Maria Padilla

Editorial Reviews
From the Artist
Janet Price, Christian du Plessis, Margreta Elkins, et al., vocal soloists/Opera Rara Chorus, Bournemouth Sinfonietta/Kenneth Montgomery, conductor

Album Description
Maria Padilla was one of the most successful of Donizetti’s mature, later operas, in his own time, but curiously it has not been in the forefront of the Donizetti revival that has flourished over the past few decades. First mounted during Carnival season in Milan in 1841, it remained popular for about 17 years, and then sank out of sight until this London revival in 1973. Every Donizetti fan will want this great budget recording!

Maria Padilla, Music, Donizetti, Price, Plessis, Elkins, Montgomery, Classical, Classical Composers, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio

Renée Fleming: Bel Canto
Average customer rating:

Yes, she DOES sing a High G!

Intriguing and powerful voice

A beautiful voice, but the wrong stylistic approach...

The Voice God

A Bel Canto Cake: Enjoy

Renée Fleming: Bel Canto
Gioacchino Rossini , Patrick Summers , and Orchestra of St. Luke's
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Renée Fleming

Renee Fleming - The Beautiful Voice ~ Gounod, Lehaair, Orff, Puccini, Rachmaninov, Strauss

Renee Fleming: By Request

Renée Fleming - Visions of Love ~ Mozart Arias / Mackerras

Renée Fleming - Signatures ~ Great Opera Scenes / Sir Georg Solti

ASIN: B00006589U
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Tracks:

Bellini/La sonnambula: "Ah!..se una volta sola"
Bellini/La sonnambula: "Ah!..non credea mirarti"
Bellini/La sonnambula: "Ah! non giunge uman pensiero"
Donizetti/Maria Padilla: "Abbracciami"
Donizetti/Maria Padilla: "Il piu tenero suon d'arpa morende"
Donizetti/Maria Padilla: "Ah! non sai qual prestigio si cela"
Rossini/Semiramide: Introduzione
Rossini/Semiramide: "Bel raggio lusinghier"
Rossini/Semiramide: "Dolce pensiero di quell'istante"
Bellini/Il pirata: Introduzione
Bellini/Il pirata: "Ah! s'io potessi dissipar le nubi"
Bellini/Il pirata: "Col sorriso d'innocenza"
Bellini/Il pirata: "Oh sole! ti vela di tenebre oscure"
Rossini/Armida: "D'Amor al dolce impero"
Rossini/Armida: "Gli augei tra fronde e fronde"
Rossini/Armida: "La fresca eta sen fugge"
Rossini/Armida: "Ah! si, godete amanti"
Donizetti/Lucrezia Borgia:"M'odi, ah m'odi, io non t'imploro"
Donizetti/Lucrezia Borgia: "Figlio!...Figlio!...Ola, qualcuno!"
Donizetti/Lucrezia Borgia: "Era desso il figlio mio"

Amazon.com

Surely Renée Fleming's soprano must be one of the most beautiful voices before the public today. Though renowned for her interpretations of Mozart, Strauss, and Verdi, as well as for her commitment to contemporary music, she says that the bel canto repertoire has always been central to her career. On this recording, which features scenes and arias from operas by Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini, she proves that she has achieved total, effortless technical mastery of the uniquely difficult vocal writing characteristic of the style. Every note is perfectly placed. Her runs, including scales over a huge range in both directions, are as clear and evenly paced as a chain of exquisite pearls. Her leaps always land in the center of the pitch. Her intonation is flawless.

Fleming also displays her emotional affinity for the drama, pathos, and lyricism of the music and her ability to identify with her larger-than-life heroines. Chosen from familiar and unfamiliar operas, the music is beguilingly beautiful, ranging from peacefully pastoral to darkly menacing. However, some listeners may feel that Fleming's tendency to overinflect, overphrase, make long pauses, and put swells on long notes, especially in the slow arias, undercuts the music's simplicity and the directness of her expressive communication. The performances are based on the latest scholarly research into the "bel canto" style regarding historically correct ornamentation (only in repeats) and the problems of balancing textual fidelity with imaginative freedom. The Orchestra of St. Luke's gives splendid support, with outstanding solos, especially from the winds. --Edith Eisler

Album Details

Bel Canto is Shrink Wrapped as a Strictly Limited Edition, with a Bonus Disc of Four Unreleased Tracks of Popular Favorites By: Bach, Handel, Mozart and Debussy

Customer Reviews:

Yes, she DOES sing a High G!.......2007-03-21

When I was reading the other reviews of this album, I saw people talking about Renee Fleming going up to a High G (that is G above High C), and I was a bit skeptical...I was used to hearing her in the roles that climax on High B-Flat or High C. But now that I have the album, I can verify that she does indeed go that high! She just touches on it, but hey, that counts! My favorite selections from this album are "Ah! Non Giunge" when she sings a brilliant high E-flat, and because I just love that bouncy little aria. And "Era desso il figlio mio"... that's the one where she sails up to a High G...and She ends the piece with another glorious High E-Flat. Her melismas are delectable. And her high notes are not grating or shrill. Her tone quality is, as usual, plush and sumptuous...and the way she turns the musical phrases so poetically is just amazing. I'm SO glad she made this CD!

Intriguing and powerful voice.......2007-01-21

Renee Fleming has an interesting voice and is obviously an accomplished bel canto singer. Her voice seems to have a heavier, darker sound than many sopranos who essay the coloratura corpus. The sound is very rich. While I'm not sure that I would call her voice ravishing or beautiful, it is clearly up to the task of producing a compelling sound.

This CD begins with a scene from Bellini's "La Sonnambula." Her version of "Ah! Non giunge uman pensiero" is nicely done. She displays an agile voice. She hits the high notes well. Other versions feature trills; hers does not. However, later cuts on this CD surely show that her trill is one of the better ones today. I had never heard even small selections from Donizetti's "Maria Padilla" before. However, Fleming does a very good job. In the final part of the scene that she sings, "Ah, non sai qual prestigio si cela," she trills wonderfully. I have been acquiring CDs and listening to contemporary bel canto singers lately and, to this point of those to whom I have listened, she has one of the best trills around.

"Bel raggio lusinghier" from Rossini's "Semiramide" is nicely sung. Again, she is agile, can hit the high notes, and displays good coloratura technique. The high notes are wonderfully wrought; appoggiaturas well crafted. A number of other reviewers comment on her high note to conclude the cut from Donizetti's "Lucrezia Borgia." She nailed it pretty well, as those others noted.

And so on. No need to go through each cut one by one. All in all, a very good CD. Her darker, heavier voice combined with her vocal agility and coloratura technique make for a very interesting work. She clearly has some of the better coloratura technique among sopranos working in the vineyards of opera today.

A beautiful voice, but the wrong stylistic approach..........2005-11-16

I remember hearing Renee Fleming's first CD - I was instantly struck by the extremely beautiful lyric sound, and the ease with which Ms Fleming sang repertoire that required a high tessitura. I was reminded very much of Kiri Te Kanawa's tone, atlhough at the time, of course, Ms Fleming didn't have the polish of Te Kanawa.

The voice itself is a miracle. It is one of the beautiful voices of this age. But increasingly, I have become disenchanted with the WAY in which Renee Fleming uses her voice. Endowed with such a lovely voice, with a rich and even legato quality throughout, one would think that bel canto repertoire would suit Ms Fleming perfectly. And I think potentially it does... If you do not already possess the full opera recordings of Rosmonda d'Inghilterra (Donizetti) and Armida (Rossini), with Fleming in the title roles, I would like to recommend that you purchase them. They are very beautiful - stunningly so.

A small digression... My CD collection, I should mention (just casually), is nearly 3000 CDs strong, all of which are classical, and the majority of which are vocal (opera, oratorio, Lieder, operetta, early music, French chansons, etc.). The bel canto portion of my collection is substantial. I am also a bel canto singer myself. I speak, thus, with a knowledge of bel canto style, with particular reference to the ways in which the composers would have expected singers to handle their works.

So I hope readers will understand that when I say that Ms Fleming isn't performing on this CD with appropriate bel canto style, I am not speaking out of ignorance, malice, or uninformed opinion. The liner notes shed light on Renee Fleming's approach: she mentions that "like the great singers who premiered these works, we must use our own musical intelligence and imagination to make this music come alive. For someone like myself, trained as a jazz singer, this comes as a liberating reveltion."

Yes. That puts the finger on the major difficulty here. Of course the arias and scenas need to give interpretation and wonderful ornamentation in the repeats of cabalettas, etc. - but NOT, please God, with jazz in mind. The two fields are completely different. This explains to me why Ms Fleming's later recordings fail to satisfy me as much as her earlier ones. I was surprisingly enchanted by her Schubert album, in which I thought a lot of careful interpretative work had gone, and those two earlier full recordings of bel canto operas were superb. How had that wonderful bel canto technique gone astray in this recording? I think - I may be wrong - but I think that Renee Fleming is now relying almost entirely upon her own idea of how bel canto should be sung, rather than being given detailed guidance from an experienced conductor who's both au fait with the requirements and not intimidated by Ms Fleming's very beautiful voice and star billing.

I did buy this CD with great anticipatory pleasure, and I was disappointed because I had such high hopes. I am sorry, because I adore Ms Fleming's voice, but the swoops and the bathos of the interpretations are not moving to me. I so much want Ms Fleming to record bel canto in the future with a great conductor guiding her to avoid the mannerisms that may seem very expressive to Ms Fleming, but strike many listeners as only detracting from the creamy and lovely tone.

Three stars from me, because the voice is unquestionably beautiful.

I do hope that Renee Fleming decides to follow the guidance of some bel canto specialists.

For more authentic bel canto soprano singing, I recommend the peerless Edita Gruberova (still singing wonderfully), the beautiful Sumi Jo, and the great classic recordings of Callas, the young Caballe, and the young Joan Sutherland.

The Voice God.......2005-09-08

I've been a lover of opera for the past 5 years, and I'm 20 now. Never have I been so utterly blown away from a recording, and I have many. After purchasing this CD, I quickly bought 4 of her other recordings, as well as her film. After listening to "Bel Canto" I am sure that you will be convinced, as I am that Renee Fleming is hands down this generation's greatest soprano. Every selection on the CD is amazing, especially the scene from Lucrezia Borgia where she hits a high G above high C. You can feel the passion and drama through her voice, it pierces your heart it's so beautiful! For me, this CD was truly an epiphany. I did not realize that the human voice could be so beautiful, and now singing is all that I want to do! I highly recommend this CD for anyone who wants to hear unbelievable singing.

A Bel Canto Cake: Enjoy.......2005-07-27

Renee Fleming is today's leading American opera diva and her many albums attest to her versatility and superb musicianship. Among these albums, the recent jazz album Haunted Heart, (Fleming originally intende to sing jazz)Strauss- Der Rosenkavalier, Arabella and Cappricio as well as Four Last Songs, Mozart Don Giovanni (in the role of Dona Ana) Nozze Di Figaro (Countess)Cosi Fan Tutte (Fiordiligi)The Schubert Album, and such successful roles as Violetta in Traviata, Massenet's Manon and Dvorak's Rusalka. Not to mention she sang for such films as Lord of the Rings (in Elvish) and Bride of the Wind about the composer Gustav Mahler's ambitious composer wife Alma. Fleming has established herself as the most beautiful voice of recent years in the opera scene. I didn't know of her until she rose to prominence in the late 90's (she is also credited in the Mass In C by Beethoven in the movie Immortal Beloved). Fleming is primarily a lyric voice, whose purity and focus on tone is more important to her than dramatic effect. In this way, she is only following the tradition of the techniques of such sopranos as Elisabeth Schwartkopff, Leontyne Price, Montserrat Caballe and Joan Sutherland. She does have an ethereal beautiful voice, and this album - bel canto - is a showcase for gorgeous legato, pianissimi and coloratura trills and roulade fireworks.

Bel canto literally means "beautiful singing" and Renee Fleming brings that meaning back. Because of the illustrious efforts of such singers as Beverly Sills, Shirley Verrett, Leyla Gencers and inevitably Maria Callas, bel canto has now been a vehicle for dramatic intensity. Callas was never afraid to sound ugly or gritty to bring out the dramatic portions in the opera. But Renee Fleming knows she has a miraculous voice of sheer beauty of sound and she pleasures our ears with the sound of it. But one also sees her own efforts to sound as dramatic as she can sound. In La Sonnambula, Bellini created a vehicle for beautiful lyric sopranos with coloratura prowess. Singers like Anna Moffo made it sound gorgeous but Callas sang it and unearthed its dramatic power. Fleming attempts the Callas effect and even at times sounds like Montserrat Caballe, especially in such arias from Il Pirata (an opera Caballe recorded and performed on stage). She sounds creamy, golden, full-voiced, with gleaming high tops and rich chest registers, effectively colorizing all the melodic lines. I have not heard singing like this in a long time, and again Montserrat Caballe comes to mind. Just listen to how she sings Lucrezia Borgia, especially in the outburst "E sperto! " (He's dead!) the dramatic moment when Lucrezia discovers she has poisoned her own son. Fleming is also exceptional in Rossini's Semiramide. This is not her first experience singing Rossini. She has sung Il Vaggio A Reims, a rare Rossini opera. Bel canto is truly challenging, and it was for her, but she stepped up to the challenge and came out on top.

What's in the future for Fleming ? I would love for her to take on heavier roles, but she is herself very cautious about ruining her voice. Lyric sopranos like her can easily break if not properly trained. While she has sung Handel well and modern operas like "Ghosts of Versailles" I fear she will never take on the roles I long for her to sing - Tosca, Norma, not even Madame Butterfly. Mirella Freni, a voice quite like Fleming's managed to transition to heavier repertoire well- she sang Butterfly and Tosca with flying colors. Perhaps Fleming will continue to sing purely lyric roles- more Desdemonas, more Tatianas in Eugene Onegin or perhaps the heroine in Queen of Spades. But perhaps she can step outside herself and sing Elisabeth Valois in Don Carlo, or perhaps Lucia Di Lammermoor (why hasn't she sung that ? It's tailor made for her)Who knows what she has in mind but whatever it is, she will sound brilliant.

Helmut Lotti Goes Classic: The Blue Album, Vol. 2

Average customer rating:

I love Lotti

Helmut Lotti Goes Classic: The Blue Album, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Dptv Media
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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My Tribute to the King

ASIN: B000BJ7D0K
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Tracks:

Amapola
Dark Eyes ("Ochi Chornye")
Contes d'Hoffman/Barcarole (Arr. As Song: Hold Me Tight)
Sobre Las Olas (Over the Waves) (Arr. As Song: Du, Nur du Allein)
I Don't Know Why
Parlami d'Amore, Mari
Valencia
Tiritomba
Mamma
Ave Maria (After Bach)
Toreador Song [From Carmen]
Piano Etude No. 3 in E Major, Op. 10/3 (Arr. As Song: I Am Trying ...)
Peurs de Perles/Duet (Arr. As Song: Take My Hand)
Aida/Tiomfmars (Arr. As Song: You'll Win)
Liebestre, S. 541/3 (Arr. As Song: In All My Dreams)
Nabucco/Slaves' Chorus (Arr. As Song: In My Heart)
Havah Nagilah

Customer Reviews:

I love Lotti.......2007-02-20

This is another beautiful music pleasure from Mr. Lotti.
He is a gifted singer and he only gets better.

Average customer rating:

Beautifully Done
Unexpected and Old-Fashioned Latin Pop with a Gifted Florez in His Element
A bit disappointing
EXQUISITE
Fabulous!

Sentimiento Latino

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Latin Music | Styles | Music

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Juan Diego Florez ~ Rossini Arias
Una Furtiva Lagrima
Great Tenor Arias
Opera Recital [Includes Bonus DVD]
Rossini - Il Barbiere Di Siviglia / Juan Diego Florez, Maria Bayo, Pietro Spagnoli, Ruggero Raimondi, Bruno Pratico, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Madrid Opera

ASIN: B000EGDCGE
Release Date: 2006-03-14

Tracks:

Alma Llanera
Ella
La Flor De La Canela
El Dia Que Me Quieras
Granada
La Jarra De Oro
Princesita
Jurame
Estrellita
Fina Estampa
En Mi Viejo San Juan
Siboney
Aquellos Ojos Verdes
Bello Durmiente
Mexico Lindo Y Querido

Amazon.com

This is Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez's first non-classical CD. He brings to the popular music of Latin America and Spain the same scrupulous musicianship, bright tone, and charm with which he approaches Donizetti and Rossini. Some of these songs are accompanied by full orchestra and some (such as "Ella" and "Mexico lindo y querido," for example) are with a shiny mariachi band, while a couple ("Fina stampa," "Bello Durmiente") have solo guitar as their backup. Florez has plenty of opportunity to show off his high notes--there are brilliant high Cs here and there--and his perfect vocal placement and portamento are most welcome. "Jurame," a sensual tango, is a fine example. While he can sing softly at times, Florez doesn't do quite enough with dynamics. A bit more variation would have been welcome, but he's very much in the spirit of this music. His "Granada" is stunning, and he gets the idiom of the "lounge music" numbers as well. His fans, and fans of music with this Latino tinge, will not be disappointed. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Beautifully Done.......2006-06-05

I bought this CD on a whim while on a road trip this weekend and boy wasn't it a pleasant surprise. Juan Diego Florez brings an elegance and beauty of timbre that I have not really heard in this genre. His phrasing is impeccable and he avoids the histrionics that most tenor CD's of this type are littered with. Technically, he has always been a marvel, but this CD seems to have more heart, soul and an excellent sense of timing than any of his prior CD's (and I'm a Rossini and bel canto nut).Hope he makes more like this! Bravo!

Unexpected and Old-Fashioned Latin Pop with a Gifted Florez in His Element.......2006-05-24

This is a splendid recording that represents blessed synchronicity between voice and material. The singer is Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez, and the repertoire here consists of popular early-to-mid-20th century Latin American and Spanish songs. Barely in his thirties, he produces a sweet, warm sound that combines effortlessly with a youthful vigor. Florez can also conquer impressive coloratura passages with superb breath control. All these attributes have served him well in bel canto roles, and now he uses the same technique in these romantic ballads and ranchero songs.

Pedro Elias Gutierrez's "Alma llanera" opens the disc with a flavorful, syncopated arrangement that would not sound out of place at the Tropicana nightclub in Havana, while the melancholy mariachi-style horns of Jose Alfredo Jimenez's "Ella" provides a nice Mexican atmosphere. There is a trio of songs by Maria Isabel Granda Larco from his native Peru all arranged impeccably by the singer himself - the openly romantic "La flor de la canela", the more somber "Bello durmiente" and best of all, the intimate-sounding "Fina estampa" with impressive fretwork by David Galvez. Florez dares to tackle the warhorses that are Agustin Lara's "Granada" and Ernesto Lecouna's "Siboney", and while he puts out the necessary stops, the songs are a bit too familiar to have full dramatic impact. The arrangement on "Siboney" especially gets a bit too bombastic with syrupy strings and pounding jungle drums.

Better are the decidedly old-fashioned "Princesita" with Daniel Binelli's tango-infused bandoneon (an accordion-like instrument) and Maria Grever's "Jurame", which sounds almost like a Mario Lanza operetta-style number from an MGM musical. My personal favorites come near the end of the recording - the tropically tinged ballad, Nilo Menendez and Adolfo Utrera's "Acquellos ojos verdes" and Chuco Monge's "Mexico lindo" with its dramatic tempo changes. With his stunning voice, Florez has such an affinity for this music that it is easy to overlook some of the overdone arrangements. This is a solid example of how a crossover recording can be done with the right blend of talent and music regardless of what genre we expect from a prodigious singer.

A bit disappointing.......2006-05-22

I read the reviews on your site and hearing this album was just a bit disappointing. I exected much more. His rendition of this type of song doesn't hold a candle to Domingo's. Many of the songs seems lifeless and rather amateurish. He should stick to what he does best and leave stuff like this to Domingo. He is however much better than other opera singers who try to sing this repetoire.

EXQUISITE.......2006-05-05

This recording is wonderfully exquisite. As an opera singer, I have sung these songs in recitals many times and listening to Juan has been like a master class. His technique is superb. His "En mi viejo San Juan" brought me great memories and got my eyes wet. This tenor has brought so much hope to belcanto and fine singing. Thank you very much, Juan. Best wishes and thousands of blessings.

Fabulous!.......2006-04-04

What a great album! Yes, this is how you do crossover!
This collection blows any other tenor's effort out of the water. I did not think that fully fledged operatic tenor could sing such swinging Latin music and sound so good. Domingo and his often tacky Broadway collections, and Carreras misguided attempts, it's all forgotten now. Florez is the new Mambo King.
I love all the songs, what incredible finds they are. There is only one rehashed song, the famous Granada, but Florez version is fantastic. I have to admit I do not love all of his opera singing, his quick vibratto works only intermittedly, and certainly he is very good in Rossini, but his Verdi is disappointing... not that it matters on this album. I did not know he started singing in the popular music field, but it certainly shows. Muchas gracias, Sr Florez for this fabulous gift, this Sentimiento Latino. Very cool and highly recommended.

Ay-Ay-Ay: Spanish and Latin American Songs By Luigi Alva

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La Partida

Ay-Ay-Ay: Spanish and Latin American Songs By Luigi Alva

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
ASIN: B0006M4RN8
Release Date: 2005-03-08

Customer Reviews:

La Partida.......2007-07-14

Years ago I was given this recording (LP) by a friend of mine. I couldn't be more impressed by the beautiful voice of Luigi Alva; it's such a beautiful musical program that somehow disapeared from my collection. It took me many years to find this magnificent recording. I've listened to these seleccions by other tenors; and very good ones, but Luigi Alva's heart and soul in these interpretations have no rival. Bravo Amazon for carrying this album.

Average customer rating:

Beautiful, haunting melodies
Saced music in colonial Mexico

Masterpieces of Mexican Polyphony

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

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Missa Mexicana

ASIN: B000002ZLK
Release Date: 1993-11-16

Tracks:

Salve Regina
Versicle And Response: Dues In Audiutorium
Palms For None: Mirabilla testimonium
Lamentatioin For Maudy Thursday
Alleluia: Dic nobis, Maria
Magnificat Quarti Toni
Salve Regina
O sacrum convivum

Amazon.com

Following the conquest of what is now Mexico by Spanish explorers, soldiers, and churchmen, missionaries began to establish churches and missions in cities and remote outposts. It was inevitable that in time, musicians were imported from Europe to fill the churches' ongoing musical needs. As cathedrals were built, cathedral music and choirs to sing that music followed. The four composers represented on this disc lived during the 16th and 17th centuries, with only one of them, Francisco López Capillas, having been born in Mexico. The others came from Spain where they developed their compositional styles under the influence of masters such as Morales and Victoria. The most surprising thing about hearing this very sophisticated music is that it's not better known and more frequently recorded. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful, haunting melodies.......2000-08-18

These selections rival any Baroque choral music written by the European masters. We owe James O'Donnell a debt of gratitude for making such a superb recording of pieces which might otherwise have remained unknown.

Saced music in colonial Mexico.......1999-02-23

Sacred music in the Spanish colonies was a tradicion brought from Europe,by the Spaniards who settled in the new world.The pieces in this recording were once part of religious celebrations in Mexican cathedrals,most notably those of Puebla and Mexico city.Among the composers featured in this recording are Hernando Franco who is one of the earliest composers among others to arrive to the New World,and Francisco de Padilla whom I concider the greatest composer of this period in the New World.Francisco de Padilla is also known today for some of his secular music.Another great composer in this recording was Antonio de Salazar who like Padilla also wrote secular music.In this recording Mr.O`Donell does an outstanding job the selections are wonderful,solemn,and beutiful.The chants are for different liturgical days of the year.This is indeed a five stars recording*****

Average customer rating:

Donizetti: Maria Padilla

Manufacturer: Opera D'oro
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Mercadante: La vestale
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Federico Ricci: La prigione di Edimburgo (Highlights)

ASIN: B000A2GGAG
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

Act One: Di Queste Ridenti Pacifiche Valli
Act One: Al Vostro Puro Omaggio
Act One: Sorride, O Caro Sposo
Act One: Ad Affrettar Vo' Il Sacro Rito
Act One: Ah! Non Sai Qual Incanto Si Cela
Act One: Don Alfonso Di Pardo E Il Conte Mendez
Act One: Lieto Fra Voi Ritorno
Act One: Or Al Tempio Moviam, Diletti Amici
Act One: Diletta Suora! Ella E Felice
Act One: Cuore Innocente E Tenero
Act One: A Te, Oh Caro, M'abbandono
Act Two: Nella Reggia Dell'amore
Act Two: Quale Dopo Tant'anni, Oh Duca
Act Two: Ma Una Gioia Ancor Mi Resta
Act Two: Ines! Mia Dolce Suora!
Act Two: A Figlia Incauta Di Reo Trascorso

Tracks:

Act Two: Alla Regina Madre, Oh Duca
Act Two: Dell'oltraggio La Macchia Nefanda
Act Two: Vada, Soffra, Quel Protervo
Act Three: E Quiete Profonda... Forse Ei Riposa
Act Three: E Col Tuo Nome Agli Accenti
Act Three: Su Quella Fronte Dal Dolor Chinata
Act Three: Padre, Padre... Oh Rio Dolore
Act Three: Ah, Se Ti Restan Lagrime
Act Three: Uno Sguardo, Un Detto Ancora
Act Three: Come Rosa Che S'apre Al Mattino
Act Three: Ora Fatal, Giungesti!
Act Three: E L'ho Tradita... Cielo!
Act Three: Qual Astro Novello, Si Puro, Si Bello
Act Three: Giurata Innanzi A Dio
Act Three: Il Silenzio In Che T'ostini

Album Description

Maria Padilla was one of the most successful of Donizetti's mature, later operas, in his own time, but curiously it has not been in the forefront of the Donizetti revival that has flourished over the past few decades. First mounted during Carnival season in Milan in 1841, it remained popular for about 17 years, and then sank out of sight until this London revival in 1973. Every Donizetti fan will want this great budget recording!

Average customer rating:

Because of You

Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001Z2RKK
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Tracks:

Because of You - Jan Peerce, Hugo Winterhalter & His Orchestra
Because - Jan Peerce
Bluebird of Happiness - Jan Peerce
Serenade - Jan Peerce
Dream - Jan Peerce
Kashmiri Song (Pale Hands I Loved) - John Corigliano, Jan Peerce
For You Alone - Jan Peerce
Little Love, A Little Kiss - Jan Peerce
Sylvia - Jan Peerce, The Philharmonia Orchestra
O Sole Mio (My Sunshine) - The Philharmonia Orchestra
Torna a Surriento (Come Back to Sorrento) - Jan Peerce
Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life! - Anatole Fistoulari, Jan Peerce, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Mattinata (L'Aurora Di Bianco Vestita - 'Tis the Day) - Anatole Fistoulari, Jan Peerce, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Danza (Tarantella Napoletana) - Anatole Fistoulari, Jan Peerce, The Philharmonia Orchestra
When You and I Were Young - Anatole Fistoulari, Jan Peerce, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Silver Threads Among the Gold - Anatole Fistoulari, Jan Peerce, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Valencia - Anatole Fistoulari, Jan Peerce, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Amapola - Jan Peerce
Once - Jan Peerce, Hugo Winterhalter & His Orchestra
Anywhere I Wander - Jan Peerce, Hugo Winterhalter & His Orchestra
Maria My Own - Jan Peerce, Hugo Winterhalter & His Orchestra
Encore - Jan Peerce, Henri Ren His Orchestra,
If You Love Me - Jan Peerce, Henri Ren His Orchestra,
May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You - Jan Peerce

Average customer rating:

Best I've ever heard Renee

Bel Canto [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
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Puccini: Madama Butterfly [Hybrid SACD]
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ASIN: B000079BGG
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Customer Reviews:

Best I've ever heard Renee.......2005-10-25

This cd is chock full of vocal dynamite! Renee's voice soars though the long lines and fast mellismatic passages of these unknown bel canto gems of opera. It is a genre I wouldn't have expected her voice to do well in, but I was wrong. If you are a true fan of Renee, buy this to hear what her voice REALLY sounds like.

Average customer rating:

Good, but hardly "ultimate"!
the power and beauty of the longest note
Wonderful collection of Lanza music

Ultimate Collection
Irving Aaronson , Nicholas Brodszky , Eduardo di Capua , Luigi Denza , Rudolf Friml , Garinei , Charles Gounod , Guy d' Hardelot , Isadore de Lara , Ruggero Leoncavallo , Jose Padilla , Panzeri , Giacomo Puccini , Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov , Richard Rodgers , Sigmund Romberg , Italian Traditional , Giuseppe Verdi , Frederick Edward Weatherly , Carlo Savina , Constantine Callinicos , Franco Ferraro , George Stoll , Henri Rene , Ray Sinatra , Mario Lanza , Eudice Shapiro , and Luisa di Mio
Manufacturer: Bmg Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000071HM
Release Date: 1995-10-12

Tracks:

Be My Love
Drink, Drink, Drink
Rigoletto: Act IV: La Donna Mobile
Danny Boy
Granada
Because You're Mine
Ave Maria
Valencia
Loveliest Night of the Year
Song of India
Because
O Sole Mio
Donkey Serenade
I Pagliacci: Act I: Vesti la Giubba
Serenade
FuniculFunicul
Golden Days
Arrivederci Roma
You'll Never Walk Alone
Beloved
Come Prima
Tosca: Act III: E Lucevan le Stelle
Santa Lucia
I'll Walk With God

Customer Reviews:

Good, but hardly "ultimate"!.......2001-08-20

As a Lanza admirer of many years, I find this CD disappointing. True, there are magnificent recordings scattered throughout (Serenade, Beloved, E Lucevan Le Stelle, Drink! Drink! Drink!, etc) but there are too many weaker moments for the collection to deserve the accolade "Ultimate". The poorly reproduced Valencia, for example, suffers from pitch problems, and the ubiquitous Funiculi Funicula (oddly in mono here, for a change, with the singer pushed right back) does not represent Lanza at anywhere near his magnificent best. Ironically, this selection is the only below-par performance from his otherwise superb Neapolitan collection, Mario! Lanza At His Best.

The sound quality is inconsistent. Because You're Mine, for example, is reproduced here to dazzling effect with all the colors of Lanza's voice at their most gorgeous. Granada and O Sole Mio, on the other hand, suffer from even more distortion than usual, and the aforementioned Valencia has been inflicted with an echo chamber.

My other gripe is that inferior versions of several of the selections have been chosen. You'll Never Walk Alone is not Lanza at his best, and for a better performance seek out the alternate take on the CD of the same name. Vesti La Giubba and La Donna E Mobile, though good, are not in the same class as his later recordings of these arias.

Still, as introductions go, this release basically serves its purpose. And if there is one day an "Utimate Collection, Volume 2", may I suggest that BMG considers such gems as Lanza's 1949 Che Gelida Manina from "La Boheme", M'appari from "Martha", the Improvviso from Andrea Chenier and his unsurpassed Otello Monologue. Let's also not forget his thrilling Some Day (the 1951 Coke performance and *not* the illness-affected 1959 rendition, please note!), the gorgeous A Vucchella and Lanza's own favorite recording, the haunting Voce E Notte. Such a collection would offer a truer sampling of Lanza's versatility and vocal prowess.

the power and beauty of the longest note.......2000-02-03

Within the first 20 seconds of Granada can be found the longest note that only Mario Lanza is capable of delivery. Power - beauty -timbre - awe,believe what you hear or explain it all that he had two extra lungs he never told anybody about

Wonderful collection of Lanza music.......1998-09-30

Memorable recordings from a young singer destined to become another Caruso before his untimely death. Had he survived, the current Three Tenors would have had to be Mario Lanza and The Other Three Tenors.

Donizetti - Maria Padilla / McDonall · D. Jones · G. Clark · du Plessis · Earle · Caley · R. Kennedy · J. Davies · LSO · A. Francis

Average customer rating:

Deserves to be better known
Highly Recommended

Donizetti - Maria Padilla / McDonall · D. Jones · G. Clark · du Plessis · Earle · Caley · R. Kennedy · J. Davies · LSO · A. Francis
Gaetano Donizetti , Alun Francis , Lois McDonall , Della Jones , London Symphonic Orchestra , Graham Clark , Christian du Plessis , Roderick Earle , Ian Caley , and Joan Davies Roderick Kennedy
Manufacturer: Opera Rara UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Matilde Di Shabran - Juan Diego Florez
Donizetti: Pia de' Tolomei

ASIN: B000003LNN
Release Date: 1998-07-10

Customer Reviews:

Deserves to be better known.......2001-03-30

Maria Padilla deserves to be better known. It is fairly late Donizetti in which the composer has developed his own distinctive elements and furthermore is showing a good deal of affinity to Bellini. He was not breaking out in new ways or generating promising extensions to the bel canto approach, as Mercadante was doing at that period and as Verdi, in a different way, soon would be doing. The music is never less than engaging, and at times reaches outstanding levels, particularly in the second act soprano duet but also at many other points. The opera is probably almost never performed because of a weak libretto and the fact that there are enough good Donizetti operas that few companies need to venture off the beaten track even for strong works -- and this is at least as strong as Roberto Devereaux, for example.

Just as the quality of the opera is a bit variable, so is this performmance. Two of the principals, Lois McDonall and Christian du Plessis are a bit eratic, though they usually produce some lovely sounds, while Della Jones' singing is delicious and her voice is well contrasted with McDonall's. Graham Clark's rather tremulous tenor instrument is effective in his part and is well contrasted with the other male voices. Francis conducts a spirited and perceptive account using a more than adequate chorus and orchestra. The recorded sound is more than adequate, inhancing rather detracting from the performance.

One does wonder how much more this operatic jewel would glitter if it had some really great singers and interpreters involved. In their absense, this is a highly worthwhile set. ...

Highly Recommended.......2000-04-23

Donizetti is known for being a great melodist, but not for infusing his operas with unique musical atmosphere. Maria Padilla is a surprise for those who think Donizetti predictable. Written in 1841 near the end of his career, it is clear evidence of the composer's search for dramatic realism. From the first notes played by the orchestra to the last, we could never believe the action was taking place anywhere but in Spain. There are the usual 2-part arias with florid cabalettas, but Donizetti also experiments with musical forms and part allocation. He expands a baritone aria into a sextet, and assigns the part of Maria's old father to a tenor (who steals the right of a mad scene from the soprano!). The music is thrilling from beginning to end. In particular, a soprano-mezzo duet is on a par with its more famous counterpart in Norma, and the duet for Maria and her father is intensely dramatic. The final aria completely makes up for a dramatically unsatifying happy ending, giving the soprano ample opportunity to completely bring down the house. Lois McDonall as Maria is adequate. Her voice is a bit dry and her notes are strained at the top, but her sense of drama and her negotiation of difficult coloratura passages make up for it. Della Jones and Christian du Plessis are wonderful as always, and Graham Clark's vibrato-laden and rather dry voice are oddly well suited to the part of Maria's aging father. Alun Francis is a skillful conductor, and the Geoffrey Mitchell choir is in excellent form. A thick booklet contains an English-Italian libretto, a well-researched and interesting scholarly article by Jeremy Commons, and a plot synopsis. A great opportunity to explore some of the forgotten byways of Italian Opera, and a thoroughly enjoyable recording.

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