Puccini - Il Trittico / Alagna, Gheorghiu, Guelfi, Guleghina, Gallardo-Domás, Manca di Nissa, Palmer, Shicoff, van Dam, Pappano [Box set]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Aficionados are familiar with Puccini's Il Trittico or "Triptych," his three one-act operas that premiered at New York's Metropolitan in 1918; everyday opera lovers should know them as well. Here is Puccini at his most imaginative: Il Tabarro, a shocker about the jealousy of an older man towards his deceitful younger wife on a houseboat on the Seine is dark and foreboding, and is, incidentally, probably his greatest, tightest opera. It is given a superb performance here, with Maria Guleghina and the wonderful Neil Shicoff (the true, underrecorded fourth tenor) as the faithless duo and Carlo Guelfi as the pitiable but murdering husband. Suor Angelica is set in a convent (yes, only women's voices). Until the goings turn tragic--the eponymous heroine is told by her cruel aunt that the child she had out of wedlock and gave up has died--the scoring is light, airy, and pure. Cristina Gallardo-Domas and Bernadette Manca di Nissa as the nun and her aunt, respectively, may not have the vocal glamour or depth of some of their predecessors on CD (Renata Scotto or Christa Ludwig), but their beautiful, meaningful singing carries the show. Gianni Schicchi's soundstage (the bedroom of a recently dead rich man in Florence in 1299, peopled by his greedy relatives) is rambunctious for the composer's only foray into comedy--based on a passage from Dante--and this set comes up roses. It's the best one on records. Jose Van Dam actually is funny and Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna (who also offer a cameo in Tabarro) are super as the young lovers; Gheorghiu's singing of the opera's hit, "O mio babbino caro," is glorious. This set is highly recommended. --Robert Levine

Puccini - Il Trittico / Alagna, Gheorghiu, Guelfi, Guleghina, Gallardo-Domás, Manca di Nissa, Palmer, Shicoff, van Dam, Pappano, Music, Giacomo Puccini, Antonio Pappano, Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, Bernadette Manca di Nissa, Felicity Palmer, José van Dam, Carlo Guelfi, Maria Guleghina, Cristina Gallardo-Domas, London Symphony Orchestra, Neil Shicoff, Francesca Pedaci, Patrizia Ciofi, Roberto Scaltriti, Dorothea Röschmann, Sara Fulgoni, Philharmonia Orchestra, Classical, Classical Music, Italian 20th/21st Century Opera, Italian Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta
Puccini - Il Trittico / Alagna, Gheorghiu, Guelfi, Guleghina, Gallardo-Domás, Manca di Nissa, Palmer, Shicoff, van Dam, Pappano
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Bravo
  • The best Suor Angelica is in Pappano's Trittico
  • Just maybe the greatest recorded "Trittico" ever
  • Life--It hits you hard
  • Long overdue...
 Puccini - Il Trittico / Alagna, Gheorghiu, Guelfi, Guleghina, Gallardo-Domás, Manca di Nissa, Palmer, Shicoff, van Dam, Pappano
Giacomo Puccini , Antonio Pappano , Roberto Alagna , Angela Gheorghiu , Bernadette Manca di Nissa , Felicity Palmer , José van Dam , Carlo Guelfi , Maria Guleghina , Cristina Gallardo-Domas , Neil Shicoff , Francesca Pedaci , Patrizia Ciofi , Roberto Scaltriti , Dorothea Röschmann , Sara Fulgoni , and Philharmonia Orchestra
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000IFQ0
Release Date: 1999-04-06

Tracks:

  1. Il Tabarro - Orchestra
  2. Il Tabarro - O Michele? Michele?
  3. Il Tabarro - O Luigi, ancora una passata
  4. Il Tabarro - Dunque, che cosa credi?
  5. Il Tabarro - O eterni innamorati, buona sera!
  6. Il Tabarro - To'! guarda la mia vecchia!
  7. Il Tabarro - Hai ben ragione; meglio non pensare
  8. Il Tabarro - Segui il mio esempio; bevil!
  9. Il Tabarro - E ben altro il mio sogno!
  10. Il Tabarro - Miei vecchi, buona notte!
  11. Il Tabarro - O Luigi! Luigi!
  12. Il Tabarro - Dimmi: perche gli hai chiesto di sbarcarti a Rouen?
  13. Il Tabarro - Come e difficile esser felici!
  14. Il Tabarro - Sgualdrina!... Bocca di rosa fresca
  15. Il Tabarro - Nulla!... Silenzio!
  16. Il Tabarro - T'ho colto!... Sangue di Dio!
  17. Il Tabarro - Avevo ben ragione

Tracks:

  1. Suor Angelica - Ave Maria
  2. Suor Angelica - Sorelle in umilita
  3. Suor Angelica - Ed or, sorelle in gioia
  4. Suor Angelica - I desideri sono i fiori dei vivi
  5. Suor Angelica - Ho un desiderio anchi'io!
  6. Suor Angelica - Suor Angelica, sentite!
  7. Suor Angelica - Laudata Maria!
  8. Suor Angelica - Chi e venuto stasera in parlatorio?
  9. Suor Angelica - Suor Angelica!... Madre, madre, parlate!
  10. Suor Angelica - Il Principe Gualtiero vostro padre
  11. Suor Angelica - Nel silenzio di quei raccoglimenti
  12. Suor Angelica - Tutto ho offerto all Vergine
  13. Suor Angelica - Orchestra
  14. Suor Angelica - Senza mamma, bimbo, tu sei morto
  15. Suor Angelica - Sorella, o buona sorella
  16. Suor Angelica - La grazia e discesa dal cielo!... [Intermezzo]...
  17. Suor Angelica - Suor Angelica ha sempre una ricetta buona
  18. Suor Angelica - Ah! Son dannata!

Tracks:

  1. Gianni Schicchi - Povero, Buoso!
  2. Gianni Schicchi - O Simone?
  3. Gianni Schicchi - E aperto!
  4. Gianni Schicchi - Dunque era vero!
  5. Gianni Schicchi - C'e una persona sola che ci puo consigliare
  6. Gianni Schicchi - Avete torto!
  7. Gianni Schicchi - Firenze e come un albero fiorito
  8. Gianni Schicchi - Quale aspetto sgomento e desolato!
  9. Gianni Schicchi - Brava la vecchia
  10. Gianni Schicchi - O mio babbino caro
  11. Gianni Schicchi - Datemi il testamento!
  12. Gianni Schicchi - Nessuno sa che Buoso ha resto il fiato
  13. Gianni Schicchi - Era eguale la voce?
  14. Gianni Schicchi - In testa la capellina!
  15. Gianni Schicchi - Schicchi! Schicchi!
  16. Gianni Schicchi - Ecco la cappellina!
  17. Gianni Schicchi - Prima un avvertimento!
  18. Gianni Schicchi - Addio, Firenze
  19. Gianni Schicchi - Ecco il notaro!
  20. Gianni Schicchi - Basta! I testi videro
  21. Gianni Schicchi - Lascio a Simone I beni di Fucecchio
  22. Gianni Schicchi - Ladro
  23. Gianni Schicchi - Lauretta, mia Lauretta!

Amazon.com essential recording

Aficionados are familiar with Puccini's Il Trittico or "Triptych," his three one-act operas that premiered at New York's Metropolitan in 1918; everyday opera lovers should know them as well. Here is Puccini at his most imaginative: Il Tabarro, a shocker about the jealousy of an older man towards his deceitful younger wife on a houseboat on the Seine is dark and foreboding, and is, incidentally, probably his greatest, tightest opera. It is given a superb performance here, with Maria Guleghina and the wonderful Neil Shicoff (the true, underrecorded fourth tenor) as the faithless duo and Carlo Guelfi as the pitiable but murdering husband. Suor Angelica is set in a convent (yes, only women's voices). Until the goings turn tragic--the eponymous heroine is told by her cruel aunt that the child she had out of wedlock and gave up has died--the scoring is light, airy, and pure. Cristina Gallardo-Domas and Bernadette Manca di Nissa as the nun and her aunt, respectively, may not have the vocal glamour or depth of some of their predecessors on CD (Renata Scotto or Christa Ludwig), but their beautiful, meaningful singing carries the show. Gianni Schicchi's soundstage (the bedroom of a recently dead rich man in Florence in 1299, peopled by his greedy relatives) is rambunctious for the composer's only foray into comedy--based on a passage from Dante--and this set comes up roses. It's the best one on records. Jose Van Dam actually is funny and Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna (who also offer a cameo in Tabarro) are super as the young lovers; Gheorghiu's singing of the opera's hit, "O mio babbino caro," is glorious. This set is highly recommended. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Bravo.......2007-06-11

Very good performances of all three one-acts. Good sound quality, and the orchestra performance is top-notch.

5 out of 5 stars The best Suor Angelica is in Pappano's Trittico.......2005-08-26

This review compares three of the recordings of Suor Angelica, with the finding that the recording of this miniature gem in the boxed set of Puccini's Il Trittico conducted by Antonio Pappano far exceeds the others in various qualities.

The best first. The vocal performances of both the title role (Cristina Gallardo-Domas) and la Zia Principessa (Bernadette Manca di Nissa) offer a great breadth of interpretation and an honest and true attention to pure vocal production. I have the very slightest of quibbles with one specific response from Gallardo-Domas' Angelica to her aunt, "La Vergine ci ascolta e Lei vi giudica!" is offered much too anglrily, where the score is marked "coldly." The wonderful choral work that supports the action and provides so much of the exposition is a well-modulated performance of Puccini's best writing for women's voices in non-starring roles. Indeed, the balance between the soloists, chorus, and orchestra is keenly maintained througout, ever allowing the orchestra and chorus to be equals to the soloists. Lastly, Pappano's pacing seems the most accomplished of all the recordings.

The worst second. The performance of the Rome Opera Orchestra & Chorus with Fedora Barbieri and Victoria de Los Angeles is frightful. The balance is muddy, and the soloists are miked so closely that they become strident. Worse yet is that the editing was inattentive, and several badly pitched tones made their way to the final recording. --And the pitch problems continue throughout, sometimes sharp, sometimes flat. The chorus members' diction is almost slurred, and a sloppy ensemble results in many nice melodies being unintelligible.

The most surprising recording is conducted by Richard Bonynge and stars Joan Sutherland and Christ Ludwig. As another reviewer noted, Dame Sutherland is past her prime, recording the role at age 52. If only we had a recording of Angelica from her at 30! As it is, I believe Richard Bonynge is the one driving a stake through the heart of this work. His readings alternate between a rush through lyric passages and tearing through the recitativo segments at a full tilt. But it seems so strange because the balance favors the women's voices, making the orchestra extraordinarily subservient. Finally, the performances in general seem less than committed. For example, Sutherland lacks both the fire and the meek submissiveness that should complicate the character.

5 out of 5 stars Just maybe the greatest recorded "Trittico" ever.......2003-10-09

Like another previous reviewer, I too came to this set feeling that the old Tito Gobbi recording was something very special, and hard to beat. And it still has a special place in my collection. But this set is exceptional on all counts; it is superbly recorded, the soloists are wonderful, and Pappano's pacing throughout is just glorious...here is a conductor who understands, and has a love for this music. Furthermore, the older Gobbi set is hard to find, and only "Schicchi" is in true stereo. In short, you will not go wrong with these lovely, sensitive recordings. Better yet, get these and the older set if you can find it, and you'll never want for any more.

5 out of 5 stars Life--It hits you hard.......2002-06-16

Once upon a time I was traversing an Interstate Highway on an otherwise uneventful day and Bamm! the sweet intonations of the female soloist singing in the most heavenly voice (by the way not THIS reviewed rendition), was being delivered by the most crappy Amplitude Modulated car radio. I was so mesmorized by the sweet sounds I was hearing that I pulled off the Interstate and just listened. For an hour I just listened. The Opera was 'Suor Angelica'.

I have this particular CD and it is recorded better than the version I had experienced. Yet the rendition I had experienced set me on the path of discovery.

Music is like that.

5 out of 5 stars Long overdue..........2002-05-21

A modern recording of Il Trittico was long overdue, and has been fulfilled magnificently by Alagna, Georghiu, Pappano et al. The only negative reviewer of this disc really criticizes the composer (who he thinks is Verdi!) rather than the performances themselves. But, the question for a review is not "is this a good opera?" That is for the purchaser. Rather, the issue is, given that the purchaser wishes to purcahse a recording of the opera, is it a good recording. This is an excellent one and anyone interested should not hesitate.

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