Tito Beltran - Nessun dorma (The Amazing Tenor)

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
If there wereever any lingering doubts about the continent-spanning allure of opera, the rich career of Chilean-born/Swedish-trained tenor Tito Beltran should put them to rest. Though he's enjoyed a successful career in Europe and the UK (being named 1999 "Artist of the Year" by Opera Now magazine), his greatest mainstream stateside exposure likely came via his powerful performance of Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot on the eclectic soundtrack to the hit soccer-themed film, Bend It like Beckham. That aria both anchors and inspires this collection, which offers an equally diverse showcase for Beltran's dramatic vocal talents. Spanning several previous albums, this anthology finds Beltran tackling popular Neopolitan fare ("Funiculi, Funicula," "Santa Lucia") and opera ("Che Gelida Manina" from La Boheme) with the warmth of a native, while his stately renditions of Franck's "Panis Angelicus" and Schubert's "Ave Maria" offer distinctive contrast with the pop-oriented "Be My Love." His closing take on the traditional "Amazing Grace" finds him straddling the gospel and classical realms with an elegance that more than lives up to the hymn's title. --Jerry McCulley

Tracks:

Nessun Dorma
Funiculi, Funicula
O Sole Mio
Maria, Mari
Santa Lucia
La Danza
Che Gelida Manina
Granada
Amapola
Panis Angelicus
Ave Maria
Be My Love
Caruso
Amazing Grace

Amazon.com

If there wereever any lingering doubts about the continent-spanning allure of opera, the rich career of Chilean-born/Swedish-trained tenor Tito Beltran should put them to rest. Though he's enjoyed a successful career in Europe and the UK (being named 1999 "Artist of the Year" by Opera Now magazine), his greatest mainstream stateside exposure likely came via his powerful performance of Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot on the eclectic soundtrack to the hit soccer-themed film, Bend It like Beckham. That aria both anchors and inspires this collection, which offers an equally diverse showcase for Beltran's dramatic vocal talents. Spanning several previous albums, this anthology finds Beltran tackling popular Neopolitan fare ("Funiculi, Funicula," "Santa Lucia") and opera ("Che Gelida Manina" from La Boheme) with the warmth of a native, while his stately renditions of Franck's "Panis Angelicus" and Schubert's "Ave Maria" offer distinctive contrast with the pop-oriented "Be My Love." His closing take on the traditional "Amazing Grace" finds him straddling the gospel and classical realms with an elegance that more than lives up to the hymn's title. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Tito Beltran........2007-06-17

Excellent CD a must have if you enjoy Classical Music.
He has a wonderful voice and he is great to listen too.
I hope Amazon get more of his CD in stock?

Sincerely, JPP.

Another Chilean exportation talent !.......2007-04-04

Chile not only gave to Latin America the First Literature Nobel: Gabriel Mistral in 1945, the legendary pianist Claudio Arrau, disciple of Martin Krause, Rosita Renard whose brief existence turned off one the most promising artistic careers in the keyboard. Neruda would receive in 1973 another Nobel to conform a formidable quartet that constitute a motive of priceless satisfaction for that Austral country.

Now the vertiginous career of a young voice: Tito Beltran, who is nowadays one the freshest , powerful and vibrant voices in the Belo Canto repertoire. His propulsive and countless compromises around the world are by themselves a remarkable evidence about his grandness.

Don't hesitate just for a second at the moment to acquire this CD, which I listened entirely the last Sunday on FM, Radio Station.

Five-star voice.......2007-02-04

My favourite voice among the newer tenors around - though he gets by without all the publicity they receive. A strong voice, always pleasing to the ear. Some less-than-perfect pronunciation here and there only adds to the charm. I don't like absolutely all the selections, but if you're considering giving this very talented tenor a chance then this is the place to start. What's more, this is the only Nessun Dorma I've heard that has "two endings".

"appealing to Opera Lovers and Fans alike ~ Tito Beltran".......2003-11-13

Silva America presents the best tenor since LANZA! Powerful voice that sends chills up and down your spine, very eerie resembles the late great LANZA ~ refreshing to hear his talent.

When I first heard Tito Beltran several thoughts ran through my mind ~ just when you thought you've heard it all, voices from the past Caruso and Peerce. Bringing us up to the present with Carerras, Domingo, Pavarotti and Bocelli, this gifted vocalist has proven he can stand up to the best and then some.

Completely captivating performances by this young tenor...featuring arrangements and orchestrations by Paul Bateman and world renown The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, The Crouch End Festival Chorus and Crouch End Festival Children's Choir, under the guidance of David Temple(Choir Master) on selected tracks...with some stand outs ~ title track "Nessun Dorma","Granada"(remember when Frankie Laine recorded this in the '50s), "Ave Maria"(recorded by countless artists including a wonderful rendition by Perry Como) and "Be My Love"(another hit by the late great Mario Lanza, they'll never be another, but Beltran comes very close) ~ entire CD is a "Collectors Dream", can't say enough about this future star in the heavens ~ TITO BELTRAN!

Tracks:

'Be My Love'- The Toast Of New Orleans
'Because You're Mine' - Because You're Mine
'Because' - The Great Caruso
'The Loveliest Night Of The Year'- The Great Caruso
The Student Prince Medley: a. 'Beloved,' b. 'Drink, Drink, Drink,' c. 'Deep In My Heart Dear,' d. 'Serenade- Overhead The Moon Is Beaming'
Rigoletto: 'La Donna e Mobile' - The Great Caruso
TOSCA: 'E Lucevan le Stelle' - The Great Caruso
Les pecheurs de perles: 'Au Fond du Temple Saint' - Gallipoli
'Ch'ella Mi Creda' - Man Without A Face
Rigoletto: 'Questa O Quella' - Wall Street
Pagliacci: 'Vesti la Giubba' -The Untouchables
Martha: 'M'Appari' - The Grey Fox
Turandot: 'Nessun Dorma' - The Witches Of Eastwick
'Mattinata' - The Great Caruso
'Torna A Surriento' - Hear My Song
'Granada' - Because You're Mine
'The Second Time' - Bilitis
'Where Do I Begin?' - Love Story
'Mi Corazon Continuara' (My Heart Will Go On) - Titanic

Amazon.com

Tito Beltran is a young South American tenor who seems to be on his way to an international career. His sound is warm and bright and his top notes secure. Beltran can occasionally lack imagination (so can most tenors, then again), but his singing is of a consistently high quality. On this CD, he sings music associated with films--many of which featured Mario Lanza, whom Beltran imitates chillingly in the first few selections--and is pretty impressive. The duet from Bizet's The Pearl Fishers was featured in Gallipoli and is always a pleasure to hear. As a finale, Beltran sings the theme from Titanic in Spanish and by so doing exorcises some of the Celine Dion memories, for which we shall always be grateful. And wait 'til you hear what key he sings it in--all the way up to repeated high Cs! This CD is a treat for opera lovers and movie lovers alike. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Excellent voice. Pity about the orchestral imbalance........2006-07-27

Tito Beltran is a good tenor, and perhaps in time may become an even better one. If his voice is to be swamped by such ridiculously loud orchestral overlays in future, then that is a pity, for like all singers he at least deserves to have a fair hearing.

Whoever has been responsible (or irresponsible) for this noisy orchestral nonsense should be sent for remedial treatment; his, her or their hearing must be even more shot than mine.

I admire Mr Beltran's strong, lyric voice and impassioned singing and would like to have heard more of it, without the too often intrusive, poor, inartistic, clumpy and pedestrian orchestral work.

From Chilly Chile A Warm New Voice.......2005-11-01

I decided to try this CD on an impulse--I'd never heard of Mr. Beltran. After hearing it I concluded I'd hit upon a bonanza of sorts.

Beltran is, as this CD shows, a highly musical singer with a rich voice of very fine quality. And he sings with warmth and human appeal, even though he hails from the chillier parts of the world: Tierra del Fuego (Chile) at the southern tip of South America, by birth, and Sweden by adoption.

His voice seems a bit on the dark side, especially in the middle and lower registers, rather than the brilliant, ringing tone of, say, Pavarotti. On the high end it is perhaps a bit narrower than one would wish. His vibrato in at least one spot bothered me a bit, but overall it is perfectly OK. These comments should not dissuade you from getting this CD. The quality of his singing is still very fine, most satisfying, and deeply appealing. If you love tenor singing, you will surely enjoy this CD.

The orchestral accompaniment is first rate! The arrangements are excellent. The liner notes are generous enough for the music, but there is not much about Mr. Beltran himself, which is unfortunate since he is a relative newcomer and still largely unknown in the U.S.

As to the contents of the disk, there are a generous 20 tracks (74+ minutes) on my copy, which seems to differ a bit from that described above. The order of songs differs, and I seem to have one more track. (My disk is labeled Edel 0039982ERE, licensed from Silva Screen Records.) The selection of music is varied, but is related to several movies, and includes opera arias and various songs. Though my preference is more toward the arias and familiar art-songs, there is not a selection here that I did not thoroughly enjoy, including the songs from the movies Titanic, Lion King, and Love Story.

Beltran handles all the selections very well. His English is definitely accented, but not objectionably so; his Spanish is, of course, natively fluent, and his Italian seems very good, as does his French. He is obviously a very well-prepared singer, with great technique and artistry at his command. There is nothing unmusical about his singing. He leaves you wanting more.

On the selections in tribute to Mario Lanza he does a remarkable job of emulation, except that (forgive me, Lanza fans) he sings noticeably better than Lanza! And I enjoy his performances better than Lanza's.

The duet (with baritone Jonathan Summers) from the Bizet's Pearl-Fishers is beautifully done, by both artists and the orchestra.

A final tribute: the more I hear this recording, the more I enjoy it. And I think I'll have to get some more CDs from this excellent young tenor. Muy bien hecho, Tito!

Need an equalizer.......2002-08-27

There's no doubt that Tito Beltran has a great voice and this CD shows off his talent over a wide variety of songs. However, there seems to be a problem with the settings between his voice and the orchestra in the mix-down of the recording. On some of the tracks, the music seems to be too loud that makes him sound like singing from the back of the orchestra. The somewhat strange mixer setting also makes his high notes sound struggling and tight besides causing some tracks sound like overdubbed. I have tried playing this CD on audiophile hi-fi systems as well as cheap portables and the results are the same. The situation is especially bad in Mi Corazon Continuara (My Heart Will Go On). This can, however, be corrected using an equalizer to enhance the mid-range frequencies (especially the 1000Hz - 2500Hz range) of the audio spectrum. Doing so also brings his voice back to the front where the singer should be standing.

Incredible!!!.......2000-08-19

Finally, someone who can deliver Lanza songs the way they were intended to be sung. Tito Beltran has to now be considered the world's top Tenor. Versatility, style, passion, endless top, all describe this young Tenor! I'm very excited as a retired singer myself.

Brilliantly sensational!.......2000-03-09

I was at the Conservatory of Music in Gothenburg, Sweden when Tito entered the Opera School there. For some reason there was an academic conflict but he then proved himself outside the academy and made a name for himself directly in concert and opera houses. After his controversial competition in Wales, gave birth to a brilliant and exciting Tenor sensation in the 21st century. This recording is a must for all Tenor lovers! He displays rich and warm tonal colors that touches the essence of human emotion, and covers different stylistic demands in today's repertoire. The orchestra and chorus are indeed splendid and a joy to hear. You'll never get tired listening to this recording. The best Mario Lanza ever, with a powerful upper register. Knowing Tito, I sometimes wonder where the voice is coming from. Du e skitbra, Tito!

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