Rossini - Cantatas Volume 2 / Bartoli, Flórez, Kelly, Scano, Barcellona; Chailly

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Here are two of Rossini's "secular" cantatas: "The Lament of Harmony on the Death of Orpheus" for tenor, male chorus, and orchestra, written when he was a 16-year-old conservatory student, and the far more substantial "Wedding of Thetis and Peleus," one of many such pieces he composed for special occasions, commissioned for the marriage of an Italian princess to a French prince. Both consist of primarily short, separate, contrasting numbers, most of which would be perfectly at home in the opera house.

Indeed, Rossini himself evidently made no distinction between the genres, recycling and adapting arias freely from one to the other. No wonder much of the music here sounds familiar. It is also very beautiful. There are some echoes of Haydn and Mozart, but most is vintage Rossini, full of charm, grace, and beguilingly lovely, celestially floating melodies, as well as exciting sections of high drama. Only the end of the Wedding Cantata gets repetitious, as if Rossini had run out of ideas.

The orchestration is singularly felicitous, with wonderful woodwind passages and horn solos. The vocal parts are extremely difficult, demanding agile coloratura, melting lyricism, and dramatic weight. All are stratospheric, going up to many high B-flats and B's; the tenors have several C's and even a D. The singing ranges from excellent to spectacular; only the soprano is a little shrill at times. Tenors Florez as Peleus and Kelly as Harmony are outstanding, and Cecilia Bartoli, who gets stellar treatment with the only picture in the booklet, also gets every chance to display her strengths in all their glory: the intense, focused voice, pure throughout a huge range; the large palette of colors and timbres; the rippling, immaculately clear coloratura. The orchestra and chorus, led by Riccardo Chailly, are splendid. --Edith Eisler

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Bar by bar we are putting to flight the old idea that Rossini was only the most successful opera composer of his age. Scholars and musicians are discovering another Rossini, with musical interests and obligations that stretched beyond the opera house. And rescuing the composer's secular and sacred cantatas has played an important part in this reassessment. Riccardo Chailly's second disc of Rossini cantatas ends with Il pianto d'Armonia sulla morte si Orfeo ('Harmony mourning the death of... read more

Rossini - Cantatas Volume 2 / Bartoli, Flórez, Kelly, Scano, Barcellona; Chailly

Rossini - Cantatas Volume 2 / Bartoli, Flórez, Kelly, Scano, Barcellona; Chailly, Music, Gioachino Rossini, Riccardo Chailly, Cecilia Bartoli, Juan Diego Flórez, Orchestra Filarmonica Della Scala, Paul Austin Kelly, Elisabetta Scano, Daniela Barcellona, Luigi Petroni, Cantata, Choral, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Orchestral & Symphonic
Rossini - Cantatas Volume 2 / Bartoli, Flórez, Kelly, Scano, Barcellona; Chailly
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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 Rossini - Cantatas Volume 2 / Bartoli, Flórez, Kelly, Scano, Barcellona; Chailly
Gioachino Rossini , Riccardo Chailly , Cecilia Bartoli , Juan Diego Flórez , Orchestra Filarmonica Della Scala , Paul Austin Kelly , Elisabetta Scano , Daniela Barcellona , and Luigi Petroni
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

CantatasCantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
CantatasCantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by RossiniAll Works by Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
The Decca Records StoreThe Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
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ASIN: B00004VSAR
Release Date: 2001-05-08

Tracks:

  1. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: Preludio
  2. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: N. 1 Coro: Suoni il monte, echeggi il piano (Coro)
  3. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: Recitativo: Oh come lento giunge un momento felice ai voti miei (Peleo)
  4. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: N. 2 Cavatina: Giusto cielo, i voti miei tu pietoso intendi (Peleo, Coro)
  5. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: Recitativo: Figlio d'Acasto (Teti)
  6. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: N. 3 Duetto: Costante al tuo fianco (Teti, Peleo)
  7. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: N. 4 Coretto: Fin del bosco i cupi orrori (Coro, Teti, Peleo)
  8. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: Recitativo: Numi, fra voi dall'etra io qui discesi
  9. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: N. 5 Coro: Deh venite: sull'ara d'lmene
  10. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: N. 6 Terzetto: Per me regni alfin la Pace (Peleo, Teti)
  11. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: Recitativo: Invan del pallid'Orco l'empia Furia affacciossi
  12. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: N. 7 Coro: Deh venite: sull'ara d'lmene
  13. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: N. 8 Duetto: Chi mi reca le rose ed i gigli (Cerere)
  14. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: Recitativo: Tanto puo dunque ancora sperar (Teti, Peleo, Cerere)
  15. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: N. 9 Aria: Ah non potrian resistere (Cerere, Coro)
  16. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: Recitativo: M'udite o genti
  17. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: N. 10 Coro: Liete danze per queste pendici
  18. Le nozze di Teti, e di Peleo: N. 11 Finale: Sacro ad Ausonia vedrassi il Giglio (Cerere, Teti, Peleo, Coro)
  19. Il pianto d'Armonia sulla morte di Orfeo: Sinfonia - Paul Austin Kelly (Armonia)
  20. Il pianto d'Armonia sulla morte di Orfeo: Coro: Quale i campi Rodopei (Coro) - Paul Austin Kelly (Armonia)
  21. Il pianto d'Armonia sulla morte di Orfeo: Recitativo: Sparse il lacero crine (Armonia) - Paul Austin Kelly (Armonia)
  22. Il pianto d'Armonia sulla morte di Orfeo: Aria: Nelle spietate Furie destar pietosa pianto (Armonia) - Paul Austin Kelly (Armonia)
  23. Il pianto d'Armonia sulla morte di Orfeo: Recitativo: Ma tu che desti gia si dolce suono (Armonia) - Paul Austin Kelly (Armonia)
  24. Il pianto d'Armonia sulla morte di Orfeo: Aria con coro: Almo piacer de' Numi (Armonia, Coro) - Paul Austin Kelly (Armonia)

Amazon.com

Here are two of Rossini's "secular" cantatas: "The Lament of Harmony on the Death of Orpheus" for tenor, male chorus, and orchestra, written when he was a 16-year-old conservatory student, and the far more substantial "Wedding of Thetis and Peleus," one of many such pieces he composed for special occasions, commissioned for the marriage of an Italian princess to a French prince. Both consist of primarily short, separate, contrasting numbers, most of which would be perfectly at home in the opera house.

Indeed, Rossini himself evidently made no distinction between the genres, recycling and adapting arias freely from one to the other. No wonder much of the music here sounds familiar. It is also very beautiful. There are some echoes of Haydn and Mozart, but most is vintage Rossini, full of charm, grace, and beguilingly lovely, celestially floating melodies, as well as exciting sections of high drama. Only the end of the Wedding Cantata gets repetitious, as if Rossini had run out of ideas.

The orchestration is singularly felicitous, with wonderful woodwind passages and horn solos. The vocal parts are extremely difficult, demanding agile coloratura, melting lyricism, and dramatic weight. All are stratospheric, going up to many high B-flats and B's; the tenors have several C's and even a D. The singing ranges from excellent to spectacular; only the soprano is a little shrill at times. Tenors Florez as Peleus and Kelly as Harmony are outstanding, and Cecilia Bartoli, who gets stellar treatment with the only picture in the booklet, also gets every chance to display her strengths in all their glory: the intense, focused voice, pure throughout a huge range; the large palette of colors and timbres; the rippling, immaculately clear coloratura. The orchestra and chorus, led by Riccardo Chailly, are splendid. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Amazing.......2001-07-11

I never get bored of this CD, everytime I listen to it I just love it more and more everyday. All the songs are very relaxing. I think that everyone will enjoy it, it's just great.

5 out of 5 stars Pure Pleasure.......2001-06-01

This recording of two of Rossini's many cantatas is an abolute delight. Everyone involved communicates the joy of making these early works come alive. Bartoli and Chailly are known qualities, and the former contributes some of the most spectacular vocal pyrotechnics I have ever heard; I don't remember any "superstar" who so fully lives up to his or her hype the way this singer does with every recording. Chailly is a Rossini specialist who works his usual magic with this unfamiliar material. The other four soloists deserve their equal billing with Bartoli, tenor Florez and soprano Scano doing outstanding work. Too bad space could not be found to include their photos along with the mezzo and maestro in the otherwise excellent accompanying booklet. This disc is a gem.

5 out of 5 stars Virtuosic.......2001-05-24

This CD is a rare treat. It combines a light classic "Mozartian" style with a melodic Rossinian belcanto. The vocal performances are very good. Bartoli and the young tenor Juan Diego Florez as the headliners. Juan Diego Florez really stands out on this CD as a vocal force to look out for. He is very young, mid-twenties, but has an extremely beautiful and fluid voice. He exhibits practically no vocal strain. Bartoli's coloratura is stunning as usual. The range she possess is well demonstrated on this disc. Fans of classical music will not be dissapointed by this disc. It is well worth the cost.

Track Listings:

  1. Saint-Saens: Concertos for violin in Bm; Lalo: Symphonie espagnole in Dm
  2. Schubert: Piano Sonata in E-flat major, D. 568, 6 Moments musicaux
  3. Schumann - The Symphonies / Barenboim, Berlin Staatskapelle
  4. Sibelius & Korngold Violin Concertos-Sinding Suite [Original recording remastered]
  5. Silly Classical Songs
  6. Song of Songs
  7. Sophisticated Innocence: American Novelty Piano Solos
  8. Soul of the Sabbath
  9. St. Matthew Passion Bwv 244
  10. Stillwood

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

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Brahms: Sonate, Op. 99; Schubert: Sonate "Arpeggione," D821

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Best of Luciano Pavarotti

Brilliant [Import] [Original recording remastered]

Calidad del Merengue

Buenas Ondas

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