Veleno [Import]

1. Succhiando LUva

2. Certe Cose Si Fanno

3. DAmore Non Scrivo Piu

4. Il Pazzo

5. La Seconda Da Sinistra

6. Che Fatica

7. Notturno Delle Tre

8. Hai Vinto Tu

9. In Percentuale

10. Solo Un Attimo

11. Mente

12. Ecco Il Domani

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
2002 album for the Italian pop superstar includes contributions from Zucchero & Renato Zero. Sony.

Tracks:

All'arme si accesi guerrieri (Aria dell Pace)
Mentre io godo (Aria della Speranza)
Un pensiero nemico di pace
Vanne pentita a piangere
Sparga il senso lascivo veleno
Caldo Sangue
Come nembo che fugge col vento
Ecco negl'orti tuoi...Che dolce simpatica
Qui resta...L'alta Roma
Lascia la spina cogli la rosa
Ahi qual cordoglio...Doppio affetto
Si piangete pupille dolente
Ahi quanto cieca...Come foco allo splendore
Disserratevi oh porte d'Averno
Notte funesta...Ferma l'ali

Amazon.com

Cecilia Bartoli's new CD features a collection of music that could not be heard in her native Rome at the start of the 18th century due to Papal censorship. Theaters, the Church felt, were places of evil and corruption and operas led people to immorality. But some music-loving senior members of the priesthood asked composers to write oratorios and cantatas--indeed, operas without staging, essentially--for their own private entertainment. Call it what you will, the music is sensational--by turns virtuosic, gentle, and playful--and always expressive: just right, it seems, for Cecilia Bartoli's temperament. The opening aria on the CD, a call for peace in the name of Jesus, is, in fact, a dazzling martial air with trumpets blaring and the voice going through an amazing array of coloratura fireworks. It shows Bartoli at her most aggressive. The listener is practically hurled back from the speakers when she begins, with rapid-fire runs and trills and cascades of notes, all perfectly in place. Showy arias are offset by several tender ones ("Lascia la spina" from Handel's Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno returns in the composer's Rinaldo, four years later, as the now-famous "Lascia ch'io pianga"), and Bartoli exhibits again, her many, many levels of pianissimo and sensitive phrasing. Marc Minkowski and his Musiciens are just right for this repertoire and back Bartoli up superbly. This is a fascinating project, rivetingly performed and presented. --Robert Levine

Album Description

Limited Australian pressing. An extraordinary album of dramatic arias written in Rome at a time when opera performance was forbidden by the Church, and female singers were forbidden from singing in public. Decca. 2005.

Customer Reviews:

Only one diva, only Bartoli........2007-06-19

Just like Farinelli was the opera phenomenon of his time, fast-forward to the 21st century, Bartoli gives once again this music of the Italian settecento a breath of new life in all its splendor and glory.

In Opera Proibita, Bartoli's repertoire not only reflects on her as a consummate vocal artist but also as the ultimate scholar. Rarely an opera singer would dig this dip and go that far to unearth great scores from total obscurity. Even more uncommonly a singer would take the challenge of singing these arias without the risk of ridiculing herself, but to the contrary establishing a new record and precedent.

Her execution of the Handel arias is truly astonishing in coloratura and melismas probably not heard for three hundred years when only the best castrati commanded the virtuosity to tackle these arias. Also surprising and refreshing was to hear works by Handel that show his wild side.

Bartoli brings this album to a high climax with the arias from Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno. This is really her realm and true medium. Her vocal runs in "Un pensiero nemico di face" sound like a first violin, and as if this was not difficult enough she ornaments the da capo melismas in tempo from allegro to presto molto vivace, and transitions into a note crescendo with great ease and certainty. Wonderful!

Amazing disc.......2007-03-03

This disc has all the elements needed for an amazing disc. The conductor, orchestra, and music are all top notch. Bartoli's singing is amazing. I find this album energizing and a testament to how exciting baroque music can be. However, if you don't like Bartoli's voice in previous recordings, you probably won't change your opinion because of this disc.

Beautiful Music, but vocally unmusical........2007-02-09

I owned over a dozen of Bartoli solo albums, plus other operatic albums of hers. From the early days of 'Arias Antique' I got impressed by her beautiful singing and her outstanding technique.
Alas, starting from her Vivaldi Album, I do not find her singing that beautiful any more. True, the songs picked there are technically very challenging, used to be sung by male castrato singers. The songs picked here are even more difficult.
BUT - is singing just about technique?
There are some songs in the Vivaldi Album that have the vocal musical lines broken in places. Here in Opera Proibita, almost every song has this problem, even the slow ones of Caldara. Compare her singing in the earlier part of her career, her early Mozart operas, I could not help but wonder if Ms. Bartoli has taken the correct turn in her career: her forced high notes, though squarely hit, do not sound at all pleasing; her runs and trills, though taken accurately at great tempi, is no longer truly musical. Compare her singing with the other two great baroque mezzo-sopranos Bernarda Fink and the tragically short-lived late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, you would understand what I mean.

With the latest turn in Ms. Bartoli's singing, I am being forced to admit that this is a singer of great technical brilliance and enormous fame, but not at all pleasing to the ear.

Not to my taste.......2006-11-05

Cecilia Bartoli has her fans, no doubt, as the other reviews on this site demonstrate, people who love her warmth of tone and her impassioned interpretations. These vocal qualities may suit the performance conventions of the nineteenth-century repertoire; however in this anthology of eighteenth century sacred arias the result is an unhappy imbalance. The problem is, in my opinion, one of clashing calls for attention, whose affect is to distract the listener from attention to the music itself. True, the god of the counter-reformation was to be worshipped ecstatically. And true, also, that I am an anti-romantic listener, who grew up with those early music performances which valued detached purity of tone. This was vaunted as the ideal means of interpretation of the rediscovered seventeenth and eighteenth-century repertoire (it protested too much its rightness, and alienated people- but I like it). However to return to the subject at hand- I find Bartoli's readings of these crypto-erotic arias overblown and self-indulgent. I guess that this sort of coloratura always offered a chance for a bit of ego to be let loose, even in church- however when the performance goes so far as to insist on attention to itself rather than deflecting attention to the music, I stop enjoying the music. This recording does not find the balance between the big romantic personality and eighteenth-century performance conventions, which, after 30 or 40 years of self-critique, have some authority. I disliked it very much. I am a great admirer of Mark Minkowski's opera interpretations, which I think find a perfect balance between these opposing impulses of warm and cool- a binary we can trace throughout aesthetics and through the ages. Here there's an overbalance in favour of warm (hot, in fact), which the performers might argue is just the sort of vivification that Baroque performance needs. Not for me. I gave it to a friend (she's still a friend).

Exciting, moving, beautiful, energetic, heart-felt, fantastic..........2006-09-02

What more can I add?

Cecilia Bartoli just "does it" for me almost every time. She is just fantastic in my books. I love her dearly. She can give one an adrenalin rush with her bravura singing and then break one's heart with her pathos.

This is a superb collection of Baroque arias from "almost" operas! ;-))
I also liked the cheeky and none-too-subtle references to La Dolce Vita on
cover and the images inside the disc. Nice to see an opera singer with a playful sense of humour!

I am listening to this disc as I write this review and all I can say is that I love this disc and it is clearly one of the best Signorina Bartoli has released, although I like all of her recordings. Listen to track 12 and you will buy this disc.

More, please!

PS: How about DECCA getting Cecilia Bartoli and Andreas Scholl together for a musical project? I'd love to see two of my favourite singers together on the one disc.
PSPS: If you like Opera Proibita, buy Andreas Scholl's Arcadia and Arias for Senesino, too!

Average customer rating:

Excellent introduction to this countertenor and well-rounded compilation of his work
heavenly
a voice teacher and early music fan
Baroque My Heart
Sublime compliation of Scholl's Harmonia Mundi recordings

The Voice

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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

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

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music

$9.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Andreas Scholl - Kantate
Andreas Scholl - Ombra mai fu ~ Handel Arias from Giulio Cesare, Admeto, Radamisto, Rodelinda, Serse, Alcina
Andreas Scholl - English Folksongs & Lute Songs (17th Century)
Wayfaring Stranger: Folksongs
Andreas Scholl - Heroes / Norrington

ASIN: B000050A7K
Release Date: 2001-01-09

Tracks:

The Three Ravens - Andreas Scholl/Andreas Martin
Barbara Allen - Andreas Scholl/Andreas Martin
Messiah: Air 'But Who May Abide The Day Of His Coming?' - Andreas Scholl
Serse: Sinf - Andreas Scholl
Serse. Recitativo: Frondi Tenere - Andreas Scholl
Serse: Atto I, Scena 1. Aria: Ombra Mai Fu - Andreas Scholl
Cantate, RV 684 'Cessate, Omai Cessate': Largo E Sciolto: Cessate, Omai Cessate - Andreas Scholl/Ens 415/Chiara Banchini
Cantate, RV 684 'Cessate, Omai Cessate': Larghetto & Andante Molto: Ah Ch'infelice Sempre - Andreas Scholl/Ens 415/Chiara Banchini
Cantate, RV 684 'Cessate, Omai Cessate': Andante: A Voi Dunque Ricorro - Andreas Scholl/Ens 415/Chiara Banchini
Cantate, RV 684 'Cessate, Omai Cessate': Allegro: Nell'orrido Albergo Ricetto Di Pene - Andreas Scholl/Ens 415/Chiara Banchini
Messe in b: Agnus Dei - Andreas Scholl/Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe
Stabat Mater (Exc): Eja Mater, Fons Amoris - Andreas Scholl/Ens 415/Chiara Banchini
Stabat Mater (Exc): Fac Ut Ardeat - Andreas Scholl/Ens 415/Chiara Banchini
Stabat Mater (Exc): Amen - Andreas Scholl/Ens 415/Chiara Banchini
Maddalena Ai Piedi Di Cristo. Recitativo Amor Celeste: Di Miei Dardi Possenti - Andreas Scholl
Maddalena Ai Piedi Di Cristo. Aria Amor Celeste: Da Quel Strale Che Stilla Veleno - Andreas Scholl
Cantate 'Jubilate Domino' - Andreas Scholl/Friederike Heumann/Brigitte Gasser/Markus Markl/Karl-Ernst Schroder
Ach Liebste, Lass Uns Eilen - Andreas Scholl/Markus Markl/Karl-Ernst Schroder/ALix Verzier
Kunst Des Kussens - Andreas Scholl/Markus Markl/Karl-Ernst Schroder/ALix Verzier
Cantate Profane 'Hercules Auf Dem Scheidewege'. Aria Hercules: Treues Echo - Andreas Scholl
Matthaus-Passion. Aria: Erbarme Dich - Andreas Scholl/Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe

Customer Reviews:

Excellent introduction to this countertenor and well-rounded compilation of his work.......2007-04-02

If you're new to Andreas Scholl and want to dip a toe in the water of his recordings I think this would be an excellent choice - not only because it is mid-priced and because it has a generous 21 tracks. This countertenor singer has an unsurpassed voice, pure and beautiful but also strong and yet not overblown. Unlike many singers he doesn't (for me) ruin it by being excessively warbly but adds just the required variety to the tone.

This album contains a selection of tracks from several of his albums for the Harmonia Mundi label (he then switched to Decca and is now back with HM) which include a variety of styles and accompaniments. The first two tracks, for example, are English folksongs, then we have an Air from Handel's Messiah and three tracks (one instrumental) from Handel's Serse opera, some lively Vivaldi cantatas, there are a couple of German baroque songs, a JS Bach opera Aria from Hercules and finally the big guns (in my opinion), "Agnus Dei" from J S Bach's Mass In B Minor, Vivaldi's "Stabat Mater," a Buxtehude cantata "Jubilate Domino" and the incomparable recording of "Erbarme Dich" from the St Matthew Passion by Bach. That last track is so good I tend to feel I have to lie down afterwards and contemplate the world whilst waiting for the hairs on the back of my neck to settle down. The album price is worth it just for that one track.

The accompaniment on this album varies from just lute (in the folk songs), organ lute and cello on the German baroque songs, the Ensemble 415 with Chiara Banchini and several full orchestras. There's something here for everyone and none of the tracks is in any way disappointing (although I have my favourites, of course). The album was produced in 2000 and of course Andreas Scholl has done many more recordings and probably become an even better singer since this album but it's still an excellent album which can be played and enjoyed over and over again.

heavenly.......2006-12-10

andreas scholl does it again. the beauty of this "voice" is expressed in this lovely selection. so far my favorite scholl cd, with his pergolosi stabat mater as a close second. the highlight of this cd i felt was "da quel strale che stilla veleno" from the caldara work madalena ai pieda di christo. with the orchestra directed by his famous teacher rene jacobs this piece is a gem. absolutely heavenly is how i describe the heavenly side of the voice scholl portrays in this sacred opera. other highlights are bach's "agnus dei" from the mass in b minor, which scholl himself has referred to as the most beautiful piece for the countertenor voice. bach's "erbarme dich" from St. Matthews Passion, which he sings in his mother tongue, and his "ombra mai fu" which is the version i favor as opposed that that which appears on his "best of" cd, of which i also recommend. his version of "ah ch'infelice sempre" by vivaldi will give you chills. it is one of my favorites to sing as i am a countertenor as well. a must buy.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-10-13

Andreas Scholl is regarded as one of the finest countertenors of our generation and has appeared throughout the world under the direction of many notable conductors. I personally think that the most important contribution he as has made is to the rediscovery of the German Baroque repertoire. There are two examples on this disc from his album :German Baroque Songs,which I think is one of his finest discs. He is also very interested in pop music and sound techniques. One can only hope that he doesn't decide to make an album of pop songs. He came close to it in that miserable disc: The Three Countertenors. However, I do think this is a very excellent collection of songs from his various recordings. I expecially liked the Vivaldi 'Cessate, omai cessate' and the 2 German Baroque songs: "Ach Liebste, lass uns eilen" by Johann Nauwach and "Kunst des Kussen" by Andreas Hammerschmidt.

Baroque My Heart.......2002-09-13

For a relatively young singer, Andreas Scholl has a surprising number of recordings. This attests to his amazing talent and the increasing popularity of music for countertenors. This CD is a sampler of Scholl's repertoire.

The English folksongs are interesting and pleasant, but for me, it is the Baroque works that truly shine. Scholl's voice is remarkably pure; his versatility and fluidity lend themselves perfectly to the currents of Baroque music. His take on Handel's Xerxes is incredible-this is music at its finest: pure joy, pure passion, raw emotion. It is heart-wrenching and soul-shaking. In "But who may abide the day of His coming?" from the Messiah, Scholl masters the balance between structured discipline and bravura "riffs" that demonstrate a singer's range and talent. Vivaldi's Sabat Mater, one of my favorite pieces of music, gets glorious treatment.

I'm glad that our civilized world had abolished the practice that creates a castrato, and I'm glad that there are rare talents like Scholl who can give us a sense of this musical genre.

The only downside to purchasing this CD is that you will immediately want to run out and purchase the complete version of each sample presented here!

If you enjoy listening to the magic of countertenors, I highly recommend Yoshikazu Mera, an amazing young Japanese artist. Start with his "Baroque Arias" CD, and I'm sure you will try more.

Sublime compliation of Scholl's Harmonia Mundi recordings.......2002-01-23

Andreas Scholl is the countertenor, nay, the *VOICE* of all time. None can match him for clarity, diction, tone, precise phrasing, or *passion* that he puts into every song that he performs. For me, Scholl's voice is the voice of a divine being, at once something mysterious, holy, achingly beautiful and otherworldly.

If you believe me to exaggerate, so be it. To each his own. Countertenors are not to everyone's tastes even though they are more visible and mainstream than thirty years ago. Yes, there is perhaps some novelty to be found for the uninitiated at the sound of a man singing falsetto. I did not say "singing like a woman" because I do not believe that to be the purpose. "Singing like a woman" in my book defines Brian Asawa and David Daniels, two popular American countertenors who, to my delicate ears, sound exactly like mezzo sopranos and not the otherworldly, decidedly masculine sound of a countertenor (with the exception of Dominique Visse, whose voice is extremely androgynous, especially in the higher registers). This is only my humble opinion.

I discovered Andreas Scholl three years ago and have collected many of his works since. My first Scholl song was "Ombra Mai Fu," a song that is present on this collection. I was in awe, in heaven even, at the first sound of his pure voice, that first gentle crescendo that hinted of sensuality, vocal purity, a past era of Bach, Handel, Hasse. Scholl's phrasing is lush, his singing is effortless, he makes sparing use of vibrato, spinning track after track of an unmatched vocal tapestry. At times Scholl and the orchestra match each other note for note, at other times his voice soars above into the heavens ("Cessate, omai cessate").

"The Voice" covers various styles from nine different Andreas Scholl Harmonia Mundi recordings (Deutsche Barocklieder, English Folksongs and Lute Songs, Kantate, St. Matthew Passion, Cantates Profanes, Maddalena ai piedi di Cristo, Ombra mai fu, Messiah, Stabat Mater). Andreas quit Harmonia Mundi in 1999 and signed a recording contract with Decca Classics, on which he has released five additional recordings (Nisi Dominus, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, Heroes, A Musicall Banquet, and Wayfaring Stranger).

It is my opinion that the best of Scholl's works up to the present were with Harmonia Mundi, as these 21 selections show. We have the pleasure of hearing Andreas sing English lute songs ("The Three Ravens," "Barbara Allen"), Baroque religious works by Bach, Handel, Caldara and Buxtehude ("Erbarme Dich," "Agnus Dei," "But Who May Abide," and "Jubilate Domino"), German Baroque songs, and other Baroque cantatas by Vivaldi and Bach.

At present (including several upcoming projects) Scholl's discography is over 75 recordings large. This is an excellent and affordable introduction to the voice of a most remarkable man.

Bel Canto: Arias by Bellini & Donizetti; Roberto Alagna
Average customer rating:

Can Belto...But not much else.

Fascinating CD

What Happened to a Wonderful Voice?

LOVELY RECITAL

Alagna's Bel Canto

Bel Canto: Arias by Bellini & Donizetti; Roberto Alagna
Roberto Alagna , London Voices , and Evelino Pido
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Roberto Alagna - Opera Arias

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Roberto Alagna & Angela Gheorghiu - Duets & Arias

Roberto Alagna - Verdi Arias / Gheorghiu, Berlin Phil., Abbado

The Tenor's Passion

ASIN: B0000647IJ
Release Date: 2002-07-02

Tracks:

Donizetti: Poliuto: Veleno e l'aura ch'io respiro!
Donizetti: Polluto: Sfolgoro divino raggio
Bellini: La sonnambula: Prendi, l'anel ti dono
Donizetti: La Favorite: Un ange, une femme inconnue
Donizetti: La Favorite: La maitresse du roi?
Donizetti: La Favorite: Ange si pur
Donizetti: Don Pasquale: Sogno soave e casto
Bellini: Norma: Meco all'altar di Venere...
Bellini: Norma: Me protegge, me difende
Donizetti: Roberto Devereux: Ed ancor la tremenda porta...
Donizetti: Roberto Devereux: A te diro negli ultimi
Donizetti: Dom Sebastien: Seul sur la terre
Bellini: I puritani: A te, o cara
Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore: Quanto e bella
Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore: Una furtiva lagrima
Bellini: Il pirata: Ascolta. Nel furor delle tempeste
Donizetti: La Fille du regiment: Pur me rapprocher de Marie
Donizetti: La Fille du regiment: Ah, mes amis
Donizetti: La Fille du regiment: Messieurs son pere...
Donizetti: La Fille du regiment: Pour mon ame

Amazon.com

On this disc, tenor Roberto Alagna concentrates solely on the work of bel canto masters Donizetti and Bellini. These are composers who foreground vocal timbre and rely on highly decorated melodies to propel their dramas. Alagna's voice is therefore placed under a rather harsh spotlight, with none of the carefully wrought orchestral effects or complex harmonies of Verdi and Puccini (his more usual operatic territory) to support him. Generally, he succeeds beautifully and produces some rich, varied singing with a burnished heroic edge. In the more declamatory arias, such as "Sfolgorò divino raggio" from Poliuto and "Me protegge" from Norma, his powerful high Cs and C-sharps are stunning and raise the hairs on the back of your head--they're not called "money notes" for nothing. He is less successful in the gentler areas of the repertoire, however, with its long-breathed delicate melodies that call for a greater degree of legato--the tender "Una furtiva lagrima" from L'elisir d'amore is wrestled into submission rather than caressed. That said, the orchestral playing is delicious, particularly in "Sogno soave" from Don Pasquale, and the overall disc contains much to please. --Warwick Thompson

Customer Reviews:

Can Belto...But not much else........2003-03-05

I'm an Alagna fan, have all his CDs. As the previous reviewer noted, this is a fascinating one -- but more so for how absolutely wrong-headed it is. This is not the ideal repertory for a singer with as light (and that's a compliment), romantic and expressive a voice as Alagna. Or perhaps he just doesn't know what to do with it. He pretty much bellows each number, throwing the notes out to the 5th balcony -- unfortunately, not always hitting them correctly. In fact, Alagna is so often singing below the pitch here that when he actually nails a note dead-on it's a bit startling. If you don't know this singer's work, by all means start with his debut CD, his French arias CD, or perhaps the first CD he recorded with his wife Angela Gheorgieu. If you are a fan and must have this CD, don't say you weren't warned.

Fascinating CD.......2002-12-18

I enjoyed Roberto Alagna's singing ever since his first album of opera arias came out. The lyric instrument has darkened a little over the past decade, but it's still a very exciting and unique, clearly setting Alagna apart from so-called cross-over tenors who haven't sang a single role onstage. Alagna, along with José Cura, Ramon Vargas, and most recently Salvatore Licitra, form a distinct group that I would like to call REAL New tenors, capable of not only singing these roles onstage, but infusing them with personality and energy.
The recital at hand pays tribute to the tradition of Bel Canto era and, while some notable music is not represented (most regrettably, Edgardo's death scene from Lucia), it's not to be missed.
First aria from Poliuto is ringing and heroic, and it sets a tone for the whole disc - it's a disc of achievements. Those looking for "money notes" will find them aplenty here.
The aria from La Somnabula is a sharp contrast -- the singing is much lighter, with real care for the legato line, simply beautiful.
La favorite - I actually prefer it sung in Italian, a little more delicacy is needed here. And where's the bass voice? Did not care much for the falsetto notes at all in Un ange une femme inconnue... However, the aria more known as "Spirito Gentil" is sang with real feeling and warmth.
"Meco all'altar di Venere" from "Norma" is a little bombastic, remember that the character is telling a dream.
The "money note" from "A te diro negli ultimi" sounds like it just does not belong there, forced and out of place. I have an unconventional view on high C's, C-sharps, and D's: a tenor can be a wonderful singer without them (oh what blasphemy). If a tenor does chose to sing them, they should be of consistently good quality. Alagna sings some beautifully, but some come out either forced or not 100% clear. I hate to do comparisons, but there are still some great Donizetti and Bellini recordings featuring young Luciano Pavarotti. Even though he did not do as much vocal coloration or characterization, his high notes were ringing with perfect clarity, sounding effortless and even playful.
"A te o cara" is supposed to be an ensemble, but in this arrangement you can't quite hear the lower voices, just Gheorghiu soaring above... In this case, by the way, the tenor's high C's are beautifully and passionately sang.
Interesting arrangement of Una furtiva lagrima", this is a fine morsel in this album. This Nemorino is definitely more mature and sympathetic than the one Alagna did for the complete recording of L'Elisir.
The recital ends with what's bound to be a controversial recording of "Ah, mes amis". While I understand what Alagna was trying to accomplish with singing in "different voices", it still was a bit strange to hear. Same comment about high C's here as above.
Overall, I would give it 4 stars. If anything, it's quite "gutsy" and it alone would be worthy of praise.

What Happened to a Wonderful Voice?.......2002-11-08

With great expectations I purchased this disc. I was awaiting more of the vocalism I had heard on other Alagna recital discs. I was disappointed. I had noticed a raspiness in the Tosca recording, but was hoping it was my imagination, or that he was having a bad day. But NO! This recording shows definite signs of vocal deterioration, misuse, strain, I don't know what else I can say. The more dramatic arias he can still get away with, but the high notes are pushed and thin. Where it really shows up is in the sustained lines. And let's not kid ourselves, all the high C's in the Regiment aria are dubbed in later (and not very well). For those of us who love Alagna, there is still much to admire in this recording. The artistry and intelligence of the other recitals is still present. The voice is still a marvel. But I am saddened that a once magnificent instrument is showing the signs of fading at this early date, instead of lasting for the long healthy career it so richly deserves.

LOVELY RECITAL.......2002-09-24

I own many recordings of tenor recitals. However, Roberto Algana's new Bel Canto disc has certainly gone to the top of my favorite list. I have listened to it many time having a very difficult time getting past selection number 17 (Tonio's aria from act two of the Daughter of the Regiment) without re-listening to that particular selection two or three times before moving on.
I feel that Roberto has got to be in his prime or at least very close to it. His singing on this album is just beautiful. There are so many high B's, high B flats,and high C's that he should be crowned the "king of the high notes"! Nevertheless, fabulously sung high notes are not the whole story on this recital. He has perfect control of his voice blending all registers just perfectly and interpreting each selection exquisitely. He even has a slight tear in his voice on the more emotional items recorded. There is power to spare as well as much tenderness.
I truly love this recital and only wish that he could record each opera represented therein in its entirety
If you love beautiful singing along with wonderful high notes, get this album.

Alagna's Bel Canto.......2002-09-02

This CD is bonanza for the high notes freaks (like me). High C's, D-Flats and even a glorious
High D natural at the end of Roberto Devereux's " A the diro..". Besides those full voiced high notes, he
regales us with perfectly executed appoggiaturas, diminuendos, floating head tones, like the high D-flat
ending of "Un Ange.." from La favorite.
The range of tenorial platitudes covered by Alagna in this CD certainly could earn him the title
of "Primo Tenore Assolutto". Because, at least on record, he does justice to all of those titles enumerated
above. He may not erase memories of some of the competitors from the past, but certainly [...] no one
from the current tenor crop, can sing these selections better than him.
Throughout this CD, Alagna's voice is firm, full toned with a ring that makes him easily identifiable.

His incursions into the heroic/spinto Tenor repertory are more than satisfying.
"Sfolgero divino raggio" is a good example, but this aria really belongs to Corelli. For those of you with short
memory, please listen to the live 1960 La Scala recording. Corelli's legato and beauty of tone are
unsurpassed. Alagna's phrasing is a little choppy here.
For some unexplained reason, Alagna's rendition seem to be lowered half tone; his ending
note is a high-C , not a D-Flat as Corelli's.
On the other extreme, his "Sogno soave.." is a good example of his versatility, since it is sung with the required
dynamics and soft tones.
The two arias from "L'Elisir", although satisfyingly sung, when compared with those form his first complete commercial
recording of this opera, show the price that he has paid for widening his repertory. That original Di Stefano like sweetness
has been replaced by a somewhat more metallic sound.
All the above been said, I highly recommend this album for those following Alagna's career, and of course for
the newbbies. Alagna must be commended for constantly stepping into the more demanding repertory...

Veleno
Average customer rating:

UNMISSABLE.

Veleno
Mina
Manufacturer: Sbme Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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UNMISSABLE........2002-11-28

This finely sung album reveals itself immediatly after the first listening. Mina's voice rises above like no other earth voice can. The album moves from contemporary pop music to a soft RnB background to pure classical orchestral frames. "La prima da sinistra" reminds me of the more touching Caetano Veloso or Elis Regina. "Certe cose si fanno" is one of the most intriguing contemporary pop song around. "Mente" is constructed on a Bach composition. Unmissable.

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Donizetti - Poliuto / Carreras, Ricciarelli, Pons

Average customer rating:

Dramatic Donizetti
Another Great Hit By The Perfect Opera Couple
Too late but not too bad

Donizetti - Poliuto / Carreras, Ricciarelli, Pons
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Customer Reviews:

Dramatic Donizetti.......2007-05-09

'Poliuto' is not as well known as it should be and this recording is hard to obtain. Seek it out and you'll find Donizetti at his peak with thrilling and beautiful music full of drama. I searched for months and have never regretted it.

Another Great Hit By The Perfect Opera Couple.......2005-08-04

Today we have Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna, who are actually husband and wife, performing sensational, beautiful operas in all the juicy roles - Tosca and Mario, Violetta and Alfredo, Mimi and Rodolfo, Manon and Des Grieux and Romeo and Juliette. In the 80's, the partnership of tenor Jose Carrerras and soprano Katia Ricciarelli were singing with brilliant chemistry and taking the opera world by storm. They truly do possess great chemistry on stage or on recording. True, as one reviewer argued, they would have sounded a lot better if they recorded their performances in the 70's- both of them had better voices then and were younger. But they were not really recognized until the 80's. Carrerras and Ricciarelli were actually having an affair during this time and truly their passioante affair carried on to their singing, making their singing even more beautiful.

In this rare opera, Donizetti creates a world of ancient Rome- soldiers, slaves, Christians, and weaves a tale of melancholy and pathos. The music is bel canto and that of course means long, flowing melodies and dazzling coloratura-dramatic showpieces. It was Maria Callas who first recorded and performed this obscure work, in glorious form, with an equally glorious tenor Franco Corelli. Ricciarelli may not be Callas, but she sings with great fire and beautiful voice, even if at her older age it lacks the freshness or lustre of the younger voice. The same can be said of Carrerras, who is not all that strong in his performance, choosing to be a tragic, fallen hero and not like the powerful Roman soldier Pollione in Bellini's Norma. This is a totally different interpretation. Juan Pons is the baritone in this recording and doing his usual sublime performace. Anyone genuinely interested in obscure operas should own this. And fans of Ricciarelli and Carrerras.

Too late but not too bad.......2005-04-02

If only Carreras and Ricciarelli had sung this in the 70s. His most handsome voice and her elegiac singing were perfect for Poliuto! Plus they looked great together on stage. Unfortunately they waited too long and the results are uneven. Neither has lost his/her wonderful phrasing but the voices are no longer reliable. They sing with much conviction and create interesting portrayals.

Pons on the other hand, phones in his performance and shows off his large voice. Comparing last weekend's MET Cav/Pag performance and this early testament verified my prediction that his exemplary technique would ensure him a long career. The audience behaves well (too well?) and the sound is crisp.

Under the aforementioned circumstances, the vote easily goes to the earlier live Poliuto with Corelli stealing the show, Bastianini a wonderful Severo and Callas fragile both vocally and dramatically (the latter being highly effective though).