Sorte [Import]

1. Fato Banal

2. Sorte

3. Flor Lunar

4. My Broken Heart

5. O Tempo Nao Passou

6. Cada Um

7. Noite E Meu Opio

8. Luxo

9. Tudo Blue

10. O Poeta Do Estacio

11. Voz Do Tambor

Sorte,Celso Fonseca,Ronaldo Bastos,Dubas Musica,Brazilian,Int'l & World Music,Latin,World Music

Average customer rating: Sombre Grandeur Was over 2 months late Poserfagness Good album once again. Its Dimmu Borgir...

In Sorte Diaboli Dimmu Borgir Manufacturer: Nuclear Blast America ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Norway | Scandinavia | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Fiction Ordo Ab Chao United Abominations Icons of Evil Threads of Life ASIN: B000NOK0R6 Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

1. The Serpentine Offering
2. The Chosen Legacy
3. The Conspiracy Unfolds
4. The Ancestral Fever
5. The Sacreligious Scorn
6. The Fallen Arsis
7. The Sinister Awakening
8. The Fundemental Alienation
9. The Invaluable Darkness
10. The Foreshadowing Furnace

Amazon.com

From Electric Light Orchestra to Urge Overkill, some of rock's most memorable acts have trafficked in over-amplifications of genre to a level approaching the absurd. Whether Dimmu Borgir has the campy self-awareness of the latter or simply find themselves locked into their delirious conflation of black metal, vaguely industrial rock, and symphonic and operatic sounds with the fetishistic devotion of Jeff Lynne from ELO is anyone's guess. The last few years have brought more young listeners back to metal, what with all the supposedly "intelligent" and emo metal groups such as Pelican, Mastodon, and Early Man. It's still quite a leap from that to a Norwegian band who prints their lyrics backwards so that they have to be read in the mirror and craft ridiculously dark concept albums about the evils of the Christian church, and how Satanism is so much better. There's no irony here. But there is bombast in just about every conceivable manifestation, delivered beautifully. From the soaring, operatic vocals and live string accompaniment to the beyond-fast riffing and drumming, In Sorte Diaboli is the perfect music to annoy parents and satisfy fans of overindulgence everywhere. --Mike McGonigal

Album Description

Black metal's most prolific and infamous band, DIMMU BORGIR, return with a new beautifully blasphemous studio epic masterpiece, In Sorte Diaboli! Limited edition features a bonus DVD.

Customer Reviews:

Sombre Grandeur.......2007-07-23

By all accounts I should not like Dimmu Borgir. If there's something I can't stand it's growling, I've never been interested in black metal, and moreover Satanism isn't my cup of tea. Nevertheless, when I saw Shagrath in Kamelot's "March of Mephisto" video I was impressed. Turning in such a great performance in a cameo was no mean feat. So, when "In Sorte Diaboli" came out I bought the limited edition, actually without even knowing if I could manage to get to the end of the album and whether it would join the small pile of other interesting monstrosities in a drawer. Much to my surprise, I liked it. A lot. This is rich, complex, highly original music, and glorious, in-your-face symphonic metal, with so many musical influences thrown in that it might explode if the overall design wasn't kept in check with a firm hand. There are even echoes of church music in Mustis' keyboard flourishes and of Gregorian chanting in Vortex' mesmerizing vocals. With such a heavenly voice he could front his own band, but luckily he sticks with Dimmu Borgir. Sombre grandeur is a trite expression, but it fits this music well. I've been listening to this album a lot and I keep finding it satisfactory, in the sense that it is so complex and there are so many unexpected variations that I never have the impression to get to the bottom of it. There's always something more to discover. Shagrath's vocals aren't the stumbling block I expected, and the reason is his is rather a loud hoarse whisper than a proper growl. He is more a talented actor than a vocalist, and I say this as a compliment. Compared to previous albums such as "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia" and "Death Cult Armageddon" which I got subsequently, Mustis is kept in the background, which is a pity. The man is worth his weight in gold, and bringing him into the band was a stroke of genius. The lyrics are less cryptic here, Shagrath's enunciation is clearer, and you can read them provided you go to the trouble of using a mirror because they're printed backwards, of all the silly ideas. I'm a huge fan of symphonic metal, and Dimmu Borgir have become one of my favourite bands. You can debate if this album is an improvement on PEM or DCA or not. In my opinion it's just different, which goes to show these guys don't stick to a formula, but definitely "In Sorte Diaboli" is a must have.

Was over 2 months late.......2007-07-21

I enjoy this cd, but the delivery estimate was for may 3. I didnt even recieve it until the beginning of july. This is the second time something like this happened with amazon.

Poserfagness.......2007-07-15

Support Accoustic Black Metal.

This is not grim nor is it frostbitten.

Get Impaled Northern Moonforest instead.

Hail the Necrowizard!

Good album once again........2007-07-11

I keep waiting for these guys to make a shoddy album, but they never do. This is yet another fine work of satanic black metal music. I love the way they coombine the guitars with the keyboards, and Shagrath's vocals are probably the best in black meatl music.

Its Dimmu Borgir..........2007-06-24

Dimmu Borgir no longer have the Prague Orchestra in their music. Which is a shame because Death Cult Armaggedon was an amazing cd that really opened up the creativity waves of the black metal genre. (Black metal isn't known for creativity) Symphonic Black Metal! With this latest offering: In Sorte Diaboli, they have gone back to the old, old formula of drum and guitar driven melodies with keyboards playing the mere enhancement role.

When I heard The Serpentine Offering for the first time I was blown away. I though to myself, well they've let the real orchestra go but can still make keyboard driven melodies from hell. Well, almost. Thats about the only song that really sticks out in being similiar to what we've come to appreciate about the unique Dimmu Borgir.

With the negatives aside, this album is really really good. It may be a letdown for Symphonic/Metal lovers like me, but as a whole this disc has it all. Hellhammer is back. Enough said. The clean vocals that pop up here and there are refreshing. The guitar/drum work in tandem is top notch. The whole concept of the album is stellar as well.

If you are a Dimmu Borgir fan then you have to get this disc. I did based on the mere fact it was DB. Its a great album but in my opinion a bit of a step back in the creativity department.

Average customer rating: thanks naxos Superb album Heavenly Simply WONDERFUL!!!! just amazing. A Journey Back In Time!

Early Venetian Lute Music Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music CDs Under $7 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music $6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Baroque Lute Music, Vol. 1 Codex Faenza: Instrumental Music of the Early 15th Century Weiss: Sonatas for Lute, Volume 1 The Black Madonna Sinners & Saints: The Ultimate Medieval and Renaissance Music Collection ASIN: B00004GLLX Release Date: 2000-02-22

Tracks:

1. Calata Ala Spagnola
2. Tastar De Corde, Rececar Dietro
3. Pavana Alla Venetiana
4. Rececar
5. Jay Pris Amours (Duet)
6. Recercar
7. La Bernardina De Josquin (Duet)
8. Recercar Quinto
9. Canto Bello
10. La Villanella
11. O Mia Cieca E Dura Sorte (After Marchetto Cara)
12. Che Farala Che Dirala (After Don Michele Vicentino)
13. Non Mi Negar Signora (After Serafino Dall'Aquila)
14. Recercar
15. Pavana
16. Calata
17. Recercar
18. Je Ne Fay (Duet)
19. Recercar
20. De Tous Biens (Duet)
21. Tastar De Corde, Recercar Dietro
22. Calata Ala Spagnola
23. Poi Che Colse La Mia Stella (After Bartolomeo Tromboncino)
24. Laudato Dio
25. Saltarello & Piva (Duet)

Customer Reviews:

thanks naxos.......2007-03-18

first i want to thank the folks at naxos for all the great music they have provided over the years at a budget price. i have about 30 albums released by naxos, and they are all wonderful. this album of lute music is a classic listening experience for late nights or lazy sunday afternoons. it is a beautiful quiet trip back into the sounds of another time and place. recorded in a church in england, the acoustics of that building come through clearly, giving the overall sound a haunting tone. the lute playing is itself is gorgeous. nobody looking for a recording of lute playing could go wrong here. naxos also has released a series of solo lute albums featuring the works of sylvius leopold weiss, with robert barto performing, which i recommend heartily, as well. thanks again, naxos.

Superb album.......2007-01-12

This is an excellent album. It's currently my favorite lute album. It's beautiful, relaxing, and enjoyable to listen to. This album is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys lute music.

Heavenly.......2006-10-11

Perfect. Timeless, gentle music. I have given many massages to this music (can't stand most new age stuff). Has the ancient sound that is exactly what I was looking for. Strong recommendation: Glenn Gould, consort of Musicke by William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons. One of my favorite albums EVER. Incredibly powerful, primal, simple.

Simply WONDERFUL!!!! just amazing........2006-02-01

One of the best-buy i have made since long time ago. A high quality CD that can be enjoyed in every moment. Beautiful melodies, you can feel the ancient times with those, and you can try to imagine how could it be medieval life.

A Journey Back In Time!.......2003-12-11

This is a wonderful CD! Beautifully recorded in St. Andrews Church in Toddington, England! The quiet melodies of each piece are different enough that you will never get bored playing it over and over again!The next time you have a bad day, or come home from work some night with frayed nerves, try this!Turn out all of the lights, light a candle in a jar, preferably a scented one (sounds awfully 60's doesn't it!) put this CD on the stereo, get comfortable, let your mind drift back to the 16th century, watch the candle light flicker on the walls and ceiling and feel yourself relax!!!This CD is a lot cheaper than a bottle of tranquilizers or a visit to the shrink!BEWARE: Don't substitute Lute music played on an acoustic guitar! A Lute has different dynamics, nuances and colours!Good Listening To You!!!

Average customer rating: Cecilia Bartoli brings Baroque music to life A Revelation The best work of Cecilia Bartoli The art of singing, still with us Great music, but disappointment

Cecilia Bartoli - The Vivaldi Album / Il Giardino Armonico Antonio Vivaldi , Giovanni Antonini , Cecilia Bartoli , and Il Giardino Armonico Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works Featuring Bartoli | Bartoli, Cecilia | A to B | Featured Performers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music All Works by Vivaldi | Vivaldi, Antonio | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Bartoli, Cecilia | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Cecilia Bartoli ~ Opera Proibita (Handel · Scarlatti · Caldara) / Les Musiciens du Louvre · Minkowski Cecilia Bartoli - If You Love Me (Se tu m'ami ), 18th-Century Italian Songs Cecilia Bartoli - Mozart Arias Cecilia Bartoli - An Italian Songbook (Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini) Cecilia Bartoli - Live in Italy / Jean-Yves Thibaudet ASIN: B00002CF52 Release Date: 1999-10-26

Tracks:

1. Dell'aura al sussurrar
2. Dopo un'orrida procella
3. Di due rai languire costante
4. L'Orlando finto pazzo: Qual favellar? ... Andero, volero, gridero
5. Zeffiretti, che sussurrate
6. La fida ninfa: Alma oppressa
7. La fida ninfa: Dite, oime
8. Giustino: Sventurata navicella
9. Giustino: Sorte, che m'invitasti ... Ho nel petto un cor si forte
10. L'Olimpiade: Tra le follie ... Siam navi all'onde algenti
11. Farnace: Gelido in ogni vena
12. Anch'il mar par che sommerga
13. Teuzzone: Di trombe guerriere

Amazon.com

Mezzo Cecilia Bartoli could easily rest on her laurels as one of today's most charismatic, characterful singers for her lively portrayals of Mozart and Rossini heroines. But it's been particularly exciting to observe her growth as an artist in exploring the exuberant world of baroque opera, with its range of pyrotechnic demands--both vocal and emotional. Bartoli's show-stopping virtuosity in a Vivaldi aria from her Live in Italy recital gave a tantalizing sample of her finesse in that style. For The Vivaldi Album, Bartoli conducted extensive research into the composer's manuscripts, (a documentary tracing her quest is planned for subsequent international screening). Although he's best known for his concertos--in typically baroque fashion, two of the arias in fact recycle material from The Four Seasons--Vivaldi was a ferociously prolific composer of operas for the cutting-edge theaters of his time, and the arias gathered here demonstrate the word-painting magic of his music, from the sylvan setting of dueting flageolets in "Di due rai languire costante" to the storm-tossed passions of "Anch'il mar par che sommerga," where Bartoli spins out ripples of rapid-fire coloratura with a gravity-defying accuracy that will leave your head spinning. In addition to many such examples of vocal acrobatics, Bartoli brings exquisite nuance and limpid tone to the delicate echo effects of "Zeffiretti, che sussurrate," and there's no better test for the remarkable flexibility of her range--full and dusky at the bottom and thrilling at the top--than the huge intervallic leaps of "Dopo un'orrida procella." With her naturally large voice, Bartoli can at times tend to histrionic excess (in the recitative to the short aria from "L'Orlando finto pazzo"), but the expressive color of her phrasing is wonderfully matched throughout by the Giardino Armonico's lively panache. All power to Bartoli in her goal of reviving this neglected aspect of Vivaldi's output. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Cecilia Bartoli brings Baroque music to life.......2005-08-24

This album is so good that it has converted me to liking Vivaldi! I'm a fan of other Baroque composers such as Bach, Telemann, Couperin and Handel but had never really appreciated Vivaldi until I heard this album. Cecilia's technical experise and her intense interpretation makes this album a delight to listen to. She brings Vivaldi's arias to life as I've heard no other performer manage to do so. A brilliant album that I listen to again and again.

A Revelation.......2003-11-05

I was amazed with this album of super fine music. I had known all my life that Vivaldi wrote tons of operas, but finding them, or the scores of them, was nearly impossible. In time I found a few, and was I ever amazed and disappointed. The published scores that were available were what was common practice of that time: there were the vocal lines and a figured bass and nothing more. There were no indications of orchestration. Even with that little bit, I was shocked with the intensity and complexity of this vocal writing. This man knew how to write for the voice. Until singers are willing to research his works, we, the public, will know him for a very orchestra suites and nothing more. The result will be a very stilted view of what the man had to offer.

Now getting to the performance by Bartoli. She really loves this music, as you can tell. Yes, she is mannered in some of the things she does, but that is her way of seeing the music. Her technical skills are amazing, and her interpretations (the "drama" behind the music) is just as intense. Some think Bartoli has a strong voice. Actually, her voice is very small, if you have heard her in performance (they weren't even sure she would be heard when she sang at the Met), and it has a very delicate quality, even when being "brash." Recordings give you the impression she has a much larger sound than she does, but that is because small voices record truer and better than large ones (the industry still can't capture large voices at all). However, even with a small voice, in performance she is breathtaking. She makes the music live. She has weird mannerisms one sees that to American trained singers are completely unacceptable (weird facial expressions, strange things done with he mouth and teeth, head bobbing, etc), but that has never distracted from her overall intensity. Yes, she is intense. You are literally taken away with her interpretation, and her skills. Interestingly, she is more famous in music circles for her cancelations (she cancels more performances in a year than she actually sings). I love this recording, not only because of the music, but because I have seen her sing some of this music live. She really LIVES what she sings, and that comes across in this recording.

A special note: in the little booklet that comes with the recording, Bartoli herself writes her impressions of this music. It is extremely insightful. Whether you like her or not, you have to admire the work she has done to make this music live and be as authentic in interpretation as she can. It is her love of this music that has caused her to record this album. I am thankful she did, for now, I can take those old scores I have and get a better understanding of what the composer was doing. Would that more singers would explore new/old works, and I think it would be far more interesting to have them write their impressions of the music they are singing than the standard academic essays we must read. Reading about how she came to this music, in her own words, gave a different dimension to listening. Now I was listening to see if she was successful in communicating what she felt this music had to offer. SHE WAS.

The best work of Cecilia Bartoli.......2003-08-15

This is simply the best work of Cecilia Bartoli. Her voice is a delicatessen and Il Giardino Armonico sounds very very well. I think that I don't need to say anymore. Simply: BUY IT!!

The art of singing, still with us.......2003-02-09

Even if you disdain Vivaldi in the Stravinsky way, do yourself
a favor, and get this record. Music hidden in some obscure
library for centuries, brought to pulsating life by a minor
voice, here used with passion and artistry reminding one of
vocal artists of the past. An enriching experience for anyone
enjoying the art of singing.

Great music, but disappointment.......2002-10-01

I thoroughly enjoy classical music but found this cd to be a disappointment by a heavy vocal performance. It was shocking to hear the heaviness and darkness in Cecilia's voice, whom I had remembered to be lighter and more playful. My only good thought about this cd is "At least it was a gift" because if I had actually purchased it I would be thoroughly disgusted.

Average customer rating: Dimmu Borgir - 'In Sorte Diaboli' (Nuclear Blast) Mah....could have been alot better.... Not the Limited Edition, but still all the Music A return to form, of sorts, for Dimmu Borgir

In Sorte Diaboli Dimmu Borgir Manufacturer: Nuclear Blast Americ ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Norway | Scandinavia | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Ordo Ab Chao Spiritual Black Dimensions Theogonia Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia Death Cult Armageddon ASIN: B000NOK0QW Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

1. The Serpentine Offering
2. The Chosen Legacy
3. The Conspiracy Unfolds
4. The Ancestral Fever
5. The Sacreligious Scorn
6. The Fallen Arsis
7. The Sinister Awakening
8. The Fundemental Alienation
9. The Invaluable Darkness
10. The Foreshadowing Furnace

Customer Reviews:

Dimmu Borgir - 'In Sorte Diaboli' (Nuclear Blast).......2007-06-21

After just catching this Norwegian black metal five piece out on a memorable night of their current U.S. tour, I had to hear this CD for myself. Dimmu Borgir seems to have made a sizable following for themselves by playing a sub-genre, 'symphonic black metal'. Is there even such a term? I had young fans telling me before the show started that I was JUST going to love these guys. Well, I liked them enough to borrow a copy of the CD. I've rarely heard such intense playing, operatic vocals, sheer heaviness and powerful drumming as I've heard it combined here on 'In Sorte Diaboli'. Some of the tracks I was most impressed with were "Serpentine Offering", the freaking awesome "Fallen Arsis" (reminds of Celtic Frost), "Sinister Awakening" and the in-your-face "Foreshadowing Furnace". Will appeal to fans of Gorgoroth, Emperor, Daath and Amon Amarth. A should-have.

Mah....could have been alot better...........2007-06-05

Not quite what I was expecting. I know when I can't listen to a cd more than 2 or 3 times something is wrong with it. Hellhammers drumming (which is no where near talents of Barker) completly takes over the album. It's hard to listen to the guitaring, and if you hear any guitaring at all, it's very simple, and repetative. Once you hit the half way point on the album, you might as well just hit stop, there is nothing past song 5 that is worth the listen, well you pretty much have listened to it on the first five songs, nothing new at all. These guys are telented musicians, they are far more capable writing something better than this album. We will all have to wait and see.

Not the Limited Edition, but still all the Music.......2007-05-07

Considering the praise justly heaped on Dimmu Borgir's 1997 "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant" and especially their last album, "Death Cult Armageddon," it may seem like a stretch to put "In Sorte Diaboli" at the top of their output, but it is very difficult not to be floored by the musical commitment displayed on this album; it's at the same level of effort as a Pantera album, or a late Death album. And while 5-stars are fairly often given out (I do it myself), sometimes the 5-star rating means a truly definitive musical statement. This is such a case.

I can imagine some critics (or fans) seeing this disc as Dimmu Borgir simply re-treading the same water they did so well in "Death Cult Armageddon," but even if that is the case, this disc makes me want to listen to it again and again; "Death Cult Armageddon" I pull out from time to time. There's definitely something "more" here, particularly for those who set aside any nostalgia for Nick Barker and listen to what Hellhammer serves up on drums. This is a good case in point, since the difference in the drumming (and everywhere) is in subtleties. Subtlety is generally not a mainstay of this kind of metal but, as they say, the devil's in the details.

The weakest element of "In Sorte Diaboli" is its concept (a priest discovers his affinity for Satan, the powers accrued thereto, and is burnt alive), but while it is fairly slight in itself, the task of telling a story seems to have made the band more musically conscious of how to sequence both the songs and the disc overall.

"The Serpentine Offering," at 5'09", opens with a Gothic orchestral war march, complete with chanting chorus, then restates the orchestral theme with a full metal workout. At around 90 seconds into the song, however, you get your first taste of Dimmu Borgir upping the ante on what they normally do so well. The guitars and drums here are not just punishing and huge, but the keyboards (or strings) shrill in the background to add a literal edge to the music. The cuts in vocal style here are also particular vicious, and lead immediately into a gargantuan and relentlessly punishing rift. Another quick riff, then its back to the orchestral theme, followed by a 100% melodic clean vocals section, lushly produced, and gargantuan again. (I had to say gargantuan twice.) Some spoken vocals lead back into the second theme again, which hammers its way out the end of the song. A complete showcase of a song, beautifully put together and executed.

"The Chosen Legacy," at 4'17", starts with the familiar death metal vocal roar and a frantic smash-fest of guitar, drums, and bass. However, not content with this, at 60 seconds, another moment of Dimmu Borgir exceeding themselves occurs. A second riff starts, sounding almost in an unusual time signature--a sawing kind of thing, with an arpeggiated guitar chord to top it off--which then is imitated on keyboard as a set up to the return of the riff again. It's the contrast here that particularly shows the intensity of this disc--the brief keyboard bit makes the guitars that much heavier, and their return that much more gratifying. This kind of contrast is a Dimmu Borgir staple, but it hardly seems that they have ever so consistently put it to such excellent use as they do on this album.

"The Conspiracy Unfolds," at 5'24", with its drum-guitar blast to kick it off, harkens back to earlier days. And while the song stays fairly safely in the lines of what Dimmu Borgir fans have come to expect--including the vaguely angelic choir of keyboards floating over the top of grinding guitars--even here there is more attention to detail than on previous outings, like the dog-barking vocals as the second riff comes sawing in, and the atypically interwoven drums and guitars around 3 minutes into the song.

"The Sacrilegious Scorn," at 3'58", seems almost to mock Dimmu Borgir's identifiable signature, by starting with a somewhat cheesy Gothy keyboard kind of thing such as one finds all over "Godless Savage Garden". There's even a tongue-in-cheek "ah" to make it seem like one shouldn't take it too seriously. But this opening is kicked soundly in the head by the thundering riff that follows. For the chorus, the usual death rattle gives way to giant melodic metal again, as displayed so gorgeously on the opening track. Another detail: at the end of this melodic chorus, it just sinks away, as the opening guitars take over again (there is a sweet, nasty shrieking squeak at 1'24" as well). See, it's all about the details. A death metal piano ballad then ensues for a few seconds, complete with keyboards and King Diamond like choking gasps. Following a literal avalanche of drums, the band then comes back with even redoubled (retripled?) force to crush its way up to a false stop, and then a quick brutal reprise of the opening. Really, a whole lot of variation in a fairly short space, but it all hangs together--and it's this kind of "narrative complexity" that helps make the songs so compelling.

"The Fallen Arises," at 2'59," (you can guess the plot element by the song title) is a soundscape mostly, keyboards, choir--altogether mellow and a pleasant enough decompression from the intensity of the previous four songs.

"The Sinister Awakening," at 5'09", takes obvious delight in blistering off the pleasant skin of semi-calm the last song provided. The first 90 seconds or so are "typical" Dimmu Borgir, although the production sounds better than ever, but even so, buried in the back of the mix are these glass-like whips of noise--subtle, but effective. At two minutes, the music shifts, the keyboards are cleverly buried in the mix, and the vocals are fed through various freaky effects to great effect, joined by the inevitable chanting choir of dark-spirit types. Around four minutes, another piano death metal ballad kicks in to keep things interesting, as the band slides toward the kind of super-grand, even sublime musical horizonscape they've been aiming to create for a long time. There is a lot of music out there that wants to sound like a lot of this song, but again, the devil's both in the details, and the variation of parts used to construct the songs.

"The Fundamental Alienation," at 5'17", starts off with cello, timpani, corrugated tin roof, and choir of dark spirits as a moody intro, once again quickly dispelled by the kind of wide-open sound that opened the album. One can really hear here how the keyboards have become excellently integrated into the music--far less does it seem like the keyboards are just floating over the music in a semi-campy invocation of all things dark and Gothy. Here, they effectively add to the mood. Around this point, the disc may be beginning to sound self-repetitious, and perhaps that's true, but there are numerous musical backward glances in this song that seem to be drawing together strands of the album's conceptual plot.

"The Invaluable Darkness," at 4'44", starts off loudly, and with shifting rhythms, as if to throw you off balance; the vocals and main riff also seem very start-stop at first, but then settle into a warp speed hammerfest, that avoids dullness largely through vocal variation, and an almost swing-feel to the guitars. The swing feel is brought out all the more by the distinctly melodic vocal chorus--it's hard not to see the guitars as paving the way for the chorus' vocals; yet another example of Dimmu Borgir outdoing themselves. At 3 minutes, another riff that feels like it is in an unusual time signature breaks up the straight ahead hammering for a bit, and then the swing-rhythm takes over again. You know the chorus is coming, but surprise, the song ends instead.

"The Foreshadowing Furnace," at 5'49", kicks off the last song with a clanging bell and an angry crowd (hellbent on burning our anti-hero at the stake), and then a foreshadowing bit of the main riff, which is a heavy, stomping thing with leaping chords (one of the more compelling ones on the disc), rather than the usual grinding. A series of quick changes follow, including a slow-down and an in-your-face vocal snarl, and then a big messy barrage of jagged guitar notes with the bass and drums grinding away underneath, lots of good howls and treated vocals ("I am from beyond your god"). At last, as expected, the opening riff returns, but one hardly minds; one's been waiting all song for it. Three croaking gasps, and then the sound of rushing flames closes out the disc.

An exceptionally listenable, varied, and above all committedly-accomplished album. It really seems as if Dimmu Borgir set out to make a point with this disc; perhaps to prove that no one else can approach the domain over which their dark castle rules. If so, they certainly seem to have succeeded.

A return to form, of sorts, for Dimmu Borgir.......2007-04-13

Dimmu Borgir faced a similar problem as Lamb of God when it came time for the latter to post a follow-up to their masterwork, "Ashes of the Wake": How do you top yourself, or even come close? When you unleash an album like "Death Cult Armageddon," you set yourself up for failure with your following release.

Well, Dimmu Borgir have, in my opinion, managed to respond more successfully than Lamb of God did with "Sacrament." But, "In Sorte Diaboli" is not "Death Cult Part II." It more closely resembles Dimmu's older works than "DCA". While "DCA" was a genre-bending disc, "In Sorte Diaboli" is a full-on black metal assault.

That will be a disappointment to some, but a welcome return to form for old Dimmu fans. But this album isn't just classic Dimmu Borgir black metal. These guys have come back with a venegence. While it lacks the variety found on "DCA", it offers some mind-blowing guitar and drum work. These two aspects really stand out from the beginning track all the way through to the last riff. Nearly every track showcases Dimmu's excellent drummer, Hellhammer. The speed at which he works the double bass drums seems inhuman. It's impossible to describe and must be heard to understand just how remarkable it truly is.

While the out-of-this-world drum work at times takes center stage, this is a very well-balanced album. It is extremely clean for such powerful music. The vocals, guitar and drums (and keyboards!) mesh together perfectly for a really tight sound. The guys have clearly progressed as musicians.

My only real gripe with the disc is that it feels too predictable at times. You know when Diummu is going to slow it down or when they are going to turn on the afterburners and wail with a sonic fury. As previously mentioned, it lacks the variety "DCA" offered. That variety is what made that album so great. The tracks on this disc do not clearly stand apart from each other. They are all fast, aggressive and unforgiving.

It sounds as though Dimmu wanted to make a statement with this record. The statement clearly is aimed at anyone who thought Dimmu was about to sell out and become a corny rock opera act. The orchestra is gone and the keyboards, while still present, take a back seat to the ferocious onslaught of the guitar and drums. While I still prefer "DCA," this seems like a clear logical step for Dimmu. An attempt to recreate the magic of "DCA" could have been a huge disaster, and with this release, Dimmu Borgir have shown they are not about to give in to anyone's expectations but their own.

It would have been easy for Dimmu to slow things down and take advantage of their growing notoriety in an effort to attract a larger audience. But instead of doing what they could to garner the favor of the more mild metal fans, they have done exactly the opposite. This is a relentless METAL album.

Average customer rating: Monumental Recording Simply fantastic Marvellous fun and great singing Worth it! Gorgeous,but one tiny qualm !

Vivaldi: Bajazet [Includes Bonus DVD] Manufacturer: Virgin Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Vivaldi | Vivaldi, Antonio | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Biondi, Fabio | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Cecilia Bartoli ~ Opera Proibita (Handel · Scarlatti · Caldara) / Les Musiciens du Louvre · Minkowski Vivaldi: Orlando Furioso Lamento Vivaldi: Griselda Handel: Radamisto ASIN: B00022LE38 Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

1. Allegro
2. Andante Molto
3. Allegro
4. Recitativo: Prence Lo So: Vi Devo
5. Aria: Del Destin Non Dee Lagnarsi
6. Recitativo: Non Si Perda Di Vista
7. Aria: Nasce Rosa Lusinghiera
8. Recitativo: Principe, Or Ora I Greci
9. Aria: In Si Torbida Procella
10. Recitativo: Il Tartaro Ama Asteria
11. Aria: Quel Ciglio Vezzosetto
12. Recitativo: Or Si, Fiero Destino
13. Aria: Vedeste Mai Sul Prato
14. Recitativo: Non Ascolto Piu Nulla
15. Aria: Amare Un'alma Ingrata
16. Recitativo: Cosi La Sposa Il Tamerlano Accoglie?
17. Aria: Qual Querriero In Campo Aramato
18. Recitativo: E Bella Irene
19. Aria: Non Ho Nel Sen Constanza
20. Recitativo: Amico, Tengo Un Testimon Fedele
21. Recitativo: Sarete Or Ostinato
22. Aria: Anche Il Mar par Che Sommerga
23. Recitativo: Gloria, Sdegno Ed Amore
24. Aria: Stringi Le Mie Catene

Tracks:

1. Recitativo: Ah, Disperato Andronico!
2. Aria: La Sorte Mia Spietata
3. Recitativo: Signor, Vergine Illustre
4. Aria: Cruda Sorte, Avverso Fato!
5. Recitativo: Senti, Chiunque Tu Sia
6. Aria: La Cervetta Timidetta
7. Recitativo: Gran Cose Espone Asteria
8. Aria: Sposa, Son Disprezzata
9. Recitativo: Dov'e Mia Figlia, Andronico?
10. Aria: Dov'e La Figla?
11. Recitativo: Asteria, Siamo Al Soglio ...
12. Quartetto: Si Crudel! Questo E L'amore
13. Recitativo: Figlia, Siam Rei
14. Aria: Veder Parmi, Or Che Nel Fondo
15. Recitativo: Andronico, Il Mio Amore
16. Aria: Barbaro Traditor
17. Recitativo: Lascero Di Regnare
18. Aria: Spesso Tra Vaghe Rose
19. Recitativo: Eccoti, Bajazette
20. Arioso: Verro Crudel, Spietato
21. Recitativo: Signor, Fra Tante Cure
22. Aria: Son Tortorella
23. Recitativo: Signore, Bajazette
24. Accompagnato: E Morto, Si, Tiranno
25. Aria: Svena, Uccidi, Abbatti, Atterra
26. Recitativo: Deh, Tu Cauto la Segui
27. Coro: Coronata Di Gigli E Rose

Amazon.com

This stunner of an opera involves the proud sultan Bajazet (bass) and his battle with his bloodthirsty rival-tyrant Tamerlane (counter-tenor). More than 50 operas were composed on the subject. Here Vivaldi has composed all the recitatives and marvelous arias for the dignified, fine characters and used arias by other composers--Hasse, Giacomelli, Carlo Broschi--for Tamerlano and the nasties. The music is energetic and virtuosic throughout. Fabio Biondi leads Europa Galante and soloists with urgent, theatrical precision, making the story come to life. The singing could not be better: Ildebrando d'Arcangelo is a remarkably sympathetic Bajazet, singing with fluency and power; David Daniels amazes as Tamerlano; Marijana Mijanovic sings the role of Asteria (Bajazet's daughter) with love and precision; and Viveca Genaux dazzles with her perfect coloratura as Irene. This is a treasure trove of singing, and a bonus DVD allows us to see/hear the performers in rehearsal. Highly recommended. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Monumental Recording.......2007-03-14

From the same composer that
brought us "The four Seasons"
Antonio Vivaldi, comes this
'dramma per musica' it tells
us the story of Bajazet, a Turkish
leader who ruled vast portions of
the Ottoaman empire, and his defeat
by his great foe, Tamerlano(Timur Lenk).
In the past composers like Handel and
others had taken an interest in the story.
This is the World Premiere recording of
the work. Much musicological research was done
by conductor and violinist Fabio Biondi and others
to put together this monumental recording.As personally
for me this is the first complete opera that
I hear by Vivaldi. This opera comes with a
DVD that features all six soloists in an aria.
Europa Galante and Maestro Biondi do a wonderful
job, and the soloists are great. Wonderful work,
thank you Maestro Biondi...

Simply fantastic.......2007-02-28

This is one of the best recordings that I have bought recently. The entire opera is a treasure, and they couldn't have picked a better cast. Vivica Genaux, Elina Garanca, and David Daniels are especially strong, and Fabio Biondi's orchestra is always clean and polished. The recording quality is also top-notch. It's unlike me not to offer some kind of a criticism, but I can't think of one for this recording. Highly recommended.

Marvellous fun and great singing.......2006-09-19

I have to say that I prefer Handel's Tamerlano for musical reasons. However, Vivaldi's opera on the same subject is very enjoyable and entertaining. Like it has been said of the operas of Haydn, Vivaldi's operas are not great operas, but they do contain great music.

Europa Galante, directed from the 1st violin by Fabio Biondi, is in great form and I've never heard them play better. I have their older recording of Handel's opera Poro, and I enjoyed that one, too.
The singers here are an excellent ensemble. I like the dark and expressive voice of Ildebrando D'Arcangelo - he was also marvellous as Leporello in Gardiner's Don Giovanni. David Daniels is fantastic, as usual, and he is possibly the best operatic countertenor in the world at the moment. Patrizia Ciofi is best heard and not seen - sweet voice coming from a madwoman (check out the DVD!). Vivica Genaux has been hyped to within a centimetre of her life recently. She has a nice flexible mezzo voice. A little too much vibrato for my tastes and she looks like a chipmunk when she attacks coloratura passages. Marijana Mijanovic sings well - she was excellent as the neurotic Penelope in the Christie / L.A.F. DVD of Monteverdi's Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in patria. She is alarmingly thin - possible health problems? She doesn't engage with the conductor or orchestra at all in the DVD - the only singer who doesn't. Elina Garanca looks beautiful (and healthy!) and sings beautifully. She has a lovely contralto voice. I hope I see and hear more from this artist in the future.

I am not a big fan of Vivaldi's operas - I enjoy them as collections of arias. I wonder how well Bajazet worked on stage?
I'd love to have a DVD of this production, I would like to see how a Vivaldi opera works on stage. Vivaldi's operas don't have imaginative scorings and the orchestral passages are fairly prosaic. A lot of what goes on in the Vivaldi operas I've heard (I have a few in my CD collection) is pretty routine. However, I am open minded on the subject and I would like to see how well a Vivaldi opera works on stage.

Worth it!.......2006-05-23

This album exceeded my expectations. In the true pasticcio form, Vivaldi copied and pasted other composers' work, and his own of previous operas. The arias are un-paralleled in harmony, balance, up-beat rhythm, and beauty. The orchestration by Fabio Biondi is first rate and world class. Vivica Genaux rocks in her interpretation of "Qual Guerriero in Campo Armato" as so much energy, control, and speed are gushed out at once and sustained without wavering. Her ornamentation in the da capo aria is amazing. Vivica's voice is powerful, ethereal, and acrobatic. She recreates what a castrato voice might have sounded like, beautiful and strong. While Vivica sings perfectly the most demanding and technically difficult aria of the opera, Ciofi delights us with the most beautiful "Nasce rosa". After listening to her, it would be near to impossible to imagine anyone else singing this aria with such charm. But what she excelled at "Nasce", she lacked at "Anche il mar". This aria is perhaps as technically and impossibly challenging as "Qual guerriero", but Ciofi's coloratura is discontinuous. Cecilia Bartoli executes this aria in her Vivaldi Album stunningly in one breath. If there was ever a team of opera gold medalists, that team is put together in this album. Ildebrando's "Dov'e la Figla?" is a handsome showcase of his voice and strong presence. While his singing is worthy of high praise, his hand movements and wedding band flashing might have already cost him 90% of his fan base, not to mention dashing his chances at becoming a teen idol or gay icon. His comportment at the high note of the aria is reminiscent of an opera Olympiad doing a vocal triple summersault in mid-air and sticking a perfect landing. "Dov'e la figlia?" is also an aria that illustrates the great genius of Vivaldi as an opera composer. He wrote very distinct music for the same lyrics and for different registers (basso and castrato) in Bajazet, and Motezuma (with Dominique Visse). At the same time, he used the identical music for two different lyrics in Motezuma, and Orlando Furioso (Sorge l'irato Nembo).The bonus DVD proves not only interesting but also very entertaining at the gesticulations and facial configurations sometimes taken for granted to sing bel canto's finest arias. Superb job!

Gorgeous,but one tiny qualm !.......2006-04-20

While I agree with all the good things that have been written of this splendid perfomance,there is a small,but I feel important, detail about the recording which I find vexing.
When a recitative is is sung the performers are placed across the audio stage,disposed left or right,as you will.When an aria is sung ,the soloist leaps to the very center of the sound stage, which is quite disconcerting,especially when listening through headphones.This points to the arias and recits being recorded in separate sessions.Nothing wrong with that given the ravishing perfomance.Well worth the purchase price.

Average customer rating: Manufacturer error singer Beverly Sills' trills... The greatest Cleopatra forever Ignore the ignorant basher

Handel: Giulio Cesare [Highlights] Manufacturer: Video Artists Int'l ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Richter, Karl | ( R ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Massenet: Manon Handel - Julius Caesar / Treigle · Sills · Forrester · Wolff · NYCO · Rudel Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi The Very Best of Beverly Sills The Ballad of Baby Doe ASIN: B00000JKQ4 Release Date: 1999-11-30

Customer Reviews:

Manufacturer error.......2007-04-17

I received some Chopin piano music in this Sills CD case, even with the correct logo burned in.
Suspicious...

singer.......2007-01-12

Got this for an aria V'adoro Pupille. Was surprised to find tempo so different from other singers' versions, and she has many added florishes, but it is enjoyable. The recording is from a live performance so there are coughs, etc., as well as wild applause, but a nice addition.

Beverly Sills' trills..........2006-09-06

are fake. How can someone hear them and say that no other singer can match or surpass them? Love her all you wish, she used a false technique to produce the trills (as Bartoli does in her fioritura singing - exciting, but not technically accurate); Sutherland, Streich, Gruberova, and Hempel (Ponselle for that matter) executed TRUE, accurate (and quite pleasing to the ear) trills. Thank you.

The greatest Cleopatra forever.......2004-10-28

Now Beverly Sills definitely ain't a pin-up Cleo like Leonor Varela in the movie disaster from the 90ties but she was a very beautiful woman and had the voice of a sirene in those days, perfect for Handel, as perfect as can be. Her "V'adoro pupille" has to be heard to be believed, it's bursting with seductive colours. Ruth Ann Swenson could learn a thing or two from Sills here when it comes to phrasing and colouring. The "Da tempeste" is flawless, I could listen to it over and over again. Yet, why are there only highlights? Treigle&Sills are so great, they deserve more!

Ignore the ignorant basher.......2003-08-04

This JJ fellow really has a lot of nerves. Lately there's been a diva war between Callas, Sills, and Sutherland and he/she hasn't let up since. To the basher: we have every right to say that Sills is the best singing actress of this century; this is a Sills site! And we do not believe Callas is in the same league. She was a great actress but she had an annoyingly dry, coarse voice, even in her prime.

This is a fabulous live performance, very much comparable to the 1967 recording on the RCA label. I do have to say though, that some of the tempi are very slow, but then again when you have incomparable singing from Sills, one cannot wish for more. ~bash review neutralizer

Average customer rating: 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 Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Liszt | Liszt, Franz | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Strauss Jr., Johann | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Strauss | Strauss, Richard | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Battle, Kathleen | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Charpentier, Gustave | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Gershwin, George | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Handel, George Frideric | H to L | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Liszt, Franz | H to L | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | M to P | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Rachmaninov, Sergei | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Strauss Jr., Johann | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Strauss, Richard | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anonymous | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Battle, Kathleen | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: The Best of Kathleen Battle Kathleen Battle in Concert Kathleen Battle Sings Mozart A Christmas Celebration: Kathleen Battle 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:

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.

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.

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........

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)

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!

Average customer rating: A Lovely Mix of Old and New. Glorious! The glories could have been even more...glorious Splendid Anthology from the Past 40 years

The Glories of Handel Opera ~ Kirkby · Sutherland · Tebaldi · Berganza · Horne · Bowman · Pavarotti George Frideric Handel , Christopher Hogwood , Christophe Rousset , Richard Bonynge , Alexander Gibson , Bryan Balkwill , Henry Lewis , Emma Kirkby , James Bowman , Sara Mingardo , Luciano Pavarotti , Marilyn Horne , Joan Sutherland , Alicia Nafe , Philip Ledger , Forbes Robinson , Teresa Berganza , Bernadette Greevey , Renata Tebaldi , Sir Geraint Evans , and Emmanuelle Haïm Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: The Emma Kirkby Collection Emma Kirkby sings Handel, Arne, Haydn & Mozart Handel: Ariodante (Highlights) Sandrine Piau - Handel Opera Seria Handel Operatic Duets ~ Amor e gelosia / Ciofi · Di Donato · Il Complesso Barocco · Curtis ASIN: B00004U8FD Release Date: 2001-02-13

Tracks:

1. Alcina: Tornami a vagheggiar - Kirkby
2. Orlando: Ah Stigie larve! - Bowman
3. Orlando: Gia latra Cerbero - Bowman
4. Orlando: Vaghe pupille non piangete - Bowman
5. Riccardo Primo: Atterrato il muro cada - Mingardo
6. Atalanta: Care selve ombre beate - Pavarotti
7. Semele: Hence Iris hence away - Horne
8. Rodelinda: Io t'abbraccio - Sutherland
9. Ezio: Se un bell'ardire puo innamorarti - Forbes Robinson
10. Giuliu Cesare: Piangero la sorte mia - Teresa Berganza
11. Alcina: Dream Music - Kirkby
12. Rinaldo: Armida dispietata! Lascia ch'io pianga - Bernadette Greevy
13. Alcina: Sta nell'Ircana pietrosa tana tigre sdegnosa - Teresa Berganza
14. Serse: Frondi tenere - Ombra mai fu - Renata Tebaldi
15. Berenice: Si tra i ceppi e le ritorte la mia fe risplendera - Geraint Evans
16. Rodelinda: Dove sei amato bene? - Marilyn Horne
17. Giuliu Cesare: Da tempeste il legno infranto - Joan Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

A Lovely Mix of Old and New........2006-11-14

This volume actually updates an old tape--which I still own!--by adding some of the more recent interest in historical performance practices to some of the older operatic show-biz types on display here.

I very much enjoy Sutherland and similar performers in this material. Talk about razzle-dazzle. Singers like Pavarotti and Tebaldi bring a lot of know-how about beautiful music to Handel, and that is never unwelcome.

While they might not have been terribly musicologically-informed, performers like Sutherland, Horne and Berganza certainly knew more about period performance practices: they indeed initiated the resurgence of such practices in the last three decades. Do other reviewers here perhaps forget that in preferring Dessay over Sutherland?

Meanwhile for the purists, Hogwood, Kirkby and Bowman are certainly more in the original instruments/authenticity-fetish camp: if memory serves, they were not included in the old cassette version. Clearly Decca is aware of the change in performing styles--and perhaps audience tastes--even as they are reflected on this very Amazon page. Frankly, I could use less of these and more of the old-timers.

So yes, this is a mix of old and new. The newest trends are not included. But are they not readily available elsewhere? Meanwhile, like its earlier incarnations, this set is still a marvelous compilation of gorgeous music-making from the deep Decca catalog.

Glorious!.......2005-12-30

I bought this album a while back because I've taken an interest in Baroque music recently, and I was not disappointed. This truly is a glorious recording of Handel Opera. Of course with singers like Pavarotti, Sutherland, Horne, Tebaldi it would have to be above average. Sutherland ends the album with a dazzling display of vocal dexterity in "Da tempeste il legno infranto". Even when she sings the 16th note runs each note still has clarity. And Pavarotti is delectable in "Care Selve". I could give a review of each song but there's no need for that because each track on this is marvellous in its own way. Buy this album.

The glories could have been even more...glorious.......2004-05-31

Handel operas nowadays receive impressive stage productions and become increasingly popular. This is a great collection if you want to hear some of your favourite Italian opera singers like Sutherland, Tebaldi, Pavarotti, Evans, Berganza and Horne sing Handel. Especially the young Sutherland and Pavarotti are sensational!

Considering on the other hand that Decca has now recorded many Handel operas with excellent Baroque singers, I find this recording to be somewhat outdated. It wasn't necessary for example to have Sutherland, Horne and Berganza sing two different roles when the same parts have recently been recorded by excellent newcomers like Dessay, Von Otter, or Scholl to name a few. Why stick to the past when the present has so many wonderful Handel singers?

Overall however, a decent introduction to Handel's music.

Splendid Anthology from the Past 40 years.......2002-07-03

This fine CD is an anthology of splendid performances dating from 1960-1995 by the world's most celebrated opera singers of great music by Handel, who in my opinion wrote better for the voice than anyone else. Enjoy! You will listen to it again and again.

Average customer rating: Elegant and refined with sublime singing by Hunt

Handel: Ariodante (Highlights) Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Imports | Stores | Music $9.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Bach - Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook (highlights) / Hunt-Liberson, McGegan Handel - Theodora / Peter Sellars · William Christie · Upshaw, Hunt, Daniels, Croft · Glyndebourne Opera Lorraine Hunt - Handel Arias Music of Peter Lieberson: Rilke Songs, The Six Realms, Horn Concerto Purcell: Dido and Aeneas; Music for "The Gordian Knot Unty'd" ASIN: B00005UKK9 Release Date: 2002-01-08

Customer Reviews:

Elegant and refined with sublime singing by Hunt.......2007-03-19

The overall effect of this interpretation of Ariodante by McGegan is one of elegance, refinement and emotional intensity that flows without being pushed and touches the soul with its singing without being overcontrolled and calculated. This is the main difference between this version and the Minkowski version which has many great moments of lovely singing which surpass the McGegan soloists often, but which is sometimes rushed with overcalculated and overly controlled singing on Otter's part which tarnishes the interpretation. Otter seems not to be really immersed in the part whereas Hunt is. Unforunately the complete recording of this McGegan interpretation is out of print, so get the highlights (this edition)and wait for the re-issue of the complete version.

Average customer rating: Marilyn Horne scintillates One Of The Greatest Voices of All! Not 100% satisfied with the selections, but what artistry! Vive Madame Horne !

Just for the Record: The Golden Voice Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bellini, Vincenzo | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Copland | Copland, Aaron | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Donizetti | Donizetti, Gaetano | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Foster, Stephen | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gluck | Gluck, Christoph W. | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Meyerbeer | Meyerbeer, Giacomo | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Ponchielli | Ponchielli, Amilcare | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Saint-Saëns, Camille | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Robert Schumann | Schumann, Robert | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Thomas | Thomas, Ambroise | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Horne, Marilyn | ( H ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra | ( V ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Bellini, Vincenzo | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Bernstein, Leonard | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Donizetti, Gaetano | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Gluck, Christoph W. | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Copland, Aaron | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Foster, Stephen | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Handel, George Frideric | H to L | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Meyerbeer, Giacomo | M to P | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Ponchielli, Amilcare | M to P | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Rossini, Gioacchino | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Saint-Saens, Camille | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Schubert, Franz | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Schumann, Robert | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Thomas, Ambroise | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Vocal Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | U to Z | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Folk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: The Spectacular Voice of Marilyn Horne: Rossini / Horne Great Duets & Trios / Sutherland, Horne, Pavarotti Dolora Zajick - The Art of the Dramatic Mezzo-Soprano An American Songbook [Australia] Joan Sutherland - The Greatest Hits ASIN: B0000TAYR0 Release Date: 2003-11-11

Tracks:

1. L'amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle (Habanera)
2. Mon Coeur S'ouvre A Ta Voix
3. Eccomi Al Fine In Babilonia
4. Cruda Sorte!
5. Hence, Iris, Hence Away
6. Dove Sei, Amato Bene?
7. Che Disse! Che Ascoltai!
8. Addio, Addio O Miei Sospiri
9. O Pretres De Baal... O Toi, Qui M'abandonne
10. Elle Est La! Pres De Lui!
11. Mura Felici
12. Tanti Affetti

Tracks:

1. Superbo Di Me Stesso
2. Il Segreto Per Esser Felici - London Symphony Chorus
3. Mi Chiami, O Norma!
4. Deh! Con Te, Con Te Li Prendi
5. Mira, O Norma
6. Si, Fino All'ore Estreme
7. Soli Or Siamo... Condotta ell'era In Ceppi - Luciano Pavarotti
8. Non Son Tuo Figlio? - Luciano Pavarotti
9. Mal Reggendo - Luciano Pavarotti
10. E Un Anatema! - Renata Tebaldi
11. Nacht Und Traume, D 827
12. Abendlied
13. Traume
14. Jesus De Nazareth
15. Shenandoah
16. I Bought Me A Cat
17. The Lord's Prayer
18. Somewhere
19. At The River (Lowry)
20. Jeannie With The Light Brown Hair

Customer Reviews:

Marilyn Horne scintillates.......2007-05-20

This 2-CD set includes 32 separate "cuts." Thus, it provides a perspective on the broad range of works that Marilyn Horne mastered. While some pockets of work may be given somewhat short shrift (e.g., Rossini), overall this shows off her skills nicely. Born in Bradford, Pennsylvania (one of the coldest places in the nation during winter), she made her operatic debut in 1954. In liner notes copyrighted in 2003, she notes that: "Can't believe it's time for a 70th birthday celebration. . . ." And neither can I, since I recall hearing her perform at the Met (via the old Texaco opera show), and it does not seem all that long ago!

Some cuts well depict her artistry across a range of genres and composers.

The "Habanera" from Bizet's "Carmen" is, to be sure, an old chestnut by now, but she sings it with a rich and lustrous voice. She sings a seductive aria seductively.

"Eccomi al fine in Babilonia" is from Rossini's "Semiramide" and shows off her skills nicely. This piece shows off the range of her voice well. Her voice is very agile, as it would need to be to do Rossini justice. There are some nice runs; the cabaletta showcases her agility and allows her to display well sung ornamentation.

From Handel's "Semele," we hear "Hence, Iris, Hence Away." This is a sprightly piece that is characteristically well sung by Horne.

Handel's "Rosalinda" features a nice work for mezzos, "Dove sei amato bene?" If I hear correctly, Horne begins this with a trill in piano; there are a number of nicely executed trills in this work. This cut is smoothly and richly sung throughout.

"Addio, addio o miei sospiri" comes from "Orfeo ed Oridice" by Gluck. A sprightly paced work. Horne shows off excellent ornamentation; her coloratura technique is terrific.

From "Norma" (by Bellini) there are 4 cuts (from a longer scene), featuring collaboration with Joan Sutherland. The two singers worked well together in a number of operas, and this set of works illustrates that synergy beautifully. "Mi chiami, o Norma!" starts things off. The two voices meld extremely well together. "Deh! Con te, con te li prendi" features fine work all around. Both singers display good vocal dexterity. Horne hits one high note with a bit of harshness, but not an issue of any moment. "Mira, o Norma" is ravishing; Sutherland's and Horne's duet is absolutely wonderful. Finally, "Si, fino all'ore estreme." This is a fast paced duet, with both singers manifesting considerable vocal agility and sound coloratura technique. When they sing together, their voices almost sound "twinned."

Finally, "Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair." Horne sings this straight, without the ghastly "opera-tizing" that some singers cannot resist. Sung simply and powerfully. Her rich voice produces a very good vocal effect.

And so on.

Although this CD does not fully represent her repertoire, it does provide a good sense of the art of Marilyn Horne and it suggests the range of her singing. For those wanting to get a sense of Horne's oeuvre, this is one recording that provides entrée to her body of work.

One Of The Greatest Voices of All!.......2006-01-29

I am not the only one who regards Marilyn Horne's voice as exceptional. During the seventies and eighties she was regarded by The New York Times Music Critic as possessing the greatest voice of our time. One only has to sample this "golden" collection to prove how right he was. Her "mezzo" handles Handel and Rossini like no other. Brava all the way (To say nothing about Dalila's famous aria!) And I must even mention her "Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair". This is a two CD that is a MUST for those who appreciate the glories of the human voice (To say nothing about the warmth and spirit than accompany it.)

Not 100% satisfied with the selections, but what artistry!.......2004-11-03

Decca's release of this career-spanning Marilyn Horne recital contains many "golden" nuggets, but isn't the absolute best representation of her artistry, in my opinion.

There was certainly plenty of material to choose from, as Horne was one of the most recorded mezzos in the twentieth century. As advertised, Madame Horne personally approved the final recital list, and the diva undoubtedly has sentimental attachment to certain selections. Furthermore, a conscious attempt was made to represent the different genres explored during her decades-spanning career. This approach, however, leaves out some truly stunning material that would have made an even stronger case on why she was such an operatic institution.

In summary:

The first disc begins with the Habanera from Carmen. Horne was very proud of her Carmen, noting that it surpassed sales of Callas's Tosca at one point. It deserved to be included, but I don't think she was "THE" Carmen, and besides, the whole opera is so warmed-over by now, it's hard to get anyone excited about it!

From then on, we are treated to a bonanza of wonderful arie and scena. The aria from Samson et Delilah is a real gem. Horne was certainly not the most glamorous singer, but My God, the interpretation is heavenly. This is what the aria sounds like in the hands of a world-class contralto. Eccomi in Babilonia follows, and by anyone's measurement, she is the finest Arsace on record. Blessed with an extraordinary range, she is as fulminating in both the top and bottom registers. What's more, her spirited delivery magnifies the pure genius of Rossini's music. As for Cruda Sorte, "ditto," as Marilyn herself might say.

Next, we are treated to two excellent Handel arias. Iris, Hence Away gives me goosebumps everytime I hear it. This was recorded in the early sixties, for inclusion in the Age of Bel Canto recital she shared with Joan Sutherland and Richard Conrad. Now, if she had recorded this a few years later, she might have drove the coloratura harder. However, at this point, the voice had a somewhat lighter quality, thus the aria isn't sung with that all-purpose "Marilyn Horne" voice we are so used to. Speaking of lightness, Dove Sei, Amato Bene will send shivers down your spine. Again, Marilyn wasn't known for her subtlety, but she proves here that she was more than capable. Just listen to the fluttering trills and fil di voce, and dare to disagree with me! One of my major complaints is it there isn't more Handel on the recital. Sure, a whole recital of Handel arias by Horne is still available, but in this best-of disc, there was room at least for Or La Tromba, the trumpet aria from Rinaldo, and a personal favorite. Also, nothing is included from Vivaldi's Orlando Il Furioso, another travesty.

The pinnacle of the first disc is Addio, I Miei Sospiri, from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. This is Horne magified to the nth power. Where to start? A scrumptiously sung recitativo, then the aria itself, with Marilyn pulling out all the stops. The bronzed tone, perfect breath control, spectacular coloratura fireworks, superlative diction, evenness and security from top to bottom, and Marilyn's own way of generating excitement will floor you. This is bravura singing at the highest level.

After a few other selections from the French reperetoire, the disc closes with two Rossini warhorses. Again, the "ultimate" Horne best-of would have saved room for more Rossini, on the second disc. But the evidence here is ample enough to proclaim her honorific as the leading interpreter of Rossini in the last century.

The second disc is less satisfactory. The first selection, Superbo Di Me Stesso sounds like it came from an inferior source, and wasn't remastered properly. Il Segreto Per Esser Felici, from Lucrezia Borgia is fine enough, but Marilyn could have ornamented more, and that snare drum is too loud! Then, we have an extended scene from Il Trovatore. Now, Marilyn herself stated that she wasn't perfect in Verdi. As she put it, she sang Verdi by not taking "both feet" out of the bel canto waters, so that she could go on singing the roles that brought her the most fame. This is understandable, but if that's the case, then we didn't need this long scene. Perhaps she wanted to highlight her collaboration with Luciano Pavarotti, and I'm sure Decca saw this as a way to lure the casual listener. For my money, though, they should have just included Stride La Vampa, and called it a day. This would have freed up lots of room for the stuff for which she's better recognized!

Now, another extended scene, from Norma, is completely justified. Equally important to Marilyn's legacy as an individual artist is her legacy as one-half of the Sutherland/Horne duo. I don't need to write more- the music speaks for itself.

The rest of the second disc throws in a bit of verismo (Horne is unrecognizeable in Ponchielli; Simionato she's not), a bit of German lieder, and some patriotic tunes. Along with Leontyne Price, Marilyn Horne was the most conciously patriotic singer out there, and to have left out her American recordings would have been a disgrace. But, again, we are given an ample serving of it, when it could have been scaled back some to make room for her operatic triumphs.

All in all, there is enough glorious material here for any fan of the legendary Marilyn Horne, and also those who want a taste of how a superlative mezzo/contralto sounds like.

Vive Madame Horne !.......2004-01-09

Je suis soufflée, et tout bonnement reconnaissante à Decca pour avoir sorti cette compil qui rend si bien honneur à une des mes interprètes préférées. Voix de velours, aisance dans le grave et médium unique au Monde, Marilyn a été, dans toutes ses incarnations, un pur produit américain, certes, mais quel produit ! Bien évidemment son timbre si particulier, que d'aucuns ont défini androgyne, peut plaire ou non... Ce qui compte c'est l'apport émotionnel qu'elle donne à tout ce qu'elle chante, et sans que cela n'enlève rien à la pure beauté de sa voix à la technique sans faille. Merci Mme Horne, pour nous avoir livré une des plus mémorables leçons de chant de l'histoire, et joyeux 70ème anniversaire (car il n'est pas déplacé que de dire votre âge, étant donné la vitalité qui vous caractérise depuis toujours).

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