Verdi: Aida / Caballé, Domingo, Muti

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Behind the pyramids and the elephants, the long lines of prisoners of war and of slaves carrying booty, the choral shouts of "Glory to Egypt," and the splendid brass sounding the Triumphal March, Aida is the story of a love triangle: Aida, an Ethiopian princess who has become a slave in Egypt; Amneris, an Egyptian princess; and Radamès, the Egyptian general they both love (Aida secretly). There are ironies and conflicts: How can she love a man who is the enemy of her country but who says he has fought and conquered for the sake of her love? It is suitable only for the biggest opera houses and therefore demands voices capable of great power as well as emotional expressiveness. Montserrat Caballé, Placido Domingo and Fiorenza Cossotto provide such voices, and Ricardo Muti conducts with a sense of both drama and dynastic glory. --Joe McLellan

Verdi: Aida / Caballé, Domingo, Muti, Music, Riccardo Muti, Montserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, Classical, Classical Music, Italian Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio

Verdi - Aida / Caballé · Domingo · Cossotto · Ghiaurov · Cappuccilli · Roni · NPO · Muti
Average customer rating:

Marvelous Aida!

Is there any Aida without pluses and minuses?

The most intimate of stories amidst spectacle sing with musical splendor!

HYPERBOLICAL AND GRANDIOSE

JUSTIFIES ITS FAME! Powerful, beautiful and exciting!

Verdi - Aida / Caballé · Domingo · Cossotto · Ghiaurov · Cappuccilli · Roni · NPO · Muti
Giuseppe Verdi , Riccardo Muti , Montserrat Caballe , Placido Domingo , New Philharmonia Orchestra , Choir of the Royal Opera House Covent Ga , Fiorenza Cossotto , Nicolai Ghiaurov , Piero Cappuccilli , and Luigi Roni
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Wagner: Lohengrin

ASIN: B00005NW0C
Release Date: 2001-09-11

Tracks:

Prld
Act 1, Scene 1: Si, Corre Voce Che L'Etiope Ardisca
Act 1, Scene 1: Se Quel Guerrier Io Fossi!
Act 1, Scene 1: Celeste Aida
Act 1, Scene 1: Quale Insolita Gioia Nel Tuo Sguardo!
Act 1, Scene 1: Vieni, O Diletta, Appressati
Act 1, Scene 1: Alta Cagion V'aduna
Act 1, Scene 1: Su! De Nilo Al Sacro Lido
Act 1, Scene 1: Ritorna Vincitor!
Act 1, Scene 1: I Sacri Nomi Di Padre, D'amante
Act 1, Scene 2: Possente, Possente Ftha
Act 1, Scene 2: Danza Sacra Delle Sacerdotesse
Act 1, Scene 2: Mortal, Diletto Ai Numi
Act 1, Scene 2: Nume, Custode E Vindice

Tracks:

Act 2, Scene 1: Chi Mai Fra Gl'Inni E I Plausi
Act 2, Scene 1: Danza Degli Schiavi Mori
Act 2, Scene 1: Vieni, Sul Crin Ti Piovano
Act 2, Scene 1: Fu La Sorte Dell'armi A' Tuoi Funesta
Act 2, Scene 1: Ebben, Qual Nuovo Fremito T'Assal, Gentile Aida?
Act 2, Scene 1: Pieta Ti Prenda Del Mio Dolor
Act 2, Scene 1: Su! Del Nilo Al Sacro Lido
Act 2, Scene 2: Gloria All'Egitto, Ad Iside
Act 2, Scene 2: Marcia Trionfale
Act 2, Scene 2: Ballabile
Act 2, Scene 2: Vieni, O Guerriero Vindice
Act 2, Scene 2: Salvator Della Patria
Act 2, Scene 2: Che Veggo! Egli? Mio Padre!
Act 2, Scene 2: Ma Tu, Re, Tu Signore Possente
Act 2, Scene 2: Il Dolor Che In Quel Volto Favella
Act 2, Scene 2: O Re, Pei Sacri Numi
Act 2, Scene 2: Gloria All'Egitto, Ad Iside

Tracks:

Act 3: O Tu Che Sei D'Osiride
Act 3: Vieni D'Iside Al Tempio
Act 3: Qui Radames Verra!
Act 3: O Patria Mia
Act 3: Ciel! Mio Padre!
Act 3: In Armi Ora Si Desta Il Popol Nostro
Act 3: Padre, A Costoro Schiava Non Sono
Act 3: Pur Ti Riveggo, Mia Dolce Aida
Act 3: Nel Fiero Anelito Di Nuova Guerra
Act 3: Fuggiam Gli Ardori Inospiti... La, Tra Foreste Vergini
Act 3: Aida!... Tu Non M'Ami
Act 3: Ma, Dimmi: Per Quale Via
Act 3: Traditor!... La Mia Rival!
Act 4, Scene 1: L'Aborrita Rivale A Me Sfuggia
Act 4, Scene 1: Gia I Sacerdoti Adunansi
Act 4, Scene 1: No, Vive Aida!... Vive!
Act 4, Scene 1: Ohime! Morir Mi Sento!
Act 4, Scene 1: Spirto Del Nume, Sovra Noi Discendi!
Act 4, Scene 1: Radames, Radames, Radames
Act 4, Scene 1: A Lui Vivo, La Tomba!
Act 4, Scene 2: La Fatal Pietra Sovra Me Si Chiuse
Act 4, Scene 2: Presago Il Core Della Tua Condanna
Act 4, Scene 2: Vedi? Di Morte L'Angelo
Act 4, Scene 2: O Terra, Addio

Amazon.com essential recording

Behind the pyramids and the elephants, the long lines of prisoners of war and of slaves carrying booty, the choral shouts of "Glory to Egypt," and the splendid brass sounding the Triumphal March, Aida is the story of a love triangle: Aida, an Ethiopian princess who has become a slave in Egypt; Amneris, an Egyptian princess; and Radamès, the Egyptian general they both love (Aida secretly). There are ironies and conflicts: How can she love a man who is the enemy of her country, but who says he has fought and conquered for the sake of her love? It is suitable only for the biggest opera houses and therefore demands voices capable of great power as well as emotional expressiveness. Montserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, and Fiorenza Cossotto provide such voices, and Ricardo Muti conducts with a sense of drama and dynastic glory. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

Marvelous Aida!.......2007-02-27

I love Aida. I own so many recordings that I've lost count as to how many I have in my library. In many ways, I think this is one of Verdi's most beautiful and sophisticated scores. Several conductors have handled (and butchered) the score, yet this recording shows how Verdi should really be sung and conducted. Riccardo Muti is perhaps the best Verdi conductor, even better than Toscanini (but not Serafin). His Verdi collection from EMI shows his talent from making the myriad of colors from Verdi's score emerge in such a way that would captivate the listener. His chosen tempi and dynamics are also very theatrical. The magic he performs with the orchestra brings out the several transparencies in Aida, and for this reason I would choose his conducting over that of Karajan's or Solti's. Granted, Montserrat Caballe is not a very visually appealing Aida, but her voice is magnificent--seamless from top to bottom, producing creamy tone wherever necessary. She isn't a true Aida. For that, you must go to Renata Tebaldi. However, Caballe manipulates her voice so that you would think that she was made for Aida. Placido Domingo sings with golden tone and committment throughout this performance. I think that this is a reference performance for Radames after Bergonzi's magnificent performance with Karajan. I'm sorry, but I never enjoyed Corelli's performance under Mehta. I thought he was past his prime there, and his lack of legato makes the private introspective moments sound overtly loud. His high notes are thrilling though. Piero Cappuccilli, one of the greatest Verdi baritones of the last century, sang an authoritative and brooding Amonasro. As wonderful as Gobbi's performance with Callas is, I think Cappuccilli's voice suited Amonasro better. Ghiaurov is a very looming Ramfis.

However, the main reason for me to purchase this set is for the high-octane performance of Amneris given by Fiorenza Cossotto. This brilliant mezzo soprano, whose career is suprisingly still ongoing, has a voice that was tailored to the temperaments of the Verdi mezzo roles. I think that while Giulietta Simionato may have had a warmer timbre, Cossotto inhabited the psychologies of her characters better. I have never heard a more demented Azucena from any other singer, and my recordings of her Eboli show a singer whose grace and elan are unequalled, even by the great Simionato. Her Adalgisa shows a secure instrument that is fluent in coloratura and brilliant in the top registers. Her Santuzza literally puts several sopranos into shame. Her Leonore from Donizetti's La Favorita is a reference performance, equipped with all the coloratura and very large, brilliant high notes. Her Dalila is simply seductive and powerful. Her Principessa di Boullion is menacing, and her Carmen is rightfully seductive. Her recorded Preziosilla on Levine's Forza is perhaps the most accurate and fun interpretation of the gypsy part I've ever heard. Her Lady Macbeth is fierce, and her Rosina is no pushover. Her Amneris, a role which she essayed frequently in many of the world's great theaters, is perhaps the definitive interpretation of the role. Neither Simionato or Barbieri could touch Fiorenza in the thrilling chest notes and the regal interpretation she gave the role. For her, and of course for the cast and Muti, should you buy this set. While some may find Tebaldi's Aida definitive, no one, in my opinion, can skirt around Cossotto's magnificent Amneris. Buy this Aida. It is an essential for any collection.

Is there any Aida without pluses and minuses?.......2006-06-01

It's peculiar that no single performance of Aida on records has ever attained consensus as 'the one', the closest candidate being the RCA-Decca performance with Leontyne Price and Jon Vickers. After decades of listening to most of the major contenders, here's how I would size them up.

Best conducting: Karajan on both his readings, the first for Decca in the early Sixties, the second for EMI in 1980. He has the glorious Vienna Phil. on both--for richness, depth, drama, and splendor nothing equals them. Karrajan himself provides a continuous outpouring of insights into Verdi's deceptively simple score.

Best Aida: For many, Leontyne Price will always be defined by this role, her signature for two decades and perfectly suited to her voice, with its dusky low range and incredible floated high notes. She sounds much fresher in her first RCA recording with Solti than in the remake with Leinsdorf. For other listeners there is no replacement for Callas and her intense involvement with the role, while Tebadi stands out for sheer lusciousness of voice.

Best Rhadames: Bjorling really didn't have the heft to sing this role onstage, but pairing Milanov in a classic RCA mono recording he sounds, as always, ravishing in style and tone. Vickers attacks the role with incredible intensity but is singularly un-Italian despite his glorious, heroic volume of sound. Among stylish tenors with smaller voices, Bergonzi under Karajan, paired with Tebaldi, wins high critical praise. Domingo, for all his virtues, always seems to come in second best.

Let's say we stop there; it's easy to see why the Price-Vickers-Solti set has such a strong following, and also the Tebaldi-Bergonzi-Karajan set. But complaints have always arisen about both, that Vickers has no Italian style and Solti conducts with brazen vulgarity. In the other set, the grouse is that Tebaldi wasn't in best voice and sounds too imperious, while Bergonzi, for all his polish, isn't a viscerally exciting Rhadames.

This carping opened the way for the 70's EMI set with Caballe and Domingo in their vocal prime. Muti conducts skilfully, moving the drama along quickly and with a refreshing lack of overdone sentimentality. Caballe isn't a spinto-dramatic soprano as called for, but she sings for the microphone with wonderful nuance and pathos (I find her less droopy than she often was). Domingo exhibits perfect tone and style, but his reading is a bit callow compared ot what he would achieve later in his career. In other words, there's no true greatness in any part but the whole hangs together nicely. It must be noted, though, that the bland Capuccilli as Amonasro ruins the drama of the Nile scene.

My review, such as it is, stops here, since other reviewers listed below have detailed the specifics of this recording. But I'd like to offer some notes about all the Aidas I've encountered over the years.

--Aida was Birgit Nilsson's best Italian role, and in her EMI recording she softens her steely tone and makes quite a nice success for herself. She is partnered with Corelli, whose vulgar bawling makes him unlistenable to my ears, but if you admire him, this performance led by a young Zubin Mehta ranks with the Caballe-Domingo one.

--Callas must be listened to on her own, or with Gobbi when he enters as her father in Act 3. Their Nile scene is incomparable, not to be missed. Too bad it's ruined by the entrance of the horribly stentorian, unstylish Richard Tucker, a huge blemish on this recording.

--Abbado should have come through with Aida from La Scala when he was musical director there, but his reading for DG is cautious and bland (the same goes for a live performance on Opera d'Oro with Arroyo and Domingo--they aren't great, either, though very good).

--Aidas who can't really manage the part include Katia Ricciarelli for Abbado and Freni for Karajan in his EMI remake (she's wildly overparted but moving and artistic nonetheless). Aprile Millo for Levine from the Met (Sony) can sing the notes but has nothing interesting to tell us. Heresy to say, but I feel the same way about the revered Zinka Milanov with Bjorling on RCA.

--A Rhadames who can't really sing the part is Carreras under Karajan, but he gives his all trying. Pavarotti sang the role both on stage and on disc (with an unknown and forgettable Aida), but his lyric tenor isn't right. Having said that, I was surprised at how enjoyable his Decca performance is. Domingo has sung the role for Muti, Leinsdorf, Abbado, and Levine. All are very good; probably the best is with Leinsdorf, a shame since the conducting is prosaic and the bloom was off Price's voice by then.

--Uninspired condcuting honors go to Leinsdorf, but I get little out of Levine's hectic, impesonal work on Sony, and the sainted Tulio Serafin on the Callas set is authentic but rather workaday. When it comes down to it, Solti for all his vulgarisms threw himself into his preformance, while Karajan is the greatest maestro to take on the opera, pace the fans of Toscanini, whose fiery reading isn't to my taste, even if it didn't have a second-rate cast and boxy, wooden sonics.

The most intimate of stories amidst spectacle sing with musical splendor!.......2005-11-11

What a cast? The only soprano if memory serves me that equals Caballe's beautify and dramatic offering is Zinka Milanov on the RCA/BMG label. As good as Barbieri is on that recoding Cossotto is the Amneris....she owned this role along with Azucena and la favorita...Domingo is dramatic and beautful in tone as always. Cappuccilli is also a worthy part of this great quartet. There are other great Aida's but this is special along with the Milnov, Barbieri recording! Both belong on your CD shelf along with Leontyne Price in one of her great Aida recordings

HYPERBOLICAL AND GRANDIOSE.......2003-09-16

That was how Shaw characterised Verdi, bracketing him with Victor Hugo. Shaw also sensed a falling-off in spontaneity in Aida, its place being taken by increasing sophistication. I doubt if he would have had such reservations if he had heard this tremendous performance, one of the most thrilling you will ever hear. To get it going, Domingo's Celeste Aida is, well, celestial, and he is in superb voice throughout. Caballe sings like an angel from paradise. I remember her interviewed on TV by Bernard Levin years ago, and she almost winced as she said 'For Verdi you need so much VOICE'. There is no doubt about it, Verdi's demands on the human voice are inhuman, and I was lost in admiration at the entire cast and their majestic response to the whole wonderful but monstrous challenge set to them. At least one thing is simple in Aida and that is the plot-line, which makes a nice change compared with, say, Trovatore, and the characters, strongly drawn though they are both by Ghislanzoni and the composer, are not complex like Rigoletto or Iago.

I suspect that singers who can surmount the musical challenge as triumphantly as these do just find that they are acting superbly as well. The conducting helps just a little of course. Verdi's orchestral conception has now advanced beyond the 'big guitar' stage and the sumptuous sound Muti obtains and the strong forward thrust of his tempi creats an enthralling sense of grandeur. I had to listen to this Aida without interruption, just carried along by the sheer power of it. Loss of spontaneity? -- not a bit of it. The Requiem was still to come, and nobody has ever found any loss of spontaneity in that. For all the heartbreaking tenderness and pathos the final impression left is of an overpowering drama.

JUSTIFIES ITS FAME! Powerful, beautiful and exciting!.......2003-02-27

Having listened to most of the famous Aida recordings, I've concluded that this comes closest to the ideal Aida performance in studio. All the singers on this set were at their best in their early '70s when this set was recorded. Their rich, powerful, secure voices and temperament are perfect for the roles.

Although I prefer Caballe in bel canto, as Aida she is superb, full of lyricism. Moreover, Caballe gives here one of her most dramatic studio performances. She doesn't have young Tebaldi's heavenly spinto sound but Montserrat's golden tone is almost equally affective. Notice Caballe's amazing vocal technique; the endless breath, the even registers and the seamless phrasing.

Domingo sings one of his most famous roles. He and Caballe have similar creamy voices and this makes the Aida-Radames duets very successful. He repeated the role in studio many times later but his partnership with Caballe produced the best results. Cossotto, Cappuccilli and Ghiaurov are flawless and remain my favourite Amneris, Amonastro and Ramfis. Muti conducts with grandness and lyricism and creates a masterful AIDA.

Tracks:

Aida: Act One - Scene One - Preludio - Giuseppe Verdi
Aida: Act One - Scene One - Introduzione e scena : 'Si, corre voce che l'Etiope ardisca' (Radames) - Giuseppe Verdi
Aida: Act One - Scene One - Romanza : 'Se quel guerrier io fossi!'...'Celeste Aida' (Radames) - Giuseppe Verdi
Aida: Act One - Scene One - Duetto : 'Quale insolita gioia nel tuo sguardo!' (Radames) - Giuseppe Verdi
Aida: Act One - Scene One - Terzetto : 'Vieni, o diletta appressati' (Aida - Radames) - Giuseppe Verdi
Aida: Act One - Scene One - Scena e pezzo d'assieme : 'Alta cagion v'aduna' (Aida - Radames) - Giuseppe Verdi
Aida: Act One - Scene One - 'Su! del Nilo al sacro lido' (Aida - Radames) - Giuseppe Verdi
Aida: Act One - Scene One - Scena : 'Ritorna vincitor!' (Aida) - Giuseppe Verdi
Aida: Act One - Scene Two - Gran scena della consacrazione : 'Possente, possente Ftha'...'Tu che dal nulla hai tratto' - Giuseppe Verdi
Aida: Act One - Scene Two - Danza sacra delle Sacerdotesse : 'Nume, custode e vindice' (Radames) - Giuseppe Verdi
Aida: Act One - Scene Two - Finale I : 'Nume, custode e vindice' (Radames) - Giuseppe Verdi

Tracks:

Aida: Act Two - Scene One - Introduzione-Scena e coro di donne: 'Chi mai fra gl'inni e i plausi'
Aida: Act Two - Scene One - Danza di schiavi mori
Aida: Act Two - Scene One - 'Vieni, sui crin ti piovano'
Aida: Act Two - Scene One - Scena e duetto: 'Fu la sorte dell'armi a'tuio funesta' (Aida)
Aida: Act Two - Scene One - 'Pieti prenda del mio dolor'...'Su! del Nilo al sacro lido'...'Numi, pieta' (Aida)
Aida: Act Two - Scene Two - Gran finale ll: 'Gloria all'Egitto, ad Iside'
Aida: Act Two - Scene Two - Marcia trionfale
Aida: Act Two - Scene Two - Ballabile
Aida: Act Two - Scene Two - 'Vieni, o guerriero vindice'
Aida: Act Two - Scene Two - 'Salvator della patria' (Radames)
Aida: Act Two - Scene Two - 'Che veggo! Egli? Mio padre!'...' Anch'io pugnai'...'Ma tu, Re, tu signore possente' (Aida)
Aida: Act Two - Scene Two - 'Il dolor che in quel volto favella'...'Ma tu, o Re' (Radames)
Aida: Act Two - Scene Two - 'O Re, pei sacri Numi'...'Gloria all'Egitto' (Radames - Aida)

Tracks:

Aida: Act Three - Introduzione - Preghiera: 'O tu sei d'Osiride'...'Vieni d'Iside al Tempio'
Aida: Act Three - Romanza; 'Qui Radamverr
Aida: Act Three - 'O patria mia' (Aida)
Aida: Act Three - Duetto: 'Cie! mio padre!'...'Rivedrai le foreste imbalsamate' (Aida)
Aida: Act Three - Duetto: 'Pur ti riveggo, mia dolce Aida'...'Nel fiero anelito' (Radames - Aida)
Aida: Act Three - 'Fuggiam gli ardori inospiti'...'Ltra foreste vergini' (Aida - Radames)
Aida: Act Three - Finale lll: 'Ma dimmi; per qual via' (Aida - Radames)
Aida: Act Four - Scene One - Scena: 'L'abborrita rivale a me sfuggia'
Aida: Act Four - Scene One - Duetto: 'Gi sacerdoti adunansi' (Radames)
Aida: Act Four - Scene One - Scena del giudizio: 'Ohhimmorir mi sento!'...'Spirto del Nume'
Aida: Act Four - Scene One - 'A lui vivo, la tomba!'...'Secerdoti: compiste un delitto!'
Aida: Act Four - Scene Two - Scena e duetto: 'La fatal pietra sovra me si chiuse' (Radames - Aida) - Finale ultimo: 'Immenso Fth(Aida - Radames)
Aida: Act Four - Scene Two - 'O terra addio' (Aida - Radames)

Amazon.com essential recording

Behind the pyramids and the elephants, the long lines of prisoners of war and of slaves carrying booty, the choral shouts of "Glory to Egypt," and the splendid brass sounding the Triumphal March, Aida is the story of a love triangle: Aida, an Ethiopian princess who has become a slave in Egypt; Amneris, an Egyptian princess; and Radamès, the Egyptian general they both love (Aida secretly). There are ironies and conflicts: How can she love a man who is the enemy of her country but who says he has fought and conquered for the sake of her love? It is suitable only for the biggest opera houses and therefore demands voices capable of great power as well as emotional expressiveness. Montserrat Caballé, Placido Domingo and Fiorenza Cossotto provide such voices, and Ricardo Muti conducts with a sense of both drama and dynastic glory. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

The best Aida on disc.......2001-02-19

"Aida" has been recorded very frequently over a period of seventy years. Karajan's two recordings, Abbado's, Toscanini's, Solti's, Perlea's, Serafin's two ... some aspects of these may be more striking than their correspondents on this 1974 EMI recording, but if you are looking for the best all-around "Aida", this is the choice to make. Riccardo Muti does not fall into the trap of taking sluggish, Karajan-like tempi to make the work sound "grander"; he keeps things moving at the proper pace, with fire, passion and majesty in his direction. He gets superb playing from the New Philharmonia Orchestra: sumptuous strings, sonorous brass and rattling timpani in the big scenes. The sense of overall structure is not quite as finely developed as it is in some of the other recordings, but this is still a view of "Aida" to hold with the very best. Muti is fortunate to have the best all-around cast on disc. The Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé is in her prime here, with her large, clear, beautiful voice firmly focused and with her famous high pianissimi thrillingly floated. She is more involved than she often was, and so she must be regarded as one of the finest Aidas on disc, on a par with Tebaldi for Karajan and Milanov for Perlea. Plácido Domingo, in the second of his four recordings of Radamès, sings firmly and securely with warm, golden tone. He has a gorgeous legato line and his interpretation is well realized, even if he, like everyone else, takes the end of "Celeste Aida" fortissimo instead of pianissimo. This is one of the best warrior-heroes on disc, though his third for Abbado is even finer. Fiorenza Cossotto makes a riveting Amneris, full of Italian fire and singing gloriously and powerfully. Her voice has gotten a bit gravelly down at the lower end, but she sings as well as anyone else, with Barbieri and Simionato the best Amneris ever. The magnificent Bulgarian bass Nicolai Ghiaurov sings a truly glorious Ramfis, with a huge, menacing vocal presence and an individual, sumptuous instrument. His singing in the temple scene contains some of the most gorgeous phrasing I have ever heard. He is far and away the best Ramfis on disc, and that includes Boris Christoff and Ruggero Raimondi. The Italian baritone Piero Cappuccilli sings with golden tone as Amonasro, and his phrasing and legato line are supreme, as well. Powerful, sumptuous choral work and an excellent orchestra in the New Philharmonia round out this recording. The sound is quite excellent, but the recording is at full price on three discs, when it could easily have been fitted onto two (witness the Legends reissue of Karajan's first recording). Otherwise, though, this is a supreme performance and one that is essential for every lover of opera.

EMI got it right in 1974.......2001-01-26

Aida is a difficult opera to cast well, and in these sad days when big operatic voices seem to be gone, it's even impossible to cast adequately. EMI was lucky 25 years ago to have Caballe, Domingo, Cossotto, Ghiaurov and Cappuccilli in pristine form. Caballe, a natural Trovatore Leonora, was not really born to sing Aida, but was caught in great form and sings a ravishing, passionate princess. Zinka Milanov and Leontyne Price are perhaps even more ideal, but Caballe is certainly their equal on records. Domingo's virile Radames is admirable, even if he sang even better for Abbado in his 1981 recording. Cossotto is a storm as Amneris, fiery, implacable, a force of nature! Ghiaurov in his prime had one of the greatest voices of the Century, he has to heard to be believed. Cappuccilli is at ease as Amonasro, but others, Warren and Gobbi especially, were even more dramatic in the crucial third act duet with Aida. The young Riccardo Muti conducts very well, even if he lacks Abbado's insights (though of course, Abbado lacks Muti's singers in his DG recording). All in all, this is one of the great Aidas on record. The Perlea recording is perhaps even better sung, with Milanov, Bjorling, Warren, Christoff and Barbieri, but it has mono sound and a second rate orchestra. The Solti recording will always be there because of Leontyne Price and Jon Vickers, but the Rome Opera Ochestra is not up there with the Philharmonia or the Vienna Philharmonic. Finally, the Levine recording on SONY with Aprile Millo, Dolora Zajick, Placido Domingo, and James Morris closes the era of great Verdi voices. Aprile Millo certainly has what it takes, so it is all the more tragic her career was so short. Domingo in his fourth Radames has lost a little power, but it remains a memorable portrayal. Zajick is very exciting and loud, but misses some of the class a Barbieri or a Cossotto brought to Amneris. James Morris is a formidable Amonasro.

BRAVA LADIES! BRAVO MUTI!.......2000-12-16

It is very difficult to rate this "Aida", because there are too many equally top level recordings of "Aida". All of them deserve 5 stars and all of them deserve this 5 stars because they are significant and outstanding in some particular way. Why should I rate this particular recording with 5 stars? Although, this "Aida" lacks Correli's amazing singing (which can be heard on other CD also deserving 5 stars) but it has everything else. Yes, in my opinion, Domingo's voice is not so perfect for Radames, he has very sweet, very gentle tembre which sometimes is too perfect but sometimes it is obvious, that listener must get it more. As for instance at the end of the third act. If you listen to Correli's "Io resta a te!" you don't want to hear enybody else in this role. However, I think this "Aida" produces the best Amneris-Radames duet from the 4th act I've ever heard. Domingo and Cossotto are so passionate, so emotional, especially closing moments of the duet is unbelievable. I mentioned Cossotto. She was outstanding mezzo and I think she is the best Amneris of the 20th century. I compare her to Elena Obraztsova (who is my favourite mezzo) and see the difference. Fiorentza is better in this role (however, Obraztsova's Azuchena in my opinion is beter than Cossotto's). Now let's talk about Aida. Where is the ideal place in the opera to correctly judje Aida's singing? Of course, it's "O, patria mia". Exactly this place on this recording shows why Caballe is one of the greates Aida's ever known. Listened to her high C at the end of the aria. Only other performer who can be compared to Caballe (or Caballe can be compared to her) is of course, Leontyne Price. I have no right to say who's the best, but these two are standing ahead of the rest of the world. Pierro Cappuccilli's Amonasro is breath taking and I believe Amonasro-Aida's duet from the 3d act recorded on this CD is the best achievement of this scene ever recorded. I can not finish review not mentioning really outstanding conducting from Ricardo Muti. I think his conducting in some places is even better than legendary Herbert von Karajan's conducting. For instance dance scene from the grand final of the 2nd act. This is amazing what Muti and Covent garden orchestra are giving us, listeners. So, this is must have, however I can not say that in whole this is the best performance of Aida, no, simply this recording deserves 5 stars as many other recordings.

An AIDA Not to Be Missed!.......2000-07-24

Muti's 1974 AIDA is a marvel! The singing, the playing, the sound, all add up to one overwhelmingly satisfying, viscerally thrilling performance, a performance to rival Karajan's 1959 recording of the same opera. I'm not a big fan of Caballe, but as heard here, she's powerful, insightful, tender, and the velvet of her pianissimos is something to wonder at. She may lack the consummately beautiful instrument of Leontyne Price, but she's got everything else. Domingo, in his second recorded performance of Rhadames, is the ideal tenor for this role. His voice rings out with power and emotion, at times caressing or electrifying the listener's ears. Only in his 1981 outing with Abbado does he better fulfill Verdi's music. As the third wheel in the romance, Cossotto sings richly and securely, hitting the role of Amneris head-on vocally, but missing the contrasts that would have made her character really live in the listener's mind. The rest of the cast is exemplary, Ghiaurov making a formidable Ramfis, Cappuccilli a fiery Amonasro, Luigi Roni a strong but appropriately aging King of Egypt, and the young Nicola Martinucci a compelling Messenger. Aside from the singing, between Muti's conducting, the New Philharmonia's exacting, exciting playing, John Mordler's expert production, and Stuart Eltham's marvelous supervision of the sound, this AIDA ranks as one of the greatest recorded interpretations of the work ever made.

The best Aida, but...........2000-06-09

This 1974 Aida, one of several in EMI's large catalogue, is in many ways the best Aida available. The cast alone should be enough to take another look at this recording. Muti was quite young at the time of the recording, but forces gorges sound out of the New Philharmonic Orchestra. His tempi seem sometime a little fast but never hasten. However Muti does not make a meal out of every bar in the partitur, as one find in Karajan's late 1979 version (Also EMI). The principals Montserrat Caballé and Placido Domingo are at their absolute prime. Domingo has recorded the part of Radames 4 times, first time in 1970 (Leinsdorf/RCA) then again in 1981 (Abbado/DG) and last in 1990 (Levine/Sony). This recording as mentioned from 1974 is Domingo's best account. His silverglansed voice fits the role perfect. Caballé gives us an Aida with great security, and she shows her ability to use her voice as an instrument. Few sopranos, if any, have the ability to let the high pianissimo-notes flow the way she does it. Aida's great aria in the beginning of the third act is an example. Piero Cappucilli sings the part of Aida's father Amonasro. A typical Italian barytonvoice, with an incredible voice capacity, and uses it powerful. He also sang the part of Amonasro in Karajan's version in 1979. There are only small, if any differences in his account of the part. Cossotto is one of the few truly great mezzo-sopranos and she does not disappoint as Amneris. Along with Agnes Baltsa (Karajan '79) and Dolora Zajick (Levine '90) she is the only one who seems to get the part of the tormented Amneris. The great bass Nicolai Ghiaurov sing the small part of the High priest Ramphis. He sings with great conviction and leaves anyone else behind in the part. He is truly a great singer, and never falls in the category of boring, even if he has sung the part several times. He also sings Ramphis in Abbado's flawed Aida. Summing this up, there is no part you can claim being bad or poorly casted. But the magic of Beecham's La Boheme or Solti's "Ring" simply lacks. You can't your finger down and say 'here is something missing'. Everything is as good as any other recording or actually best most times, but when the magic misses, it just doesn't come out of your speaker and into your living room. That is the main reason that I only give this recording 4 stars. When this is said, it is still the best recording of Verdi masterpiece.

Average customer rating:

Giuseppe Verdi: Aida

Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000DNGV
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Average customer rating:

Placido Domingo, Verdi Master

Verdi: Arias & Duets

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Fontainebleau!... Lo La Vidi E Al Suo Sorriso
Questo Arcano Dal Re... Dio, Che Nell'Alma Infondere Amor
Il Re!... Sotto Una Quercia Parvemi...
V'Ha Dunque...Pondo E Letal, Martiro
Su, Profetessa... Di' Tu Se Fedele
Forse La Soglia... Ma Se M'e Forza Perderti
Se Quel Guerrier Io Fossi! Celeste Aida
O Terra, Addio
Merce... Come Rugiada Al Cespite
Dell'Esilio... O Tu Che L'Alma Adora
La Vita E Inferno...O Tu Che In Seno Agli Angeli
Le Minaccie
O Figli... Ah, La Paterna Mano
Gia Nella Notte Densa
Niun Mi Tema

Customer Reviews:

Placido Domingo, Verdi Master.......2005-11-30

Tenor Placido Domingo has more than outdone himself in a lengthy career that shows no sign of ending though he is now in his 60's, though it's likely this is his last decade. EMI championed him through the 70's, a period in which he recorded several full-legnth operas with great success and was cast with the great singers of his time- Leontyne Price, Sherill Milnes, Montserrat Caballe, Mirella Freni, Shirley Verrett, Ruggero Raimondi and others. Singing Verdi was perfect for this purely lyric tenor, whose early raining as a baritone made his voice a beautiful mixture of dark tone and lower masculine register and high, booming top. He sang with gusto, there was never a role he did not enjoy and he found opera a pleasurable, sensual experience, and as a result provided his audience with equal pleasure. In this recent EMI Classics release, from the Great Artists of the Century label- Domingo sings great solo arias ands scenes from Verdi's most celebrated operas. Domingo lived every one of his roles, from Radames in Aida to the dishonored and jealous Otello. His Italian singing was unbeatable, and I have always preferred Domingo over Pavoratti, whose voice has the illusion of being big but is light lyric and furthere, he was never an intellectual singer. He never acted his parts. Domingo came to the opera scene in a blaze of glory, debuting at the Met in the late 60's. He has sung almost everything from Puccini, Beethoven, Spanish Zarzuela, French, German, Russian, new works and Wagner. Domingo is a seemingly tireless singer and he has done much for the cause of opera through the years.

Radames' bombastic aria "Celeste Aida" is a revelation in Domingo's vocal chords. He doesn't sing with too much force like Jon Vickers or Mario Del Monaco, but instead is a focused and character-driven singer. The hero in Un Ballo is a terrific vehicle for Domingo's Verdi/bel canto voice. Don Carlo was a signature role of his and here we get the excerpts from the legendary and first-rate EMI recording under the baton of Maestro Giulini, a recording he sang with Caballe, Milnes and Verrett. Giovanni D'Arco (Joan of Arc) is an early Verdi opera with difficult scales and vertiginous lines that Domingo sings with great ability. Macbeth was not a role for him (he's not a baritone) but he sang the heck out of the smalle role of Macduff. In fact, even in small Verdi roles (like Ismaele in Verdi's Nabucco) Domingo sang with great acclaim. He made the same impact in small roles as he did with starring roles. Of course, his Otello was hailed as the finest and up there with the great interpretors of the part - Mario Del Monaco and Jon Vickers. Otello was a role that called for a heavier voice and Domingo not only stepped up to the challenge but once again lived the role of the madly jealous Moor with touching fatalism. Unfortunately they don't feature his Alfredo in Traviata, another great Verdi role, or his excellent Manrico in Trovatore. But this is a well-made recording that is a fine tribute to his superior work in opera.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

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The Best of Josh White

Mucho Macho: Machito & His Afro-Cuban Salseros

True Adventures [Original recording remastered]

The Young Mods' Forgotten Story

The Wheels of a Dream

Sonatas Novohispanas, Vol. 2: Mùsica Barocca Mexicana

The Legend [Box set] [Limited Edition]

To Touch a Distant Soul

This Is the Sea [Enhanced]