli-Curci. Battle has a bright, golden voice, capable of sweetness and refinement without hysterical declamation or any unpleasant sounds. It's such a shame she did not behave proffessionally. The stories were true. She behaved like a diva holding a whip! She was ungrateful and selfish and couldn't work well with her colleagues and co-artists. She was always late to rehearsals, left early, refused to socialize or ride in the same car with her other artists and went far beyond perfectionism- she behaved like she was the greatest thing since sliced bread. But for all these shortcomings, we love her voice. Her fans, and yes she has fans, continue to buy her albums even though she has long disappeared from the world of opera that once tolerated her but said enough is enough........

5 out of 5 stars I'd give this CD 20 stars if I could! Sheer perfection!.......2003-12-07

God made the nightingale, and somewhere down the line, he touched a little girl named Kathleen Battle with what he originally gave to that bird from the beginning of creation. I cannot, for the life of me, believe that a voice could be so beautiful. I hear it, I marvel, but sometimes the sheer incredible beauty of this woman's vocal artistry is mind altering and surreal. Even the nightingale must suffer a moment of jealousy when a Kathy Battle tune is played!(This is bordering on blasphemous I know, and I beg forgiveness!) But Kathy Battle is simply amazing! This CD captures her at her best.
I'm not an opera buff by any means, but I love the human voice and great singing. There is not a bad song in the bunch. Like one reviewer, I too, am not a big fan of the spirituals segment, but I have a higher tolerance for it than she..I can still enjoy them for what they're worth.

Just BUY this CD...buy more than one if you can. One for home and one for your car. Believe me, you will not be disappointed.

P.S. Can someone tell me if this Carnegie Hall recital was also filmed and where I can get a copy of it? I cannot find many filmed recitals of Kathleen Battle anywhere. There used to be many at the Metropolitan Library in NYC, but all they seem to have now are her appearances in operas. I remember seeing a Met recital of her in a red gown on the cover of the vhs box, but they must have retired it. Any Kathy Battle fans out there who can help me get a video collection going, I would be most appreciated! (ryanmarcus1@juno.com)

4 out of 5 stars Lovely.......2003-07-22

Kathleen has a beautiful voice, and it's wonderful to have a CD that includes both traditional opera pieces as well as fun gospel songs. I recommend this!
Cecilia Bartoli - Rossini recital ~ 19 songs & Cantata: Giovanna d'Arco
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • A young Bartoli sings rarely heard Rossini songs beatifully - a treasure of a disk
  • Rossini really could write; Bartoli really can sing
Cecilia Bartoli - Rossini recital ~ 19 songs & Cantata: Giovanna d'Arco

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

All Works Featuring BartoliAll Works Featuring Bartoli | Bartoli, Cecilia | A to B | Featured Performers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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  5. Cecilia Bartoli - If You Love Me (Se tu m'ami ), 18th-Century Italian Songs

ASIN: B0000041YF
Release Date: 1990-12-21

Tracks:

  1. La Pastorella
  2. Belta Crudele
  3. Il Trovatore
  4. La Regata Veneziana
  5. Mi Lagnero Tacendo
  6. Il Risentimento
  7. La Grande Coquette
  8. Ariette A Lancienne
  9. L'orpheline Du Tyrol
  10. La Legende De Marguerita
  11. Nizza
  12. L'ame Delaissee
  13. Canzonetta Spagnuola
  14. Giovanni D'arco

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A young Bartoli sings rarely heard Rossini songs beatifully - a treasure of a disk.......2006-01-03

This is a treasure of a disk that you should purchase right now. You will not only enjoy it deeply many times, but thank me for pointing you to beautiful music that is not often perfromed and sung by a voice that is absolutely perfect for the music. Let me provide a bit of background.

Gioacchino Rossini was born to a family of musicians in 1792. He began writing music at 15 and by 1829 he had written nearly 40 operas and had been the toast of society. He had early success in 1813 with "Tancredi" and in 1816 with "The Barber of Seville" (under the title of "Almaviva"). And while he wrote some songs and sacred works along the way, he won the world over with his operas and concluded with "Guillaume Tell" (William Tell) in 1829. Thereafter, he wrote sacred works and small works for his own delight that he shared with his friends at soirées in his home (they were regular and sought after events between 1857 until his death in 1868). He wrote hundreds of these pieces and would play the piano (he called himself a pianist of the fourth class) for the singers. Rossini referred to these short songs, pieces for small ensembles, and solo pieces as his "Sins of Old Age" ("Péchés de viellesse"), however he never printed them and, in fact, many of have yet to be printed (but should be).

This disk was recorded in 1990 just before Bartoli's twenty-fourth birthday. Her voice is so beautiful and flexible with many rich colors that each piece sounds like a jewel. Yes, she is a very young singer and her voice has become even richer as she has matured, but this is a glorious disk and something you will want to listen to repeatedly. Some of the songs are short, others are a bit longer, and there is the big finish with the full cantata "Giovanna d'Arco" ("Joan of Arc") from 1832 (but first publicly performed in 1859). It was composed as a gift for Olympe Pellisier, who became his second wife in 1847.

Enjoy!

5 out of 5 stars Rossini really could write; Bartoli really can sing.......2005-08-31

I was surprised that no one had commented on this fine recording before. It's been around for quite a while, I've owned it for ten years and it is still one of my favorite Rossini recordings.
Cecilia Bartoli made her mark early as an interpreter of Rossini's work and this album gives ample evidence that the buzz surrounding her early career was more than just hype. While she is known as today's pre-eminent mezzo-soprano, she was a virtual unknown when she recorded this.
Her technique and voice type are perfect for these songs but it is her obvious love for, and command of, the Rossini repetoire which set this CD apart from most.
The three installments of "La regatta Veneziana" may be the best on record, but buy this for "Giovanna D'Arco." This is masterful work, particularly from such a relatively young and, at the time, inexperienced singer.
While Cecilia' maturity and confidence in her abilities have, of late, made her performances sometimes seem almost effortless, the exuberance of a young Cecilia makes this set irresistable.
Un Jour Un Enfant
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • One of the best vocal music I've ever had
  • Fond of France
  • FRIDA, i'll never forget you !
  • Frida : what so warm voice !
  • beautiful
Un Jour Un Enfant
Frida Boccara
Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. The Vogue Years

ASIN: B0000084JW
Release Date: 1998-02-04

Tracks:

  1. Jour un Enfant
  2. Enfant aux Cymbales
  3. Moulins de Mon Coeur
  4. Johnny Jambe de Bois
  5. Ne Me Quitte Pas
  6. Venise Va Mourir [From l'Adieu enise and Anonimo Veneziano]
  7. Pour Vivre Ensemble
  8. Belle du Luxembourg
  9. Trop Jeune Ou Trop Vieux
  10. Cent Mille Chansons
  11. Autrefois
  12. Soleil d'Amour
  13. Whiskey de Papa
  14. e Nue
  15. Girouette
  16. Croix, l'oile et le Croissant
  17. Taureau
  18. Funilles d'Un Laboureur Brlien
  19. Brandy (Brandy Is My True Love's Name)
  20. Berceuse Pour Luciana
  21. Quatre Chemins de l'Amour
  22. Rossini et Beaumarchais
  23. Pays Pour Nous [From West Side Story]

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars One of the best vocal music I've ever had.......2006-12-25

I heard her song, "Un Jour Un Enfant" from a collection of French music. I love it so much, and finally found her CD here! I love classical music and classical/soft Rock and Roll. I think people who like the Carpenters, or Evita (the show), will love Frida as well. Frida has very smooth and warm voice, her sounds are very peaceful and touching. It is a true form of art. The sound which is also the title of the CD is the best, but every sound in this CD is beautiful.

3 out of 5 stars Fond of France.......2005-08-02

I have a good collection of Boccara on vinyl, showing their age. This CD repeats many of those songs, but they seem to be new versions - eg many recorded 'live' rather than in a studio. The range and timbre of Boccara's voice still impresses and I am happy to have found this compilation.
I am not happy with the lack of information about the tracks supplied in the very brief liner notes - hence only three stars!

5 out of 5 stars FRIDA, i'll never forget you !.......2005-04-17

Patrick de Toulouse (FRANCE)

j'ai 42 ans, pianiste et compositeur italo-français. j'avais 7 ans lorsque je vis en direct de madrid le concours eurovision 1969 (un jour un enfant) en direct à la TV. Toute ma vie, je me souviendrai de cette soirée. Frida Boccara fut une artiste merveilleuse à la voix d'or et de lumière parée des milles couleurs que lui confèrent ses différentes origines méditerranéennes. Rompue à une véritable technique de chant lyrique à l'italienne, avec une respiration diaphragmatique et une conviction à ce jour inégalée pour une artiste femme de ce répertoire. Elle demeure pour moi une réference abslue en matière de musique vocale. Ajoutons à cela qu'en 1971, à Toulouse, je l'ai vue de mes propres yeux chanter, et après le spectacle, j'avais 9 ans, elle m'a accueilli avec ma mère dans sa loge et je peux vous dire que c'était une femme d'une profondeur humaine rarissime. Je déplore sa disparition et je suis bien triste, mais je me souviens avec nostalgie de ces années-là, qui, je vous le dis, ne sont pas prêtes de revenir. J'ai conscience d'avoir vécu une époque bénie. Je souhaite pour elle qu'elle soit en ce moment aux côtés de Dieu, où demeure depuis toujours son trône qui lui fut destiné dès sa naissance.
Cordialement à tous, vous qui l'aimez également

Patrick de Toulouse

5 out of 5 stars Frida : what so warm voice !.......2004-12-05

Frida Boccara made the great jump to the fame with this outstanding Un jour un enfant in Eurovision Festival in those far seventies .
Her voice was so clear, crystaline , and filled of expression that it was very hard for you to forget her .
All this album is worthable . To listen this female singer is a spectacle reserved for Gods and connoiseurs .
Supreme and unique .
Au revoir Frida , wherever you are !

5 out of 5 stars beautiful.......2002-03-30

My parents had this album around when I was a kid and it has warm memories today. Cent milles chanson was a song that was and is dear to my heart; it was played at my mother's funeral and although I have the cd, I still have a hard time listening to it; it's so poingnant. Frida is no longer with us, but her voice endures.
Poulenc - Melodies / Ameling · Gedda · W. Parker · Sénéchal · Souzay · Baldwin
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Essential for the chansom junkie. Buy It.
  • Almost completely wonderful
  • Indisputable Gallic flair
  • Idiomatic, fresh, cleanly recorded
  • the best songs ever ruined by uneven performing
Poulenc - Melodies / Ameling · Gedda · W. Parker · Sénéchal · Souzay · Baldwin
Francis Poulenc , Dalton Baldwin , Elly Ameling , Gérard Souzay , Nicolai Gedda , Michel Sénéchal , and William Parker
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  3. A French Song Companion
  4. Véronique Gens - Nuit d'étoiles (Mélodies Française) / Vignoles
  5. The Songs of Henri Duparc

ASIN: B000002S31
Release Date: 1992-01-23

Tracks:

  1. LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: I - Le Dromadaire
  2. LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: II - La Chevre Du Tibet
  3. LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: III - La Sauterelle
  4. LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: IV - Le Dauphin
  5. LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: V - L'ecrevisse
  6. LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTEGE D'ORPHEE: VI - La Carpe
  7. COCARDES: I - Miel De Narbonne
  8. COCARDES: II - Bonne D'enfant
  9. COCARDES: III - Enfant De Troupe
  10. 5 POEMES DE RONSARD: I - Attributs
  11. 5 POEMES DE RONSARD: II - Le Tombeau
  12. 5 POEMES DE RONSARD: III - Ballet
  13. 5 POEMES DE RONSARD: IV - Je N'ai Plus Les Os
  14. 5 POEMES DE RONSARD: V - A Son Page
  15. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: I - La Maitresse Volage
  16. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: II - Chanson A Boire
  17. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: III - Madrigal
  18. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: IV - Invocation Aux Parques
  19. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: V - Couplets Bachiques
  20. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: VI - L'offrande
  21. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: VII - La Belle Jeunesse
  22. CHANSONS GAILLARDES: VIII - Serenade
  23. AIRS CHANTES: I - Air Romantique
  24. AIRS CHANTES: II - Air Champetre
  25. AIRS CHANTES: III - Air Grave
  26. AIRS CHANTES: IV - Air Vif
  27. Epitaphe
  28. 3 POEMES DE LOUISE LALANNE: I - Le Present
  29. 3 POEMES DE LOUISE LALANNE: II - Chanson
  30. 3 POEMES DE LOUISE LALANNE: III - Hier
  31. 4 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: I - L'anguille
  32. 4 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: II - Carte Postale
  33. 4 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: III - Avant Le Cinema
  34. 4 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: IV - 1904
  35. 5 POEMES DE MAX JACOB: I - Chanson Bretonne
  36. 5 POEMES DE MAX JACOB: II - Cimetiere
  37. 5 POEMES DE MAX JACOB: III - La Petite Servante
  38. 5 POEMES DE MAX JACOB: IV - Berceuse
  39. 5 POEMES DE MAX JACOB: V - Souric Et Mouric
  40. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: I - La Couronne
  41. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: II - Le Depart
  42. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: III - Les Gars Polonais
  43. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: IV - Le Dernier Mazour
  44. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: V - L'adieu
  45. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: VI - Le Drapeau Blanc
  46. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: VII - La Vistule
  47. 8 CHANSONS POLONAISES: VIII - Le Lac

Tracks:

  1. 5 POEMES DE PAUL ELUARD: I - Peut - Il Se Reposer?
  2. 5 POEMES DE PAUL ELUARD: II - Il La Prend Dans Ses Bras
  3. 5 POEMES DE PAUL ELUARD: III - Plume D'eau Claire
  4. 5 POEMES DE PAUL ELUARD: IV - Rodeuse Au Front De Verre
  5. 5 POEMES DE PAUL ELUARD: V - Amoureuses
  6. A Sa Guitare
  7. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: I - Bonne Journee
  8. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: II - Une Ruine Coquille Vide
  9. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: III - Le Front Comme Un Drapeau Perdu
  10. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: IV - Une Roulotte Couverte En Tuiles
  11. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: V - A Toutes Brides
  12. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: VI - Une Herbe Pauvre
  13. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: VII - Je N'ai Envie Que De T'aimer
  14. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: VIII - Figure De Force Brulante Et Farouche
  15. TEL JOUR, TELLE NUIT: IX - Nous Avons Fait La Nuit
  16. 3 POEMES DE LOUISE DE VILMORIN: I - Le Garcon De Liege
  17. 3 POEMES DE LOUISE DE VILMORIN: II - Au-Dela
  18. 3 POEMES DE LOUISE DE VILMORIN: III - Aux Officiers De La Garde Blanche
  19. 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: I - Dans Le Jardin D'anna
  20. 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: II - Allons Plus Vite
  21. MIROIRS BRULANTS: I - Tu Vois Le Feu Du Soir
  22. MIROIRS BRULANTS: II - Je Nommerai Ton Front
  23. Le Portrait
  24. La Grenouillere
  25. Priez Pour Paix
  26. Ce Doux Petit Visage
  27. Bleuet
  28. FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: I - La Dame D'andre
  29. FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: II - Dans L'herbe
  30. FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: III - Il Vole
  31. FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: IV - Mon Cadavre Est Doux Comme Un Gant
  32. FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: V - Violon
  33. FIANCAILLES POUR RIRE: VI - Fleurs

Tracks:

  1. BANALITES: I - Chanson D'orkenise
  2. BANALITES: II - Hotel
  3. BANALITES: III - Fagnes De Wallonie
  4. BANALITES: IV - Voyage A Paris
  5. BANALITES: V - Sanglots
  6. CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: I - Chanson Du Clair Tamis
  7. CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: II - Les Gars Qui Vont A La Fete
  8. CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: III - C'est Le Joli Printemps
  9. CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: IV - Le Mendiant
  10. CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: V - Chanson De La Fille Frivole
  11. CHANSONS VILLAGEOISES: VI - Le Retour Du Sergent
  12. METAMORPHOSES: I - Reine Des Mouettes
  13. METAMORPHOSES: II - C'est Ainsi Que Tu Es
  14. METAMORPHOSES: III - Paganini
  15. 2 POEMES DE LOUIS ARAGON: I - C
  16. 2 POEMES DE LOUIS ARAGON: II - Fetes Galantes
  17. 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: I - Montparnasse
  18. 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: II - Hyde Park
  19. 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: I - Le Pont
  20. 2 POEMES DE GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE: II - Un Poeme
  21. Paul Et Virginie
  22. Mais Mourir
  23. Hymne
  24. 3 CHANSONS DE FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA: I - L'enfant Muet
  25. 3 CHANSONS DE FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA: II - Adelina A La Promenade
  26. 3 CHANSONS DE FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA: III - Chanson A L'oranger Sec
  27. Le Disparu
  28. Main Dominee Par Le Coeur
  29. CALLIGRAMMES: I - L'espionne
  30. CALLIGRAMMES: II - Mutation
  31. CALLIGRAMMES: III - Vers Le Sud
  32. CALLIGRAMMES: IV - Il Pleut
  33. CALLIGRAMMES: V - La Grace Exilee
  34. CALLIGRAMMES: VI - Aussi Bien Que Les Cigales
  35. CALLIGRAMMES: VII - Voyage

Tracks:

  1. Mazurka
  2. LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: I - Rayon Des Yeux...
  3. LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: II - Le Matin Les Branches Attisent...
  4. LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: III - Tout Disparut...
  5. LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: IV - Dans Les Tenebres Du Jardin...
  6. LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: V - Unis La Fraicheur Et Le Feu...
  7. LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: VI - Homme Au Sourire Tendre...
  8. LA FRAICHEUR ET LE FEU: VII - La Grande Riviere Qui VA...
  9. PARISIANA: Le Joueur De Bugle
  10. PARISIANA: Vous N'ecrivez Plus?
  11. Rosemonde
  12. LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: I - Pablo Picasso
  13. LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: II - Marc Chagall
  14. LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: III - Georges Braque
  15. LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: IV - Juan Gris
  16. LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: V - Paul Klee
  17. LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: VI - Joan Miro
  18. LE TRAVAIL DU PEINTRE: VII - Jacques Villon
  19. La Souris
  20. Nuage
  21. Dernier Poeme
  22. Une Chanson De Porcelaine
  23. LA COURTE PAILLE: I - Le Sommeil
  24. LA COURTE PAILLE: II - Quelle Aventure!
  25. LA COURTE PAILLE: III - La Reine De Coeur
  26. LA COURTE PAILLE: IV - Ba, Be, Bi, Bo, Bu
  27. LA COURTE PAILLE: V - Les Anges Musiciens
  28. LA COURTE PAILLE: VI - Le Carafon
  29. LA COURTE PAILLE: VII - Lune D'avril
  30. Toreador
  31. 4 CHANSONS POUR ENFANTS: I - La Tragique Histoire Du Petit Rene
  32. 4 CHANSONS POUR ENFANTS: II - Nous Voulons Une Petite Soeur
  33. 4 CHANSONS POUR ENFANTS: III - Le Petit Garcon Trop Bien Portant
  34. 4 CHANSONS POUR ENFANTS: IV - Monsieur Sans-Souci
  35. Fancy
  36. Colloque

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Essential for the chansom junkie. Buy It........2006-10-25

'Poulenc Melodies' performed by a really impressive lineup of vocal talent including Elly Ameling and Nicolai Gedda is exactly the kind of recording you need if you are compulsive about having 'complete' collections of things. This shows a range of composition which smaller releases such as single CD 'Voyage a Paris' (Hyperion, with Felicity Lott and Graham Johnson)can give us. For starters, many of these chansom showed a lot more evidence of more modern stylings and a far greater range of interpretation. In fact, I even had to check the lyrics in the included booklet to verify that on some songs, the performers were singing in French. Even though I have a smattering of knowledge of French, I would have sworn that the singers were performing songs in Russian.

I am happy that all four discs run for more than 60 minutes. No cheap short changing here. If you don't want to spring for the large set, the Hyperion release is great, but this is worth every penny.

4 out of 5 stars Almost completely wonderful.......2005-04-29

Its very considerable advantage lies in its completeness. Poulenc was one of the very greatest songwriters of any era. If you have no Poulenc songs in your collection, start here. The recommendation of Kruysen is a fine one, but only after you have heard this as a basis of comparison. Of Ameling, Senechal, Souzay, Gedda, and Parker, the only disappointment is Parker, who - I'll just say it - sings with his usual bleat. Souzay is a shade past it in vocal quality, but he still understands these songs as well as anybody, with great declamation (and that, after all, is what most of French singing is about). The dryness of the voice is nowhere close to disastrous, as it might have been in Italian opera. Indeed, it lends an air of life lived, without excuses. Gedda is okay. The standouts are Souzay, Ameling, and Senechal. Baldwin accompanies superbly.

5 out of 5 stars Indisputable Gallic flair.......2004-06-06

These performances are piquant and stylistically right on target. Even if Souzay is past his best here, he brings a lifetime of experience to bear and the other performers are wonderful. Ignore the curmudgeon who blasted this set. You will enjoy this tremendously if you love Poulenc.

4 out of 5 stars Idiomatic, fresh, cleanly recorded.......2001-05-12

This is a fine set. Dalton Baldwin accompanies each singer with clarity and zest. And who can resist the affectionate singing of the likes of Nicolai Gedda and Elly Ameling? The "melodies" themselves are magnificent--among Poulenc's finest creations. Whether you have other performances of these works or not, I think you'd be pleased with this beautifully recorded set. Certainly the 70's-vintage performances are more individual in profile, more "romantic," if you will, than those conjured by most of the "anonymous" singers of our own age. Recommended with enthusiasm.

2 out of 5 stars the best songs ever ruined by uneven performing.......2001-05-05

This is a warning for all Poulenc fans NOT to take the bargain route and purchase this immense collection -- you might think you're getting a great deal but: the singing and pianism is substandard and doesn't do the music justice (remotely). Songs like Bonne Journe'e or Ho^tel are all but ruined... Here's what to buy: Bernard Kruysen's CD of selected Poulenc masterpieces (favoring the Elouard settings)... nobody will ever come close to Kruysen in interpreting Poulenc. Avoid THIS CD. They still get 2 stars for (1) being encyclical and (2) delivering clear and even sound quality.
The Fabulous Victoria De Los Angeles
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Awesome musicality
  • Fabulous? Yes!!!
The Fabulous Victoria De Los Angeles

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Songs Of Spain / De Los Angeles, et al
  2. The Very Best of Victoria de los Angeles
  3. Cecilia Bartoli - If You Love Me (Se tu m'ami ), 18th-Century Italian Songs

ASIN: B000002S5G
Release Date: 1994-02-15

Tracks:

  1. Sheherazade: Asie
  2. Sheherazade: La Flute enchantee
  3. Sheherazade: L'Indifferent
  4. Cinq Melodies populaires grecques: Le Reveil de la mariee
  5. Cinq Melodies populaires grecques: La-bas vers l'eglise
  6. Cinq Melodies populaires grecques: Quel galant m'est comparable
  7. Cinq Melodies populaires grecques: Chanson des cueilleuses de lentisques
  8. Cinq Melodies populaires grecques: Tout gai!
  9. Duex Melodies hebraiques: Kaddisch
  10. Duex Melodies hebraiques: L'Enigme eternelle
  11. L'Invitaiton au voyage
  12. Phidyle
  13. L'Enfant Prodigue: Recit. & Air de Lia: L'annee en vain chasse l'annee
  14. Poeme de l'amour et de la mer: La Fleur des eaux
  15. Poeme de l'amour et de la mer: Interlude
  16. Poeme de l'amour et de la mer: La Mort de l'amour

Tracks:

  1. Cinco Canciones Negras: Cuba dentro de un piano
  2. Cinco Canciones Negras: Punto de habanera
  3. Cinco Canciones Negras: Chevere
  4. Cinco Canciones Negras: Cancion de cuna para dormir a un negrito
  5. Cinco Canciones Negras: Canto negro
  6. Coleccion de canciones amatorias: Llorad corazon
  7. Coleccion de canciones amatorias: Iban al pinar
  8. Cuatro madrigales amatorios: Con que la lavare?
  9. Cuatro madrigales amatorios: Vos me matasteis
  10. Cuatro madrigales amatorios: De donde venis, amore?
  11. Cuatro madrigales amatorios: De los alamos vengo, madre
  12. Cinco canciones playeras espanolas: Rutas
  13. Cinco canciones playeras espanolas: Pregon
  14. Cinco canciones playeras espanolas: Las 12
  15. Cinco canciones playeras espanolas: El pescador sin dinero
  16. Cinco canciones playeras espanolas: Coplilla
  17. Quatre cancons: Canco de grumet
  18. Quatre cancons: Cancon incerta
  19. Quatre cancons: Maig
  20. Quatre cancons: Anacreontica
  21. La Dama d'Arago
  22. El can dels ocells
  23. Canco de Sega
  24. El combat del somni: Damunt de tu nomes les flors
  25. El combat del somni: Aquesta nit un mateix vent
  26. El combat del somni: Jo et presentia com la mar
  27. Triptic de Mossen Cinto: L'Harpa Sagrada
  28. Triptic de Mossen Cinto: Lo violi de Sant Francesh
  29. Triptic de Mossen Cinto: Sant Fransech i la cigala

Tracks:

  1. Chansons de Bilitis: La Flute de Pan
  2. Chansons de Bilitis: La Chevelure
  3. Chansons de Bilitis: Le Tombeau des Naiades
  4. Fetes galantes: En sourdine
  5. Fetes galantes: Fantoches
  6. Fetes galantes: Clair de lune
  7. Noel de enfants qui n'ont plus de maisons
  8. Chants populaires: Chanson espagnole
  9. Chants populaires: Chanson francaise
  10. Chants populaires: Chanson italienne
  11. Chants populaires: Chanson Herbraique
  12. Trois jours de vendange
  13. Le Rossignol des lilas
  14. Tristesse, Op. 6, No. 2
  15. Au bord de l'eau, Op. 8, No. 1
  16. Les Roses d'Ispahan, Op. 39, No. 4
  17. Troujours (No. 2 de Trois Poemes d'un jour, Op. 21)
  18. Siete Canciones populares espanolas: El pano murano
  19. Siete Canciones populares espanolas: Sequidilla murciana
  20. Siete Canciones populares espanolas: Asturiana
  21. Siete Canciones populares espanolas: Jota
  22. Siete Canciones populares espanolas: Nana
  23. Siete Canciones populares espanolas: Cancion
  24. Siete Canciones populares espanolas: Polo
  25. Doce canciones gallegas: As florinas dos toxos
  26. Triptico, Op. 45: Farruca
  27. Villancicos: Pastorcito santo
  28. Psyche
  29. Soneto a Cordoba

Tracks:

  1. Proserpina: E dove t'aggiri
  2. Le violette
  3. Joshua: Oh! had I Jubal's lyre
  4. Der Tod und das Madchen, D. 531
  5. Die schone Mullerin, D. 795: No. 2: Wohin?
  6. D. 547: An die Musik
  7. Op. 59, No. 8: Dein blaues Auge
  8. Op. 84, No. 4: Vergebliches Standchen
  9. Op. 27, No. 1: Chanson d'amour
  10. Op. 46, No. 2: Clair de lune
  11. Let Us Wander
  12. Lost Is My Quiet
  13. Schlaf in deiner engen Kammer
  14. Ah! lamenta, oh bella Irene
  15. Irish Songs: Oh! Would I Were But That Sweet Linnet
  16. Irish Songs: He Promised Me At Parting
  17. Irish Songs: They Bid Me Slight My Dermot Dear
  18. Welsh songs: The Dream
  19. Mignon und der Harfner, D. 877: Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt
  20. Les Fleurs des landes: Le Trebuchet
  21. Moglichkeit
  22. Der Apfel
  23. Schottische Ballade
  24. Pastorale
  25. Pleurs d'or
  26. Sapphische Ode
  27. La Partenza

Amazon.com

The word "fabulous" seems vulgar when applied to the Spanish diva whose delicately shaded voice encompassed music from the middle ages to the present. This four-disc compilation emphasizes her song repertoire, to which she brought warmth, intelligence, linguistic integrity and irresistible sincerity. Her dignity makes listeners want to come to her, and she rewards them with an intimate, personal experience, especially in this small-scale repertoire by Ravel, Debussy, Duparc, Fauré, lots of Spanish composers and German masters such as Schubert and Brahms. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Awesome musicality.......2006-07-26

This 4-CD set is a tribute to the concert career of the great Victoria de Los Angeles. The first 3 CDs show her totally at home in the art song of France and of her native Spain. In the French art songs, her silvery, creamy tone, her legendary legato and her perfect French diction make for wonderful and unforgettable performances. These include a sensual Scheherazade, magnificient singing in the Duparc songs and a phenomenal Poeme de L'amour et de la mer of Chausson (try to keep your eyes dry by the end of La mort de l'amour). In the Chausson, while de Los Angeles does not opt for the intensely Wagnerian approach, her sensitive singing more than does justice to the poetry and the feelings of the character. The Spanish songs showcase de Los Angeles at her most natural, flamboyant and attractive singing. The tunes are catchy, full of bouncy rhythms and De Los Angeles's fabulous voice never ceases to amaze. The 4th CD shows the wonderful chemistry between de Los angeles and the great Gerald Moore. While she does not erase memories of Fischer-Dieskau and Schwarzkopf in the Schubert selections, the Brahms songs are excellent and her Faure songs here are earth shaking in their elegance and refinement. The Italian and the famous Handel aria helps to prove De Los Angeles's reputation as an excellent bel canto singer. Her duets with Fischer-Dieskau are absolutely memorable and gorgeous.
The set comes with booklet including full words plus translations, helpful notes on De Los Angeles's concert career and a dozen of beautiful and rare black and white photos. Victoria de Los Angeles's concert career was as prolific as her legendary operatic performances and continued well after her retirement from the operatic stage. This introspective and almost encycopledic release is a real treat and is absolutely recommended. I totally agree with the editor's review who states that the word "fabulous" fails in every respect to fully capture the artistry of the Spanish soprano. Victoria de Los Angeles is definitely one of the most wonderful lyric sopranos of the 20th century and is one of the most heavenly artists to have ever graced the concert scene. A must-have for any collection.

5 out of 5 stars Fabulous? Yes!!!.......1999-09-13

The album is a marvelous sampling of this great singer's artistry. Her performances of the French and Spanish composers are something special. The De Falla "Seven Popular Folksongs" are powerful, passionate; the last song, "Jota," raised the hair on the back of my neck.

I was delighted to see Faure's "Claire de lune" on the album, and equally delighted with De Los Angeles' elegant rendition of this work. The only recording of the song I've liked better is from an LP featuring Frederika Von Stade.

As an added bonus, several duets with the great baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau are featured on Disk #4. These include some charming settings of Irish songs by Beethoven, and a gorgeous arrangement of "Let Us Wander" by Henry Purcell. I remember hearing these duets years ago on an LP recording, and it was a pleasure to hear them again.
Prima Voce Treasury of Opera, Vol. 1
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • A primer of great singing
  • Outstanding
  • A collection made with taste and savvy
  • One of the Great Bargains
Prima Voce Treasury of Opera, Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Nimbus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Delibes, Léo | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by DonizettiAll Works by Donizetti | Donizetti, Gaetano | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by GlinkaAll Works by Glinka | Glinka, Mikhail | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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All Works by GounodAll Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by HandelAll Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Lehár, Franz | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. The Prima Voce Treasury of Opera, Vol. 2
  2. The Golden Age of Singing, Volume One 1900 - 1910
  3. The Golden Age of Singing: Vol. 3 1920-1930
  4. The Golden Age of Singing, Vol. 4; 1930-1950
  5. Golden Age of Singing Vol.2 (1910-20)

ASIN: B000042NZP
Release Date: 2000-02-15

Tracks:

  1. Adriana Lecouvreur: Poveri Fiori - Claudia Muzio
  2. L'Africaine: O Paradiso - Giacomo Lauri-Volpi
  3. Aida: Se Quel Guerrier Io Fossi... Celeste Aida - Enrico Caruso
  4. Aida: Ritorna Vincitor - Rosa Ponselle
  5. Andrea Chenier: Un Di All'azzuro Spazio - Giovanni Martinelli
  6. Andrea Chenier: La Mamma Morta - Claudia Muzio
  7. Andrea Chenier: Come Un Bel Di Di Maggio - Giovanni Martinelli
  8. L'Arlesiana: E La Solita Storia - Tito Schipa
  9. Atalanta: Care Selve - Eide Norena
  10. Attila: Dagli Immortali Vertici - Igor Gorin
  11. Un Ballo In Maschera: Di Tu Se Fedele - Enrico Caruso/Metropolitan Opr Chor
  12. Un Ballo In Maschera: Eri Tu, Che Macchiavi - Mattia Battistini
  13. Un Ballo In Maschera: Saper Vorreste - Luisa Tetrazzini
  14. Il Barbiere De Siviglia: Largo Al Factotum - Riccardo Stracciari
  15. Il Barbiere De Siviglia: Se Il Mio Nome - Tito Schipa
  16. Il Barbiere De Siviglia: Una Voce Poco Fa...Io Sono Docile - Conchita Supervia

Tracks:

  1. La Belle Helene: Au Mont Ida Trois Deesses - Jussi Bjorling
  2. La Boheme: Che Gelida Manina - Beniamino Gigli
  3. La Boheme: Si, Mi Chiamano Mimi - Claudio Muzio
  4. La Boheme: Donde Lieta Usci - Nellie Melba
  5. Boris Godunov: Varlaam's Song - Feodor Chaliapin
  6. Cagliostro In Wien: Zigeunerkind, Wie Glanzt Dein Haar - Lotte Schone
  7. Le Cid: Enfant Cheri...Le Tambour-Major - Pol Plancon
  8. Carmen: L'amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle (Habanera) - Conchita Supervia
  9. Carmen: Pres Des Remparts De Seville (Seguedille) - Conchita Supervia
  10. Carmen: Chanson Du Toreador - Lawrence Tibbett/Metropolitan Opr House Chor
  11. Carmen: La Fleur Que Tu M'avais Jetee - Giacomo Lauri-Volpi
  12. Carmen: Je Dis Que Rien Ne M'epouvante (Micaela's Aria) - Eide Norena
  13. Cavalleria Rusticana: O Lola, C'hai Di Latti La Cammisa (Siciliana) - Tito Schipa
  14. Cavalleria Rusticana: Voi Lo Sapete - Claudia Muzio
  15. Cavalleria Rusticana: Viva Il Vino Spumeggiante - Giacomo Lauri-Volpi
  16. Cavalleria Rusticana: Addio Alla Madre - Enrico Caruso
  17. La Cenerentola: Non Piu Mesta - Conchita Supervia

Tracks:

  1. Les Contes D'Hoffmann: Les Oiseaux Dans La Charmille - Mabel Garrison
  2. Le Coq D'Or: Hymne Au Soleil - Eide Norena
  3. La Dame Blanche: Reverie De Georges Brown - David Devries
  4. Dinorah: Ombra Leggiera - Amelita Galli-Curci
  5. Dinorah: Ah! Mon Remords Te Venge - Pasquale Amato
  6. Don Carlos: Ella Giammai M'amo - Ezio Pinza
  7. Don Carlos: O Carlo, Ascolta - Mattia Battistini
  8. Don Cesar De Bazan: A Seville, Belles Senoras (Sevillana) - Amelita Galli-Curci
  9. Don Giovanni: Deh Vieni Alla Finestra - Ezio Pinza
  10. Don Giovanni: Il Mio Tesoro - John McCormack
  11. Don Pasquale: Sogno Soave E Casto - Tito Schipa
  12. Don Pasquale: Quel Guardo Il Cavaliere - Amelita Galli-Curci
  13. L'Elisir D'Amore: Quanto E Bella, Quanto E Cara - Beniamino Gigli
  14. L'Elisir D'Amore: Una Furtiva Lagrima - Tito Schipa
  15. Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail: Wer Ein Liebchen Hat Gefunden - Alexander Kipnis
  16. Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail: Durch Zartlichkeit Und Schmeicheln - Eide Norena

Tracks:

  1. Ernani: Come Rugiada Al Cespite - Giovanni Martinelli
  2. Ernani: Ernani! Ernani, Involami - Rosa Ponselle
  3. Ernani: Infelice! E Tu Credevi - Ezio Pinza
  4. Ernani: O,De' Verd' Anni Miei - Giuseppe De Luca
  5. Eugene Onegin: Letter Scene - Lotte Lehman
  6. Eugene Onegin: Lontan, Lontan (Lenski's Aria) - Dmitri Smirnov
  7. Faust: Salut! Demeure Chaste Et Pure - Giacomo Lauri-Volpi
  8. Faust: Il Etait Un Roi De Thule - Conchita Supervia
  9. Faust: Ah, Je Ris De Me Voir Si Belle (Jewel Song) - Eide Norena
  10. La Favorita: A Tanto Amor - Mattia Battistini
  11. La Favorita: O Mio Fernando - Sigrid Onegin
  12. La Favorita: Spirito Gentil - Beniamino Gigli
  13. La Figlia Del Reggimento: Convien Partir - Toti Dal Monte
  14. Die Fledermaus: Mein Herr - Lotte Schone
  15. Die Fledermaus: Czardas - Elisabeth Rethberg

Tracks:

  1. La Forza Del Destino: Alzatevi...La Vergine Degli Angeli - Rosa Ponselle/Ezio Pinza
  2. La Forza Del Destino: Solenne In Quest'ora - Beniamino Gigli/Giuseppe De Luca
  3. La Forza Del Destino: Invano, Alvaro...Le Minaccie, I Fieri Accenti - Giovanni Martinelli/Giuseppe De Luca
  4. La Forza Del Destino: Pace, Pace Mio Dio - Claudia Muzio
  5. La Gioconda: Ah! Pescator Affonda L'esca - Titta Ruffo
  6. La Gioconda: Cielo E Mar - Jussi Bjorling
  7. La Gioconda: Suicidio - Rosa Ponselle
  8. Grafin Mariza: Gruss Mir Wein Wien - Richard Tauber
  9. Guillaume Tell: Sombre Foret (Cavatina) - Eide Norena
  10. Les Huguenots: Une Dame Noble Et Sage - Mario Ivogun
  11. Les Huguenots: Bianca Al Par - Giacomo Lauri-Volpi
  12. Iris: Apri La Tua Finestra - Antonio Cortis
  13. Jocelyn: Caches Dans Cet Asile (Berceuse) - Alma Gluck
  14. Lakme: Ou Va La Jeune Hindoue (Bell Song) - Amelita Galli-Curci
  15. Das Land Des Lachelns: Von Apfelbluten Einen Kranz - Richard Tauber

Tracks:

  1. A Life For The Tsar: I Do Not Grieve For That - Antonina Nezhdanova
  2. Linda Di Chamounix: O Luce Di Quest' Anima - Marcella Sembrich
  3. Lodoletta: Flammen, Perdonami - Mafalda Favero
  4. Lohengrin: Euch Luften, Die Meine Klagen - Kirsten Flagstad
  5. Lohengrin: In Fernem Land - Miguel Fleta
  6. Louise: Depuis Le Jour - Ninon Vallin
  7. Lucia Di Lammermoor: Cruda Funesta Smania - Mariano Stabile
  8. Lucia Di Lammermoor: Ardon Gl'incensi - Frieda Hempel
  9. Lucia Di Lammermoor: Tu Che A Dio Spiegasti L'ali - John McCormack
  10. Lucrezia Borgia: Il Segreto Per Esser Felici (Brindisi) - Ernestine Schumann-Heink
  11. Luisa Miller: Quando Le Sere Al Placido - Giacomo Lauri-Volpi
  12. Die Lustigen Weiber Von Windsor: Nun Eilt' Herbei - Maria Ivogun
  13. Die Lustige Witwe: Lippen Schweigen (Ballsirenen-Walzer) - Richard Tauber
  14. Madama Buterfly: Un Bel Di Vedremo - Rosa Ponselle
  15. Manon: Il Sogno (En Fermant Les Yeux) - Jussi Bjorling
  16. Manon: Obeissons, Qukkand Leur Voix Appelle (Gavotte) - Amelita Galli-Curci
  17. Manon: Dispar, Vision - Tito Schipa

Amazon.com

This spectacular collection of more than 90 arias sung by 46 of the greatest singers of the century consists of recordings made between 1906 and 1943. Naturally, they are in far from high fidelity, but this is more charming than disturbing. And all the greats are here: from the tenors Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, John McCormack, and Jussi Bjoerlong, to the sopranos Rosa Ponselle, Amelita Galli-Curci, Claudia Muzio, and Kirsten Flagstad, to mezzos Conchita Supervia and Ernestine Schumann-Heink, to baritones Giuseppe de Luca and Mattia Battistini, and basses Ezio Pinza and Feodor Chaliapin--to mention a few. The six and a half hours of listening is a veritable primer in Grand Opera; a short synopsis of each selection is included. This set lives up to its name--it is indeed a treasury. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars A primer of great singing.......2006-11-07

The Prima Voce Treasury of Opera Vol 1 contains arias and a few duets from operas A- M ( Adriana Lecouvreur- Manon)sung by singers of the first half of the 20th Century. Vol 2 continues with excerpts from operas M-Z ( Manon Lescaut - Die Zauberflote).All the tracks are taken from the Nimbus Prima Voce catalogue, using their controversial re-recording technique, which many people dislike for the over reverberant sound.Personally, I find the transfers more acceptable than the strident, edgy transfers of some other companies.

Opinion about any compilation of this sort is a personal matter. I find the choice of singers predictable and unimaginative and at times rather strange: Lauri-Volpi is not a representative Don Jose nor Faust for example.Overall though the standard of singing is very high.

The accompanying booklet contains well written potted biographies of the singers featured on the CDs.

This compilation is a very good primer of great singing from the past for someone starting out in this field but not for anyone who is already steeped in historic recordings, except perhaps to listen to in the car, which is what I bought it and Vol2 for.

5 out of 5 stars Outstanding.......2001-09-12

As it happened, I bought Vol. 2 of this collection before Vol. 1, and everything I said in my review of Vol. 2 applies equally here. The breadth and depth of the operas and the singers are incredible, and the price for 6 CDs is an amazing bargain. The sound is remarkable, especially considering that some of the recordings are nearly 100 years old, though most are from the 20s and 30s. Highly recommended, whether you are new to opera or a seasoned veteran!

5 out of 5 stars A collection made with taste and savvy.......2001-03-10

The English just know how to do things in good taste and I must say, the elements of this Prima Voce collection have been carefully selected and arranged. Arias are grouped so that you have two or three from the same opera together. This is a sensible arrangement and each singer selected for those particular arias is one who sings it very well and in a unique way. I had already been collecting single singer albums from Prima Voce when I discovered this Treasury compilation and wish now I had bought it first, because you get a good sampling of all the great singers in their catalog and will hear artists of whom you may not have been aware. From this Treasury collection you will hear singers that especially please your ear and then you might buy albums just of them. For me, this set confirmed those choices of favorites such as Claudia Muzio and Tito Schipa. Best of all, the six CDs make for a pleasing listening experience as a whole. I listen to them while I drive. There aren't any bad performances here and quite frankly there are few contemporary artists that can match or top these. It's a great way to establish an historical foundation for your recordings if you are building a collection of singers.

5 out of 5 stars One of the Great Bargains.......2000-06-23

This is one of those rare bargains that one dreams about. I discovered it while browsing and I could not believe that one could have six disks for less than the normal cost of two. Nor is this an economy issue, transferred from what I assume is original pirate recordings along the lines of Gala and Opera d'Oro and even Myto. The transfers are clean and the collection is nonpareil. In all transfers I miss texts. But the music itself is glorious, the selection intelligent, and the artists the stars of the opera world. Unlike other collections arranged in chronological order, these use a simple alphabetic sequence of operas, so one can follow in one's own libretto or score more easily. The recordings appear to bridge the two world wars. If this is indeed volume one, I cannot wait for two.
Massenet - Werther / Alagna · Gheorghiu · Hampson · Petibon · Courtis · Fouchécourt · Frémeau · LSO · Pappano
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A star among modern Werthers, but there are others
  • Another Smash Hit From The French Opera Specialists
  • ¿El mejor Werther despues de Kraus?
  • Best Werther recording since the 1930s
  • thoughts on "Werther"
Massenet - Werther / Alagna · Gheorghiu · Hampson · Petibon · Courtis · Fouchécourt · Frémeau · LSO · Pappano
Jules Massenet , Antonio Pappano , Roberto Alagna , Angela Gheorghiu , London Symphony Orchestra , Tiffin Children's Choir , Thomas Hampson , Patricia Petibon , Jean-Philippe Courtis , Jean-Paul Fouchécourt , Jean-Marie Frémeau , James Savage-Hanford , Pierre Dupont , and Sophie Boulanger
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  3. Massenet: Le Jongleur de Notre Dame
  4. Puccini - Il Trittico / Alagna, Gheorghiu, Guelfi, Guleghina, Gallardo-Domás, Manca di Nissa, Palmer, Shicoff, van Dam, Pappano
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ASIN: B00001ZSVU
Release Date: 1999-10-19

Tracks:

  1. Werther: Prelude (Orchestra)
  2. Werther: Act One: Assez! Assez! M'ecouterat-on cette fois? (Le Bailli, Les Enfants)
  3. Werther: Act One: Bravo pour les enfants! (Johann, Schmidt, Les Enfants, Le Bailli, Sophie)
  4. Werther: Act One: Alors, c'est bien ici la maison du Bailli?
  5. Werther: Act One: Je ne sais si je veille (Werther)
  6. Werther: Act One: Jesus vient de naitre!...Chers enfants! (Les Enfants, Werther)
  7. Werther: Act One: Ah! comme ils sont meilleurs que moi! (Werther, Les enfants, Le Bailli)
  8. Werther: Act One: Arrivez donc, Bruhlmann! (Le Bailli, Charlotte, Werther, Sophie)
  9. Werther: Act One: O spectacle ideal d'amour et d'innocence (Werther)
  10. Werther: Act One: Monsieur Werther!...Vivat Bacchus, semper vivat! (Le Bailli, Charlotte, Sophie)
  11. Werther: Act One: Sophie!...Albert! Toi de retour! (Albert, Sophie)
  12. Werther: Act One: Elle m'aime!...Quelle priere de reconnaissance et d'amour (Albert)
  13. Werther: Act One: Interlude (Orchestre)
  14. Werther: Act One: Interlude (continued) ...Il Faut nous separer
  15. Werther: Act One: Mais vous ne savez rien de moi
  16. Werther: Act One: Reve! Extase! Bonheur! (Charlotte, Werther)
  17. Werther: Act One: Charlotte! Charlotte! Albert est de retour! (Le Bailli, Charlotte, Werther)
  18. Werther: Act Two: Prelude (Orchestre) ....Vivat Bacchus! Semper vivat!
  19. Werther: Act Two: Allez, chantez l'office (Johann, Schmidt)
  20. Werther: Act Two: Trois mois! Voici trois mois que nous sommes unis! (Albert, Charlotte)
  21. Werther: Act Two: Un autre est son epoux!
  22. Werther: Act Two: J'aurais sur ma poitrine (Werther)
  23. Werther: Act Two: Si! Katchen reviendra, je vous dis! (Schmidt, Johann)
  24. Werther: Act Two: Au bonheur dont mon ame est pleine...Vous l'avez dit: mon ame est loyale et sincere (Albert, Werther)
  25. Werther: Act Two: Frere, voyez! Voyez le beau bouquet!...Heureux! Pourais-je l'etre encore? (Sophie, Werther, Albert)
  26. Werther: Act Two: Ai-je dit vrai? L'amour que j'ai pour elle Ah! qu'il est loin, ce jour plein d'intime douceur
  27. Werther: Act Two: N'est-il donc pas d'autre femme
  28. Werther: Act Two: Oui, ce qu'elle m'ordonne
  29. Werther: Act Two: Lorsque l'enfant revient d'un voyage avant l'heure
  30. Werther: Act Two: Mais venez donc! le cortege s'approche (Sophie, Werther, Charlotte, Albert)

Tracks:

  1. Werther: Act Three: Prelude (Orchestra)
  2. Werther: Act Three: Werther! Werther!...Qui m'aurait dit la place
  3. Werther: Act Three: Des cris joyeux d'enfants montent sous ma fenetre (Charlotte)
  4. Werther: Act Three: Bonjour, grand soeur! (Sophie, Charlotte)
  5. Werther: Act Three: Va! Laisse couler mes larmes (Charlotte)
  6. Werther: Act Three: Tiens, Charlotte, crois-moi, ne reste pas ici (Sophie, Charlotte)
  7. Werther: Act Three: Ah! mon courage m'abandonne! (Charlotte)
  8. Werther: Act Three: Qui, c'est moi! Je reviens! (Werner, Charlotte)
  9. Werther: Act Three: Ha! bien souvent...Toute mon ame est la!...Pourquoi me reveiller, o souffle du printemps? (Werner)
  10. Werther: Act Three: N'achevez pas! Helas!
  11. Werther: Act Three: Ah! Moi! Moi, dans ses bras! (Charlotte, Werther)
  12. Werther: Act Three: Werther, est de retour...on la vu revenir (Albert, Charlotte)
  13. Werther: Act Four: Entr'acte: La Nuit de Noel (Orchestra)
  14. Werther: Act Four: Werther! Werther! Rien! (Charlotte)
  15. Werther: Act Four: Qui parle? Charlotte, ah! c'est toi!
  16. Werther: Act Four: A cette heure supreme, je suis heureux (Charlotte, Werther)
  17. Werther: Act Four: Noel! Noel! Noel!...Dieu! Ces cris joyeux (Les Enfants, Charlotte, Werther, Sophie)
  18. Werther: Act Four: Ah! ses yeux se ferment!...Non...Charlotte!...je meurs (Charlotte, Werther)

Amazon.com

The modern discography of Massenet's Werther has long been dominated by the (currently out of print) Philips recording starring José Carreras and Frederica von Stade as well as the earlier EMI version with Alfredo Kraus and Tatiana Troyanos. But this EMI newcomer is within shouting distance of greatness, mainly due to conductor Antonio Pappano. Although any Werther succeeds or fails on the strength of its singers, the conductor is a crucial catalyst (on the Philips set, it's Colin Davis, while on EMI it's Michel Plasson) for maintaining the poetic intensity in a drama that can too easily seem like a naive case study in stalking. The Byronic title character essentially practices emotional blackmail on the married woman he loves by never hiding his suicidal tendencies, though one never thinks such mundane thoughts with tenor Roberto Alagna. Although his voice lacks the tenor bloom one might want, he's so at home with the role and the French language that he delivers a characterization full of imagination and immediacy, sometimes bordering on vocal genius. Soprano Angela Gheoghiu's vocal center is too high for this mezzo role, but she makes a vivid impression through the sheer force of her personality. Thomas Hampson gives vocal glamour but surprising dramatic restraint to the role of her husband, Albert. Although the sound quality is somewhat studio bound, Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra play as if it's a live performance. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A star among modern Werthers, but there are others.......2006-05-28

The reviewers below have praised this EMI Werther so thoroughly that there's little to add. Gheorghiu is the only soprano besides Victoria de los Angeles (1868, also on EMI) to record this classic mezzo role, and at times one hears the strain as she reaches for the bottom notes. She lacks de los angeles's many emotional shadings, giving us instead a fairly consistent, verismo-tinged passion, but her vocalism as such is thrilling.

Roberto alagna, a native French speaker despite his name, is the only prominent Werther who can claim that distinciton. I've always felt he was much better suited to French opera than the heavier Verdi-Puccini roles that he now sings, and which (shadoes of Carreras) have led to a coarsening of his voice, along with a pronounced wobble and intonation problems. but he is a star, no doubt, and here he brings charisma and style to Wether. He takes care to find many musical shadings throughout, and since the date for this recording is 1998-99, he is nearly in best voice.

Everyone has praised Pappano (are they following the lead of The Gramophone reviewer, who thought he was the best thing here?), but Colin Davis, Georges Pretre, and Kent Nagano had done as well. Pappano;s distinciton is that he is a bit slower, more dleiberate, and self-consciously refined. I'm not sure that's always a great advantage in Massanet, whose music is given to sighs and longueurs--it can use help form an energetic conductor. EMI's recording form London is a bit distant but otherwise quite good.

IN all, this is a gripping peformance that deserves all the praise it has gotten, but it doesn't erase memories of other fine Werthers, an opera that has been amazingly successful on records. The Davis features a remarkable Charlotte in Frederica von stade and a passionate, verismo Carreras in top form (Philips), the Nagano has gorgeous if not quite idiomatic singing from von Otter and Hadley in a more low-key, melliflous style (Erato), and of course there's the classic Pretre version with de los Angeles and Gedda. This only skims the surface, for there is an oustanding live 1977 performance with Domingo and Fassbaender under Lopez-Corbos from Munich (Orfeo). Indeed, when the Amazon reviewer claims that the Plasson set with Troyanos and Kraus on EMI "dominated" the stereo era, he is far from accurate.

5 out of 5 stars Another Smash Hit From The French Opera Specialists .......2006-02-25

Husband and wife singing sensatio Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu, in another stunning EMI recording, dramatically commit themselves to the passionate characters in this now forgotten opera Werther, which quite possibly is Massenet's best work. Although Alagna and Gheorghiu can sing the Italian opera repertoire with aplomb (Tosca, Trovatore, Boheme, Pagliacci, La Rondine) they have proven time and again that their strongest reperotoire is French opera. As soon as their Romeo Et Juliette hit record stores and stage houses, they were immediately hailed as today's finest French opera singers, a rarity. Not only do they possess beautiful voices but they are intensely dramatic and character-driven. Never more so than in Massenet's Werther, a Gothic romantic drama about the tormented love of the titular hero who kills himself. It's drawn from a popular Romantic-Era 19th century novel - The Sorrows of Young Werther. Both Alagna and Gheorghiu are in great vocal shape. They understand the significance of the text and they are blessed with the talents of their champion conductor, Antonio Pappano, who draws out the power in the musical score with the London Symphony Orchestra. All true fans of Alagna and Gheorghiu will want to own this one, as it is indeed their best work yet.

Roberto Alagna has been criticized for his flawed technique- he sings with self-conscious grandeur and often imitates the lyric tones of predecessors Giuseppe Di Stefano and Franco Corelli. He has a nearly "pop" style voice - all razzzle-dazzle, great volume, beautiful tone, but often fails in the more difficult music. He is however, very gifted and intelligent and attempts to sing with as much passion and drama as possible. I for one love what I hear from him, especially in this recording, where he has never sang better. Angela Gheorghiou sings with her usual dramatic diva flair - thrilling high notes, tessitura, chest voice, musicality and all the good things she has used for other great hits like Juliette and Manon. But in this performance, while it is still good, she is not really in her element. This is a mezzo-soprano role. Charlotte, Werther's unattainable love, must sing with mezzo soprano voice in order to seduce Werther a la Bizet's Carmen. While it is definately a role for a high mezzo, it is not for the purely soprano voice of Angela Gheorghiu. You have to be a fan of these two in order to appreciate Gheorghiu's treatment of a mezzzo soprano role. It is basically the same thing as her Carmen, another mezzo soprano role. If you want to hear outstanding mezzo sopranos in Werther check out the dramatic mezzo style of Brigitte Fassbaender who is by far the best intepretor or check out Federica Von Stade who sings a cooler and less intense Charlotte opposite the supercharged Jose Carreras. Pappano does a great job with the music - bloom, brilliance, darkness and this is by far the best modern recording of the opera.

4 out of 5 stars ¿El mejor Werther despues de Kraus?.......2004-10-23

Sorprendente acierto de la EMI (la casa para la que grababa Alfredo Kraus, uno de los interpretes de referencia del papel de 'Werther') al confiar a una de las parejas mas activas discograficamente del momento, Roberto Alagna y Angela Gheorghiu, la grabacion de 'Werther' en 1999 (justo el año de la muerte del mitico Kraus)
Y digo sorprendente porque quizas ROBERTO ALAGNA sea el mejor interprete de Werther desde el mitico Kraus. Sus interpretaciones son muy diferentes entre si, ya que Alagna muestra un timbre mas baritonal que el liviano de Kraus y un canto mas afrancesado: Un canto elegante y entregado capaz de llegar a los agudos sin grandes problemas, que hacen de Alagna seguramente el mejor Werther de su generacion (y por tanto el mejor despues de Kraus).
Como Charlotte encontramos a la soprano ANGELA GHEORGHIU, en un papel que aunque habitualmente es cantado por mezzos, le queda francamente bien: la voz doliente y expresiva de Gheorghiu se presta perfectamente a la psicologia de Charlotte, y la quimica con Alagna en los duos de amor (sobra decir que es su esposo en la vida real) es total.
Completando el reparto nos encontramos con los lujos de PATRICIA PETIBON (una Sophie cuyo timbre recuerda mucho al de Natalie Dessay) y el Albert de un THOMAS HAMPSON que es todo sutilidad. El resto del reparto rinde tambien a buen nivel.
ANTONIO PAPPANO dirige a la LONDON SIMPHONY (que suena igual de bien que siempre) y el coro infantil canta con mucha correccion. Si a esto le sumamos un sonido magnifico (podemos oir en algunos momentos incluso los susurros de Pappano a la orquesta), esto nos lleva a pensar que este 'Werther' sea la mas adecuada segunda opcion, despues de tener la obviamente obligada de Alfredo Kraus. Muy buen trabajo.

4 out of 5 stars Best Werther recording since the 1930s.......2000-03-17

I will admit that I am "imprinted" on the Georges Thill/Ninon Vallin recording from the 1930s and no recording since then has even come close. But this recording does. Alagna (who is a native French speaker, in spite of the Italian name) has the diction and, more important, the style to sing poor Werther perfectly. Gheorghiu sings beautifully as well, and there is no problem with the tessitura, in spite of Charlotte generally being more comfortable for mezzos. Pappano is an up-and-coming conductor who does himself proud with this recording. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one.

3 out of 5 stars thoughts on "Werther".......2000-01-07

Perfect casting for the title role... Alagna feels *good* and sorry for himself...no problems there! Just listen to him belt and bleat through "Pourquoi"...it's no wonder Charlotte changes her mind. "Stop whining!"

This CD is worth your money, provided you already like the opera. Personally, Werther's selfishness drives me up a wall.

There's only one major problem: why is Gheorghiu singing a mezzo role? The middle register of her voice is *not* her best of show.
Offenbach - Les Contes d'Hoffmann / Alagna, van Dam, Dessay, Vaduva, Jo, Lascarro, Dubosc, Ragon, Sénéchal, Bacquier, Lamprecht, Nagano
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Not a flawless version, but one to be REALLY loved
  • The best of a mediocre-to-bad lot
  • Hoffman contines to elude the recording world
  • Excellent but not definitive
  • O Dieu, de quelle ivresse embrasse-tu mon âme?
Offenbach - Les Contes d'Hoffmann / Alagna, van Dam, Dessay, Vaduva, Jo, Lascarro, Dubosc, Ragon, Sénéchal, Bacquier, Lamprecht, Nagano
Jacques Offenbach , Roberto Alagna , Natalie Dessay , Kent Nagano , Choeur et Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Lyon , Leontina Vaduva , Sumi Jo , José van Dam , Catherine Dubosc , Gilles Ragon , Gabriel Bacquier , Doris Lamprecht , and Juanita Lascarro
Manufacturer: Erato
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000005E4D
Release Date: 1996-10-29

Tracks:

  1. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Prelude - Kent Nagano
  2. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Act 1, Scene 1: Glou! Glou! - Kent Nagano
  3. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Couplets de la muse: La verite, dit-on, sortait d'un puits - Kent Nagano
  4. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Elle est sur la scene, un peuple l'acclame - La Muse - Kent Nagano
  5. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Scene 2: Le conseiller Lindorf, morbleu! - Lindorf, Andres - Kent Nagano
  6. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Scene 3: Vayons? Pour Hoffmann! - Kent Nagano
  7. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Couplets: Dans les roles d'amoureux - Kent Nagano
  8. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Deux heures devant moi - Scene 4: Vite, vite, qu'on se remue! - Lindorf, Luther - Kent Nagano
  9. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Scene 5: Choeur des Etudiants - Drig, drig - Kent Nagano
  10. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Vrai Dieu! Mes amis - Kent Nagano
  11. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Eh! Luther! Ma grosse tonne - Lindorf, Luther, Nathanael, Hermann, Wolfram, Wilhelm - Kent Nagano
  12. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Scene 6: Bonjour, amis! - Kent Nagano
  13. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Couplets and Andante: Va pour Kleinzach! - Kent Nagano
  14. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Peuh! Cette biere est detestable! - Kent Nagano
  15. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Duo: Et par ou votre Diablerie - Kent Nagano
  16. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Simple echange de politesse - Kent Nagano
  17. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Je vous dis, moi - Kent Nagano
  18. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Ma maitresse? - Kent Nagano
  19. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Final: Messieurs, on va lever le rideau! - Hoffmann, Nicklausse, Lindorf, Luther, Nathanael, Hermann, Wolfram, Wilhelm - Kent Nagano
  20. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Act 2: Entracte - Kent Nagano
  21. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Scene 1: La! Dors en paix - Spalanzani - Scene 2: Ah! Bonjour! Enchacte! - Spalanzani, Hoffmann - Scene 3: Fais allumer partout! - Spalanzani, Cochenille - Kent Nagano
  22. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Scene 4: Allons! Courage et confiance! - Kent Nagano
  23. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Pardieu! J'etais bien sur - Kent Nagano
  24. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Couplets: Une poupee aux yeux d'email - Nicklausse, Hoffmann - Kent Nagano
  25. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Scene 5: C'est moi, Coppelius! - Kent Nagano
  26. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Je me nomme Coppelius - Kent Nagano
  27. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: J'ai deux jeux, de beaux yeux - Kent Nagano
  28. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Serviteur - Kent Nagano
  29. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Ah! Ange du ciel, est-ce bien toi? - Nicklausse, Hoffmann, Coppelius - Kent Nagano
  30. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Scene 6: Hein! Vous! - Hoffmann, Coppelius, Spalanzani - Kent Nagano
  31. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Scene 7: Choeur des Invites: Non aucun hote vraiment - Kent Nagano
  32. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Vous serez satisfaits, messieurs - Hoffmann, Spalanzani, Nicklausse - Kent Nagano
  33. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Scene 8: Mesdames et Messieurs - Kent Nagano
  34. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Mesdames et Meisseurs, fiere de vos bravos - Kent Nagano
  35. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Air: Les oiseaux dans la charmille - Kent Nagano
  36. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Ah! Mon ami! Quel accent! - Hoffmann, Spalanzani, Nicklausse, Olympia, Cochenille - Kent Nagano
  37. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Scene 9: Ils se sont eloignes! Enfin! - Kent Nagano
  38. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Ah! Vivre deux! - Kent Nagano
  39. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Tu me fuis? - Hoffmann, Olympia - Scene 10: Eh! morbleu! modere ton zele! - Hoffmann, Nicklausse - Kent Nagano
  40. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Scene 11: Voleur! Brigand! Quelle deroute! - Coppelius - Kent Nagano
  41. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Scene 12: En place les danseurs - Kent Nagano
  42. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Voila! Assez, assez, ma fille - Kent Nagano
  43. Les Contes D' Hoffmann: Ah! Quoi? L'homme aux lunettes, la! - Spalanzani, Cochenille, Hoffmann, Olympia, Nicklausse, Coppelius - Kent Nagano

Tracks:

  1. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Act 3: Entracte - Jacques Offenbach
  2. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 1: Elle a fui, la tourterelle - Antonia - Jacques Offenbach
  3. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 2: Malheureuse enfant! - Crespel, Antonia - Scene 3: Desespoir! Tout a l'heure, encore! - Crespel - Scene 4: Frantz! n'ouvre a personne! - Crespel, Frantz - Jacques Offenbach
  4. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 5: Jour et nuit je me mets en quatre - Frantz - Jacques Offenbach
  5. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 6: Frantz, c'est ici! - Hoffmann, Frantz - Jacques Offenbach
  6. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 7: Enfin je vais savoir pourquoi - Jacques Offenbach
  7. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Romance: Vois sous l'archet fremissant - Jacques Offenbach
  8. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: C'est une chanson d'amour - Hoffmann, Antonia, Nicklausse - Jacques Offenbach
  9. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 8: Ah! Je le savais bien - Jacques Offenbach
  10. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Ah! J'ai le bonheur dans l'ame - Jacques Offenbach
  11. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Pourtant, o ma fiancee - Jacques Offenbach
  12. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Viens la comme autrefois - Jacques Offenbach
  13. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Qu'as-tu donc? - Antonia, Hoffmann - Scene 9: Rien! J'ai cru qu'Hoffmann etait ici! - Hoffmann, Crespel, Frantz, Miracle - Jacques Offenbach
  14. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 10: Pour conjurer la danger - Jacques Offenbach
  15. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Allons, parle! et sois bref! - Jacques Offenbach
  16. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: J'ai la certains flacons - Miracle, Crespel, Hoffmann, Antonia - Jacques Offenbach
  17. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 11: Ne plus chanter - Hoffmann, Antonia - Jacques Offenbach
  18. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 12: Tu ne chanteras plus? - Jacques Offenbach
  19. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Ah! Quelle est cette voix? - Jacques Offenbach
  20. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Ta mere, oses-tu l'interroger? - Jacques Offenbach
  21. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Non! Assez! - Jacques Offenbach
  22. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Ja cede au transport qui m'enivre! - Miracle, Antonia, La Voix - Jacques Offenbach
  23. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 13: Mon enfant, ma fille! - Crespel, Antonia, Hoffmann, Nicklausse, Miracle - Jacques Offenbach

Tracks:

  1. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Act IV: Entracte - Jacques Offenbach
  2. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 1: Messieurs, silence! - Jacques Offenbach
  3. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Recit et Chant bachique: Et moi, ce n'est pas la - Jacques Offenbach
  4. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Amis, l'amour tendre et reveur - Hoffmann, Nicklausse, Giulietta - Jacques Offenbach
  5. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 2: Je vois qu'on est en fete! - Schlemil, Giulietta, Pitchinaccio, Hoffmann - Scene 3: Au premier reve je t'enleve - Nicklausse, Hoffmann - Jacques Offenbach
  6. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 4: Tourne, tourne, miroir - Dapertutto - Jacques Offenbach
  7. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 5: Cher ange! - Dapertutto, Giulietta - Jacques Offenbach
  8. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 6: Melodrame: Vivat! J'ai tout gagne! - Giulietta, Schlemil, Dapertutto - Jacques Offenbach
  9. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 7: Giulietta, palsembleu! - Jacques Offenbach
  10. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Air de Giulietta: Vous ne jouez pas? - Jacques Offenbach
  11. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Que dit-elle? - Jacques Offenbach
  12. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Giulietta, je vous jure! - Jacques Offenbach
  13. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Oui, fut-ce au prix de ma vie - Jacques Offenbach
  14. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Sextuor and Choeur: Helas! Je vais encore la suivre - Jacques Offenbach
  15. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Morbleu! - Jacques Offenbach
  16. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Il a ma cle - Jacques Offenbach
  17. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 1: Ton ami dit vrai! - Jacques Offenbach
  18. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Romance: O Dieu, de quelle ivresse - Jacques Offenbach
  19. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Jusque-la, cependant - Jacques Offenbach
  20. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Si ta presence m'est ravie - Jacques Offenbach
  21. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Ah! Tu m'as defiee - Giulietta, Hoffmann, Dapertutto, Pitchinaccio - Jacques Offenbach
  22. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 2: Alerte, Hoffmann! - Jacques Offenbach
  23. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Voyez! Il n'a plus le moindre reflet! - Jacques Offenbach
  24. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Je n'aime pas qu'on me defie! - Jacques Offenbach
  25. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Ainsi, tu mentais! - Nicklausse, Hoffmann, Dapertutto, Pitchinaccio, Giulietta - Jacques Offenbach
  26. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Act V: Entracte - Jacques Offenbach
  27. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 1: Choeur: Folie! Oublie tes douleurs - Jacques Offenbach
  28. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Voila quelle fut l'histoire - Jacques Offenbach
  29. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Choeur des Esprits et des Etudiants: Glou! Glou! - Hoffmann, Luther, Lindorf, Nathanael, Nicklausse - Jacques Offenbach
  30. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Scene 2: Stella, Stella! - Jacques Offenbach
  31. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Couplet: Pour le coeur de Phrygne - Jacques Offenbach
  32. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Denouement: Hola! Quelqu'un de fort pour emporter Hoffmann! - Jacques Offenbach
  33. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Ingrat! Et moi? - Jacques Offenbach
  34. Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Adieu! Je t'abandonne - Andres, Hoffmann, Nicklausse, Stella, La Muse, Lindorf - Jacques Offenbach

Amazon.com

Of all the revisionist Hoffmanns, this one is the best, using the latest (and one trusts) last version of Michael Kaye's edition, based on sketches recently discovered for the unfinished opera. Most of the changes are in the Giulietta act; it now tracks better dramatically, and unlike some restoration attempts, its length is sensible. In the title role, Roberto Alagna is full of imaginative touches of characterization, singing the famous Kleinzach song with an intentional vocal roughness in a worthy effort to convey the Hoffmann's debauched state. As the mechanical doll Olympia, Natalie Dessay proves she's not only a phenomenal singer but a great comedienne. Kent Nagano deploys his Lyon Opera forces with great stylistic authority. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Not a flawless version, but one to be REALLY loved.......2006-05-09

This is a recording with significant highs and lows. But in overall it is an excellent account of this wonderfully tuneful and beloved opera.
First, about the edition. The Kaye edition restores a lot of music including recitatives written by Offenbach and a number of musical numbers. It also goes for the Guiraud recitatives which some versions totally omit and replace by the dialogues which Offenbach likely might have intended. Compared to, say, the historical Sutherland/Domingo/Bonynge version, this version is significantly longer and more substantial, musically speaking. With more than 30 minutes of music compared to the Bonynge edition, it is understandable why the Kaye version needs up to 3 CDs to bear the substantial amount of music.
While fans of Contes d'Hoffmann would likely be grateful at the ressurrection of so much musical material, I personally find this version sometimes just too painfully long. The Guiraud recitatives sometimes simply are bland and cause the opera to just drag along. Yes, Guiraud obviously has a lot of skills and bright ideas in these recitatives, mostly shown by the quoting of music by Offenbach in these recitatives to give the opera a better sense of unison. But compared to the simpler recitatives that Offenbach himself wrote, the Guiraud sometimes just seems aloof. Unless you really have a lot of time, you might want to stick to the more important musical numbers. Also, the new ending, with Hoffmann facing the Muse in the apotheose is a wonderful ensemble, with sounds from the church organ that gives the scene its necessary "holy" feel.
Now to the singers. Alagna has a masculine voice and is dramatically very effective. He also has a perfect French diction-crisp, idiomatic and a real joy to listen to. His instrument naturally is not very beautiful; and I personally find his Hoffmann a bit beefy and hysterical; but his good understanding of the role still helps him come across as a better Hoffmann. The best Hoffmann is in my opinion either Domingo or Schicoff.
The ladies are provided with quite a luxury cast. Natalie Dessay's Olympia is perhaps second only to Sutherland and Sills. To everyone who honors La Stupenda's E flats, listen: Dessay presents the role of the mechanical doll with FOUR Gs, yes 4 full-voiced, stunning, jaw-dropping Gs!!! Musically speaking, Dessay is not as comedic as Sutherland; her tone is a little thin and nasal but her coloratura and lovely portrayal of the role is simply untterly convincing.
Vaduva's Antonia is excellent: excellent diction, girly tone and very successfully portrays the youngsinger's vulnerability and sensibility. She however lacks power in the trio and that C sharp falls flat. Her "Elle a fui la tourterelle" is however wonderfully touching and moving. The best Antonia, in my opinion, is Victoria de Los Angeles. To one of the reviewers here, Vaduva is not a Slavic singer. She is a French singer of Romanian origin. A totally Latin singer!
Sumi Jo portrays a very convincing Giulietta with very believable spinto qualities, which she provides effectively with chaning in tone. The rediscovered coloratura, with a couple of E flats and spellbinding runs, well, brings the wonderful Korean coloratura soprano to her prime best. Her French is surprisingly idiomatic.
Lascarro's got a small role as Stella. I personally don't like her tone; but she is good enough in the beautiful apotheose ensemble.
Jose Van Dam's quartet villain almost matches Bacquier's famous portrayal. His voice is not as dark or evil-sounding as Bacquier's but still gives a top-notch interpretation. His doctor Miracle might have been the best on record if he took some of those melodramatic laughs in the Trio. His reluctance, combined with Vaduva's small voice, creates a flat Trio. This being said, the French bass's quartet of villains stills ranks among the undisputed best. My favorite villain quartet, Gabriel Bacquier has a cameo role here as Crespel, which he does a great job.
Gilles Ragon's a good tenor and his stuttering in the portrayal of Cochenille is very convincing. I however find him a bit too serious and heavy for these tenore buffo roles. The same can be said for Senechal's Spalanzani. Compared to Charon's Spalanzani on the Bonynge recording, he is very unfunny. The "brigand! Bandit!" quarrel after the destruction of the doll is bland and lifeless.
Catherine's Dubosc has a lovely voice and does great job as Nicklausse. There is nothing to criticize about her singing qualities. My only objection is that the casting of this trouser role for a soprano harms the overall balance of the opera: 5 soprano roles and 1 mezzo role (the voice of the mother): this is not a good balance. The Barcarolle duet, in particular, suffers from both a misbalance and a ridiculous fast tempo.
Kent Nagano's conducting does not have the solid tempos of Bonynge and sometimes overwhelms the singers: most notably in that C sharp of the Trio. But he has really interesting ideas and provides invaluable support.
With the exception of a bland Spalanzani, some strange tempos and the unusual length of the edition, this is a very good Hoffmann. Together with the Bonynge version, this is another very good all-around recording. The set is a tad expensive, but given the substantial amount of music and a very informative booklet, this is a recording to really consider. It will provide a lot of listening pleasures. You will not be disappointed.

4 out of 5 stars The best of a mediocre-to-bad lot.......2003-10-30

I have heard six recordings of "Hoffmann," an opera that is particularly dear to me for sentimental reasons. None of them are perfect, all have flaws, but on balance this is the best of the lot.

Now that musicologists have finished playing with the Mahler 10th Symphony (which ended rather well) and the Beethoven 10th (which ended rather badly), they have been taking a whack at "Hoffmann," rushing to revise music the composer never sanctioned and adding music found in buckets and boxes long after his death. My personal feeling was, if it ain't broke, don't fix it: you're not Offenbach, and to speak for him requires a tremendous amount of chutzpah. And a lot of the revisions, to my ear, simply do not work well, such as turning Giulietta into a coloratura soprano, spinning out an aria that ends much like Olympia's doll song as on this recording.

I'm also not fond of switching the Antonia and Giulietta acts from their traditional positions for both dramatic and musical reasons. To begin with, having the "tales" end with Antonia gives Hoffmann's character a certain sense of redemption that simply isn't there the other way. Also, the Giulietta act is musically the weakest: as primiarily an operetta composer, Offenbach simply had a hard time creating music for this act which is darker and more tensely dramatic than anything else in the work. The superp trio that climaxes the Antonia act, on the other hand, is one of the most brilliant and transcendent things he wrote.

That being said, there is much to admire in this set. Kent Nagano conducts briskly, which is his wont, thereby tying together the music in a cohesive and satisfying way where others (particularly Cluytens and Cambreling) sound slow and rambling. On the other hand, his chorus of the spirits, though light and brisk, just misses the rapt, enchanting sound achieved by Bonynge; and though it was probably Offenbach's intent to have only a few strings play the violin motif in the Antonia trio, they sound too thin, not sweeping or driven enough, for the dramatic situation. Nagano also conducts the famed "Barcarolle" at a shade-too-fast tempo, thus robbing the music of its mysterious charm (even Arthur Fiedler made a better recording of the instrumental version). These moments point to a lack of "theatricality" in Nagano's conducting style that Bonynge, Rudel and even Beecham managed to capture.

Alagna is not as suavely beautiful or haunting in the role as Robert Rounseville or Stuart Burrows were. This is something of an abrupt, nervous reading, though if one knows something about E.T.A. Hoffmann and his tales it is perfectly in keeping with his character. (I have yet, however, to see ANY tenor perform the role made up to LOOK like Hoffmann, a scrawny little man with a square jaw, popping eyes and a shock of unruly, frizzy hair. I guess no tenor really wants to look like that!)

This is unquestionably the finest performance Dessay has ever recorded: her voice is brilliant, in focus, on pitch and wonderfully secure. Only Bond in the Beecham performance and Sutherland come close, though I personally feel that Sutherland was funnier in the role. She had a real flair for comedy, whereas she did not possess enough personal warmth for Antonia or Giulietta.

The Sutherland recording also had the best "villains" in Gabriel Bacquier in his prime, but to my ears Van Dam is an excellent second. (Treigle, in the Sills set, was good but not great, his somewhat gruff voice rather overwhelimg the roles with too much histrionics.)

Vaduva has a pretty tone but your typical "Slavic wobble," more noticeable in the early and late parts of her act. For some reason, the voice is better focused in the middle sections, but she does not efface memories of de los Angeles who was the best Antonia ever.

Jo is surprisingly good as Giulietta: though her voice is even smaller than Dessay's, it had a fuller lyric sound in the mid-range which captured well on records. (I have beel told that her "live" career is just about over on stage as the voice is too small to carry in most modern theaters.) I liked Margherita Grandi in the old Beecham film, but a chesty, spinto Giulietta is apparently persona non grata in the new Michael Kaye edition of the work.

Dubosc is a good Nicklausse, though I preferred Tourangeau and the singer (I forget her name) from the Beecham film. Bacquier, with far less voice, is still predictably good as Crespel; the timeless Senechal is a classic Spalanzani; Ragon is an excellent Cochenille, not so memorable as Franz. (I miss Andrea Velis, the old Met comp, who was brilliant in these roles but was never recorded in them.) The other small roles range from excellent (Tezier as Schlemil) to poor (Juanita Lascarre as Stella).

An ideal modern "Hoffmann" would have Elisabeth Vidal as Olympia, Hong as Antonia, Fleming as Giulietta, Alvarez as Hoffmann, Rene Pape as the three villains, and someone like Pappano or Plasson conducting.....but we can dream all we want. The era of complete opera recordings, according to many inside sources, is over as we know it--even the Bobby & Angela act is being shelved--so we must pick from what we have, and this is simply the finest over all "Hoffmann" on record, with Bonynge's being a good second choice, though I do not like Domingo's hard-voiced, beefy Hoffmann.

4 out of 5 stars Hoffman contines to elude the recording world.......2001-10-03

This is a very good Hoffman, with the new edition of the score and a lot more music than in earlier editions. There is MUCH here to be admired and enjoyed as there is in the classic Domingo/Sutherland recording.

I prefer Domingo's more passionate Hoffman to Alagna's workmanlike effort, which is still quite fine.

On the other hand, having different female vocalists, as this recording does is preferable to my ear than having the same throughout as the Domingo/Sutherland recording does. The three female leads here range from good (Dessay) to excellent (Jo). Having heard Sumi Jo sing Olympia on record and in person, I find it hard to enjoy Dessay's quite as much. Jo is here as Antonia however.

No single recording of Hoffman is clearly preferable and listening to each is recommended. In the meanwhile, there is still an opening here for a more fully satisying Hoffman.

4 out of 5 stars Excellent but not definitive.......2001-04-20

This recording has given me many hours of listening pleasure. Pretty much every artist featured in it gives an excellent performance, and the greatness of Offenbach's opera is conveyed more fully than can be done by other performances that contain less of what he composed for "Hoffmann" before his untimely death. However, the recording has several specific faults that result in my giving it only 4 stars, even though it is among my favorite operatic recordings.

First, the good points. Listening to this recording one definitely thinks of the opera's characters rather than the artists portraying them.... I find Alagna's voice quite beautiful on this recording and feel that he portrays the character of Hoffmann with spectacular success....

Van Dam is one of the recording's great assets as the villains. The three main heroines are each memorable(.).......(Jo's) interpretation of Giulietta's long-lost coloratura aria is spectacular and features a spine-chilling moment in her climactic cadenza ...she sings a rising series of notes almost identical to one sung by Dessay as Olympia in Act II, emphasizing the connection of the heroines. ...Lascarro does a very good job in the small role of Stella (....Dubosc is excellent as the Muse and Nicklausse, giving a truly memorable performance of nearly the entire role. Unfortunately, Nicklausse's Antonia-act aria, arguably the artistic and emotional heart of the entire opera ...,seems somehow disappointing on this recording. Dubosc's voice does not cut through the orchestra as it should when she sings in her lower register, and as a result the aria fails to have the cathartic impact on me that it has when I have heard it in Metropolitan Opera broadcasts. .... Ragon gives an excellent, highly memorable performance in the four "grotesque" roles.

Now I may turn to the disappointing features of this recording. ....(T)his recording contains no extra-musical sound effects whatsoever. To a certain extent this is a valid approach to recording an opera. The problem is that "Hoffmann" contains an unusually high number of passages which were composed with the extra-musical sounds that would be heard from the stage in mind and which lack some of their intended impact without sound effects. The effectiveness of the students' drinking song is reduced when we don't hear them banging their glasses together and on the tables, and without the winding-up sound the pauses in Olympia's song when she runs down make less sense. We also should hear Coppelius smashing Olympia, Hoffmann and Schlemil moving around heavily as they duel, the death-gasp of another character who dies in the new ending of the Giulietta act (I won't spoil the unfamiliar twists of plot here), and various other sound effects which would add to the drama of the story. Moreover, Van Dam's villains never laugh except when their laughter is notated in the score, even though the libretto specifies some additional evil laughs, notably the one as Dr. Miracle disappears and Antonia falls dying at the end of the trio for Miracle, Antonia and the voice of Antonia's mother.

One of the main problems with the recording is that Van Dam, Ragon and Dubosc are the only performers to play multiple roles. Not only are the heroines played by four different sopranos, but none of the artists who play Luther and the students reappear in other roles in the acts devoted to Hoffmann's three stories. All of this goes against what are presumed to be Offenbach's wishes for his opera, despite the fact that this is a recording of Kaye's critical edition (in its "grand opera" version). Moreover, this recording was, unfortunately, made before Offenbach's own finished finale for the Giulietta act, written very shortly before his death, became available for inclusion in Kaye's edition. ....

Finally, it seems bizarre that the aria "Scintille, diamant," which has been one of the most popular numbers in the opera for a long time, is not included on this recording. ....

Despite these flaws, this recording is recommended. It is extremely enjoyable and represents the totality of Offenbach's intentions for "Hoffmann" more fully than any other recording currently available. One hopes that a new recording of Kaye's edition, with the definitive ending for the Giulietta act and with a single soprano playing all four heroines, will be made in the not-too-distant future.

5 out of 5 stars O Dieu, de quelle ivresse embrasse-tu mon âme?.......1999-11-21

Comme un concert divin ta voix m'a pénétré!....

This recording is undoubtedly one of the two benchmark recordings of this opera, the other one being the classic Sutherland/Domingo/Bonynge set. It is the most complete set with the "newly-discovered" Giuletta ending, and even includes the terrific but apocryphal sextet that is missing in the Bonynge recording. Alagna is the true star here, reflecting the spirit of Hoffmann throughout the opera, and singing in a very ideomatic French (unlike Domingo). The four heroines are marvellous, even though I prefer a single soprano singing all the four roles. Van Dam is great as the four villians, but he could have been more sinister in the trio in the Antonia act. Nagano is fine, but has some problems with the tempi at times.
The Essential Pierre Bernac
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • One of the great French recordings of the century
The Essential Pierre Bernac

Manufacturer: Testament
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by ChabrierAll Works by Chabrier | Chabrier, Alexis Emanuel | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00000IAEU
Release Date: 1999-03-09

Tracks:

  1. Ser
  2. Soupir
  3. L'Invatation Au Voyage
  4. L'Ile Heureuse
  5. Sept Melodies, Op.2: IV Le Colibri
  6. Quatre Poemes, Op.3: III Le Jardin Mouille
  7. Deux Melodies, Op.50: I Coeur En Peril
  8. Funf Lieder & Gesange, Op.127: II Dein Angesicht
  9. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Im Wunderschonen Monat Mai
  10. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Aus Meinen Tranen Spriessen
  11. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Die Rose, Die Lilie, Die Taube, Die Sonne
  12. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Wenn Ich In Deine Augen Seh
  13. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Ich Will Meine Seele Tauchen
  14. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Im Rhein, Im Heiligen Strome
  15. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Ich Grolle Nicht
  16. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Und Wussten's Die Blumen, Die Kleinen
  17. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Das Ist Ein Floten Un Geigen
  18. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Hor Ich Das Liedchen Klingen
  19. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Ein Jungling Liebt Ein Madchen
  20. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Am Leuchtenden Sommermorgen
  21. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Ich Hab Im Traum Geweinet
  22. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Allnachtlich Im Traume
  23. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Aus Alten Marchen
  24. Dichterliebe, Op.48: Die Alten Bosen Lieder
  25. Freudvoll Und Liedvoll
  26. Es Muss Ein Wunderbares Sein
  27. Nimm Einen Strahl Der Sonne
  28. Quatre Poemes De Leo Latil: IV. La Tourterlle
  29. A Mon Fils
  30. La Lyre Et Les Amours: I Le Bracelet
  31. La Lyre Et Les Amours: II L'Echo
  32. La Lyre Et Les Amours: III La Belle Esclave Morte
  33. La Lyre Et Les Amours: IV Les Baisers De Dorinde

Tracks:

  1. Apres Un Reve, Op.7, No.1
  2. Le Secret, Op.23, No.3
  3. Aurore, Op.39, No.1
  4. Prison, Op.83, No.1
  5. Soir, Op.83, No.1
  6. Jardin Nocturne, Op.113, No.3
  7. Trois Chansons De France: I Le Temps A Laisse Son Manteau
  8. Trois Chansons De France: II La Grotte
  9. Trois Chansons De France: III Pour Ce Que Plaisance Est Morte
  10. Fetes Galantes (Set II): III Colloque Sentimental
  11. Trois Ballades De Francois Villon: I Ballade De Villon A S'Amie
  12. Trois Ballades De Francois Villon: II Ballade Que Villon Feit A La Requeste De Sa Mere
  13. Trois Ballades De Francois Villon: III Ballade Des Femmes De Paris
  14. Trois Melodies: I La Statue De Bronze
  15. Trois Melodies: II Le Chapelier
  16. Don Quichotte A Dulcinee: I Chanson Romanesque
  17. Don Quichotte A Dulcinee: II Chanson Epique
  18. Don Quichotte A Dulcinee: III Chanson A Boire
  19. Chansons Gillardes: IV Invocation Aux Parques
  20. Chansons Gillardes: VII La Belle Jeunesse
  21. Metamorphoses: I Reine Des Mouettes
  22. Metamorphoses: II C'Est Ainsi Que Tu Es
  23. Metamorphoses: III Paganini
  24. Le Bestiaire Ou Cortege D'Orphee: I Le Dromadaire
  25. Le Bestiaire Ou Cortege D'Orphee: II La Chevre Du Thibet
  26. Le Bestiaire Ou Cortege D'Orphee: III La Sauterelle
  27. Le Bestiaire Ou Cortege D'Orphee: IV Le Dauphin
  28. Le Bestiaire Ou Cortege D'Orphee: V L'Ecrevisse
  29. Le Bestiaire Ou Cortege D'Orphee: VI La Carpe
  30. Deux Melodies De Guillaume Apollinaire: I Montparnasse
  31. Deux Poemes De Guillaume Apollinaire: I Dans Le Jardin D'Anna
  32. Deux Poemes De Louis Aragon: I C
  33. Deux Poemes De Louis Aragon: II Fetes Galantes
  34. Tel Jour Telle Nuit: I Bonne Journee
  35. Tel Jour Telle Nuit: II Une Ruine Cuquille Vide
  36. Tel Jour Telle Nuit: III Le Front Comme Un Drapeau Perdu
  37. Tel Jour Telle Nuit: IV Une Roulotte Couvere En Tuiles
  38. Tel Jour Telle Nuit: V A Toutes Brides
  39. Tel Jour Telle Nuit: VI Une Herbe Paurve
  40. Tel Jour Telle Nuit: VII Je N'Ai Envie Que De T'Aimer
  41. Tel Jour Telle Nuit: VIII Figure De Force Brulante Et Farouche
  42. Tel Jour Telle Nuit: IX Nous Avons Fait La Nuit

Tracks:

  1. Ce Que Je Suis Sans Toi
  2. Au Rossingnol
  3. Six Melodies: VI. Venise
  4. Priere
  5. Chanson De Printemps
  6. L'Absent
  7. Viens, Les Gazons Sont Verts
  8. Envoi Des Fleurs
  9. Mignon
  10. Le Travail Du Peintre: 1. Pablo Picasso
  11. Le Travail Du Peintre: 2. Marc Chagall
  12. Le Travail Du Peintre: 3. Georges Braque
  13. Le Travail Du Peintre: 4. Juan Gris
  14. Le Travail Du Peintre: 5. Paul Klee
  15. Le Travail Du Peintre: 6. Joan Miro
  16. Le Travail Du Peintre: 7. Jacques Villon
  17. Bernac Interviewd By Graham Johnson
  18. L'Historie De Babar, Le Petit Elephant

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars One of the great French recordings of the century.......1999-02-28

Knowing many of these recordings from the vinyl issue, I rejoice in being able to get them re-mastered. Bernac was not only Poulenc's great interpreter, but a definitive interpreter of other French art songs (and Souzay's teacher).

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  5. 1938-1944
  6. A Chi Si Ama Veramente [Limited Edition] [Import]
  7. A Night in Bombay
  8. Acustico MTV [Live] [Import]
  9. Alkibar
  10. Australian Traditional Collection [Import]

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