The Passion of Callas

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Limited edition double CD 2003 compilation from EMI with a slipcase.

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:

Una Voce Poco Fa
Merce, dilette Amiche
O Mio Babbino Caro
Si. Mi Chiamano Mimi
Gaultier Malde...Caro Nome
Ah, Fors'e Lui
Dov'e L'indina Bruna (Bell Song)
Un Bouquet !...Ah ! Je Ris (Jewel Song)
Samson, Recherchant Ma Presence...Amour ! Viens Aider Ma Faiblesse
L'amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle (Habanera)
Ah, Pour Ce Soir...Je Suis Titania (Polonaise)
Divinites Du Styx
Casta Diva
La Luce Langue
In Questa Reggia

Tracks:

Vissi D'arte
Un Bel Di Vedremo
Senza Mamma
Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana
La Mamma Morta
D'amor Sull'ali Rosee
Col Sorriso D'innocenza
Surta E La Notte...Ernani, ernani, Involami
Ritorna Vincitor!
Carreau! Pique! (Card Song)
In Quali Eccessi, O Numi!...Mi Tradi Quell'alma Ingrata
Tu Che Le Vanita
Suicidio!
Sola, Perduta, Abbandonata

Album Description

Limited edition double CD 2003 compilation from EMI with a slipcase.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome!.......2004-07-14

What a compilation! Like listening to an enraptured goddess! This is a must for every fan of great singing!

Bizzare Liner.......2004-06-27

I am a huge Callas fan and own most of her discography, both commercial and pirate/private. I only bought this collection for 2 arias I did not previously have on other recital/collection discs of hers - the jewel song from Faust and the aria from Alceste (in French).

As an introduction to Callas this CD is as good as any I guess. The liner notes are Bizarre though, linking each aria to Callas's personal life. Weird and pointless. Much more interesting would have been information about Callas relationship to the arias as an artiste. (not as a debutante or a divorcee or whatever... I repeat Weird!)

Anyway, I think to fully appreciate Callas's talent and her legacy, listening to a complete opera rather than a recital or compliation disc is a better idea. The studio recordings obviously have the best sound reproduction but some of the live recordings are terrifically exciting and capture something intangible which the studio does not.

Five suggestions for the Callas novice;

1953 Studio Tosca (careful, not the 1964 version!)
1953 Studio Cavelleria Rusticana (paired wth Pagliacci, a bonus but buy it for Cavelleria)
1955 Live Lucia di Lammermoor (performed in Berlin with Karajan conducting)
1955 Studio Rigoletto (Gobbi in the title role who was as talented a baritone as Callas was soprano. Gobbi is also in the above mentioned Tosca)
Norma - There are two studio versions and about 5 live versions - pick one, any one!

Cheers & Ciao

The PASSION of Callas.......2004-05-21

Callas wasn't only a beautiful, feminine woman but a superb singer. Here her very best recordings are put together with some lovely pictures. It's as essential as Sutherland's SUPREME "The art of the primadonna". Enjoy the recital of a lifetime!

La Callas at her very best!.......2004-05-20

You never heard this CD, did you? It's absolutely beautiful. BTW: Many called Amazon to have your nasty, against the guidelines reviews checked. Bashing isn't right, you'll learn that one day!

Awesome!.......2004-05-20

The former review was written a Callas-Basher who never heard Callas. Ignore him!

Average customer rating:

Brilliant new Callas-Compilation!

Passion of Callas
Maria Callas
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000DZGGS
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Tracks:

Una Voce Poco Fa
Merce, Dilette Amiche
O Mio Babbino Caro
Ah, Fors'e Lui
Un Bouquet! ...Ah ! Je Ris (Jewel Song)
L'amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle (Habanera)
Divinites Du Styx
Casta Diva
In Questa Reggia
Vissi D'Arte
Un Bel Di Vedremo
Col Sorriso D'innocneza
Carreau ! Pique ! (Card Song)
In Quali Eccessi, O Numi!...Mi Tradi Quell'alma Ingrata
Suicidio!
Sola, Perduta, Abbandonata

Album Description

2003 compilation for the opera legend features 16 tracks & a 24-page booklet with extensive liner notes & many photos. EMI Classics.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant new Callas-Compilation!.......2004-02-25

EMI presents a true Callas-Jewel with all her great recordings and lovely pictures. Without a doubt the most brilliant Callas-compilation they have put together to this date. EMI did it again!!! This is also going to be released in the US shortly, if you don't want to wait for them to get it from Europe. Enjoy the Recital of a LIFETIME! Every operalover should buy this and enjoy it!!!

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