Delibes: Lakmé / Bonynge, Opéra de Monte-Carlo

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Delibes's opera Lakmé is full of gorgeous melodies, even if you don't count the coloratura sensation, the famous "Bell Song." That aria virtually demands a soprano of Sutherland's agility and ease, and it gets it here. Even the few singers who can match her in the upper altitudes can't do it with a voice so rich and full. Sutherland's is a Lakmé beyond comparison with twittering, thin-voiced, coloratura specialists. She did make this recording at a time when her diction was mushy and her vocal lines sometimes drooped, so she's not beyond criticism. But revel in the voice; after all, Lakmé is a cardboard character, and the opera, for all its considerable charms, isn't another Ring cycle. Sutherland's colleagues are excellent, too. Vanzo was one of the finest lyric tenors of his generation and is by far the best Gérald on disc. Jane Berbié and Gabriel Bacquier are also unmatched, and Bonynge's conducting is idiomatic and flowing. Add engineering from Decca/London's golden age of recording, and here's a Lakmé to treasure. --Dan Davis

Tracks:

Lakme: Act I, Viens, Malika... Dome epais le jasmin
Lakme: Act I, Quand une femme est si jolie...
Lakme: Act I, Prendre le dessin d'un bijou
Lakme: Act I, Les fleurs me paraissent les belles...
Lakme: Act I, D'ou viens-tu?... C'est le dieu de la jeunesse
Lakme: Act II, Allons, avant que midi sonne
Lakme: Act II, Lakme, ton doux regard se voile
Lakme: Act II, Ah!... Ou va la jeune Indoue
Lakme: Act II, Lakme! Lakme! C'est toi... Ah! c'est l'amour endormi...
Lakme: Act III, Sous le ciel tout etoile...
Lakme: Act III, Lakme! LAkme! qu'as-tu?... C'est lui! C'est lui!

Amazon.com

Delibes's opera Lakmé is full of gorgeous melodies, even if you don't count the coloratura sensation, the famous "Bell Song." That aria virtually demands a soprano of Sutherland's agility and ease, and it gets it here (this is the highlights version of Sutherland's complete recording). Even the few singers who can match her in the upper altitudes can't do it with a voice so rich and full. Sutherland's is a Lakmé beyond comparison with twittering, thin-voiced, coloratura specialists. She did make this recording at a time when her diction was mushy and her vocal lines sometimes drooped, so she's not beyond criticism. But revel in the voice; after all, Lakmé is a cardboard character, and the opera, for all its considerable charms, isn't another Ring cycle. Sutherland's colleagues are excellent too. Vanzo was one of the finest lyric tenors of his generation, and he's by far the best Gérald on disc. Jane Berbié and Gabriel Bacquier are also unmatched, and Bonynge's conducting is idiomatic and flowing. Add engineering from Decca/London's golden age of recording, and here's a Lakmé to treasure. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Delibes: Lakme - Sutherland.......2007-05-14

A brilliant rendition of Delibes: Lakme - runs about 13 minutes and every minute is a delight. Sutherland captures the full essence of the opera.

Incomparable voice.......2006-11-06

For those both familiar and unfamiliar with Sutherland's beautiful voice, this CD won't disappoint. It's a nice compilation. Sutherland's performance singing the "Flower Song" has got to be among the most beautiful musical experiences I know of. I bought myself one recently and one for a friend. I plan to buy more for Christmas presents!

the perfect vehicle for Sutherland.......2001-06-28

I'm a fan of those great operas that for whatever reason aren't immediately thought of by the general public when asked to name an opera. So Lakme is no Carmen- it doesn't need to be. So the plot is paper-thin: that's what Verdi and Wagner are for. I was glad to hear Joan paired with another great soprano for the flower duet. Jane Berbie comes dangerously close to overshadowing Joan Sutherland, with her sultry, rich style.

I have one other recording of Joan Sutherland singing the Bell Song. It is on her Art of the Prima Donna CD. That rendition is slower, more technically precise, with less flourishes. On this recording of Lakme, she speeds it up considerably, with a few more flourishes.

A third highlight is her duet with Alain Vanzo, "Lakme! Lakme! C'est toi..." What a wonderful, wonderful pairing and performance. Curiously enough, this gorgeous duet isn't even mentioned on the back of the CD jewel case as one of the high points of this highlights package!

Not every "highlight" here will take your breath away, but if nothing else, you can push the repeat button, and listen to the meltingly beautiful flower song again and again.

The Most Beautiful Music.......2000-10-24

This incredible music moved me to tears and lifted my spirits to the heights. I heartily recommend it!

Delibes: Lakmé / Bonynge, Opéra de Monte-Carlo

Average customer rating:

Sutherland not authentic but enjoyable in dubious opera
Great Lakme, subpar cast and conductor
The only Lakme!
Excellent recording
An Underappreciated Jewel of an Opera

Delibes: Lakmé / Bonynge, Opéra de Monte-Carlo
Léo Delibes , Richard Bonynge , Joan Sutherland , Gabriel Bacquier , Alain Vanzo , Jane Berbié , Emile Belcourt , Gwenyth Annear , Claud Calès , Josephte Clément , and Monica Sinclair
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Sutherland, Joan | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Offenbach - The Tales of Hoffmann / Domingo, Sutherland, Bacquier, Bonynge
Delibes - Lakmé / Mesplé, Burles, Soyer, Millet, Opéra-Comique, Lombard [highlights]
The Most Famous Opera Duets
Verdi - Simon Boccanegra / Freni, Cappuccilli, Carreras, Ghiaurov, van Dam, Foiani, Teatro alla Scala, Abbado
Verdi: La Traviata / Sills, Gedda, Panerai; Ceccato

ASIN: B0000041VR
Release Date: 1989-10-23

Tracks:

Lakme: Prelude
Lakme: Act I - A l'heure accoutumee (Mallika, Hadji, Indians)
Lakme: Act I - Blanche Dourga (Lamke)
Lakme: Act I - Lakme, c'est toi qui nous proteges! (Nilakantha)
Lakme: Act I - Viens, Mallika... Dome epais le jasmin (Lakme)
Lakme: Act I - Miss Rose, Miss Ellen
Lakme: Act I - Quand une femme est si jolie
Lakme: Act I - Leur vertu bizarre manque d'apparat
Lakme: Act I - Prendre le dessin d'un bijou... Fantaisie aux divins mensonges (Gerald)
Lakme: Act I - C'est elle...c'est Lakme (Gerald)
Lakme: Act I - Les fleurs me paraissent plus belles...Pourquoi dans les grands bois (Lakme)
Lakme: Act I - D'ou viens-tu? Que veux-tu? (Lakme)
Lakme: Act I - C'est le dieu de la jeunesse (Gerald)
Lakme: Act I - Entr'acte
Lakme: Act II - (Beginning) - Allons, avant que midi sonne (Chinese And Hindu Pedlars And Merchants)
Lakme: Act II - (Beginning) - Ils sont assourdissants! (Miss Bentson)
Lakme: Act II - (Beginning) - Dances (Terana-Rektah-Persian) (Crowd)
Lakme: Act II - (Beginning) - Voyez donc ce vieillard et cette jeune fille (Rose)
Lakme: Act II - (Beginning) - Lakme, ton doux regard se voile (Nilakantha)

Tracks:

Lakme: Act II - (Conclusion) - Ah, c'est de ta douleur (Lakme)
Lakme: Act II - (Conclusion) - Ou va la jeune Indoue (Air des clochettes - Bell Song) (Lakme)
Lakme: Act II - (Conclusion) - La rage me devore (Nilakantha)
Lakme: Act II - (Conclusion) - Au milieu des chants d'allegresse (Nilakantha)
Lakme: Act II - (Conclusion) - Le maitre ne pense qu'a sa vengeance
Lakme: Act II - (Conclusion) - Lakme! Lakme! C'est toi! (Gerald)
Lakme: Act II - (Conclusion) - Dans la foret pres de nous (Lakme)
Lakme: Act II - (Conclusion) - O Dourga, toi qui renais (Brahmins, Worshippers)
Lakme: Act II - (Conclusion) - Voyez cette ville en fete (Ellen)
Lakme: Act II. (Conclusion) - Entr'acte
Lakme: Act III - Sous le ciel tout etoile (Lakme)
Lakme: Act III - Quel vague souvenir alourdit ma pensee...Ah! viens, dans la foret profonde (Gerald)
Lakme: Act III - La, je pourrai t'entendre (Lakme)
Lakme: Act III - Vivant! -- Ah! Frederick! (Gerald)
Lakme: Act III - Ils allaient deux a deux (Lakme)
Lakme: Act III - Tu m'as donne le plus doux reve (Lakme)
Lakme: Act III - C'est lui! C'est lui! (Nilakantha)

Amazon.com

Delibes's opera Lakmé is full of gorgeous melodies, even if you don't count the coloratura sensation, the famous "Bell Song." That aria virtually demands a soprano of Sutherland's agility and ease, and it gets it here. Even the few singers who can match her in the upper altitudes can't do it with a voice so rich and full. Sutherland's is a Lakmé beyond comparison with twittering, thin-voiced, coloratura specialists. She did make this recording at a time when her diction was mushy and her vocal lines sometimes drooped, so she's not beyond criticism. But revel in the voice; after all, Lakmé is a cardboard character, and the opera, for all its considerable charms, isn't another Ring cycle. Sutherland's colleagues are excellent, too. Vanzo was one of the finest lyric tenors of his generation and is by far the best Gérald on disc. Jane Berbié and Gabriel Bacquier are also unmatched, and Bonynge's conducting is idiomatic and flowing. Add engineering from Decca/London's golden age of recording, and here's a Lakmé to treasure. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Sutherland not authentic but enjoyable in dubious opera.......2005-06-29

I'm having a real difficulty in formulating an objective opinion about this recording. This is mainly due to the fact that I dislike the opera.

"Lakme" is French exoticism dating from the 1880s. Its obvious model is Bizet's "Les Pecheurs de perles," French exoticism from a generation earlier. The emulation includes dramatic structure. Both operas have a big duet toward the front, the Flower Duet in "Lakme" and "Au fond du temple saint," the big tenor-baritone duet in "The Pearl Fishers." After a longish interval, both have a flashy, showpiece aria, the Bell Song for Lakmé, Delibes' soprano, and "Je crois entendre encore" for Nadir, Bizet's tenor. In both operas, these are the only parts that are widely known.

As a music drama, a complete work of art, "The Pearl Fishers" is successful. It succeeds, even with a plot so cheesy that it could have served as the screenplay for a 1940 movie starring Dorothy Lamour and John Hall. It works because of the consistency of Bizet's musical intentions. The big duet is a tremendous set-piece but the tenor and the baritone are absolutely consistent with themselves and the rest of the opera. The flashy tenor aria is a crowd pleaser, but it is also exactly the sort of thing that soggy and feather-brained Nadir would be expected to sing.

"Lakme" lacks that vital consistency. It is at least two separate things clumsily rolled up together. For my own personal palate, they form an indigestible lump. If you strip away the Flower Duet and the Bell Song from "Lakme," you find an opera written not in the idiom of Bizet but of Offenbach. It's Offenbach deprived of most of his wit, of course, but his characteristic bounce and jog-trot settings are there. Still looking at Offenbach, Delibes might have taken "The Tales of Hoffmann" to heart, for the wind-up doll's showpiece aria and the barcarolle duet both--bam!--kick that opera up a notch, as Emeril might say. I think the Flower Duet and the Bell Song were intended to yield the same effect, but where Offenbach expanded and raised up what was always intrinsic to his opera, Delibes just tossed in two orphans, pleasant-sounding but alien. The effect, it seems to me, is almost as unsettling as inserting "Mild und Leise," Isolde's love and death aria, into "The Pirates of Penzance."

(It hardly seems possible, but the plot of "Lakme" is even less coherent than that of "The Pearl Fishers." This is partly explained by the fact that in an act of good 19th Century chauvinism, Delibes and his librettist changed the original tale of French misbehavior in exotic Polynesia into a tale of English misbehavior in exotic India.)

This performance is in the mainstream of Bonynge-Sutherland collaborations. Keys and tempi are both adjusted to display Dame Joan in the very best light. And Sutherland delivers, beyond a doubt. If you are impressed by a huge voice, dazzling agility and phenomenal high notes, you will love her in this "Lakmé." If you are appalled by mushy diction and dismayed by unerringly droopy dramatics, she will drive you around the bend in this "Lakme." For myself, I quite enjoy Dame Joan, although I absolutely refuse to believe that Leo Delibes had anything in mind remotely like her profoundly un-French style of singing when he wrote the thing.

An earlier Amazon reviewer has selected Jane Berbié for special praise and dismissed the rest of the cast as sub-par. I must respectfully disagree. Berbie had quite an extensive recording career in supporting roles. In my opinion, she was a solid performer, well worth listening to, always competent, but never brilliant. Gabriel Bacquier turned in yet another textbook example of French singing and French style. Alain Vanzo, that shamefully under-recorded and under-regarded tenor, extracted everything that could be wrought from the thankless role of Gerald.

There you have it, a good, if inauthentic performance from Sutherland, and good to excellent work from her supporting players, all in an opera I don't like. For those who hold a higher opinion of "Lakme" than I do, I think this recording is worth four stars.

Great Lakme, subpar cast and conductor.......2005-02-03

If I were to name one star in this opera, it would be Joan Sutherland. Her stupendous voice and her great coloratura skill, she courses easily through the passages required for this French opera. However, the conductor is really lousy when it comes to portraying Delibes' sensuous and erotic music. The cast is not as good as well, with only Jane Berbie as the other star for this recording. Some of Joan's French suffers from her lack of diction training as well. If you are a fan of Joan Sutherland, buy this. She is in great voice. Otherwise, you must look elsewhere...let's say...Natalie Dessay's gorgeous and supreme version with an excellent cast and a wonderful conductor. That is indeed a much better version, possibly the best recorded Lakme.

The only Lakme!.......2004-04-04

Even though Dessay comes close and Mado Robin sounds gorgeous in this role Sutherland is unsurpassed! A must buy!

Excellent recording.......2003-12-05

There is much to praise in this recording, even though it isn't completely flawless. The real drawback is the poorly sung French by Sutherland, which is very evident when she is singing with native French singers. However, by no means is that drawback huge or glaring. Sutherland is much better in French than in Italian, and her English is incomprehensible. Later her diction would improve greatly.

This recording is very lovely. Firstly, the orchestra is just wonderfully balanced with the voices. That is so nice. In some recordings the voices are recorded too closely, or the orchestra is too loud; the balance in this recording is wonderful. One thing also to recommend this recording is Bonynge's conducting. Some don't take him seriously, but I have never understood that. He does a wonderful job trying to stay true to the style of whatever type of music he is conducting. He NEVER makes Bellini sound like Verdi, or Verdi like Puccini, or Puccini like Wagner. This little nuance is often overlooked by many critics. This opera sounds "very French" and so it should.

The singing is wonderful, even though I think at times Sutherland's glorious voice is a bit much for the character. Most people comment on the great "Bell song" and how fabulously it is sung. Well, it is sung fabulously. There is more to the role of Lakme than just that show piece, which is the only show piece in the entire opera. The tenderness of the closing aria is more telling than this famous show stopper. Sutherland comes off in spades. The duet with Gerald is so wonderfully sung with both singers blending so well it is breathtaking. Now, Sutherland does monkey with the score and raise musical lines higher than they are written to disguise the weakness in her lower range, which is at times a real drawback to giving us fully developed characters. Composers usually wrote these lines lower because of the dramatic impact they were seeking. Changing them reduces the impact.

The rest of the cast is fabulous as well. The reason I spend so real time discussing them is the fact that few people will be buying this recording based on their contributions. However, don't take that to mean their contributions are not of the finest quality, they are. Most of us bought this recording because it was a Joan Sutherland recording.

A word about this recording and my most favorite of all, the Lakme recorded with Mady Mesple. I like the Mesple recording far better. Her singing is just as lovely as Sutherland (the voice is smaller, though) and she adds real touches to the vocal lines because she is French and understands the nuances of the language. Sutherland simply doesn't capture those special nuances. Partly that is because her diction is poor, but partly it is because she is not a native speaker of the language (though in real life, she speaks it fabulously, living in Switzerland). These little nuances are very obvious in the tenor's singing (and all cast members who are French).

Lakme also has some spoken dialogue in it by the main character when Hadji helps her take Gerald's wounded body away. The Mesple recording captures this. It isn't long, but its effectiveness is much enhansed by someone with a good French accent.

This recording is wonderful, and I recommend it to anyone. Be assured that the opera is not the greatest in the world, even though it is super lovely, well orchestrated, has tons of melodies, and well, is very pleasing all around. It is truly a joy to listen to.

An Underappreciated Jewel of an Opera.......2003-09-22

LAKME is a hidden jewel of an opera. It is not often performed, and with the exception of a well known aria and duet, the opera itself is relatively unknown. Fortunately there are some excellent recordings of the work and this set is certainly one of them. Joan Sutherland is Lakme, the daughter of a rebellious Brahmin. She falls in love with the enemy, Gerald who happens to be a British soldier. The opera tells the classic story of two ill fated lovers, but it also deals with the clash of two cultures and the tragedy of imperialism and shows what can happen when cultural differences are not understood.

Highlights of the opera are the famous Jasmine duet, Lakme's Bell Song which is often a showpiece for coloratura sopranos, and the duet between Gerald and Lakme near the conclusion of Act I. The music of Delibes flows and conductor Richard Bonynge handles it well. Though a highlights version of this recording is available, the complete recording has nuances that make the better known portions of the opera fuller.

This recording dates back to 1967 when Sutherland's voice was in top form. This recording, like so many Sutherland recordings, demonstrates her love of music and her dedication to quality performances.

Delibes: Lakme
Average customer rating:
Delibes: Lakme
Sutherland , Vanzo , Bacquier , Bonynge , and Orchestre De L'opera De Monte Carlo
Manufacturer: Decca/Universal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
ASIN: B000023ZEU
Release Date: 1998-12-09

Tracks:

Prude
L'heure Accoutum (Mallika, Hadji, Indians)
Blanche Dourga (Lakm
Lakm C'est Toi Qui Nous Protes! (Nilakantha)
Viens, Mallika...De ais Le Jasmin (Lakm
Miss Rose, Miss Ellen (Miss Bentson)
Quand Une Femme Est Si Jolie (Ellen)
Leur Vertu Bizarre Manque D'apparat (Frederick)
Prendre Le Dessin D'un Bijou...Fantaisie Aux Divins Mensonges (Gerald)
C'est Elle...C'est Lakm(Gerald)
Les Fleurs Me Paraissent Plus Belles...Pourquoi Dans Les Grands Bois (Lakm
D'oViens-Tu- Que Veux-Tu- (Lakm
C'est Le Dieu De La Jeunesse (Gerald)
Entr'acte
Allons, Avant Que Midi Sonne (Chinese And Hindu Pedlars And Merchants)
Ils Sont Assourdissants! (Miss Bentson)
Dances (Terana - Rektah - Persian) (Crowd)
Voyez Donc Ce Vieillard Et Cette Jeune Fille (Rose)
Lakm Ton Doux Regard Se Voile (Nilakantha)
Ah, C'est De Ta Douleur (Lakm
OVa La Jeune Indoue (Air Des Clochettes - Bell Song) (Lakm
Rage Me Dore (Nilakantha)
Au Milieu Des Chants D'allresse (Nilakantha)
Le Mare Ne Pense Qu'Sa Vengeance (Hadji)
Lakm Lakm C'est Toi! (Gerald)
Dans La For Pr De Nous (Lakm
O Dourga, Toi Qui Renais (Brahmins, Worshippers)
Voyez Cette Ville En Fe (Ellen)
Entr'acte
-Sous Le Ciel Tout oil (Lakm
Quel Vague Souvenir Alourdit Ma Pens...Ah! Viens, Dans La For Profonde (Gerald)
L Je Pourrai T'entendre (Lakm
Vivant! -- Ah! Fric! (Frederick, Gerald)
Ils Allaient Deux Deux (Lakm
Tu M'as DonnLe Plus Doux Re (Lakm
C'est Lui! C'est Lui! (Nilakantha)

Average customer rating:

Great Operatic Duets

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000041U2
Release Date: 1989-05-09

Tracks:

Viens, Malika...Dome epais de jasmin - Joan Suthrlenmd/Jane Berbis
Belle nuit ,o nuit d'amour - Joan Sutherland/ Huguette Tourangeau/Chor De La Radio Suisse Romande/Pro Arte De Lausanne Et Du Bras
Sulla tomba che rinserre...verrano a te sullauere - Joan Sutherland/Luciano Pavarotti
Una nanve da guerre...scuoti quella fronda - Mirella Freni/Christa Ludwig
Deh! con te li prendi...mira, o norma - Joan Sutherlend/Marilyn Horne
Ascolta! le porte dell'asil s'apron gia... Dio, che nell'alma infondere - Carlo Bergonzi/Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Tugomir Franc/Chor Of The Royal Opr. House...
Vous soupirez, Madame?... Nuit paisible et sereine - April Cantelo/Helen Watts
Solenne in quest'ora - Mario Del Monico/Ettore Bastianini

Average customer rating:

Fantastic, A +, gold star
I'm not an oprea fan
Opera stars in a convenient disc set.
the greatest hits of opera
What a treat!

Super Estrellas de la Opera

Manufacturer: Lideres Ent. Group
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Czech | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Latin Music | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00003IR99
Release Date: 1999-12-14

Tracks:

Carmen: Prelude - Carmen - Various Artists
La Traviata: Brindisi: Libiamo, Ne'lieti Calci - Various Artists
La Boh: Che Gelida Manina - Various Artists
Lakme: Flower Duet: Dome Epais Le Jasmin - Various Artists
Fedora: Amor Ti Vieta - Fedora - Various Artists
Carmen: Habanera: L'Amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle - Carmen - Various Artists
Nabucco: Chorus Of The Hebrew Slaves: Va Pensiero - Nabucco - Various Artists
Le Nozze Di Figaro: Dove Sonno - Le Nozze Di Figaro - Various Artists
Rigoletto: La Donna E mobile - Rigoletto - Various Artists
Lohengrin: Bridal Chorus: Treulich Gefuhrt Ziehet Dahin - Lohengrin - Various Artists
Gianni Schicchi: O Mio Babbino Caro - Gianni Schicchi - Various Artists
Il Barbiere Di Siviglia: Largo Al Factotum - Il Barbiere Di Siviglia - Various Artists
La Wally: Ebben?...Ne Andrntana - La Wally - Various Artists
Madame Butterfly: Humming Chorus - Madame Butterfly - Various Artists
Carmen: Flower Song - Various Artists
Les Contes D'Hoffmann: Barcarolle - Les Contes D'Hoffmann - Various Artists
Tosca: E Lucevan Le Stelle - Tosca - Various Artists
Madame Butterfly: Un Bel Di - Madame Butterfly - Various Artists
Les Peurs De Perles: Au Fond Du Temple Saint - Les Peurs De Perles - Various Artists

Tracks:

Die Walkhe Ride Of The Valkyries - Die WalkThe Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Le Nozze Di Figaro: Voi Che Sapete - Le Nozze Di Figaro - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Pagliacci: Vesti La Giubba - Pagliacci - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
La Boh: O Soave Fanciulla - La Boh - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Il travatore: Anvil Chorus - Il Travatore - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Manon Lescaut: Donna Non Vidi Mai - Manon Lescaut - - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Don Giovanni: Li Darem La Mano - Don Giovanni - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Leoncavallo: Mattinata - Leoncavallo
Faust: Soldiers' Chorus - Faust - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
L'Elisir D'Amore: Una Furtiva Lagrima - L'Elisir D'Amore - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Turandot: Signore, Ascolta! - Turandot - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Don Giovanni: Champagne Aria - Don Giovanni - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Cosi fan tutte: Trio: Soave Sia Il Vento - Cosi Fan Tutte - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Il Trovatore: Di Quella Pira - Il Trovatore - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Tosca: Vissi D'Arte - Tosca - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Carmen: Toreador Song - Carmen - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Madama Butterly: Love Duet - Madama Butterfly - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo - Cavalleria Rusticana - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Rusalka: O Silver Moon - Rusalka - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
La Boh: Si. Mi Chiamano Mimi - La Boh - Puccini - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth
Turandot: Nessun Dorma - Turandot - The Greatest Opera Show On Earth

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic, A +, gold star.......2003-10-15

Wow.

In the last year I have transformed into an opera Maniac with the help of the cd. It's got all the greats - Pavarotti, Fleming, more Pavarotti - as well as the other greats - Puccini, Mozart, Verdi - compiled to produce the single most inclusive 2-pack set of operatic music I have ever bought. This is extensive, not expensive, and wonderful. I thoroughly recommend it.

Becky, from CT

I'm not an oprea fan.......2002-07-31

But I really have enjoyed this disc. What more do I have to say.

Opera stars in a convenient disc set........2001-08-15

If you were on a quest to search for the highest quality in opera music, then I am pleased to say that you may end your search. Not only are the best operatic tunes from the most beloved operas of all-time included here, but they are performed by talented stars, such as Luciano Pavarotti. He has the honor of singing Nessun Dorma from Turandot.

the greatest hits of opera.......2000-03-07

This album is definately the greatest hits of opera compilation - even those not familiar with opera will find they know a good portion of the pieces. The sound quality is really good and overall I feel like this is a moving and impressive CD. Sure your cool opera friends won't let on they like it, because it's a lot less cooth than owning all of the full operas, but I have a lot of fun listening to this. A great starter disc for anyone looking to get into opera, or a general great addition to any collection.

What a treat!.......2000-01-01

While not necessarily the most technically correct recording, it is a delightful treat -- Merry Christmas to me!