Che cosa è amor: Mozart Arias

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Mozart loved sopranos; the parts he wrote for them are so beautiful that every singer must dream of singing them all. This being impossible on stage, Andrea Rost has done the next best thing: she has recorded the arias of all the female roles in The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni. This is a brave undertaking, demanding a large vocal range, great flexibility, and the dramatic skill to project very different characters by purely musical means. Rost's voice is essentially light, with a bright top and a good middle register, but the low notes sound hollow. In Cherubino's arias, which really require a mezzo both in range and color, she seems uncomfortable and her phrasing suffers. Susanna's and the Countess' arias are more convincing, although in the "Rose" aria she misses the mischievous, teasing element, and "Dove sono" is not sorrowful enough. Barbarina's touching little aria has no real ending, but it is nice to encounter Marcellina's aria, which is often omitted. On the whole, the voice needs more nuance; the arias all sound too much alike. The Don Giovanni arias come off much better: Rost's voice takes on noticeably more color and intensity, and she appears to have a special affinity for Zerlina. The cruel coloratura in Donna Elvira's second aria seems a little labored, but Donna Anna's great final scene is sung beautifully. The orchestra is good and empathetic, but too soft and discreet, as if it were playing from a great distance. --Edith Eisler

Tracks:

Rigoletto: Act I - Caro nome
Rigoletto: Act III - La donna e mobile
Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro
Carmen: Act I - Habanera: La voila...L'amour est oiseau rebelle
Orfeo ed Euridice: Act III - Che faro senz Euridice
Madama Butterfly: Act III - Un bel di, vedremo
Romeo et Juliette: Act I - Ah! je veux vivre
Le nozze di Figaro: Act II - Voi che sapete che cosa e amor
Samson et Dalila: Act II - Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix
Tosca:: Act II - Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore
Aida: Act I-Celeste Aida
Il Barbiere Di Siviglia: Act I-Una voce poco fa
Lakme: Act II - Ou va la jeune indoue?
La Wally: Act I - Ebben? Ne andro lontano
La Boheme: Act I - Che gelida manina
Die Zauberflote: Act II-Die Holle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen

Customer Reviews:

Great for kids!.......2007-06-27

I'm generally not a fan of music "samplers," but opera can be tough to introduce to children. And hey--even adults played cards, ate, and talked through the recitative sections of the early operas while they waited for the next aria! So I feel that getting kids hooked on opera through great arias probably can't hurt (the next 10 years or so will determine whether I'm right or not). My 4-year-old loves this CD; it's a delight to watch her imitate Anna Moffo (the sincerest form of flattery, for sure). Highly recommended resource for introducing young kids to opera. More top picks: Siberell's Bravo! Brava! A Night at the Opera, and the Black Dog Opera Library CDs.

Mediocre Sound Quality.......2007-03-31

If you note the album was released in 1994, and includes selections from many years prior, you will understand that the quality of the sound engineering is not going to dazzle your ear.

It's a very nice collection to hum along to, but don't expect shivers down your spine as the sound quality is not sufficient to reproduce the dynamic range of these voices.

I was pleased.......2007-02-18

I am by no means an opera expert, but found this to be a wonderful CD. Along with the songs I already knew I liked (such as a song from Carmen,) I found many others I enjoyed. In fact, Samson et Dahlila turned out to be my favorite. If you are just getting started or at any point in your adventure of opera, I would recommend this one.

The Most Famous Opera Arias.......2007-01-05

I was completely surprised in the product as well as the time in which it was delivered.

I would not only refer this seller but I will come back myself.

Okay But.... - a review of "The Most Famous Opera Arias".......2006-08-18

My daughter (6 y.o.) and I like opera; but sitting for two hours to watch Turandot is just not within the realm of possibilities for my 4 year old son right now... so I was looking for an opera CD for the car. He will sit and listen to short arias.

This was the first we purchased and it is okay but not great.

Problem #1 - where is Wagner. No Wagner?
Problem#2 - Elena Obraztsova - she sounds like Carmen's grandmother. Rather matronly for a vixen (imho--lol)

Three Stars. [C+] Great Price and good sound quality for the car. The operatic styles of some of the performers are antiquated and frilly sounding, but I would probably buy this CD again.

Note: We purchased and really preferred "The # 1 Opera Album". It has more selections and better artists in our opinion. Also it's a two CD set. Just something to consider.

Average customer rating:

Great Mozart, uniformly good Bartoli
Rich full bodied delivery of superb selections of Mozart's art
Beautiful Bartoli
Pipes
Stylish, definitive Mozart

Cecilia Bartoli - Mozart Arias
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Cecilia Bartoli , Edita Gruberova , Nikolaus Harnoncourt , Daniel Barenboim , Berliner Philharmoniker , Concentus musicus Wien , Lella Cuberli , Ferruccio Furlanetto , and Yvonne Kenny
Manufacturer: Erato
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Bartoli, Cecilia | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Cecilia Bartoli - Mozart Portraits
Cecilia Bartoli ~ Opera Proibita (Handel · Scarlatti · Caldara) / Les Musiciens du Louvre · Minkowski
Cecilia Bartoli - If You Love Me (Se tu m'ami ), 18th-Century Italian Songs
Cecilia Bartoli - The Vivaldi Album / Il Giardino Armonico
Cecilia Bartoli - A Portrait

ASIN: B000005E4C
Release Date: 1996-09-03

Tracks:

Lucio Silla K 135: Aria 'Il tenero momento'
Lucio Silla K 135: Aria 'Pupille amate'
Lucio Silla K 135: Duetto 'D'elision in sen m'attendi'
Lucio Silla K 135: Accompagnato 'Cecilio, a che t'arresti' - Aria 'Non so piu cosa son, cosa faccio'
Le Nozze Di Figaro K 492: Arietta 'Voi, che sapete che cosa e amor'
Le Nozze Di Figaro K 492: Aria 'Non so piu cosa son, cosa faccio'
COSI FAN TUTTE K 588: Duetto 'Ah guarda, sorella'
COSI FAN TUTTE K 588: Aria 'E amore un ladroncello'
COSI FAN TUTTE K 588: Terzettino 'Soave sia il vento'
COSI FAN TUTTE K 588: Duetto 'Prendero quel brunettino'
COSI FAN TUTTE K 588: Duetto 'Il core vi dono, bell'idolo mio'
COSI FAN TUTTE K 588: Recitativo 'Ah, scostati' - Aria 'Smanie implacabili'

Customer Reviews:

Great Mozart, uniformly good Bartoli.......2006-06-19

'Mozart Arias' by mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli is uniformly as good as virtually all her other albums I have heard and reviewed. The problem is that this leaves me nothing on which to recommend this album over all the other Bartoli albums, except for the fact that it is MOZART, and that is certainly something.

So, from the point of view of the relatively naive listener to classical music, who happens to have listened to a lot of albums of this sort, I say, very nice, very nice, but not really great.

Rich full bodied delivery of superb selections of Mozart's art.......2006-03-08

The rich full voice of Cecilia Bartoli really shines in these selections. I suspect that her native language of Italian is a contributing factor to the totally natural sound of her lyrics and voice. Bartoli has a dramatic flair that emerges in her delivery that seems perfect for the selections. The recordings are consistently beautiful. Bartoli is a mezzo-soprano with incredible range. Her warm voice is so welcome.

Beautiful Bartoli.......2001-10-29

This is some absolutely beautiful music by Mozart, sung wonderfully by Cecilia Bartoli. I especially love the two arias that have the obbligato for basset clarinet or basset-horn from the opera "La clemenza di Tito" K621. Mozart had already written the great Clarinet Quintet K581 for Anton Stadler, who had invented the bassett clarinet, with an extended lower range and warmer tone than the conventional clarinet. These are played very nicely by Peter Schmidl on this CD. But the highlight of this disc is the taxing Concert aria K505, with the added delight of an obbligato piano part, played with feeling by Andras Schiff. It is the best of both worlds: combining Mozart's exquisite piano writing, with orchestra, and his penning of heavenly vocal lines. Cecilia Bartoli delivers on all counts. This is an absolute MUST for all serious Mozart collectors.

Pipes.......2001-06-13

A collection of technically superb if somewhat passionless performances of Mozart's finest arias by one of the great voices of our time. The mastering is a bit low, so I find myself turning the volume wayyyyyy up to hear Bartoli's more delicate moments.

Stylish, definitive Mozart.......2000-09-12

At a time when most mezzo-sopranos are doing local repertory and hoping for auditions, Cecilia Bartoli, not yet 25, recorded this album. This is a work which would proudly be referred to as the crowning achievement of many an illustrious career but, in this case, was simply a portent of things to come from the vocalist who may be the best Mozart soprano of our lifetimes. To hear Cecilia sing PUPILE AMATE alone justifies any expense. Her duets with Edita Gruberova are especially entrancing and make me wish I had been able to attend their performance live. Make no mistake, this is as fine a performance as anyone of us is likely to hear...even with Bartoli's other great works out there. Erato's MOZART ARIAS is a MUST!

Average customer rating:

The favorites are here

Opera Arias And Duets

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

The Most Famous Opera Arias

ASIN: B000000UWD
Release Date: 1996-03-12

Tracks:

Rigoletto-Act I: Caro nome
Rigoletto-Act III: La donna e mobile
Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro
Carmen-Act I: Habanera: La voila...L'amour est oiseau rebelle
Orfeo ed Euridice-Act III: Che faro senz Euridice
Madama Butterfly- Act III: Un bel di, vedremo
Romeo et Juliette- Act I: Ah! je veux vivre
Le Nozze di Figaro- Act II: Voi che sapete che cosa e amor
Samson et Dalila- Act II: Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix
Tosca- Act II: Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore
Aida- Act I: Celeste Aida
Il Barbiere di Siviglia-Act I: Una voce poco fa
Lakme- Act II: Ou va la jeune indoue?
La Wally- Act I: Ebben? Ne andro lontano
La Boheme- Act I: Che gelida manina
Die Zauberflote- Act II: Die Holle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen

Tracks:

Les Peurs des perles- Act I: Au fond du temple saint
Madama Butterfly: Vogliatemi bene, un bene piccolino
Le nozze di Figaro: Sull'aria
La Traviata: Un di, felice, eterea
Lucia Di Lammermoor: Ah! Verranna a te sull'aure
Tristan und Isolde: O sink hernieder, Nacht der Liebe
Carmen: Parle-moi de m
Die Zauberfl Bei Mern, welche Liebe F
LakmViens, Mallika
Rigoletto: il sol dell'anima
Der Rosenkavalier, Act II: Mir ist die Ehre Wilderfahren
Don Giovanni: Li darem la mano
La Boh: O Mimi, tu pi torni
Il Trovatore: Miserere...Quel suon, quelle preci

Customer Reviews:

The favorites are here.......2000-06-19

Well, this is a great introduction to the world of opera for those who are opera novitiates, there's no question there. And they are certainly some of the most popular arias and duets from a large sampling of operas as one may be able to tell. However, there are some not so great renditions of the arias and duets on here. But most of the selections are fairly well done to quite exquisite.

The first CD contains just opera arias. I will make note of certain selections, and the rest you can consider to be of pretty good quality. The first track, "Gualtier Maldé... Caro nome" is wonderfully done by Anna Moffo, even though her high E ending is not quite in keeping with the style of the period, yet still quite nice to hear. Edita Gruberova's version of "Ah! Je veux vivre" is just ghastly. This coloratura soprano goes awry here and sounds as though she was drunk when recording this piece. My advice is to try to skip this track altogether unless you like to hear wobbling all over the place and screaming instead of beautiful high notes. This is probably my biggest criticism of this CD set, due to the fact that there are much better versions, especially the one by Joan Sutherland (the prima donna who was the master of coloratura in her time). Edita does go on to spur a bit of hope that she can do coloratura in the famous Bell song from Lakmé. She shows some wonderful skills with beautifully high pianissimos and scale work, but it falls apart once she gets to the real heavy-duty coloratura part near the end, and is off pitch in places, especially on her final shrieked note which is almost painful. And as for her "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" from the Magic Flute, it's so-so in comparison to versions that Sumi Jo, Christina Deutekom, and Lucia Popp have done. Now there's some coloratura sopranos for you. So now you see why I had to at least knock down my rating of this CD a little bit.

When looking at the second CD, for the opera duets, this one is generally much better than the first CD. However, there are some pretty old recordings on here, namely the "Un di, felice, eterea" and "Parle-moi de ma mère" that sound kind of hollow and tin-like. The rest of the recordings are pretty much around the same age or older and these performers sound quite good. I especially like the tracks "Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen" with Popp and Brendel (note: Lucia Popp has done both the roles of the Queen of the Night and Pamina. I highly recommend these two different versions of the opera the Magic Flute if this track whets your appetite for more), and "È il sol dell'anima" with Reri Grist's wonderful clear soprano voice. Probably the highlight of this CD set though is the beautiful "Presentation of the Rose" duet from Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier. This just sends chills through the spine every time with its hauntingly beautiful harmonies.

Overall, this sampling of the various arias and duets are quite good and merit a rating of 4 stars in my mind. Keep in mind though that there are some bad renditions of the arias as I said before, and sound quality is not top-notch with some of the selections. However, this CD set, when its good sampling of artists gone-by and famous arias is combined with the unbelievably low price it is, it's almost a steal! (This is why I believe this CD set redeems itself from a rating of 3 up to a 4 by the way) I can only hope that those new to opera will fall in love with what it has to offer: beautiful melodies, harmonies, and voices that convey emotions and storylines on a whole different level than music and books can by themselves. Enjoy

Che cosa è amor: Mozart Arias
Average customer rating:

Superb interpretation of Mozart heroines

A Strange but Oddly Satisfying Recording

Che cosa è amor: Mozart Arias
Mozart , Andrea Rost , Franz Liszt Chamber Orc , and Pal
Manufacturer: Warner Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances
German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00074CBJ2
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Tracks:

Non So Piu Cosa Son, Cosa Faccio
Porgi, Amor, Qualche Ristoro
Voi Che Sapete
Venite, Inginocchiatevi
E Susanna Non Vien!
L'ho Perduta...Me Meschina
Il Capro E La Capretta
Giunse Alfin Il Momento/Deh, Vieni, Non Tardar
Ah Fuggi Il Traditor
Or Sai Chi L'onore
Batti, Batti, O Bel Masetto
Vedrai, Carino
In Quali Eccessi, O Numi/Mi Tradi Quell'alma Ingrata
Crudele?/Non Mi Dir, Bell'idol Mio

Amazon.com

Mozart loved sopranos; the parts he wrote for them are so beautiful that every singer must dream of singing them all. This being impossible on stage, Andrea Rost has done the next best thing: she has recorded the arias of all the female roles in The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni. This is a brave undertaking, demanding a large vocal range, great flexibility, and the dramatic skill to project very different characters by purely musical means. Rost's voice is essentially light, with a bright top and a good middle register, but the low notes sound hollow. In Cherubino's arias, which really require a mezzo both in range and color, she seems uncomfortable and her phrasing suffers. Susanna's and the Countess' arias are more convincing, although in the "Rose" aria she misses the mischievous, teasing element, and "Dove sono" is not sorrowful enough. Barbarina's touching little aria has no real ending, but it is nice to encounter Marcellina's aria, which is often omitted. On the whole, the voice needs more nuance; the arias all sound too much alike. The Don Giovanni arias come off much better: Rost's voice takes on noticeably more color and intensity, and she appears to have a special affinity for Zerlina. The cruel coloratura in Donna Elvira's second aria seems a little labored, but Donna Anna's great final scene is sung beautifully. The orchestra is good and empathetic, but too soft and discreet, as if it were playing from a great distance. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Superb interpretation of Mozart heroines.......2005-10-26

Andrea Rost's second solo albums shows that she is one of the best lyric sopranos of our time. Her interpretation of all the female arias of LE NOZZE DI FIGARO and of DON GIOVANNI give a special touch to this CD. First of all, Rost is a wonderful Susana and she has sung the role in all the important opera houses in the world (most recently at the MET). As you can hear in the CD, the two arias of Susana are sung elegantly, with the exact mixture of sensibility and charm that this character needs, specially in the 'Deh, vieni non tardar' (one of the best I've heard on CD). Another role that she has sung before is Zerlina in Don Giovanni and her two arias are included in this CD. Rost's voice and interpretation of the role are pure, clean and her phrasing is exquisite. Recently she sang her first Donna Anna and she sings both arias with bravura and a lot of intensity. The incredible thing about Rost here is that she changes from one character to another giving the impression that it is THE character itself and not Zerlina singing Donna Anna or Elvira. Her voice embodies Anna's inner torment perfectly in 'Or sai chi l'onore' as well as Elvira's sadness in 'Mi tradi..' and again Anna's conflicts in 'Non mi dir'.
It was quite delightful to hear her singing three arias usually sung by a mezzosoprano: the 2 arias of Cherubino and Marzellina's optional aria 'Il capro e la capretta'. She sings 'Non so piu cosa son' and 'Voi che sapete' with youthful energy and showing Cherubino's ardour with the exact touch of 'teenage ardour'. The Marzellina aria is very lovely too.
The orchestra sounds brilliant and I highly recommend this Cd, specially if you love Mozart operas and would like to enjoy a fresh and beautiful voice like Andrea Rost's singing such lovely arias!

A Strange but Oddly Satisfying Recording.......2005-03-29

Andrea Rost is a fine Hungarian soprano who has been gracing the opera stages in Europe and America for the past 15 years. She has a lovely, well-focused, clear soprano voice that she uses with intelligence and great artistry. She also has a fine stage presence. But here she has elected to sing the roles of all the soprano parts in 'Le Nozze di Figaro' and 'Don Giovanni', a risky if gutsy undertaking and one which is not unique: many sopranos have essayed each of the roles but at different points in their careers.

Is Rost successful? Not entirely, but far more than one would expect! The timbres of the different roles call for more variation in tone than could be expected form one voice. But the joy is hearing these well known arias all together, a programming effect which lends interest to re-examining the two operas in one recording by one artist.

The orchestral support from the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra as lead by Tamas Pal is unremarkable: the word serviceable seems apt. But the overall effect of this recording is one of great interest and it does give us a generous sampling of the current technique and lovely estate of the voice of a very fine soprano in Andrea Rost! Grady Harp, March 05

Mozart: Soprano Arias from the Marriage of Figaro/Exsultate, jubilate

Average customer rating:

Mozart: Soprano Arias from the Marriage of Figaro/Exsultate, jubilate

Manufacturer: Analekta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00003OSWN
Release Date: 2000-03-28

Average customer rating:

Heck, I Don't Even Like Most Opera
Mozart excerpts to end all excerpts
Great Combo of Mozart Arias
Great for Beginners
A Great Sampling of Mozart Arias

Mozart: Opera Arias

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Freni, Mirella | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Janowitz, Gundula | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Nilsson, Birgit | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Soderstrom, Elisabeth | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Sutherland, Joan | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Le nozze di Figaro: Non so piu cosa son
Le nozze di Figaro: Non piu andrai
Le nozze di Figaro: Porgi, amor
Le nozze di Figaro: Voi, che sapete
Le nozze di Figaro: Hai gia vinta la causa!
Le nozze di Figaro: Dove sono i bei momenti
Le nozze di Figaro: Aprite un po' quelgli occhi
Le nozze di Figaro: Deh vieni, non tardar
La Clemenza di Tito: Se all' impero
Idomeneo: Fuor del mar
Idomeneo: D'Oreste, d'Aiace
Don Giovanni: Madamina, il catalogo e questo
Don Giovanni: Or sai chi l;onore
Don Giovanni: Finch' han dal vino
Don Giovanni: Batti, batti, o bel
Don Giovanni: Deh vieni alla finestra
Don Giovanni: Vedrai, carino
Don Giovanni: Il mio tesoro
Don Giovanni: Mi tradi quell'alma ingrata
Don Giovanni: Non mi dir, bell'idol mio

Tracks:

Cosi fan tutte: Soave sia il vento
Cosi fan tutte: Come scoglio immoto resta
Cosi fan tutte: Un'aura amorosa
Cosi fan tutte: Una donna a quindici anni
Il re pastore: L'amero, saro costante
Die Entfurhrung aus dem Serail: Ach Ich liebte
Die Entfurhrung aus dem Serail: Martern aller Arten
Die Entfurhrung aus dem Serail: Oh, wie will ich triumphieren
Die Zauberflote: Der Vogelfdnger bin ich ja
Die Zauberflote: O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn !
Die Zauberflote: Die Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon
Die Zauberflote: Bei, Mdnnern, welche Liebe f|hlen
Die Zauberflote: Der Holle Rache
Die Zauberflote: In deisen heil'gen Hallen
Die Zauberflote: Ach, ich fuhl's
Die Zauberflote: Ein Madchen oder Weibchen
Die Zauberflote: Pa-pa-gena ! Pa-pa-geno !

Customer Reviews:

Heck, I Don't Even Like Most Opera.......2002-02-24

There is Opera and then there is Mozart. As a lover of Mozart Operatic works, I am amazed at how unmoved I am by other Opera composers. There is just something about Mozart's Music, though, that makes me stop dead in my tracks. It actually does make me feel smarter -- and I know that is a loony thing to say, but I have to say it because it is true.
Anyways, these CD's present a vast quantity of quality recordings culled from Mozart's famous Operas making it a great introduction to those works. I especially love the second CD and find the tracks from The Magic Flute to be unbelievably beautiful -- including a very nice rendition of Pa-pap-gena! Pa-pa-geno.
My favorite track, though, remains 'Soave sia il vento' from Cosi Fan Tutte. For this sublime track alone, I am glad I bought this CD.

Mozart excerpts to end all excerpts.......2001-06-21

It is hard to imagine a bunch of executives deciding to put these excerpts together. It is just too imaginative, an anthology designed in Record Collectors Heaven. There will not be universal agreement that every single selection is the best ever--even the best recording ever issued by Angel/EMI. But who will not be thrilled to hear the bits from the 1950s and very early 1960s by Wunderlich, Gedda, Schwarzkopf, the young Joan Sutherland, Moffo, etc. Yet those of us who still love the Angel Mozart recordings of that time need to hear more recent interpretations as well, and each one of these is really fine. Because so many of the complete recordings are either unavailable or not competitive in today's market, this seems like a self-congratulatory but not self-serving anthology. Where else would we get to hear, again and again, the Spanish soprano Pilar Lorengar sing Pamina's aria from the "Magic Flute"? It is lovely. 99% of the other selections are too. With a huge quantity of music on these two discs, you can't go wrong.

Great Combo of Mozart Arias.......2001-01-14

If you have heard of Mozart, but you don't know some or most of his most famous operatic music, this album would be a great start for you. This is a great price for a set of 2 CDs full of operatic arias such as Voi Che Sapete(with great mezzo soprano voices by the way), Batti Batti, and a duet piece(Papagena, Papageno) from The Magic Flute. This is certainly one of the very well and richly combined album of Mozart's famous opera works. And, this indeed will be a great econonically smart gift idea for anyone who likes Mozart's music.

Great for Beginners.......2000-05-02

This CD is a wonderful introduction to Mozart's most well-known operas as well as lesser knowns such as "Il re pastore" and "Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail." There are three good things about this CD, and are as follows:

1st -- Most importantly for the beginner, it is DIRT CHEAP. Especially when considering that there are two CD's. WOW.

2nd -- The variety is great, and the CD chooses the most popular arias and duets from each of the operas.

3rd -- The singers aren't complete unknowns as in other Seraphim CD's. So you have some pretty good singers singing good songs like Hermann Prey singing a favorite of mine "Ein Madchen oder Weibchen," or Teresa Berganza singing "Voi, che sapete." So you are getting some quality for your small investment.

I love the fact that this CD includes those three attributes. It's a fantastic way for beginners to be introduced into the world of opera without too much risk if they end up not liking it at all... But I'm sure they'll love Mozart since most people do.

I must warn people though, do try and stay away from compilations of music that attest that they have everything that you could want from a composer. There are lesser known works that are absolutely fantastic and should be recognized and heard. I only recommend this compilation to beginners, and anyone who is truly interested in opera should be buying complete opera CD's, and even better, be going to hear operas live, as they should be heard.

A Great Sampling of Mozart Arias.......1999-11-05

This CD is wonderful if you are unfamiliar with the different operas that Mozart wrote. This album offers a sampling of well known arias from Mozarts most famous operas. The singing and orchastrations were wonderful. A CD that is worth owning. (when I purchased this album I recieved the correct CDs)