Ho un Sogno [Import]

1. Questa Sono Io

2. Ho un Sogno

3. Cambierò

4. Sono Quella Che Sono

5. Giovanni

6. Figlio

7. Muro

8. Figlio Parti Per la Tua Odissea

9. Di Questo Amore

10. Mia Coscienza

11. Piccolo Violino

12. Ho un Sogno [Enorme E Irrinunciabile]

13. Ultime Novità

Tracks:

Carmen: Quand je vous aimerai? ...L'amour (Habanera)
I Pagliacci: Recitar!... Vesti la giubba
Madama Butterfly: Un bel di vedremo
L'Elisir d'Amore: Una furtiva lagrima
Nabucco: Va pensiero (Chorus Of The Hebrew Slaves)
Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro
Rigoletto: La dona e mobile
The Barber Of Seville: Largo al factotum
Louise: Depuis le jour
Lakme: Flower Duet
Turandot: Nessun dorma
Norma: Casta diva
Gianni Schicchi: A vete torto!
TOSCA: Vissi d'arte
TOSCA: E lucevan le stelle
La rondine: Chi il bel sogno di Doretta
Il Trovatore: Di quella pira

Tracks:

L'Elisir d'Amore: Quanto e bella, quanto e cara!
Orphee et Eurydice: J'ai perdu mon Eurydice
La Boheme: Che gelida manina
La Boheme: Si, mi chimano Mimi
La Traviata: Di Provenza il mar
L'amico Fritz: O amore, o bella luce del core
Le nozze di Figaro: Voi che sapete
TOSCA: Recondita armonia
Adriana Lecouvreur: Ecco, respiro appena...lo son l'umile ancella
Le Roi d'Ys: Puisqu'on ne peut... Vainement, ma bien-aimee
Samson et Dalila: Mon coeur s'ouvre a'ta voix
Mefistofele: Dai campi, dai prati
Manon Lescaut: In quelle trine morbide
Serse: Ombra mai fu
Turandot: Signore, ascolta
Manon Lescaut: Donna non vidi mai
La Wally: Ebben? ne ando lontana
La Gioconda: Cielo e mar

Tracks:

Aida: Se quel guerriero io fossi...Celeste Aida
Romeo Et Juliet: L'amour, l'amour...Ah, leve-toi soleil
Mefistofele: L'altra notte in fondo al mare
Werther: Toute mon ame est la...Pourqui me reveiller
Barber Of Seville: Una voce poco fa
Cosi Fan Tutti: Un aura amorosa
Le Villi: Se como voi piccina
Un Balle en Maschera: `Se come voi piccina`
Carmen: La fleur que tu m'avais jette
La forza del destino: Pace, pace mio Dio
Adriana Lecouvreur: L'anima ho stanca
La Gioconda: Suicidio
Don Giovanni: Dalla sua pace
La Traviata: De' miei bolenti spiriti
La nozzi di Figaro: Porgi amor
Turandot: Non piangere, Liu
Mignon: Elle ne croyait pas dans sa candeur naive

Amazon.com

Put together in evident haste, this collection is nevertheless a surefire, appetite-whetting starter kit both for the budding operaphile and for the simply intimidated. The samplings include some of the greatest voices from EMI's vaults: here you'll find the polar opposites Callas and Caballe, the golden wonder of Wunderlich and early Carreras, and a host of other singers who've made their stamp on this century. Emphasis is on the soprano and tenor range, while the lower voices are given short shrift, and the selections cleave predictably to standard Italian and French repertory (with an occasional surprise, such as an aria from Lalo's Le Roi d'Ys). Still, the nearly three and a half hours of music represented will make a ready convert of anyone who hasn't experienced the specially heightened, time-stopping expressivity--beyond the power of mere song--that is the aria's function and will likely spark a desire to explore the larger operatic context in several cases. And though the lack of a booklet with texts or at least bios of the artists is frustrating, this is a good place to begin for an overview of the mesmeric power extraordinary voices can wield. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

OPERA HEAVEN.......2002-12-13

Probely this is a good buy for someone who is gest getting into the world of OPERA.Still a very good purchaes with fimiluar songs.

Incredibly Beautiful . . ........2001-10-27

If you love opera - this collection of some of the lovliest arias ever sung by artists from Caballe to Freni, from Delibes to Puccini - will inspire you. It is a wonderful gift for friends or for yourself.

Ultimate Aria.......2001-08-03

In my small operetic mind, this set of Cd's has completely captured me for the Opera. I was a young and upcoming musician in my youth. I'v been around the block "as it were" with the Classics. This collection is indeed, the benchmark upon which all others would hope to aspire.

Congradulations EMI for an incredible vision of the greatest opeatic moments recorded.

Gosh what's next?

Ralph Hassman

Ultimate indeed.......2000-08-02

If you don't like the idea of buying whole operas, or if you're a newcomer to opera - this is an extremely good collection / introduction, worth every single cent. The collection features many of the worlds greatest singers, giving their interpretations of some of the world's greatest arias. The compilation itself is very tasteful and covers a wide range from Handel to early 20th century composers. You won't miss any important stuff from the history of opera, except maybe Wagner and the most modern operas - I'll come back to that fact later. The compilers have actually put some lesser known, although no less beautiful, arias here, that oftenly are neglected on ordinary opera-collections, why the name `ultimate collection' is more than correct in that aspect.

EMI have a enormous archive to pick their recordings from, and that of course makes it easy to find first rate interpretations of all the arias included in this collection, and I do think that almost all of the arias are wonderfully sung here. It may be possible to find better performances of single numbers here and there, but I've not yet heard a more complete, wellmatched, and so thrillingly sung collection.

Well then, is there nothing wrong with this compilation? You might find it a little odd that there are so many soloarias and so few duets, terzettos a.s.o, especially since the drama in operas oftenly is greater in numbers with more than one singer. You might also wish that some of the recordings had been a little more modern (most of these recordings were made during the 50's, 60's & 70's) giving place to younger performers that still are singing on the stages, but those are minor objections when the over all quality is so high.

Tracks:

Falstaff! Ola!...So che se andiam la notte
Ehi paggio!...Ll'onore! Ladri!
Alice, Meg, Nannette.Fulgida Alive! Amor t'offro
Psst, psst, Nanetta. Vien qua.Torno all'assalto
Reverenza!
Alive e mia
C'e a Winsor una donna
E sogno? O relata.Eccomi qua. Son pronto
Alfin t'ho colto raggiante fior.Quand'ero paggio
Ehi! Taverniere!
Dal labbro il canto
Ninfe! Elfi! Silfi!...Sul fil d'un soffio etesio
Ogni sorta di genta dozziale
Facciamo il parentado.tutto nei mondo e burla

Average customer rating:

A(lfano) to Z(andonai). Great Olivero--terrible sound
Alfano's big hit...

Franco Alfano: Risurrezione

Manufacturer: Gala
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00009L1UJ
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Customer Reviews:

A(lfano) to Z(andonai). Great Olivero--terrible sound.......2004-10-14

Source: This appears to be an RAI broadcast from Turin dating from October 22, 1971, coupled with hefty chunks of a "Francesca da Rimini" from Milan, June 4, 1959.

Sound: The sad news -- for a recording made in 1971, this is a disgrace. Even considering that it is taken from a live performance, it is still a disgrace. "Risurrezione" sounds as though it were recorded from a clapped-out AM radio for a second-rate eight-track machine. The live audience is well-disciplined and scatters only a few coughs. "Francesco da Rimini" is slightly better recorded--very slightly better. Whoever recorded F da R contrived the extraordinary feat of making Mario del Monaco's foghorn voice sound small and tentative.

Format: Disc 1, Acts I, II and III, 25 tracks, 67m:36s. Disc 2, Act III (conclusion) and Act IV, 18 tracks, plus "Francesca da Rimini," 7 tracks, 66m:38s.

Documentation: No libretto. Summary of the plot is confined to a single paragraph. Brief verbal sketches are provided for Alfano, the opera and Magda Olivero. The track lists identifies the characters who are singing and shows timings.

A single hearing of "Risurrezione" is sufficient to establish that Franco Alfano had the verismo style down cold. The opera is absolutely at home with "Cavalleria Rusticana," "Pagliacci," "Andrea Chenier" and "Tosca." But it is just a little late, just behind the crest of the verismo wave, so to speak. Alfano was a fine craftsman with every tool in the verismo kit, lacking only the ability to craft a hit tune.

"Risurrezione" is based on Tolstoy's 1900 novel, "Resurrection." Despite that blue-blooded literary ancestry, Alfano's version is chock-full of good, low-down, Italianate emotion. For once, Alfano managed to avoid the weak endings that plague "Turandot" and "Cyrano." The opera ends with full-throttle exchanges between the tenor and the soprano that surely would work up any audience.

The unquestioned star of this recording is that prima donna assoluta, Magda Olivero. Would that she were better recorded! Poor as the recording quality is, the youthful Olivero (she was only about sixty at the time) sounds wonderful.

The tenor, Giuseppe Gismondo was a real surprise to me. He sings with a big, powerful, dark voice. As far as I can gather, he sang extensively with the second-tier opera companies in the US during the 1960s. Why he is not better known puzzles me.

Disc 2 is filled out with about twenty minutes of duets from "Francesca da Rimini," featuring Olivero and del Monaco. Olivero, naturally, is terrific. Del Monaco was probably singing quite well, too, but the recording is singularly unflattering to his big voice.

This is a hard one to call. The opera is pretty good. Olivero is always a treat and Gismondo is a pleasing surprise. But the sound is truly wretched--three stars.

Too bad.

****

A Follow-up Note--September 2005.

This performance is available from Opera d'Oro in markedly better sound, although without the Zandonai excerpts.

Alfano's big hit..........2003-08-17

"Risurrezione" was a work of Alfano's youth. He was but 29 when the work premiered in 1904. It was a hit, and was soon being performed at opera houses around the world, becoming a staple of Mary Garden's repertoire in Paris and Chicago, and reaching it's 1000th Italian performance in 1951. "Risurrezione" contains only hints of the complex, impressionist style of Alfano's maturity. It is flooded with the style of Alfano's idol Puccini, though Tolstoy's story has a more spiritual angle to it than Puccini's operas tend to have.

The structure of the opera is splendidly balanced and concise, with offstage choruses, symphonic interludes, and beautiful arias aplenty. The arias deserve special recognition. The famous "Dio Pietoso", a favorite of Garden's, is beautiful and emotional, but it's the love music, along with the two arias sung by the male characters that impressed me the most. Dimitri's "Piangi, si, piangi", and Simonson's third act aria are both filled with not only beauty, but an earnest dignity, that can't help but move the heart.

The character of Katiusha was a great favorite of many verismo sopranos, because there's such a variety of characters in the one. In the first act, she's a naive girl, in the second a disallusioned outcast. By act III, she's become a degraded, souless prisoner, hard drinking and chain smoking. But in the final act she's had a rebirth...the "Resurrection" of the title, and is strong enough to choose service to humanity over marrying the prince of her dreams, heart breaking as it is for her, and for us.

This performance showcases an array of splendid singers--first and formost the legendary Magda Olivero, who was no spring chicken when this recording was made in 1971. But it was never sheer vocal beauty that set her apart, but rather her amazing dramatic instincts, which are always dead on. The Simonson is also really great. There's recently been a new recording of "Risurrezione" released on the Accord label, and available from Amazon's British sister site. It has the advantage of fat modern sound, which far better showcases Alfano's splendid orchestration. It also has a booklet with complete notes and libretto with translation, which this release lacks. But the singers suffer by comparison. Denia Mazzola has a more beautiful voice, but can't compare with Olivero in interpretation, and the new Simonson lacks the power and dignity of the one on the Gala set. My recommendation--buy both.

Tracks:

Il Barbiere Di Siviglia: Largo Al Factotum
La Forza Del Destino: Urna Fatale
Un Ballo In Maschera: Alzati/La Tuo Figlio
Un Ballo In Maschera: Eri Tu Che Macchiavi
Otello: Vanne/La Tua Meta Gia Vedo
Otello: Credo In Un Dio Crudel
Don Carlo: O Carlo, Ascolta
Rigoletto: Cortigiani, Vil Razza Dannata
Andrea Chenier: Questo Azzurro Sofa
Andrea Chenier: Son Sessant' Anni/O Vecchio
Il Tabarro: Nulla!...Silenzio!...
Il Tabarro: T'ho Colto!
I Pagliacci: Prologo
Cavalleria Rusticana: Il Cavallo Scalpita
Cavalleria Rusticana: Oh! Il Signore Vi Manda
L' Amico Fritz: Per Voi/Ghiottoni Inutili
Lodoletta: Tel Dissi/Lodoletta
Le Maschere: Quella E Una Strada
Il Sogno
Non Posso Chiedervi
Eterna Memoria
Ovunque Tu

Customer Reviews:

Wow! Bastianini can really sing!.......2007-03-19

Ettore Bastianini is so awesome! The man could really sing, and I mean, really sing! His voice is so dark, so sexy, aristocratic, it sounds like bronze. He really was a vocal phenomenon. I was always interested in him; the rave reviews on amazon convinced me to purchase this CD, and I'm glad I did. His voice was gorgeous.

a voice of gold.......2003-02-23

I first heard Bastianini is Serafin's London recording of "La Boheme" with Carlo Bergonzi and Renata Tebaldi. I was impressed then and I still am now.
To possess such evenness in every part of one's range is nothing short of amazing. Bastianini's high notes are as rich as his lows and it is stunning to hear such brassiness in a baritone. A beautiful timbre is matched by peerless vocal skill; he is VERY well trained as a singer. Nothing is out of tune, a beat behind, or cut short for lack of air.
His opera buffo is superb; I wish there was a recording of "The Barber of Seville" with him in the title role. He truly has character when he sings comedic roles and his diction is impeccable; I don't think I've ever heard recitative done that quickly before. He is a little static and distant in "Eri tu" (I like it a little slower), but I think that, had he lived longer, he would have grown more into the role of Renato. Despite this, he is a true Verdi baritone singing with great civility and consistancy. Track 7 from "Don Carlo" shows this perfectly; easily some of the best lyrical phrasing on record.
Every song is done with perfect technique punctuated by great expression. He makes the change from technical singer to interpretive artist with considerable ease, especially in the last tracks which are live recordings of him in concert.
The orchestra and piano accompaniments are just that; accompaniments. And there is little effort made on the part of the conductors to intrude upon his singing. There is depth, but it quietly provides a very easy platform from which to simply listen to his voice and enjoy the sparkling clarity.
The recording quality is excellent mono that sounds like a very distant stereo instead of like someone singing into a box. There is very little static or hiss and the audience is barely audible at all.
Truly, an excellent (and rare) recording of a singer whose voice was a gift from God. It's a rather odd, but very special album that any opera buff should have.

The gift from the Heaven.......2000-06-06

Ettore was the best and the most incredible baritone of all time. This CD contains many of earlier recordings when he switched from bass to baritone. And he sang absolutely wonderful. He'll take you to heaven when you hear pieces from Forza, Ballo and all the rest. He would have been a great Iago. He proved in this CD. He also proved that he was a great comedian in Barbiere and Maschere. What a pleasure and the gift he'd left with us. I can't thank him enough!

supreme beauty.......2000-06-04

When I listened to Ettore Bastianini for the first time, I got very impressed with the pureness of his sound. His range was incredible and even though he started his career as a bass, his roles as a baritone are superb. His voice of supreme beauty reminds us that baritone's voices don't have to be limited and common. This recording is great. That "Si puo? is powerful. All the arias are performed with passion and beauty. Bastianini is a must to have baritone in all opera collections.

Non ti scordar!.......2000-04-14

While there have been a few great baritones since Ettore Bastianini's departure from the opera stage, I feel it would be a great loss if we allow his name to be forgotten. In a recent survey by Opera News magazine, Dmitri Hvorostovsky named Bastianini as his inspiration and singing role model, particularly emphasizing a certain "dark force" of his voice. This says a lot coming from today's leading baritone. Indeed, the beauty of the voice and the impeccable technique can be a point of standard for everyone who came after.

Bastianini started out as a bass before developing the powerful upper register to match his rich secure low notes. His baritone is, therefore, the darkest you would ever hear, with a possible exception of Renato Bruson. Yet high tessitura of Verdian arias presented no difficulty for him. On this disk the arias from Un Ballo, Otello, Rigoletto, and Don Carlo are presented in a sequence, all of the highest difficulty and all flawlessly executed. Bastianini must have been perfect on stage as well with sound so immense it overwhelms the recording system several times. His talents also shine in rarely performed arias from operas "Lodoletta", "Il Tabarro", and "L'Amico Fritz". There are four beautiful art songs at the end of the disk. While Bastianini was mostly famous for the sheer beauty of his voice, I found his characterizations to be wonderful as well. Just take Figaro's flamboyant swaggering introduction versus Iago's dark brooding credo. It really sounds like two different people singing. Without ever breaking the line or sacrificing the quality for the dramatic effect, he was able to convey the very nature of the character.

Tracks:

Falstaff: Overture - Allegro di controdanza
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 1 - Introduction (Falstaff, Mrs Ford, Mrs Slender, Slender, Guests) - 'Viva il comune amico' (Falstaff And Guests)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 1 - 'Sia pur l'ultimo bicchiere' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 1 - 'Ma gia l'alba s'avvicina' (Mistress Ford)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 2 - 'Vedete che capriccio...' (Bardolf)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 2 - 'Non reggo piu dal sonno...' (Bardolf)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 3 - 'Mangiar da principe...' (Bardolf) - Duet (Falstaff, Bardolf) - 'Con molta degnazione' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 3 - 'Da scrivere...' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 4 - 'Li porto o non li porto?...' (Bardolf)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 5 - 'Vicino a rivedere' (Ford) - 'Di dubitar di lei non ho motive...' (Ford)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 6 - 'Oh, tinozzo ambulante!...' (Mistress Slender)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 6 - 'Vendetta, si vendetta' (Mistress Slender)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 6 - 'Comare, in questo punto...' (Mistress Slender)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 6 - Duet (Mistress Ford, Mistress Slender) - 'La stessa, la stessissima' (Mistress Slender)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 6 - 'Ma parlando sul serio...' (Mistress Slender)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 7 - 'Ho capito, ma spero che non sara poi vero...' (Slender)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 8 - Quartet (Mistress Ford, Mistress Slender, Ford, Slender) - 'Oh, quanto vogliam ridere' (Mistress Ford)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 9 - 'Eh! Mia moglie, compare...' (Ford)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 9 - 'Venga, venga pure il cavaliere' (Slender)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 10 - 'A un uom della mia sorte...' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 11 - 'Guten morgen, mein Herr...'(Mistress Ford)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 11 - 'Oh, die Manner kenn ich schon' (Mistress Ford)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 12 - 'E che ti par, Falstaff?...' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 12 - 'Nell'impero di Cupido' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 12 - 'Ah, vile! Ah seduttore!...' (Ford) - 'Or degli affanni i palpiti' (Ford)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 13 - 'Restate la vicini...' (Mistress Ford)
Falstaff: Act l - Scene 14 - 'Bricconcella, alfin t'ho colta' (Falstaff)

Tracks:

Falstaff: Act l - Scene 14 - 'Si. Son geloso a torto' (Ford)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 1 - 'Sentite pure...' (Betty)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 1 - Trio (Betty, Mistress Ford, Mistress Slender) - 'Nell'acqua il buzzone' (Betty) - 'Questa a buon conto...' (Mistress Ford)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 2 - 'Ehi! Bardolfo! A chi dico?...' (Falstaff) - Scene 3 - 'Corpo di Satanasso!...' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 4 - 'E preparato?...' (Falstaff) - Duet (Betty, Falstaff) - 'Ah, Signore, se sapesse' (Betty)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 4 - 'Si degni almen di legger questo foglio...' (Betty)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 4 - Trio (Betty, falstaff, Bardolf) - 'Si mi vedeste il core' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 5 - 'E il nostro Signor Broch...' (Falstaff) - Scene 6 - 'Il Signor Broch vi attende...' (Bardolf)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 7 - 'Se un pranzo non vi basta...' (Ford)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 7 - 'Che sento!... E quando ei venne...' (Ford) - 'Or dunque quella bestia...' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 7 - Cavatina (Falstaff, Ford) - 'Nella stanza in un cantone' (Falstaff) - 'Or, quando fui nel cesto...' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 7 - 'Io, sotto titolo di roba sudicia' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 7 - 'Signor, son penetrato del piu vivo dolor...' (Ford)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 8 - 'Stelle sogno o son desto?...' (Falstaff) - 'Furie che mi agitate' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 9 - 'Presto Betty, che torna gia l'amico...' (Mistress Ford) - Duet (Mistress Ford, Falstaff) - 'Su, mio core, a gioir ti prepara!' (Mistress Ford)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 10 - 'Ma siam sicuri?...' (Falstaff) - Scene 11 - 'Ehi, comare presto!...' (Mistress Slender) - Duettino (Mistress Ford, Falstaff) - 'Pre carita, celatevi' (Mistress Ford)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 11 - 'Siete sola?...' (Mistress Slender)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 11 - Trio (Mistress Ford, Mistress Slender, Falstaff) - 'Primo ancor che Mastro venga' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 11 - 'Ma dunque, care amiche?...' (Falstaff) - Scene 12 - 'Ha, ha! Sarebbe bella se cosi travestito...' (Mistress Ford)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 13 - 'Ecco, amici! Ah! Ribaldo!...' (Ford)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 13 - Ensemble (Betty, Mistress Ford, Mistress Slender, Ford, Slender, Friends) - 'Che vedo! Oh, me infelice!' (Mrs Ford)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 13 - 'Orben, colui che cerco...' (Ford)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 13 - Duet (Mistress Ford, Mistress Slender) - 'Benedetto quel bastone' (Tutti)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 14 - 'Sorte pettegola, meco la vuoi' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 15 - 'Se in Londra si sapessero le mie delusioni...' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 15 - 'La sua fede si gradita' (Ford)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 15 - 'Sorte pettegola, meco la vuoi' (Falstaff) - 'Chi dite mai?...' (Ford) - 'Sorte pettegola, meco la vuoi' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 16 - 'Che dici?...' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 16 - 'Consolatevi amico...' (Falstaff)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 17 - Aria (Slender, Echo) - 'reca in amor la gelosia' (Slender) - 'Zitto: vien qualchedun...' (Slender)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 17 - Finale (Mistress Ford, Mistress Slender, Falstaff, Ford, Slender, Spirits) - 'Siete gia qui' (Slender)
Falstaff: Act ll - Scene 17 - 'Fate verdi, turchine e bianche e nere' (Mistress Ford)

Amazon.com

Amadeus, a great movie, made Antonio Salieri a sort of celebrity, but in terms of his value as a composer, it was misleading. This first recording, long overdue and very welcome, should help readjust Salieri's reputation. By far the best opera based on Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor, is Verdi's Falstaff. But the lazy, cowardly, greedy, overweight, alcohol-soaked, sexually predatory, and somehow (despite everything) endearing antihero is big enough for more than one opera. Salieri's Falstaff is much simpler and smaller in scale than Verdi's, less inventive and energetic. But this is a sophisticated, funny, brightly performed treatment of Falstaff's attempt to woo two married women with identical love notes. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

"It reeks of music".......2002-05-03

Salieri's "Falstaff, ossia le tre burli" ("Falstaff, or the three hoaxes"), to a libretto by Carlo Prospero Gianfranceschi, was first performed in Vienna in 1799, making it one of his last operas. It is a "dramma giocoso"..., that is, an opera buffa with some serious elements. This is an interesting time in the history of Italian opera -- Mozart's great operas were almost a decade in the past, and Rossini's about a decade away. Stylistically, though, we are closer to the classical than the bel canto. The various ensembles (including extended finales to each of the two acts) are reminiscent of Mozart -- Salieri obviously learned much from his great contemporary. Some of the numbers, too, have an element of opera seria parody, just as we find, say, in Fiordiligi's aria "Come scoglio" in "Cosi fan tutte".

While it must be admitted that Salieri does not muster the depth of pscyhological insight into character that is a hallmark of Mozart's greatness, nor the effervescent sparkle which enlivens Rossini's comic operas, this is nonetheless a delightful work, which should give pleasure to anyone who enjoys the late classical Viennese style.

If you wish to sample this lovely fare, try the lively Overture, which is a rondo based on a contredanse theme, that makes prominent use of the woodwinds, and ends in a blaze of glory a la Beethoven (who was, of course, Salieri's pupil). Another highglight is Falstaff's Act I aria ("Nell'impero di Cupido"), which is somewhat reminiscent of Bartolo's Act I aria in "Figaro" and even seems to look ahead to some of Rossini's buffo patter songs (I am thinking in particular of Don Magnifico's Act III aria in "Cenerentola").

The performance here, by authentic Italian forces, does justice to the idiomatic character of classical Italian opera buffa. So much of the action takes place in secco recitatives -- those bits of quasi-sung, quasi-spoken dialogue accompanied only by basso continuo -- and it is essential, as here, that the singers impart the nuance of the Italian language to it. The wonderful ensemble is ably supported by Alberto Veronesi and his Milanese forces. (An odd feature I noticed is that the continuo instrument in the recitatives is a fortepiano, whereas in the musical numbers it is a harpsichord. Is this supposed to be an authentic touch? There is no explanation in the notes.)

I wish to single out in particular the brilliant Florentine baritone, Romano Franceschetto, who carries on the great tradition of buffo baritones such as Giuseppe Taddei, Sesto Bruscantini, and more recently Claudio Desderi, who brings an acute, agile, intelligent mind and voice to his musical numbers and who does a beautiful job in the recitatives. In fact listening to the recitatives I almost thought I was listening to Bruscantini or Taddei.

Gluck is supposed to have said of a piece of Salieri's, "Puzza di musica" -- "It reeks of music" -- and if you listen to this recording you will understand why Gluck held his disciple in such esteem. It is worth noting that Salieri held the most important musical job in Europe -- court composer to the Habsburg Imperial court -- and numbered Gluck, Haydn, and Mozart as friends and colleagues, and Beethoven, Schubert, Hummel, and Liszt as pupils. If you want to get an insight into this interesting composer, who lived at such a pivotal time in the history of music and made his small but not trivial contribution to it, forget "Amadeus", try this recording. It will have you asking for more.

Salieri was no joke.......2001-08-13

Despite our compatriot's words to the contrary, Antonio Salieri was a magnificent composer who has composed some of the most moving scenes in all of operatic music. It is unfair to compare any musician to another since each musician has his/her own way of viewing a work and approaching that work. Mozart, obviously, would have taken a different approach to Falstaff just as Handel, Bach, Beethoven, Ligeti, or even Durufle would have taken. Each composer is unique and as true music lovers we must respect this and also respect Salieri's important, yet, unfortunately, mostly forgotten gargantuan comtribution to classical music.

Near worthless!.......2000-05-10

How can one listen to this work without comparing it to those of Mozart? I couldn't, and it's like comparing sewer water to a fine red wine- there is no comparision.

This opera is completely dull, uninspiring, unimaginitve, and just plain boring! I much prefer the classical period to that of the romantic, but i also much prefer Verdi's Falstaff to this one.

While it is true Amadeus exaggerated the rivilary between Mozart and Salieri, Salieri's jealousy was very much real. He did recognize Mozart's devine talent.

Furthermore, Salieri was not the incompetent composer Amadeus made him out to be. In fact, for that time period he was very compentent and as good as almost all the other composers of his day. The problem? Mozart far exceeded anything composers of that day, or since could put out! It always amazing me that Salieri and many composers were paid twice as much as Mozart for turning out work that was half as genious, half as brilliant, have as imaginative, and have as miraculous as Mozart's music was. Furthermore, Mozart was offered commissions (many) only after Salieri first turned them down.

The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni - arguably the two greatest operas ever composeed, failed in Vienna- while the operas of Salieri were smash hits! The "musical capital" of the world was totally inept when it came to recognizing great music! Most people don't know it, but the premiere of Figaro in Prague was one of the greatest triumphs in operatic history. Mozart was thrilled and wrote in symphony in honor of the people of Prague. That led to the commission of Don Giovanni, which was a triumph as well in Prague, but failed in Vienna upon it's transfer there prompting Mozart to declare, "My Praguers, they understand me."

There is a reason why Mozart is regarded as the greatest. Mozart is simply stunning beauty and perfection with no equal.

This opera is near garbage. Salieri's Axur is quite nice- but still far from the level of Mozart.

Salieri was envious of Mozart- and with good reason. And for that reason- Salieri was a smart man. In a time when Vienna tossed their great musical gift (Mozart) by the wayside, Salieri recognized it.

If you don't have all Mozart operas- get them first!

FALSTAFF: a good recording of Salieri's last operas!..........2000-03-24

A worthwhile issue of an opera composer whose dozens of works (i.e. Axur, re d'Ormus, Les Danaides, La Locandiera, etc.) are still little-known. A good recording of the Salieri's comedy, I enjoyed it. The arias are few, the ensembles many with complicated finales. However, I loved this recording wich embraces a remarkable teamwork, and is full of life and fun. It is very much an 18th-century opera buffa which takes liberties with Shakespeare's original (no Anne and Fenton; Mrs. Ford visits Falstaff disguised as a German woman - an excuse for comic mixture of German and Italian dialogue; only the Fords run any risk of marital separation) but which offers several enjoyable parodies of opera seria conventions. Falstaff, is one of Salieri's last operas (Vienna, 1799), and one of the first to derive its plot from Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor (later composers like Adolphe-Charles Adam, and Guisseppe Verdi composed operas on the same subject during the 19th century). The music of Salieri has remained forgotten (besides the fictional treatment of Salieri's supposed rivalry with Mozart in Peter Shaffer's study of jealousy, Amadeus), his name a foot-note in the lives of his pupils Beethoven and Schubert.

FALSTAFF: a good recording of Salieri's last operas!..........2000-03-24

The Complete Recordings, 1902-1920 (Box Set)

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Get It While You Can
Essential edition for opera lovers

The Complete Recordings, 1902-1920 (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | 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

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Ladino | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Bach: Cantatas, Vol. 22
The Complete Caruso
Caruso 2000
Classic Puccini Recordings
Leon Fleisher Plays Brahms

ASIN: B00030B92K
Release Date: 2004-11-23

Album Description

The Complete Caruso: Volumes 1 - 12

The Italian tenor Enrico Caruso holds a unique place in musical history, as the first operatic singer whose recordings sold in millions, and who created an international reputation on the strength of these. Caruso's robust tone and musical sincerity made him both an ideal stage and recording artist, whose voice the primitive acoustic recording technology of the early twentieth century was able to reproduce with startling fidelity. The Naxos Historical Caruso edition constitutes the complete cycle of all Caruso's recordings issued in chronological order. In addition, the transfers have been immaculately undertaken by top sound engineer Ward Marston, unrivalled for his knowledge of the specialized world of acoustic opera recordings, and his rare ability to retrieve all of the music lying in the grooves of the original recordings. Naxos Historical's incredible price (12 CD'S FOR THE PRICE OF 10) puts this unique legacy of great singing within the reach of all music-lovers. This! complete cycle of recordings represents a major document in the history of sound recording, and one which no collector and enthusiast of great singing will wish to be without. "There is no series of vocal records that have a greater documentary value, that meant more to the development of the phonograph record, or that are as consistently capable of providing pleasure to lovers of great singing. ...One of the most significant recording industry events of the decade." Fanfare

Customer Reviews:

Get It While You Can.......2006-10-13

This may not be easy to get in the USA for very long.....don't miss it.

Essential edition for opera lovers.......2005-02-01

This set gives you the opportunity to follow the entire recording career of one of the greatest singers in Operatic History. Enrico Caruso was the first superstar of the 20th century -- and this without the benefit of mass media. His person and his records were his greatest publicity.

The set begins with Caruso's Italian made recordings. They show a great raw talent. The artistry is lacking with many sobs, over acting and mistaken cues. The 1902 and 1903 clearly show a tenor with a lot to learn. But learn it he did. His 1904 sessions show a mature artist on par with any heard since. His voice matures before your very ears and by 1910, you wonder if you will ever listen to any other tenor the same way again.

The engineering used for this set is wonderful. There is no attempt at all to use the soundstream process of computer sound enhancement as heard on the RCA issued sets. These are near perfect mint conditioned discs copied by engineer extraordinary Ward Marston. They sound like natural 78s, they way Caruso himself must have heard the playbacks at the (RCA) Victor studios.

Also included are outtakes and extra takes. There is a "Celeste Aida" from 1908, complete with a broken high note, previously released by RCA in a 1973 set commemorating the tenor's centenary birthday. But there are new treasures here as well, including extra takes of two of Caruso's greatest recordings, the Italian song "L'Alba separa dalla l'uce ombra" and an aria from Rubinestine's Nerone. Listening to them, one wonders what Caruso could have possible thought inadquate in those long lost altenative takes.

Finally, there is the simple joy of hearing so many things so well sung. Caruso was the pinnacle of the tenor art. He can be compared to no other single tenor since ... he has the brilliant ring of Bjorling, the passion of Gigli, the beauty of Gedda, the youthful enthusiasm of Lanza, the warm tonal quality of Tucker, the pure strength of Corelli, the charasma of Pavarotti and the artestry of Domingo.

Whether you are an opera fan, a voice fan or just a music lover. This set is worth every penny.

Todd Kosovich

Mattia Battistini Complete Recordings, Vol. 1 (1902-11)

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Mattia Battistini Complete Recordings, Vol. 1 (1902-11)

Manufacturer: Romophone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | 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

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Baritones | Voices | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000001S42
Release Date: 1997-12-09

Tracks:

'Finch'han Del Vino'
'Forier Di Morte...O tu Bell'Astro (Wie Todes Ahnung)'
'Se Dell'imen La Dolce Cura'
'Deh, Vieni Alla Finestra'
La Mantilla
Occhi Di Fata
Ancora
'Deh, Non Plorar'
'Largo Al Factotum'
'Dio Possente, Dio D'Amor (Avant De Quitter Ces Lieux)'
'In Questo Suoio... Ah, L'Alto Ardor'
'Or Limpida M'Appare'
'Oh De'Verd'Anni Miei'
'Da Qual Di Che T'ho Venduta'
'Alla Vita Che T'Arride'
'Lo Vedremo, O Veglio Audace'
'Lo Vedremo, O Veglio Audace'
'Vieni Meco, Sol Di Rose'
'O Sommo Carlo'
Don Giovanni: Alfin Siam Liberati...La Ci Darem La Mano
'Povero Lionello...Il Mio Lionel'
'A Tanto Amor;

Tracks:

'O Lisbona'
'Eri Tu, Che Macchiavi'
'Su Queste Rose'
'Perche Tremar?'
'Si Puo?... Un Nido Di Memorie'
'Avrei Sul Mio Petto'
'Ah! Tutto Il Cor E Qui!'
'Come Il Romito Fior'
Le Soir
'Amour, Amour'
'Tre Sbirri, Una Carrozza...Te Deum'
'O Vin, Discaccia La Tristezza [O Vin, Dissipe La Tristesse]'
'D'Acqua Aspergimi'
'Allor Che Tu Coll'estro'
'O Santa Medaglia...Dio Possente, Dio D'amore'
'Ah Per Sempre Io Ti Perdei'
'D'Acqua Aspergimi'
'D'Acqua Aspergimi'
'Son Cifre...Bella E Di Sol Vestita'
'Bel Sogno Beato'

Amazon.com

Operaphiles in search of the lost art of the bel canto baritone will find a virtual holy grail in the form of Mattia Battistini. Born in 1856, he is the oldest singer of his generation who recorded extensively in his prime. In contrast to the emphatic, overt emotionalism typical of verismo singers, Battistini spins out effortless, lavishly decorated lines, sustained by virtue of prodigious breath control. Introspective phrases are embellished by unexpected accents and flamboyant, dynamic surges, best exemplified in a 1906 group of Ernani excerpts. Highlighting the 1902 Warsaw recordings are a snappy yet restrained "Largo al factotum" and Wagner's song to the Evening Star from Tannhaüser, sung in mellifluous Italian. Romophone's transfers auger well for what promises to be the definitive Battistini edition. --Jed Distler

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American? Mostly...
Opera Singers, Mostly American
America
Ben Heppner is Canadian.

American Opera Singer
Lawrence Tibbett , Leonard Warren , Robert Merrill , Sherrill Milnes , Ferruccio Mazzoli , Franco Calabrese , Samuel Ramey , Ludwig van Beethoven , Vincenzo Bellini , Georges Bizet , Arrigo Boito , Gustave Charpentier , Leo Delibes , Friedrich von Flotow , Christoph Willibald Gluck , George Frideric Handel , Pietro Mascagni , Jules Massenet , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Jacques Offenbach , Giacomo Puccini , Gioachino Rossini , Camille Saint-Saens , Ambroise Thomas , Giuseppe Verdi , Richard Wagner , Antonio de Almeida , Arturo Basile , Bruno Reibold , Dimitri Mitropoulos , Erich Leinsdorf , Fernando Previtali , Fritz Reiner , Georges Prêtre , and James Levine
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | 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

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Horne, Marilyn | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Ponselle, Rosa | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Price, Leontyne | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Troyanos, Tatiana | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Upshaw, Dawn | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Von Stade, Frederica | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003GB7
Release Date: 1997-11-11

Tracks:

Cavalleria Rusticana: Voi lo sapete
Orfeo ed Euridice: Che faro senza Euridice
Louise: Depuis le jour
Madama Butterfly: Un po' di vero c'e; Oh quanti occhi fisi
Aida: Ritorna vincitor!
Falstaff: E sogno, o realta?
Un ballo in maschera: Re dell'abisso affrettati
La Boheme: Si, mi chiamano Mimi
Lakme: Air de clochettes (Bell Song): Ou va la jeune hindoue?
Lakme: Air de clochettes (Bell Song): La-bas, dans la foret
La Fanciulla del West: Una parola sola; Or son sei mesi
Manon: Je suis seul!: Ah! fuyez, douce image
Lohengrin: Einsam in truben Tagen (Elsa's Dream)
Carmen: Habanera
Manon Lescaut: L'ho abbandonato senza un saluto; In quelle trine morbide
Mignon: Oui, pour ce soir; je suis Titania
Le nozze di Figaro: Dove sono
Rigoletto: La donna 'e mobile
Rigoletto: Cortigiani, vil razza dannata
La Sonnambula: Ah, non giunge

Tracks:

La Boheme: Che gelida manina
Il Barbiere di Siviglia: Largo al factotum
La Traviata: Addio del passato
Giulio Cesare: Se pieta' di me mon senti
Il Trovatore: Siam giunti
Il Trovatore: D'Amor sull'ali rosee
Rodelinda: Vivi, tiranno
Otello: Niun mi tema
La Traviata: Di Provenza il mar
Samson et Dalila: Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix
Fidelio: O namenlose Freude
Idomeneo: O smania; D'Oreste, d'Ajace
Cosi fan tutte: E amore un ladroncello
Martha: Ach, so fromm, ach, so traut
Mefistofele: Son lo spirito che nega
La Belle Helene: Amours divins
Cherubin: Lorsque vous n'aurez rien a faire

Customer Reviews:

American? Mostly..........2002-08-20

Hmm...the conundrum of what constitutes an "American". The book that this CD accompanies devotes an entire chapter to Caruso, though this collection only slips him in with Geraldine Farrar. I agree, too, that Callas should most definitely be included, as she was born in New York. As far as squeezing in Pons, I believe that although she was native to France, she took American citizenship after her US film career took off. I could be wrong here. Please correct me if I am! And the comments about Heppner being Canadian, he is slipped in on a track with Voigt, so this is more excuseable. My question is, should Saskatchewan-born Jon Vickers be included?

But this is just squabble...this collection is a wonderful sampling of the rich history American singers have had to offer. My only regrets would be to replace the Aida track of Ponselle's with her wonderful "Tu che invoco" from Spontini's La Vestale, and how unfortunate it is that such a dynamic artist as Marian Anderson did not record operatic arias until so late in her career. Her Ulrica is thrilling, but it is undeniable that her technique was beginning to show age by the time this track was recorded.

All in all, a wonderful collection, especially Pons's wonderful Bell Song, and Vaness's seething anger via Elettra.

Opera Singers, Mostly American.......2002-04-07

The performances are highly variable both in recorded sound and quality of performances. The album is mis-titled. Ben Heppner is Canadian and Lily Pons was French!

America.......2001-06-22

I believe that Canada is still part of America. This set then could have included Leopold Simoneau, Maureen Forrester etc.etc. More importantly, this very fine collection could have included Cornell MacNeil and my favorite, Maria Callas.I shouldn't harp on what's not included. This is a very fine collection.

Ben Heppner is Canadian........2001-02-26

That's all I wanted to say about this recording - it's wonderful, but Heppner is Canadian.

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