My Secret Passion

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Of course Michael Bolton--the world's greatest mimic--should not be allowed within 200 yards of an opera house, what with his bluesy rasp instead of the round, pure sound associated with opera. But he's no fool, and he has studied the languages (Italian and French), the idiom, and the texts of all of these well-known, oft-recorded arias. He claims to love this music and I, for one, believe him. He hits all the notes--occasionally too hard and invariably with the wrong gloves--but he nails them all--including a very weird high C at the end of the Act One Boheme duet with Renee Fleming (of all people). What's more (and better) is his emotional involvement in each aria--he sings off the words in a way that makes Bocelli, the other crossover pop star du jour--look like an imposter with a pretty voice, which is what he is. To wrap up: This is a valiant try that can never, because of the equipment, be successful on operatic terms, but as an artistic endeavor--even one that ultimately fails--this is to be praised. --Robert Levine

My Secret Passion, Music, Michael Bolton, Adult Contemporary, Classical, Classical Crossover, Classical Music, Classical Vocals
Marian Anderson
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Perfect Music From an Angelic Voice
  • TRIBUTE TO A GREAT ARTIST
 Marian Anderson

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003ES6
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

  1. St. Matthew Passion: Erbarme dich
  2. Messiah: He Shall Feed His Flock
  3. Ave Maria
  4. Liebesbotschaft
  5. Wohin?
  6. Death And The Maiden, D. 531
  7. Stille Tranen (2 Gedichte, Op. 35: No. 10)
  8. Der Nussbaum (Myrthen, Op. 25: No.3)
  9. Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53 (After 'Harzreise im Winter')
  10. Immer leiser wird mein Schlummer, Op. 105, No. 2
  11. Morgen, Op. 27, No. 4
  12. In The Silence Of The Secret Night, Op. 4, No. 3
  13. Un Ballo In Maschera: Re dell'abisso affrettati
  14. Go Down, Moses
  15. Crucifixion
  16. My Lord, What A Morning

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Perfect Music From an Angelic Voice.......2000-05-07

I can't add much to the superb review by lesismore26 (I give it five Stars! ) but I do have one disagreement. I LIKED the Ulrica aria. Yes, the voice is past its prime, but the artistry is very much there. In fact, the piece makes it clear that while her voice sounds perfect for her repertoire, it could have handled opera quite beautifully too. It's true that the pure, ethereal quality of her tone is DEFINITELY well suited to Baroque and Classical oratorio, and true that there simply aren't that many roles for contraltos. But it is also true that these reasons had NOTHING to do with why this particular contralto was not singing in opera houses. Another voice as dazzling as hers would have had composers creating roles tailored for them.

I wouldn't trade her spirituals and lieder, but I would have liked to hear her sing Erda, or Clytemnestra, maybe even Dalila (if you can imagine this Angelic persona in THAT role!)

5 out of 5 stars TRIBUTE TO A GREAT ARTIST.......1999-12-22

Marian Anderson is remembered in too many instances for the wrong reasons: the first Afro-American artist to be engaged by the Metropolitan Opera in a leading role; the artist who sang the monumental concert at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 after being denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution --- an action that sparked mass indignation and worldwide attention to the fact that the racial prejudice was alive and well in the United States; the artist who became a symbol of grace and dignity during the civil rights movement. While all of these things are true, they eclipse the simple fact that Marian Anderson's singularly individual and distinctive, and true contralto voice was one of the jewels of the musical century, and that her pursuasive powers as an interpreter of the lieder of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Sibelius were the stuff of which legends are made. What is also overlooked is that the fabled voice was a long way past its prime at the time of that Metropolitan Opera debut in early 1955. The role was that of the witch Ulrica in Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera"--- not a leading role, but a very important and pivotal one nonetheless ---- but by that time the voice had become dry, unsteady, frequently out-of-tune, and very "old" sounding. Anderson was already around 58 years old, and while her "debut" was historic from a social standpoint ----- it opened the doors for such future legends a Leontyne Price, Martina Arroyo, Shirley Verrett, Grace Bumbry ------ it was certainly not a great vocal milestone. It was simply too late for any sort of a career at the Metropolitan Opera, and though it was the blatant racial prejudices of the times that prevented Marian Anderson from singing on the opera stage during the years of her vocal prime, it would appear, as evidenced by her work on records (even by those made in her greatest years -- the 1930's and 1940's), that her temperment and vocal demeanor was far more suited to the concert and recital platforms, and it was in this milieu that Marian Anderson lavishly demonstrated her true genius. To begin with, the excerpts on this recording from Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera" didn't need to be included for the reasons cited above: they were recorded immediately after the Met debut in 1955 and the voice is in the condition one would have expected. The rest of the contents were recorded during the artist's vocal prime much earlier. Virtually all of the Schubert selectionsare beautifully done, especially the "Ave Maria", which became Anderson's trademark. The "Liebesbotshaft" (from "Schwanengesang) and "Wohin" (from "Die Schone Mullerin") show the voice at its most fluid, as do all of the items by Schumann. The Brahms "Alto Rhapsody", another Anderson speciality, haunting in its desolation and feelings of isolation, helped in no small part by Anderson's deep purple contralto tones. Selections by Richard Strauss (a beautifully realized rendition of "Morgen") and Rachmaninoff round off the lieder portion of the recording. Bach's "Erbarme dich" (with orchestral accompanyment) is one of the most beautiful ever recorded, and Handel's "He Shall Feed His Flock" illustrates vividly just how how much this music needs a true contralto voice. In this age of pushed-up and pulled-down mezzo-sopranos, it is a revelation to hear what this type of voice accomplish in all of this music. If you want to become acquainted with one of the greatest vocal phenomenons of this century, this superb RCA Victor mid-priced recording is an excellent place to start.
My Secret Passion
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • A refreshing change
  • THIS RECORD IS A JOKE !!!
  • Wh Knows Better?
  • That's more like it.
  • good for a laugh
 My Secret Passion
Michael Bolton
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Only a Woman Like You
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ASIN: B0000029XA
Release Date: 1998-01-20

Tracks:

  1. Pourquoi Me Reveiller
  2. Nessu Dorma
  3. Una Furtiva Lagrima
  4. M'appari
  5. Che Gelida Manina
  6. O Soave Fanciulla
  7. O Soave Fanciulla
  8. Vesti La Giubba
  9. Recondita Armonia
  10. E La Solita Storia
  11. Celeste Aida

Amazon.com

Of course Michael Bolton--the world's greatest mimic--should not be allowed within 200 yards of an opera house, what with his bluesy rasp instead of the round, pure sound associated with opera. But he's no fool, and he has studied the languages (Italian and French), the idiom, and the texts of all of these well-known, oft-recorded arias. He claims to love this music and I, for one, believe him. He hits all the notes--occasionally too hard and invariably with the wrong gloves--but he nails them all--including a very weird high C at the end of the Act One Boheme duet with Renee Fleming (of all people). What's more (and better) is his emotional involvement in each aria--he sings off the words in a way that makes Bocelli, the other crossover pop star du jour--look like an imposter with a pretty voice, which is what he is. To wrap up: This is a valiant try that can never, because of the equipment, be successful on operatic terms, but as an artistic endeavor--even one that ultimately fails--this is to be praised. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars A refreshing change.......2007-02-25

I enjoy hearing Michael Bolton soaring to heights that those snooty opera snobs only wish they could go. He does have a very characteristic voice
but that's what makes life so grand, variety. I get tired of listening to any artist for extended periods of time, don't you? He's very talented.

I have sung in church all my life and am a high soprano. I love it. That's probably the draw. I, as most, have never studied opera, so I don't hear the flaws, I just enjoy the music. The orchestration is awesome.

Michael has shown unusual talent and courage in being able to switch from pop music to opera when he wants. Hmm, when did I ever hear of that happening last? I don't know a lot about him personally, but I like his music.

As for you critics, why don't you try something new in your life, it's fun!
Don't worry, no one will criticize you.

Priscilla in Westland

1 out of 5 stars THIS RECORD IS A JOKE !!!.......2006-11-27

Sorry, I can't take this CD seriously. At any rate, it's a joke. Please tell me when Pavarotti will release a rock and roll record... Anything is possible, isn't it ?

5 out of 5 stars Wh Knows Better?.......2006-10-22

All I can say to these negative reviewers is, since Renee Fleming offered her talents to a duet with Michael, and since Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavoratti also approached Michael Bolton to sing with them, with all of their training and operatic experience, they obviously found much to be impressed with in his vocals and they all know FAR MORE about the subject than any of these reviewers. But you know the ol' saying: Those who can -DO - Those who can't - CRITISIZE!

4 out of 5 stars That's more like it........2006-09-29

Who else can jump from hard rock to soul ballads to Christmas carols to OPERA?

Thought so.

This album is a refreshing new sound by Bolton. "Nessun Dorma" to me was the best song on the album. "Ave Maria" was great, too. The album as a whole is very good. 4 stars.

2 out of 5 stars good for a laugh.......2006-07-27

What separates pop singing from classically trained, "operatic" singing? The microphone.

Obviously, for most of the history of Western music, there were no microphones. With no microphone, a singer has to make his voice into an acoustic instrument if anyone's going to hear what he's singing (especially if an orchestra is playing at the same time). He has to be able to resonate and project his voice the same way a trumpet or a violin resonates and projects -- and it takes years to develop that ability, it's truly a rarefied skill. That's why operatic singing comes across as such a caricature to people who are unfamiliar with it: classically trained singers make their voices into acoustic instruments that have much more in common with trumpets and violins than with the speaking voice. It's a use of the vocal mechanism that transforms it into something very different than what we're used to hearing when people talk.

Pop singing, then, by contrast, is based in the speaking voice and not in acoustically resonant tone production. That's its appeal: the microphone allows for a kind of singing that's basically the same as what we're used to hearing when people talk. It's familiar to everyone, it's accessible. It's "popular," because for vast majority of people, uninitiated and illiterate, so to speak, when it comes to trained singing, pop singing seems to express something of ordinary people rather than of some strange world of elitist, snobbish "art" music. Even in the case of the big-voiced "belters" in the pop singing world, then, such as Michael Bolton or Celine Dion, we're still dealing, essentially, with speaking (or shouting) on pitch, and not with singing in the trained, classical sense.

This isn't to say that pop singing is a bad thing: it's not, it's a good thing. Nor is it to say that there isn't real artistry in microphone-dependent pop singing: there is, to be sure. It's only to say that pop singing is apples to operatic singing's oranges. All of this is an attempt to explain why a belter like Michael Bolton singing opera arias is just as ridiculous as an opera singer rapping, or a rock band playing oboes and bassoons instead of electric guitars and basses. The pop singer's voice is an utterly different instrument than the operatic voice, and it has no more place in Verdi or Puccini than the Wagnerian "fat lady" has at the Country Music Awards.

So it's highly amusing to hear the idiosyncrasies of Bolton's singing brought to bear on these opera arias. Expressive effects that are effective in his pop songs are pretty silly in this context. Do Bolton fans actually like hearing this album? I wonder... I love Gregg Allman's singing, and Lyle Lovett's, and Chris Isaak's, but that doesn't mean I could stand to listen to them breach a musical atrocity such as this one.
American Soprano
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Pure Perfection
  • Had a Freudian moment
  • No Villa-Lobos
  • Be warned!
  • Unforgettable
 American Soprano

Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004W1PQ
Release Date: 2000-07-25

Tracks:

  1. Rejoice Greatly - Messiah
  2. Piangero - Giulio Cesare
  3. Care Selve - Atalanta
  4. Let The Bright Seraphim - Samson
  5. Lascia Ch'io pianga - Rinaldo
  6. Ricetti Gramezza
  7. Bist du bei mir
  8. Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten
  9. Sich uben im lieben
  10. Blute nur
  11. Ich will dir mein Herze schenken
  12. Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 For Soprano And Orchestra Of Violoncellos: Aria
  13. Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 For Soprano And Orchestra Of Violoncellos: Dansa
  14. Pastorale
  15. Del Cabello mas sutil
  16. Azulao
  17. Standchen
  18. Selige Nacht
  19. Fleurs
  20. Stornello
  21. Music, When Soft Voice Die
  22. Je t'aime
  23. Love's Philosophy
  24. Widmung
  25. Du bist wie eine Blume
  26. Das Rosenband
  27. Liebst du um Schonheit
  28. Cantares
  29. How Do I Love Thee?
  30. I'll Follow My Secret Heart
  31. Serenade
  32. Liebe Schwarmt auf allen Wegen
  33. Love Went A-Riding
  34. Why, No One to Love
  35. O del mio amato ben
  36. The Salley Gardens
  37. Heart, We Will Forget Him
  38. Before I Gaze at You Again

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Pure Perfection .......2006-09-25

Words cannot express how much I adore these two discs, but here goes anyway. A friend gave me a burned copy 'Love Songs' which I lost and so I purchased this double disc set. Arleen is by far and away my favorite soprano of all time and if you end up owning these cd's, I have no doubt she will become yours as well. Arleen had the most gorgeous voice, a pure yet colorful tone. And her technique as demonstrated on these recordings was superb. If you are a singer as am I, you will not be able to ignore her phrasing on The Salley Gardens - it's truy astonishing. If you are in to doing side by side comparison, try listening to Arleen's version of O Del Mio Amato Ben, then listen to Sumi Jo's version. But be forewarned if you're a Sumi Jo fan, you won't be able to listen to her version ever again. Arleen wrings every bit of naked emotion out of that song without ever being cheesy or over the top. Her musical instinct and interpretation was as flawless as her voice and technique. I use these cd's as my personal master classes with an impeccable artist who was taken from us all much too soon.

5 out of 5 stars Had a Freudian moment.......2005-08-12

Be it known, I had no intention of writing a review of this recording. I still do not in fact. But I listened to the late Ms. Auger's reading of 'Lascia chio pianga' and nearly seized (cigarette in hand and all.) I've yet to move beyond track five. That being documented, I implore both the fastidious collector of vocal music and the layman alike to purchase this set. Oh, and about the Freud...following the aforementioned revelatory aural sensation of some five minutes, I typed amazing.com in place of the amazon.com destination. "Behind every mishap in speech, writing, etc. there lies an unconcious motive..."
Well,

2 out of 5 stars No Villa-Lobos.......2003-05-28

Since I purchased this album specifically for the recording of the Villa-Lobos, I am extremely disappointed that it was replaced by "He Shall Feed His Flock." She sings everything beautifully, but it is not the recording it pretends to be.

5 out of 5 stars Be warned!.......2003-05-03

My copy did not have the works by Heitor Villa-Lobos. The first disk in the set is Delos 3026, "Bach, Handel: Arias," which includes two selections from Alexander's Feast and "He Shall Feed His Flock" from the Messiah. I am not disappointed. Ms. Auger sings wonderfully. My second disk is Delos 3029 "Love Songs," which makes it a good bargain. But there are no texts.

5 out of 5 stars Unforgettable.......2002-05-16

After much auditioning and re-auditioning, Auger's "Rejoice" here has finally replaced Kathleen Battle's fine performance on "Grace" as my favorite.

Both singers are at their best in the repeat, where their technique and ornamentation will knock anyone's socks off. But where Battle does a musical and brilliant concerto-like display of Kathleen Battle, Auger instead serves Handel with overriding sincerity. She builds intensity to an incredible pitch, ending on an almost trumpet-like flourish to announce the coming of the King.

As did so much of her singing, this recording sets the all-time standard. Fortunately for the world, the damned brain cancer that killed her body could not take her music from us.
The Lady from Philadelphia
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		The Lady from Philadelphia

    Manufacturer: Pearl
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    ASIN: B000000WNT
    Release Date: 1995-02-03

    Tracks:

    1. When I Am Laid
    2. Se Florinado E Fedele
    3. Es Is Vollbratch
    4. He Shall Feed Is Flock
    5. He Was Deprised
    6. But The Lord Is Mindful
    7. O Rest In The Lord
    8. Gestillte Sehsucht
    9. Geistliches Wiegenlied
    10. Elegie
    11. When Night Descends
    12. Carry Me Back To Old Virginity
    13. My Old Kentucky Home
    14. I Dont Feel No Ways Tired
    15. I Know The Lord's Laid
    16. I Cant Stay Away
    17. My Soul's Been Anchored
    18. Hard Trails
    19. No Hidin' Place
    My Secret Passion
    Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    • Who Knows Best?
    • Love it
    • You are missing the joke!
    • SPECTACULAR
    • ear spoiled patrons....
    		 My Secret Passion

    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
    Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
    ContemporaryContemporary | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music
    RockRock | Imports | Stores | Music
    PopPop | Imports | Stores | Music
    ASIN: B00005620W
    Release Date: 2004-01-06

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Who Knows Best?.......2006-10-22

    I feel a great necessity to point out to those "know-it-all" reviewers who denegrated this beautiful album, that BOTH Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavoratti know FAR MORE about opera talent and vocals than ANY OF YOU do! Try calling those two stupid for approaching Michael to sing with them. You obviously have some kind of axe to grind and apparently the grinding noise is interfering with your ability to hear properly. Michael Bolton is not only a great entertainer, talented musician and songwriter, he is a kind and generous and decent man who has given much back to the world with his numerous charitiable foundations, along with his timeless vocals. But don't take my word for it...ask Luciano and Placido....

    5 out of 5 stars Love it.......2006-02-03

    I've got the whole darn catalogue!!!!!! With Michael, ya just can't go wrong.

    1 out of 5 stars You are missing the joke!.......2006-01-01

    Why is ZERO STARS not an option here?
    The music students and lovers of opera who have found Bolton's renditions of operatic favorites wanting are clearly missing the point. This is the ultimate party record, in which every selection rivals the caterwauling of Florence Foster Jenkins, or the bawling of Andrea Bocelli! Even the most inexperienced ears will surely hear the humor here. Opera lovers will first wince and then end up laughing at the absurdity, the sheer awfulness, the witless grotesqueness. Where is Simon Cowell when we really need him?!
    If Michael thinks that he can justify this attack on the world of opera simply because he has a "secret passion" for operatic chestnuts, let us hope that he never develops a secret passion for heart surgery, nuclear weapons, or fighter jet manoeuvers!
    He did not fool us with that "hair" and he is not fooling us with this "singing"!
    Those fans who actually contend that they enjoy Bolton's pop crooning, delivering bad but calculating imitations of great singers of the recent past, are more to be pitied than critiqued. They deserve a good laugh.

    5 out of 5 stars SPECTACULAR.......2004-09-05

    Michael Bolton has gone classical -- and record buyers have responded by catapulting "My Secret Passion" to # 1.
    This is the first time that a male pop vocalist has hit # 1 on the Traditional Classical chart for 6 weeks.
    Inspired by his experiences singing in concerts with Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, Bolton sings in Italien and French on the recording. Ten great tenor arias are featured on the album, as well as a duet from "La Boheme" with world-renowned soprano Renee Fleming.
    No matter what type of music Michael Bolton does, I`m never disappponted. He can sing anything and sing it brilliantly....from blues, rock, pop, old standards and even opera! No many singers could claim that.
    Thanks Michael.....I own every one of your albums, and this one will always have a special place in that collection.

    5 out of 5 stars ear spoiled patrons...........2004-08-08

    I can't believe people would write bad things about a man who is clearly talented and well trained with a classical/operatic musical voice. This was his FIRST love...not the cheesy "pop" stuff that is so shallow to most serious musicians. (Sometimes, serious artists just need to challenge themselves..it's not ALWAYS about the mainstream, untrained listener!) The general and vast majority of the public is so spoiled with untalented artists flooding the airwaves, they wouldn't know "talent" if it slapped them in the face because they are not musically trained. (FYI, big named groups have been through the same turmoil of being FORCED to perform just what sells, not what they WANT to do...Chicago is one!) So this CD must be bad because because they can't sing along?? Geez...instead faulting a man for singing with the likes of Luciano (on his Christmas CD), and others, why don't you take some music appreciation classes at your local university. THEN, you just may come to appreciate what he's doing here. He has a beautiful tone, pop or classical, and it's nice to hear him in this genre. You rock Michael!! From one musician to another! By the way, to those who would criticize him...if you listened to his pop stuff, and couldn't tell he had been classically trained, then you're lost in the sauce and need to stick with the regular bubble gum pop. The other is over your head.

    Music Review:

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    2. Pavarotti & Friends For Guatemala And Kosovo
    3. Piston: Incredible Flutist; Symphony No6
    4. Possession
    5. Prokofiev: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2; Cello Sonata
    6. Puccini: Manon Lescaut; La bohème; Tosca [Box set]
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    8. Schubert: Piano Sonata in B-flat; Schubert-Liszt: Four Songs; Liszt: Mephisto
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