Rossini: Le siége de Corinthe

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Born in Genoa, Italy, Luciana Serra is one of the world's great bel canto sopranos, singing regularly at La Scala, the Met, Covent Garden and all the other great opera houses. She has a wide repertoire, from Mozart to Lehar, and has been featured in dozens of opera recordings on EMI, London, Sony, and Deutsche Grammophon as well as Nuova Era.

Album Description
This recording has been newly remastered on only 2 CDs, making it a superior value!

Tracks:

Una Voce Poco Fa - Sherrill Milnes
Dunque Io Son - Sherrill Milnes
Contro Un Cor - Sherrill Milnes
Ah, Qual Colpo Inaspetatto! - Sherrill Milnes
E Il Sol Dell'anima... Addio! Speranza Ed Anima - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Gualtier Malde... Caro Nome - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Tutte Le Feste Al Tempio... Compiuto Pur Quanto... Si, Vendetta - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
V'ho Ingannato... Lassu In Cielo - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Quel Guardo Il Cavaliere... So Anch'io La Virtu Magica - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Pronta Io Son... Vado, Corro - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Via, Caro Sposino - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Tornami A Dir Che M'ami - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
La Morale In Tutto Questo - Ambrosian Opera Chorus

Tracks:

Vilia - Beverly Sills
Ah! Je Suis Seule... Dis-Moi Que Je Suis Belle - Beverly Sills
Cielo! Che Diverro?... Si, ferite... Dal Soggiorno... Ah! Che Spiegar - Beverly Sills
Libiamo Ne' Lieti Calici - John Alldis Choir
Un Di Felice, Eterea - John Alldis Choir
E Strano... Ah, Fors'e Lui... Follie! Follie!... Sempre Libera - John Alldis Choir
Pura Siccome Un Angelo... Ah! Dite Alla Giovine - John Alldis Choir
Che Fai? - John Alldis Choir
Addio Del Passato - John Alldis Choir
Parigi, O Cara - John Alldis Choir

Amazon.com

Beverly Sills hardly needs an introduction. She sang on the radio as a child and on the operatic stage as a teenager; her meteoric international career was launched by appearances in several virtually unknown bel canto operas at the New York City Opera. This compilation of arias and ensembles from some of her signature roles, recorded in the 1970s, with splendid partners like Nicolai Gedda, Alfredo Kraus, and Sherrill Milnes, displays her unique vocal and dramatic artistry at its peak. Her voice, effortlessly produced over an enormous range, is bright, pure, infinitely variable in color, inflection and intensity. Her intonation is impeccable even in huge leaps, and her breath is endless. The coloratura roulades are like strings of perfect, luminous pearls, clearly articulated in seamless legato. But this stunning technique (whose only flaw is a sometimes wide, wobbly vibrato) is never used for show; every note has life and expression, serving the music and the dramatic situation. Indeed, her characters are flesh-and-blood human beings, whose thoughts, emotions and interactions, from inwardness to ecstasy, from lamentation to overflowing joy, she projects with riveting concentration. Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville is a charming, mischievous minx who succumbs to delighted tenderness; Pamira's great scene from his Siege of Corinth shows clearly why her Metropolitan Opera debut in that role was a sensation. In Verdi's Rigoletto, Gilda's hopeful innocence turns into hopeless despair: she dies, palpably, on a floating, celestial pianissimo. In his La traviata, Violetta's initial cool, hesitant restraint gradually melts as she opens herself (and her voice) to Alfredo's ardor and the bliss of love. The vocal balance in their final duet is uncanny; its tremulous tenderness in the shadow of death breaks the heart, as does her duet with Germont. Massenet's Thais is sensuous; Donizetti's Don Pasquale and Lehár's The Merry Widow provide comic relief. --Edith Eisler

Album Description

Details TBA. EMI. 2005.

Customer Reviews:

Here's what the fuss was all about!.......2007-07-17

It would have been even better if they had included at least one Cleopatra aria and something from Baby Doe, but it doesn't really matter, because this collection will allow younger listeners especially to hear what the fuss was all about! There are moments listening to Sills, especially from Traviata or Manon, that are so beautifully sung and so genuine that they are heartbreaking. I feel so fortunate to have heard her Queen of the Night, Manon, Violetta, and Baby Doe. She was so generous as a performer and as a humanitarian, and she really brought opera into the American mainstream.

Beverly Sills - The Best.......2007-04-01

What a voice. No coloratura can compare, and she makes it seem so easy.

Beverly Sills' highs are breathtaking!.......2006-09-18

Adio del Passato is incredible! Beverly's high, floating coloratura is no less than ethereal which takes you to another world. Her voice has given me so much joy that it is hard to say one recording is better than another because I love her Mozart album equally with her Bellini/Donizetti. It is so wonderful to have these recordings captured on CD! Enjoy!

THE 2005 OPERA CD OF THE YEAR.......2006-08-19

THIS CD WAS THE BEST OPERA CD ISSUED LAST YEAR, AND HAS CAUGHT THE WORLD'S EAR IN NO TIME. I WAS BUSY WRITING IN SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL, WHILE THE STATEOWNED FM RADIOSTATION, DEDICATED TO CULTURE, WAS SOFTLY PLAYING OPERA ARIAS IN THE BACKGROUND. SUDDENLY I HEARD THE MOST FANTASTIC RENDERING OF "SEMPRE LIBERA" FROM "LA TRAVIATA". I GOT UP, SAT BY THE RADIO AND WAITED TO KNOW WHO WAS SINGING... THEN GOT BACK TO THE COMPUTER TO ORDER THIS CD FROM AMAZON! INCREDIBLE: ONLY 17 BUCKS FOR THIS, WHILE QUITE A BIT OF TRASH IS SOLD FOR 30.40 AND MORE...
A LADY FRIEND ONCE TOLD ME SHE COULD NOT LISTEN TO THE DUET IN "MADAMA BUTTERFLY" WITH MIRELLA FRENI AND LUCIANO PAVAROTTI (RECORDED IN 1974, BY VON KARAJAN) WITHOUT CRYING. WELL, YOU CANNOT LISTEN TO SILLS IN "LA TRAVIATA" DRY-EYED, NO MATTER WHO THE TENOR IS. SHE PROJECTS THE SAME DRAMATIC FEELING OF "LA DIVINA" CALLAS WITHOUT THOSE SHRIEKED HIGHNOTES; SHE OFFERS THE SAME COLORATURA VOCAL GYMNASTICS AS "LA STUPENDA" SUTHERLAND BUT WITH WARMTH... WHEN BEVERLY SANG, AS IN EVERYTHING ELSE SHE DID, SHE ALWAYS GAVE HER UTMOST. SHE WAS "LA GENEROSA" TO BE SURE.
DON'T JUST SIT THERE READING WHAT OTHERS THINK.
ORDER THIS CD NOW AND MARVEL AT HOW THIS GREAT AMERICAN LADY, IN SO MANY OTHER WAYS, ALSO COULD SING!

EMI Does It Again: Beverly Sills - A Tribute.......2005-07-22

EMI's "Very Best Of" series are perfect introductions to operatic singers of the 20th century. Once you hear these artist tribute albums (much like The Singers series) you will get hooked on the singer and seek out their full-length studio recordings. Beverly Sills was the first truly famous American opera star. One may argue that she was not, that she was merely a continued tradition of American divas such as Mary Garden and Lily Pons and which still continues today with Renee Fleming, Elizabeth Futral and Susan Graham. Beverly was raised in New York City, which is still her home, and which is the home of the New York City Opera and the Met, opera houses which rocketed her to fame. Her first success (not featured in this recording...UH WHY ?) was Cleopatra of Handel's Julius Caesar, a performance she sang opposite the illustrious baritone Norman Treigle. Those performances were legendary because coincidentally at the same time the Met was opening its new theatre and season with what became a disastrous Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra starring Leontyne Price in an overblown, big-budget, epic fiasco. The great roles that followed the 1965 Cleopatra were Manon, Queen Elizabeth I in Roberto Deveraux, Maria Stuarda and Anna Bolena in the Donizetti Tudor Queen operas, Pamira in The Siege of Corinth (which were Sill's La Scala and belated Met debut. None of the Queens are featured in this recording, though its supposedly the Very Best Of. An aria from Rossini's Siege of Corinth is featured here however. What we are treated to however are fine lyric roles- Beverly Sills shone brightly and acted convincingly as Gilda in Rigoletto (the final scene is featured here) as Violetta in La Traviata, Thais, The Merry Widow (the beautiful Vilja is featured here)and the ingenue role of Norina in Don Pasquale is also showcased here. To each of these roles, Beverly Sills delivered an authenticity and dramatic interpretation, not ot mention beautiful, sweet tone. I love her pianissimos, her high notes, her chest register. It was the voice of Beverly Sills who first hooked me into opera. For a recording that should showcase her best work, Manon is not featured nor any of her prized French heroines- Marie in The Daughter of the Regiment and the heroines in Tales of Hoffman. Also not in here is the role that was her first success- the Broadway opera Ballad of Baby Doe. Even as such, the arias here are gorgeous. The Barber of Seville is in here and as Rosina she is playful and charming. Sills was a modern singer, with a voice that was beautiful but willing to sacrifice beauty for the sake of dramatic content. When Sills was once asked what she thought of the supposed rivalry with Joan Sutherland (which was never real and only gossip from partisan fans) Beverly said something to this effect -Joan and I are apples and oranges in our take on opera, we are Picasso and Monet. She would do anything for the effect of beauty and tone, I'd sacrifice beauty for the sake of dramatic text. Even as such, I see no ugliness to any of the roles here. All of them are beautiful to hear, full of rich floating celestial tones. It would have been nice to hear the roles that did call for Sills to step up the tense drama - Norma, will her recording ever be reissued by EMI ? Also, few people know that Beverly Sills sung role most would consider dangerous for her voice (though she sang them long before her career even took off)- Aida and Carmen!!

Average customer rating:

A primadonna showpiece of dubious style
Sills and Horne...it should have been recorded
Famous performance offers extraordinary singing but not very good sound
UNBELIEVABLE VOCAL SPLENDOUR
Believe the Hype

Rossini: L'Assedio di Corinto

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

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Handel - Julius Caesar / Treigle · Sills · Forrester · Wolff · NYCO · Rudel
Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor: Complete Opera (with full libretto and translation)
Massenet: Manon
Donizetti - Three Queens (Anna Bolena ~ Maria Stuarda ~ Roberto Devereux)

ASIN: B00005Y84R
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Tracks:

Sinf - Thomas Schippers
Act One: Signor, Un Sol Tuo Cenno - Chor
Act One: Del Vincitor Superbo... Guerrieri, A Noi S'affida - Franco Bonisolli/Marilyn Horne/Paolo Washingon/Chor
Act One: Tua Figlia M'e Promessa.. Destin Terribile - Marilyn Horne/Franco Bonisolli/Beverly Sills/Chor
Act One: Di Morte Il Suon Mando... La Data Fe - Chor/Beverly Sills/Franco Bonisolli/Marilyn Horne
Act One: Dal Ferro Del Forte - Chor
Act One: Duce Di Tanti Di Tanti Eroi - Justino Diaz
Act One: Trionfammo, Signor - Gianni Foiani/Justino Diaz/Franco Bonisolli/Beverly Sills/Chor
Act One: Pamira Mi Sei Resa - Justino Diaz/Beverly Sills/Franco Bonisolli/Milna Paoli/Gianni Foiani/Chor
Act Two: Cielo! Che Diverro? - Beverly Sills
Act Two: Sgombra Il Timor... Che Vedo? Ohime? - Justino Diaz/Beverly Sills
Act Two: Vinci, Pamira... Imen Le Dona - Justino Diaz/Milna Paoli/Chor

Tracks:

Act Two: Divin Profeta - Chor
Act Two: Pamira... Questa Altar - Justino Diaz/Beverly Sills/Marilyn Horne
Act Two: Sian Tolti A Lui Quel Ferri - Justino Diaz/Marilyn Horne/Beverly Sills/Gianni Foiani/Milna Paoli/Chor
Act Three: Avanziam... Questo E Il Luogo - Marilyn Horne/Piero Di Palma
Act Three: Signor, Che Tutto Puoi - Beverly Sills/Marilyn Horne
Act Three: Signor, Ben Credo... Sei Tu, Che Stendi, O Dio - Marilyn Horne
Act Three: O Mio Cleomene! - Marilyn Horne/Franco Bonisolli/Beverly Sills
Act Three: Celeste Providenza - Marilyn Horne/Beverly Sills/Franco Bonisolli
Act Three: Tutto Percorsi Il Marzial Recinto - Paolo Washington/Franco Bonisolli/Beverly Sills/Milna Paoli/Marilyn Horne/Chor
Act Three: Nube Di Sangue Intrisa - Paolo Washington
Act Three: Questo Nome, Che Suona Vittoria - Paolo Washington/Thomas Schippers
Act Three: L'ora Fatal S'appressa... Giusto Ciel! In Tal Periglio - Beverly Sills/Milna Paoli/Women's Chor
Act Three: Ma Qual Mal Suona Funebre Accento? - Beverly Sills/Milna Paoli/Justino Diaz/Chor

Customer Reviews:

A primadonna showpiece of dubious style.......2007-02-26

I've been fascinated by this 1969 production since I read an interview of the great Renata Tebaldi who performed the opera early in her career and who basically dismissed the way Rossini's music was performed in this Scala production. She claimed that by the time he wrote it, Rossini wanted to move away from florid music. Initially I thought Tebaldi was excusing herself for not performing the florid music but a little bit of research proved me wrong.

The great reviewer L.E. Cantrel below touched on this and his instincts were right but it isn't only the excessive ornamentation that is out of place here. The role of Pamyra is in the same group as Matilde in Gulielmo Tell and obviously Anna in Maometto. As such, the tessitura very much lies in the middle of the voice requiring anything but a high coloratura. Secondly, Assedio did not originally have a contralto but a tenor role because Rossini knew that in France, where he first presented Siege, they did not like women in male roles. The music he wrote for his tenor, unlike the trouser Calbo in Maometto, was not very ornamented.

When Schippers decided to have a contralto as Neocle in Assedio (and none other than Marilyn Horne) he also had to bring back the music from Maometto otherwise Horne would be useless. With Sills regular upward transpositions, a borrowed aria from an early Rossini opera and interpolated high notes solved the problem of Pamyra's tessitura and pleased the crowd who after all didn't know much about this obscure work.

What came out was spectacular singing by both ladies who without a doubt sieged La Scala. Rossini's intentions were of course dismissed and this ends up sounding more like most of his very florid early works without the more sophisticated style that is still preserved in Gulielmo Tell. I'm not dismissing his early works but it is nice to see a different side of him which this recording however doesn't offer us. The sound is adequate and the supporting cast good with promising beginners. For Sills, Horne and all coloratura fans it's a must but for Rossini studies you should look further as it doesn't deserve the 4 stars I gave for the singing..:-)

Sills and Horne...it should have been recorded.......2006-07-10

I bought this after reading all the superlatives lavished on this recording, and yes, they are correct. But while it is all extremely exciting and virtuosic, it is also very beautiful. This opera contains some wonderfully melancholic music by rossini and sills magically spins the lines, creating a chilling atmosphere, much as she does with the opening scena of Lucia. It is also interesting to hear here live because she really was a daredevil and goes for all the notes and trills that one wishes many other sopranos would try for also. She is not always successful as can be heard at the end of the first ensemble where she goes for a high 'e' but sort of just squeels. Also, it's interesting to note the size of her voice in comparison to her colleagues. It can be heard quite well on its own, but when she sings with others, such as horne, one can really tell that Sills' voice is really lacking in size. Anyways, the sound is what you would expect from D'oro, though I thought it would be a little better because it was recorded in 1969. Alas, it should have been done in the studio!

Famous performance offers extraordinary singing but not very good sound.......2006-01-07

Source: Live performance at La Scala in Milan, April 14, 1969.

Sound: Not very good, no better than fair--and that is a very generous assessment. Rest assured, anyone who buys this set must do it for the performance, not for the sound reproduction.

From the applause heard so close to the microphone pick-up, it is clear that this set was recorded from the audience. Since the orchestra and voices are in fairly good balance--or at least, not in as bad balance as found on many pirate recordings--and the cheering from the audience in the cheap seats is rather distant, my guess is that the pirate-recordist was sitting on the main floor, but away from the stage, well toward the back of the house. His or her recording equipment was far from state-of-the-art for 1969.

Cast: Pamira - Beverly Sills; Neocle - Marilyn Horne; Cleomene - Franco Bonisolli; Maometto II - Justino Diaz; Jero - Paulo Washington; Omar - Gianni Foiani; Ismene - Milna Paoli; Adrasto - Piero Di Palma. Conductor: Thomas Schippers with the Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan.

Text: This is one of those operas that offers--or rather suffers from--a multiplicity of texts. In Rossini's time, the best way for a worldly young composer (of which Rossini was a sterling example) to make pots of money was to write operas. Operas were commissioned by impresarios for performance during a specific season for a specific theater. After that, any scoundrel who could get his hands on the score or a reasonable facsimile thereof, could offer the piece as he saw fit--and Rossini (or Bellini or Donizetti) could whistle for his money. Only the presence of the composer on the spot to oversee an authentic performance was likely to guarantee that any money would find its way into his pockets.

In 1820, Rossini delivered this opera as "Maometto II." It came with a tragic conclusion. Two years later, he obtained another payday, but at a less sophisticated theater whose impresario demanded a happy ending. Rossini dutifully delivered one. Some years after that, Rossini hit the jackpot by receiving an invitation to present his opera in Paris, at the richest opera house in the world. The French, of course, fancied themselves as more cultivated than the over-emotional Italians. They certainly regarded Italianate vocal fireworks as more than a bit uncouth, so they demanded more sedate and dignified vocal lines as well as translation into their own language. Since the cause of Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire had become fashionable, they also demanded a change in plot: the opera would no longer sing the tale of the overwhelming of Negroponte, an Italian military colony; now it would be about the fall of Corinth, a suitably Greek town. Rossini gave them everything they wanted with the renamed "Le siege de Corinthe," then happily counted his money.

The revised opera was a hit in Paris. Back in Italy, French success acted as good advertising for local performances, so enterprising gentlemen translated the new French libretto into Italian as "L'assedio di Corinto," and tossed in whichever snippets of Rossini's music came to hand, even as they absent-mindedly neglected to send any money in Rossini's way.

And it has now come to pass that Amazon offers "Maometto II"--in both the 1820 and the 1822 versions, "Le siege de Corinthe" and "L'assedio di Corinto," the last in versions that reflect both Rossini's Frenchified approach and the uncorseted, unabashedly Italianate form under consideration in this review.

Documentation: Typical anemic Opera d'Oro package. No libretto. A few hundred words on the background of the opera. A few hundred words summarizing the plot. Track list.

Performance: An Amazon reviewer writing back in 2003 had this to say: "This is absolutely the most spectacular coloratura singing ever done by Beverly Sills. It's her debut at La Scala and it was a triumph." I quite agree, both about the singing and the triumph. I further affirm that the singing of Marilyn Horne is equally impressive, and in no way overshadowed by Sills. On the basis of those two tremendous performances, I have no qualms about endorsing the five-star ratings assigned by eleven of the thirteen previous reviewers.

But ... I can't help remembering a story about Rossini that is so well-documented and so widely spread that it might even be true. In his old age, the grand old man lived in Paris, self-acknowledged center of all the universe. A young, up-and-coming singer of fabulous potential--she might have been Adelina Patti--was presented to him. She sang "Una voce poco fa" from "The Barber of Seville," putting into it every trill, high note and spectacular decoration of which she was capable, all in the hope of impressing the great composer. When she was finished, Rossini smiled, applauded politely and said, "That was a nice tune. Who wrote it?"

I have no close familiarity with this score. I am satisfied to take the assurance of earlier reviewers that Sills, like Patti before her, tossed in astonishing high notes, glistening coloratura passages, exquisite trills and probably a kitchen sink or two. It was perfectly proper that she do so, for opera is show biz written large, and a large part, perhaps most, of the audience comes to hear just that sort of stunt singing. They generously award their bravissimas for it, and they depart the opera house warmly content in the knowledge that they have received good value for the outrageous prices of their tickets. After they leave, only curmudgeons like me and Rossini are left to mutter, "That was nice. Who wrote it?"

The rest of the performance is all right. Justino Diaz was a good, reliable singer but not, I think, on anyone's A-list of great bass-baritones. Franco Bonisolli could sometimes be a fine, stirring tenor. Cleomene is not one of his signature roles. Schippers and the orchestra seem to be OK, but the recording quality does them no favors.

HISTORICAL NOTE: In 1453, Sultan Mehmet (Mohammed II or Maometto II) captured Constantinople to the enormous dismay of Christendom. When the torn corpse of Constantine XI was brought before him, having been found among the piled bodies of Constantinople's final defenders and identified by the golden eagles sewn upon his shoes, the great sultan gave the last of the Byzantine emperors an honorable burial. Mehmet then divided the churches of the City equally between the victorious Moslems and his new Christian subjects and, from the very throne of the Roman Caesars, returned the pastoral staff to Patriarch Gennadius.

Mehmet busied himself with restoring, improving and re-populating the former Constantinople, now Istanbul [from the ubiquitous road signs, "eis ton polis" (to the city)]. For years he disdained to take notice of the mini-"empires" established in Greece by the tag ends of old Byzantine dynasties. In 1469, however, he wearied of the endless civil wars among the Greek dynasts. Leading a small but sufficient fraction of his total forces, the Sultan simply rolled over their strongholds, one of which was Corinth. Those of the would-be emperors that he captured he pensioned off, then sent them into exile in Rumania. Those who managed to escape to Italy and elsewhere busied themselves for the remainder of their squalid lives by selling off claims to the imperial title to any western prince foolish enough to pay them.

The mighty conqueror, Mehmet, continued to scare the bejabbers out of the princes and prelates of Europe until, to their vast relief, he died in 1481.

UNBELIEVABLE VOCAL SPLENDOUR.......2005-06-29

Singing like this - I did not think it possible. This must be the best performace with Beverly Sills ever recorded and one of the best in the history of recording!

Believe the Hype.......2005-04-04

I'm not big on live recordings, but this is one of such historical significance that I figured I had to have it. And I was curious. Could Sills really be as marvelous as legend and the other Amazon reviews have said? Well, yes...and then some. OK, she hits one clinker somewhere on the first disc (nobody's perfect), but this is a truly goosebump-inducing performance. Now I get why Sills became the mega-star she did. And the supporting cast (Diaz & Horne in particular) are just as good. Electrifying from start to finish, this is a must-have for anyone interested in the history of 20th century operatic performance -- and those who just want to wallow in thrilling music and splendid singing.

Passion - Most Famous Orchestral Spectaculars [20 CD Set]

Average customer rating:

A good gift for novice

Passion - Most Famous Orchestral Spectaculars [20 CD Set]

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Rendezvous of Angels - Concert Collection [20 CD Set]
Classical Masterpieces of the Millennium [20 CD Set]
Classical Evolution: Spanish Guitar Music

ASIN: B00012QLTQ
Release Date: 2003-12-09

Album Description

Music can be both calming and relaxing, or invigorating and passionate...this phenomenal 20-CD set is definitely the latter. This amazing collection brings together for the first time the most passionate music of all time, from Ravel's Bolero, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Wagner's Magic Fire Music to Ravel's La Valse, Orff 's Carmina Burana and Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. This is a must have collection for every passionate music lover.

Customer Reviews:

A good gift for novice.......2007-05-12

This was a good gift for somebody learning about Classical music in Japan.

Average customer rating:

King of overtures on display
Dynamic Rossini
High Excitement
Amuse-Bocuse for the Ears!
All the Rossini I need!

Rossini: Overtures (14)

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Famous Overtures
William Tell & Other Favorite Overtures
Suppé: Famous Overtures
Suppe: Overtures
Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures

ASIN: B00000425N
Release Date: 1995-06-13

Tracks:

Overtures: Guillaume Tell - G. Rossini
Overtures: Il signor Bruschino - G. Rossini
Overtures: Il viaggio a Reims - G. Rossini
Overtures: La scala di seta - G. Rossini
Overtures: La gazza ladra - G. Rossini
Overtures: Il turco in Italia - G. Rossini
Overtures: L'Italiana in Algeri - G. Rossini

Tracks:

Overtures: Il barbiere di Siviglia - Gioacchino Rossini
Overtures: Torvaldo e Dorliska - Gioacchino Rossini
Overtures: La cambiale di matrimonio - Gioacchino Rossini
Overtures: Otello - Gioacchino Rossini
Overtures: Semiramide - Gioacchino Rossini
Overtures: La Siege de Corinthe - Gioacchino Rossini
Overtures: Tancredi - Gioacchino Rossini

Amazon.com essential recording

Rossini's Overtures are absolute jewels of the Classical period. He used them as his musical "calling cards," and with the exception of William Tell, there's absolutely no relationship between the overture and opera it introduces. The famous Barber of Seville overture, for example, was used previously for two tragic operas, including one called Elizabeth, Queen of England! All they were supposed to do was entertain the audience and let them know that the real business was about to begin. And that's just what they've been doing ever since. This comprehensive collection, at two discs for the price of one, will keep you in Rossini for a good, long time. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

King of overtures on display.......2007-03-07

This 2-disc set contains 14 overtures by the master of this musical form himself, G. Rossini. The music quality is good - standard for digital, the orchestration is clear, and each CD provides about 1 hour of good, lively music. The choice of music is also great, making this set a great buy.

Dynamic Rossini.......2005-04-26

For Rossini lovers, this album gives you a sample of Rossini at his best. The dynamic range of the composer, his verve and vitality delivered in the most popular overtures ever written.
The quality of the recordings is very good, and should satify any and all Rossini fans. I love to kick back, with a set of ear phones and absorb the incredible sound and muscularity of Rossini. Well worth the price of admission.

High Excitement.......2005-03-02

I originally bought the LP versions way back before CDs were introduced. High excitement is the best way I can describe the performances. I have heard nothing since to equal Chailly's energetic read. I haven't gotten this CD version yet, but the first volume one did have better quality miking then the second volume. The price makes it worth just buying the CD instead of trying to digitize my LPs.

Amuse-Bocuse for the Ears!.......2004-09-10

Just as amuse-boche is meant to entertain and tempt the tastebuds for the coming courses in a gourmet meal, so does the overture function in the operatic banquet.

Rossini is one of the greatest overture composers, and here is collection of fourteen of his best!

They are soaring and delightful. Especially captivated by some that were new to me, causing one to want to followup with the opera-- a brilliant way to cause interest in operatic world. These included the likes of Otell, Semiramide and Le Siege de Corinthe.

Amazing and vibrant double CD collection!

All the Rossini I need!.......2003-06-30

As far as I'm concerned, I don't need to search the field for any other Rossini overture CDs--this 2-CD set has it covered. Chailly's interpretations of these pieces are wonderfully exuberant, and the National Philharmonic plays with precision and flair. These CDs have become the standard I use to judge other recordings of Rossini overtures. Granted, they're not perfect: As another reviewer pointed out, Chailly takes some passages differently than we're used to hearing them (the end of the Barber of Seville overture is faster than usual, for example). However, the orchestra is so competent and the conductor so assured that these small, occasional differences are refreshing rather than annoying. As well, there are (very) occasional moments where the orchestra slips a little out of synch, but only because they're having so much fun playing the music. This is Rossini the way it was meant to sound--playful, melodious and energetic to the end.

Average customer rating:

Excellent performance and recording
Very Nice
Sparkling Performances

Rossini: Complete Overtures

Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00009KV0W
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Customer Reviews:

Excellent performance and recording.......2007-02-02

If you like Rossini, this is an a must-have recording. Sure, he tended to write the same pieces over and over again, but they are utterly delightful. These performances by Neville Marriner and his personal orchestra are precise, and the fun inherent in many of these works does not get lost in the shuffle. The orchestra is blessed with excellent woodwind players; just listen to the oboe on some of the really fast passages.

Nice recorded sound. I really don't have anything bad to say about this entire package. It's almost a desert island recording for times where Mahler or Beethoven might be a little (or a lot) heavy.

Very Nice.......2005-03-17

Yes, these overtures may be cliched, but every classical collector should probably have them. Marriner, as usual, gives great performances, and the sound quality is very good.

Sparkling Performances.......2003-09-15

I only have glowing things to say about this set of Rossini overtures. First of all, Rossini's overtures are brilliant gems. They are light, fun and full of life!! Secondly, Marriner's conducting is marvellous. The performance sparkle like precious diamonds. Everything is very enjoyable, there's not a single boring number, unlike many other discs you purchase. And to top it off, it comes at a terrific bargain price. 3 very full CDs - 75 mins, 30 mins and 65 mins - of top notch music at seven dollars a piece is incredible.

Average customer rating:

Nice Voice
a voice teacher and early music fan
Sumi Jo- coloratura supreme
Prayerful and beautiful
A spectalce of voice and vocalization

Sumi Jo - Prayers / James Conlon
Gioachino Rossini , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Richard Strauss , Giulio Caccini , Maurice Ravel , Gabriel Fauré , Anonymous , Franz Schubert , Charles Gounod , Gaetano Donizetti , Zbigniew Preisner , Leonard Bernstein , Johann Strauss II , Frederick Loewe , James Conlon , Sumi Jo , and Susan Graham
Manufacturer: Erato
ProductGroup: Music
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ASIN: B0000560N6
Release Date: 2001-03-20

Tracks:

Kaddisch
Laudate Dominum
Ave Maria
Amazing Grace
Breit' Uber Mein Haupt
L'assedio Di Corinto: L' Ora Fatal S'appressa... Guisto Ciel !
Pie Jesu
Der Vierjahrige Posten: Gott! hore Meine Stimme!
Sanctus
Maria Stuarda: Preghiera Di Maria
Lacrimosa
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: Take Care Of This House - Sumi Jo/Phil Chor Koln/Susan Graham
Nun's Chor/Casanova: Laura's Song
Gigi: Say A Prayer For me Tonight
Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child

Amazon.com

This program seems designed primarily to display soprano Sumi Jo's fabulous singing and famous stylistic eclecticism. However, it also exhibits an admirable religious inclusiveness, encompassing expressions of faith from the Latin liturgy to Negro spirituals; there is even a Richard Strauss song that is essentially a paean to love. An incongruous note is struck by a nun's song from an operetta by Benatzky that is a corny Viennese waltz and by a soundtracklike arrangement of a 16th-century Ave Maria. Ranging from Mozart to Broadway, this musical mix is held together by Sumi Jo's ravishingly beautiful, pure, warm voice and the way she can color and inflect it, and by her mastery of every style (though not every language; her German in particular is unintelligible). Her intonation is impeccable, her breath control incredible. Jo's top notes soar triumphantly, and she can sustain them indefinitely, with enough power left to make a crescendo at the end. Highlights include Ravel's "Kaddisch," which sends shivers down the spine; arias from operas by Rossini and Donizetti; and arias from sacred works by Gounod and Fauré. Of two spirituals, the second one is simpler and more convincing. The accompanying forces are excellent; James Conlon doubles as pianist when not conducting. Susan Graham also makes an appearance in the moving invocation "Take Care of This House" from Bernstein's 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Nice Voice.......2007-05-06

Sumi Jo has a beautiful voice but her renditions of Motherless Child and Amazing Grace were not impressive at all. The vibrato was too uncontrollable. The Ave Maria was so,so. I did not hear the richeness others have declared in their assesments. Don't get me wrong, the instrument is quite beautiful but only in some selected selections.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-02-17

"Music and poetry emerge from man's desire to give thanks, to praise and to pray to his gods. One of the magical powers of the human voice is that it can fly, on the wings of songs (a la Mendelssohn) to heaven and appear to be in direct communication with God." Therefore, it is no surprise that prayer is omnipresent throughout the history of music. Sumi Jo has chosen an excellent representation of songs including most styles and periods which include : Baroque (Caccini)-Classical (Mozart)-Contemporary (Preisner)-Romantic Opera (Rossini,Donizetti)-German 'Singspiel'(Schubert)-Lieder (Richard Strauss)-French church music (Gounod ,Faure)-traditional music (spiritual)-Jewish melodies (Ravel)-Viennese operetta (Johann Strauss) and the American musical (Bernstein).

Sumi Jo, born in Korea,is a much sought after coloratura soprano, having triumphed on stage, and in recitals all over the world. Not being fond of coloraturas, I make an exception for her voice, because of its depth along with the very high register. She shows a great deal of sensitivity to all of her varied selections on this disc, and each delivery is a 'gem' unto itself.

I must personally comment on those works that I particularly enjoy. Hearing her sing Mozart's 'Laudate Dominum' was a real treat; it doesn't matter how often one hears that lovely piece, just like all of his music, it 'wears' well. The 'Pie Jesu' was absolutely stunning as Sumi Jo sang it, and it is a pleasure for me to hear the selection from "GIGI" by Lerner & Loewe; not being a great broadway fan, I have always liked that specific musical. I think because it was well-done when I saw it years and years ago.

This disc is abolutely totally enjoyable. There is something for all musical tastes, and the conductor/pianist James Conlon does a great job pulling it together!!!!!

Sumi Jo- coloratura supreme.......2006-04-09

One word: Lacrimosa. It haunts you and will stay with you long after you hear it. I actually forced several if my coworkers to listen to it many of which are not opera fans and even they could not argue the beauty of it. One of my coworkers was actual on the verge of tears by the end of the song.

The rest of the album is enchanting as well as breath taking. I am a harsh critic when it comes to singers so I do not give those compliments very often, nor am I easily moved by singers but Sumi Jo has certainly done that with this album.

My only complaint is that I would have liked to hear her take of "Ave Maria" by Schubert which, while recorded many times over, would complimented her voice perfectly due to it's simplicity. "Sing low sweet chariot" would have been another great one to hear but as far as spirtuals are concerned I was very happy with her acepella version of "Amazing Grace." I was never a huge fan of "Amazing Grace" since it's been done a thousand times over but she brought such seetness and emotion to it. Of course I am kind of biased becuase I offically hate the "belting" version of this song and that's how it's usually done. It's nice to hear a simple, straight forward version.

My last comment is that it's nice to hear Sumi Jo sing less operatic pieces considering most opera singers are rarely bold enough to sing anything other than classical pieces, excluding Renee Fleming of recent.

Prayerful and beautiful.......2005-11-14

It is a refreshing change to have a collection of arias on a CD with a title that actually bears some relevance to the contents. This is indeed a prayerful collection. That means, of course, that you have to be in the appropriately contemplative mood in order to appreciate it.

Another nice change is that the orchestral accompaniment enhances the singing rather than just tagging along as an afterthought, which often seems to be the case. It is fitting that James Conlon gets equal billing here. This is splendid singing to splendid music.

Sumi Jo is comfortable in any language and in a broad range of styles. I was uncertain how she would tackle songs like Amazing Grace and Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child. I need not have worried. In the latter she reveals a soulfulness that fits the lyrics perfectly.

The only track not worthy of this collection is Bernstein's Take Care of This House. I suppose, as it is a prayer, it was an obvious song to include, and Jo sings it very well, but it is just a very poor song. That still leaves 14 excellent tracks that, if you are a lover of good singing, you will want in your collection.

A spectalce of voice and vocalization.......2004-12-29

I bought this used from an Amazon.com dealer and it came with a cutout on the left side of the CD box. Can this specacular CD possibly have gone out of print by Christmas 2004? If so we have lost one of the benchmark recordings of this splendid artist.

Never is there a weak moment in this incredibly beautiful collection of classical bleeding chunks and spirituals. I don't think you'll confuse Sumi for your favorite spiritual singer in "Amazing Grace" and "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child" but she is magnificent singing the complete and incomplete tunes elsewhere on the CD by famous classical composers including Mozart, Richard Strauss, Rossini, Schubert and Donizetti, to name some of them.

She is in wonderful voice and fresh-faced for the Loewe-Lerner "Say a prayer for me tonight" and does an equally nice job with Susan Graham accompanying Leonard Bernstein's "Take care of this house" from "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue". I'm not much for this kind of music -- I bought this exclusively for her rendition of Mozart's "Laudate Dominum" -- but it adds a dimension to the concert that brings it into the realm of popular Broadway tunes.

This is a wonderful concert of familiar and not so familiar songs from a singer whose voice is eloquent, beautiful and rich, with significant range and span from PPP to FFF. Sumi Jo controls her voice well throughout the concert, giving everyone something to think about regardelss of musical preference. This might have been improved if she'd included a Beatles tune -- maybe "Elenor Rigby" or "Yesterday" -- accompanied by the orchestra and James Conlon's direction. But it stands with any similar collection by any singer as it is.

Average customer rating:

A fab collection of the loveliest soprano voice ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
LA SUPERBA!
Madame Caballé is great!!!
Amazing collection!
Cannot be called an "ultimate" collection

Montserrat Caballé: Ultimate Collection

Manufacturer: RCA
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ASIN: B00000J914
Release Date: 1999-05-25

Tracks:

La Boheme: Si. Mi chiamano Mimi
Norma: Casta diva
L'Assedio di Corinto: Giusto ciel! In tal periglio
Sapho: O ma lyre immortelle
Semiramide: Serbami ognor... Alle piu calde immagini
Otello: Piangea cantando (Willow Song) -
Otello: Ave Maria
Herodiade: Il est doux, il est bon
Lucrezia Borgia: Tranquillo ei posa... Com'e bello!
Suor Angelica: Senza mamma
Rigoletto: Caro nome
La Sonnambula: Ah! non credea mirarti

Tracks:

La Traviata: E strano, e strano! -
La Traviata: Follie! Follie! -
La Traviata: Sempre libera degg'io
TOSCA: Vissi d'arte
Il corsaro: Egli non riede ancora!
Il corsaro: Non so le tetre immagini
Armida: D'amore al dolce impero
I Pagliacci: Qual fiamma avea nel guardo!
Roberto Devereux: E Sara in questi orribili momenti... Vivi, ingrato
Il Trovatore: D'amor sull'ali rosee
Stabat Mater: Inflammatus et accensus
Adriana Lecouvreur: Io son l'umile ancella
Anna Bolena: Al dolce guidami
Adelson e Salvini: Dopo l'oscuro nembo
I Vespri Sicillani: Arrigo! Ah, parli a un core

Customer Reviews:

A fab collection of the loveliest soprano voice ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1.......2005-12-23

First off this two cd set is for the price of one,that is always great.Montserrat caballe is the star of this cdset,and she demonstrates all that is beautiful in singing,on ever track.Her ave maria from othello is included here.It is one of the best performed arias by caballe ever,she ends it with a heavenly piano top note.Also included is her magical casta diva from norma.Caballe sings all these arias with her legendary sound and breath control.On this set there are plenty of examples of long sustained notes,seemless legato,glorious high notes,and magically floated soft notes.Check out the cover to,there are some great photos of Caballe in opera costumes.These cds have great sound,and play for over two hours,too.

LA SUPERBA!.......2005-11-22

Montserrat Caballe is an amazing person and an amazing singer. In my opinion she has a more beautiful voice than Maria Callas. The high notes she reaches are just fantastic! Her Sempre Libera is the best ever! Her Ave Maria is stunning and her Vissi D arte is really moving. Her voice is so beautiful, it's as if it's an angels voice coming from her.

Madame Caballé is great!!!.......2003-04-06

This collection of Caballé's recordings is fantastic! Her soprano is the most beautiful that has been recorded. L. Price, Tebaldi, Ponselle, and a few others have gorgeous voices, but can any of those voices compare with Caballé's? Caballé's singing throughout is of the highest standard. Her "Ave Maria" is spectacular. "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore" has never sounded more beautiful. I love her "Non so le tetre immagini". Such beautiful singing does not come any better than this. Her "Caro nome" is disappointing. She is clearly not suited to this aria. "Inflammatus et accensus" is glorious. The later recordings are nice, but they are not the best Caballé has committed to disc. "Il est doux, il est bon" betrays a slight wobble in her otherwise still beautiful voice. "Dopo l'oscuro nembo" features very respectable soft singing from Caballé. This version does not do justice to Bellini's exquisite orchestration. For a version that does, check out Opera Rara's "The Collection: Volume 2". That version features competent singing from an inferior-voiced soprano, but the orchestra is ravishing. The one reviewer who mentioned the aria from "I Vespri Siciliani" as having "fioriture effects Berio could sign on to" is incorrect. The aria included here is not "Mercè, dilette amiche". That aria is more famous and much more florid than the aria included in this collection, "Arrigo, parli a un core". By the way, Caballé performs this aria ravishingly well. This is a superb testament to one of the all-time greats in opera.

Amazing collection!.......2003-04-05

I will write this review objectively, but I will not avoid praising Caballé when praise is due.

First off, this compilation is amazing! I have always thrilled to hearing Caballé's voice and this compilation is no different. I am amazed at Caballé's instrument; such extraordinary purity combined with great power! Even when she sings pianissimo, she can be clearly heard! Her voice literally fills up the room. These arias really show off her remarkable voice. Of special note is her rendition of the hauntingly beautiful "Non so le tetre immagini". Amazing! Her "D'amor sull'ali rosee" is exquisite, but she sings it too softly. Her trill is quite weak. Voices like hers don't respond well to being forced to trill. The tracks from the 1990's show off the remarkable preservation of her voice. The voice retains its purity and beautiful timbre, but is now heavier and darker. "Sempre libera" is not that good. Her coloratura is not up to par with Verdi's demands and she cannot hit the high E-flat at the end. However, she sings the main part of Violetta's aria very well, with supple, gorgeous tone and ravishing pianissimos. "Ah! non credea mirarti" is ravishing, but it is missing its energetic cabaletta. Presumably, it was cut because Caballé could not deal with the coloratura. Caballé's legato lines in this aria are superb. Her version of the "Lucrezia Borgia" Prologue is masterful. Elizabeth's last aria from "Roberto Devereux" is noble and touching. She is not quite Sills, but that aria benefits from a spinto voice instead of a soubrette one. Her aristocratic phrasing is very well used throughout the selections, with a few exceptions. Her "Willow Song" is beautiful, first time on CD. However, she fails to completely show Desdemona's despair. Some parts were good, but the whole thing failed to touch the heart. Her phrasing here is too indulgent. I have to say that I prefer Sutherland's touching version on her "The Art of the Prima Donna" recording. However, I loved "Ave Maria". Caballé sounds most beautiful when singing softly and this selection really shows her in the best light. Her cadenzas are intoxicatingly beautiful. "Caro nome" is not really her aria. The coloratura is suspect and some of the staccati are replaced with upward flourishes. She avoids the last short passage of staccati. Her phrasing in this aria is way too indulgent and she really fails to suggest Gilda's innocence. Even Sutherland is better at portraying Gilda's girlish qualities. Her "Armida" aria has some nice coloratura. She does the runs really well and is fearless in the triplet passages. For some reason, she does not sing the second "fronde" in the first line of the third stanza nor does she sing the last line of this stanza, "i muti abitator". She also does not sing the last line of the fifth stanza, "il tempo vorator". Caballé's first recorded version of "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore" is included here. This just may be the most beautiful version of this aria ever recorded. It certainly is Caballé's best version of the aria. The climax is handled in one breath by Caballé. She diminuendos the big high note twice in the same breath. Amazing! The rolling of the "r" in "Signor" after the last diminuendo is quite nasal and reminds us that the sound we are hearing is coming from a human throat. It also shows that these diminuendos are natural and not studio produced. She infuses Tosca's aria with real feeling and piety. The compilation ends with a knockout reading of "Arrigo, parli a un core". Caballé is at her best in this aria. She sings softly to stunning effect. This version may be the most beautiful of this particular aria ever recorded. RCA has done Caballé justice with this wonderful collection. Caballé is truly a remarkable artist with a million-dollar voice. Brava!

Cannot be called an "ultimate" collection.......2003-02-05

This is a prime example of the a major recording label being fickle with the goods, in order to force you to continue buying other recitals and full-length studio recordings. Of course, any Caballe fan would already want to own those other recordings anyway, so the point is moot.

Other reviewers here have cried out against the exclusion of one of her most essential and artistic roles, Imogene from Il Pirata. I would like to emphatically express the same. In fact, I would even have settled for the exclusion of Casta Diva, in favor of Col Sorriso di Innocenza.

Some other stellar recordings not represented her are the Sleepwalking Scene from MacBeth, and Pace, Pace Mio Dio from La Forza del Destino. Also worth mentioning is her O Patria Mia from Aida. She might not be Leontyne Price or Martina Arroyo, but she gives a superb reading of this wonderful aria.

Of course, brevity does require some editing- a true "Ultimate" Caballe collection would span four or five CDs, at least- but to include late-career and less-than-best selections at the expense of others is a crime.

Tracks:

Sinfonia: Andante
Sinfonia: Allegro
Sinfonia: Signor, un sol tuo cenno
Sinfonia: Del vincitor duperbo di Bisanzio
Sinfonia: In cosi reo periglio
Sinfonia: Guerrieri, a noi s'affida
Sinfonia: Si combattete, il ciel ne reggera
Sinfonia: Tua figlia m'e promessa
Sinfonia: Destin terrible
Sinfonia: Di morte il suon mando
Sinfonia: Dal ferro del forte
Sinfonia: Duce di tanti eroi
Sinfonia: Trionfammo signor
Sinfonia: Che affano, o ciel
Sinfonia: Pamira me sei resa
Sinfonia: L'alma che geme
Sinfonia: Cielo, che diverro?
Sinfonia: Si, ferite, il chieggo, il merto
Sinfonia: Dal soggiorno degli estini
Sinfonia: Sgombra il timor
Sinfonia: Che vedo, ohime
Sinfonia: Potrei lasciar che l'alma
Sinfonia: Vinci Pamira, il terror che t'arresta

Tracks:

Sinfonia: Divin profeta
Sinfonia: Pamira?
Sinfonia: E suo germano
Sinfonia: Sian tolti a lui que ferri
Sinfonia: O sol di chi t'adora
Sinfonia: Corinto in suon di sdegno
Sinfonia: Sfidiam della sorte l'ingiusto figor
Sinfonia: Ebbene; il nuovo sole
Sinfonia: All'armi, all'armi strage
Sinfonia: Avanziam, questo e il luogo
Sinfonia: Salve asil dellal morte
Sinfonia: Non temer d'un basso affetto
Sinfonia: Del periglio al fero aspetto
Sinfonia: Signor, che tutto puoi
Sinfonia: No, no, ben credo
Sinfonia: O mio Cleomene
Sinfonia: Perfida, a che vieni?...
Sinfonia: Celeste provvidenza
Sinfonia: Tutto percosi il marzial recinto
Sinfonia: Chiuso serbate il cor
Sinfonia: Nube di sangue intrisa
Sinfonia: Oh patria, oh patria
Sinfonia: Questo nome che suona vittoria
Sinfonia: L'ora fatal s'appressa
Sinfonia: Giusto ciel!...
Sinfonia: Ma qual mai suona funebre accento

Average customer rating:

A Wonderful Recital with Caballe at her Best
no news
Montserrat Caballe's Claim To Fame
Welcome to the Caballe school of singing!

Rarities: Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 2004-10-12

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful Recital with Caballe at her Best.......2006-12-10

At the wake of Maria Callas' explorations into the bel canto repertoire, great sopranos such as Joan Sutherland, Leyla Gencer, and most importantly, Montserrat Caballe, dominated the Italian repertoire during their careers to revive the forgotten operas of Donizetti, Bellini, Verdi, and Rossini. I say that Caballe is the most important of these three post-Callas sopranos because more so than any of these divas, she epitomized the true bel canto style needed to make her characterizations come to life. Sutherland had an excellent technique, but her characterizations were sadly lacking in verve, and Leyla Gencer was too often in an undesirable state of voice despite her thespian histrionics. Montserrat had both, and she championed the great operas of Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini, Massenet, Wagner, Strauss, Mozart, Giordano, Pergolesi, and all the other great, almost-unknown composers who became part of her core repertoire, if there was any at all. Her excellent technique allowed her to continue assuming roles that displayed her magnificent artistry well into her 70's...up to today! Yes, she is still singing, and in fact she is going to be starring in a role in the Vienna Opera next year.

This recital shows Caballe in the repertoire that was arguably her best. Although I found her compelling in some Verdi, I thought that she lacked the spinto sound needed to set those Verdi roles on fire. In this recital, Caballe shows her knack and ability to make the earlier Verdi operas shine. She had a coloratura facility that was simply astounding for an instrument of her particular smoothness, beauty, and timbre, and I believe that her excerpt from Aroldo is a must hear. Her Donizetti is brilliant as well, a highlight being the Parisina and the Belisario excerpts. It makes us wish that there were a Belisario lying around somewhere with her singing. Her Rossini makes us hope for an Armida and a Tancredi. This recording finds her in superb voice, much more so than many of the recordings of her latter years that find her singing with a trademark Caballe bleat. For people who love bel canto and tasteful singing, I think this is a recital that anyone should own.

no news.......2006-02-21

If you have the earlier release of this set (1992 I think), there's really no need to replace it. This current (2004) release was supposedly remastered, but I can hear little if any difference. Amazon shows both versions, but I'd bet the earlier one may well be out of print. You get all the Caballe trademarks here: floated pianissimos, gorgeous mid-range singing - and the usual glottal stops. Even if you're not a big MC fan, the set is worth getting for all those arias you're not likely to hear elsewhere, or done as well.

Montserrat Caballe's Claim To Fame.......2005-11-09

Bel canto opera was soprano Montserrat Caballe's claim to fame. Blessed with both a huge and lyrically resplendent voice, she was a refreshing change from the purely dramatic style of singing provided by Maria Callas. Her pianissimi are still talked about even long after they disappeared, her coloratura is dynamic, her stamina and breath control impressive and her orutund, vigorous but beautiful tone made her particularly suited for the roles of queens or strong women- Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia and Bellini's Norma especially. The other reviewer says she was perfect for the roles of mothers, queens and wives, and this is true because she was able to portray seemingly powerful women dying of love underneath. She would have made an exceptionally terrific Turandot but she never sang the role in her career.Her career in opera spanned the decades of the 60's, 70's and even part of the 80's. The arias from Parisina and Torquato Tasso are indeed outstanding. These operas are obscure bel canto operas by Donizetti, Rossini and even early Verdi operas. These operas will never be staged again and some of them enjoyed only mild success in their original stage premieres in the 19th century. This is the work of young and energetic composers who had not yet mastered character insight and thrilling dramatic elements. Mostly, it's beautiful singing, the actual definiton of the term bel canto. What we get in place of dramatic potency is ornate, lush singing. In the very least, these arias should be sung in recital. Caballe sang numerous bel canto pieces in recital, displaying her gift for this type of singing. She is the very embodiment of bel canto. Not even Joan Sutherland and Beverly Sills, considered her fellow peers in the same "back to bel canto" movement could essay the arias with such grace, elegance and majestic beauty. Sutherland sang with obvious gloss and no real dramatic power, Sills sang beautifully but focused on the significance of text as drama and therefore "spoke" some of her lines or cried or raged instead of singing. Callas was the same way only hers was a bigger voice. Caballe gave us simply beautiful singing. And we thank her for that.

Welcome to the Caballe school of singing!.......2004-12-18

This re-released recitals indisputably rank among Caballe's best recording material. Each "rarity" has something different to offer. In Rossini, Caballe mostly displays her coloratura ability which was not in the same league as Sills', Callas' or Sutherland's but had a magic of its own. One never expects such agilty from such a firm and full voice. The Tancredi scene is my favourite.

In Donizetti, Caballe truly reigns! If only she'd recorded these operas completely. I've always found her sound perfectly suited to roles of wifes, mothers and aristocratic ladies in general. The operas chosen here deal with marrital problems and Caballe is the definition of the Donizzeti roles she sings here! My favs are the Parisina and Torquato Tasso moments. Comparing her and the lighter sopranos who nowadays perform these operas makes one realise that high notes are not the issue here. The full, sumptuous sound of a Monsterrat is what these operas need!

Early Verdi has a lot in common with bel canto and Caballe is again sublime! The Un Giorno extract stands out. It's breathtakingly perfect! Caballe finds meaning in every phrase she sings. But all other tracks are unforgettable as well. Needless to say that the voice at this moment of her carreer was at its best!

These recitals will always have a special place in my opera collection and my heart!

The Spectacular Voice of Marilyn Horne: Rossini / Horne

Average customer rating:

The greatest coloratura along with Sutherland
"Spectacular" Is Right!
stupendous in every way
ROSSINI SINGING WITHOUT EQUAL IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY!

The Spectacular Voice of Marilyn Horne: Rossini / Horne

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Horne, Marilyn | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Just for the Record: The Golden Voice
Marilyn Horne: Arias & Scenes
Ewa Podles - Rossini Arias for Contralto
La Stupenda ~ The Supreme Voice of Joan Sutherland
Great Duets & Trios / Sutherland, Horne, Pavarotti

ASIN: B000006P4X
Release Date: 1998-05-12

Tracks:

Semiramide: Bel raggio lusinghier
L'Italiana in Algeri: Cruda sorta!
Tancredi: Di tanti palpiti
La Cenerentola: Nacqui all'affanno ... Non piu mesta
La Donna Del Lago: Mura felici
La Donna Del Lago: Tanti affetti
L'Assedio di Corinto: L'ora fatal s'appressa ... Giusto ciel!
L'Assedio di Corinto: Avanziam ... Non temer, d'un basso affetto ... I destini tradir ogni speme! ... Signor, che tutto puoi ... Sei tu che stendi, o Dio

Customer Reviews:

The greatest coloratura along with Sutherland.......2003-07-21

This is Rossini singing in the finest. Horne has no peers in coloratura. She even give Sutherland a run for her money.
Attention, Horne fans, the historic Rossini's Semiramide with Horne/Sutherland is finally available. Do a search for
Horne, Semiramide and you'll get Rossini's neglected masterpiece containing the most difficult music ever written for the human voice. Coupled with Sutherland, the duets make their Norma duets seem like nothing.
I recommend this Rossini cd highly. And I also recommend the Semiramide. I love Rossini!

"Spectacular" Is Right!.......2003-07-02

This CD contains some of the most virtuosic singing I've ever heard. Marilyn Horne is rightly considered one of the great bel canto (and in particular, Rossini) singers of all time. Her mezzo-soprano is a rich and glorious instrument, and there seems to be NOTHING that it can't do; she even sings several soprano arias on this disc. Malcolm's aria from LA DONNA DEL LAGO is masterfully done, and the two selections from L'ASSEDIO DI CORINTO (one for soprano, the other for mezzo) are absolutely superb, almost Callas-like in their intensity. This CD represents a great mezzo in her prime. It should be in the collection of every Rossini-lover.

stupendous in every way.......1999-12-17

This is an incredible CD filled with wondrous singing. The art of belcanto is not just beautiful singing, and an uncanny ability to sing a million notes a second, it is giving meaning to all that technique. That is exactly what Marilyn Horne does! She breathes life and direction into the music reflecting the purpose behind the character's words, and the intention behind the composer's music. To some her presentation is too "Farward", too "hard-driven." And to others not like some wonderful diva from the past ( Superviva ). Their techniques in this music are not the same. Superviva was dazzling, but not that accurate. Horne is dazzling, and accurate! She is not the frail heroine when singing female contralto, but she is not overbearing either. As for the contralto "male" leads, well, there are none to compare, and none with her gusto. Bartoli is ravishing, but not heavy enough in sound, Lamore is wondrous, but far too feminine. Ewa Podls may have a dark musky sound ( often nearly laboured, and mushy ), but more is required to give a special gusto, a machismo, if you will, to these roles. Horne does that in spades! Though her voice is not necessarily that large a voice ( strong at the bottom and top, gentler in the middle ), and one suited well to Verdi she is not ( even at her own admission ), she has a way of making everything Rossini wrote seem fresh, new, and exciting. I must mention her singing from the catacomb scene from L'Assedio di Corinto ( Act 3, scene 1 ). If one follows the score, one soon learns Horne is not only singing the difficult music written in the Paris rewriting of the opera, but a whole scene ( the same scene actually ) found in the opera Moametto II, the aria for the character of Calbo, as well. I say a special treat for anyone, for in performance one would never hear the wealth of music one will hear here. For a good sampling of Horne's art this is a must buy, for a good introduction to the wonders of Rossini ( and more than just the Barber of Seville ), this CD is a wonderfully exciting introduction to both.

ROSSINI SINGING WITHOUT EQUAL IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY!.......1999-11-30

If one must only one recording of Marilyn Horne, this is it. But this recording has an even greater importance in that it showcases a type of Rossini singing that has been heard from no one else in the twentieth century. Horne was a rare bird indeed ------ a mezzo soprano (sometimes even contralto) capable of executing the most astonishing technical and florid feats that would have defeated even a high coloratura soprano, save for Joan Sutherland. In fact, Horne had the equal technical proficiency of Sutherland, but in a lower range, which made them so cherishable as a team in such operas as "Norma" and "Semiramide". But Horne's gifts were so spectacular that a permanent role as Sutherland's "sidekick" would have been completely unsuitable for her. Rossini operas not heard in over a hundred years were revived for her all over the world ----- for hers was the only voice capable of executing the demands of such music. Truly, Marilyn Horne is as significant in the bel canto revival as Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, and Montserrat Caballe (with whom she also sang on many occasions). Virtually every selection heard on this CD is an exemplary example of Horne's artistry. All of them contain vocal fireworks that flare like Roman candles, and many of them are NEVER going to be performed like this again, if they are ever done again at all, which at this time seems somewhat doubtful. Certainly we are blessed by the presence of present Rossini mezzos like Cecilia Bartoli and Jennifer Larmore ----- great singers both ------but it seems unlikely that either will ever scale the heights of Mount Rossini that Marilyn Horne did. She was truly one of a kind. For anyone who treasures spectacular and vivid examples of singing not heard in well over a century, this CD is an absolute must. I cannot run out of superlatives for this one.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Mojo Workout

Robert Vinson Symphony #1, Violin Concerto in C

Mozart: String Quintets, Vol.2

South Austin Jug Band

P.H. [Import]

Rain & Mud & Wild & Green

Presidents of the United States of America 2

Roland Kaiser-Mix [Import]

The Final Stand

Masada