Live Performances, 1944-1975

On this CD:

1. La Traviata, opera Ah, fors'è...Sempre libera
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
with Dorothy Kirsten
Conducted by Richard Pleth

2. La Traviata, opera Teneste la promessa...Addio del passato
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
with Thomas Tibbett Hayward , Dorothy Kirsten
Conducted by Renato Cellini

3. La Traviata, opera Ed or si scriva a lui...Amami, Alfredo
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
with Thomas Tibbett Hayward , Dorothy Kirsten
Conducted by Renato Cellini

4. Tosca, opera Perchè chiuso?
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
with Dorothy Kirsten , Richard Verreau
Conducted by James Martin Guthrie

5. Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), opera Bimba, bima, non piangere
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
with Daniele Barioni , Dorothy Kirsten , Rosalind Nadell
Conducted by Renato Cellini

6. Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), opera Bimba dagli occhi pieni di malìa
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
with Daniele Barioni , Dorothy Kirsten , Rosalind Nadall
Conducted by Renato Cellini

7. Tosca, opera Vissi d'arte
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
with Dorothy Kirsten , American Youth Symphony
Conducted by Mehli Mehta

8. Manon Lescaut, opera Sola, perduta, abbandonata
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
with Dorothy Kirsten , American Youth Symphony
Conducted by Mehli Mehta

9. Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), opera Tu, tu piccolo iddio
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
with Dorothy Kirsten , American Youth Symphony
Conducted by Mehli Mehta

10. Adriana Lecouvreur, opera Io son l'umile ancella
Composed by Francesco Cilea
with Dorothy Kirsten , American Youth Symphony
Conducted by Mehli Mehta

11. La Rondine (The Swallow), opera Chi il bel sogno di Doretta
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
with Dorothy Kirsten , American Youth Symphony
Conducted by Mehli Mehta

12. Louise, opera Depuis le jour
Composed by Gustave Charpentier
with Dorothy Kirsten , American Youth Symphony
Conducted by Mehli Mehta

13. Manon, opera Gavotte
Composed by Jules Massenet
with Dorothy Kirsten , American Youth Symphony
Conducted by Mehli Mehta

14. Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), opera Un bel dì vedremo
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
with Dorothy Kirsten , American Youth Symphony
Conducted by Mehli Mehta

Live Performances, 1944-1975,Gustave Charpentier,Francesco Cilea,Jules Massenet,Giacomo Puccini,Giuseppe Verdi,James Martin Guthrie,Mehli Mehta,Renato Cellini,Richard Pleth,American Youth Symphony,Dorothy Kirsten,Daniele Barioni,Richard Verreau,Rosalind Nadall,Rosalind Nadell,Thomas Tibbett Hayward,Video Arts Int'l,Classical,Classical Artists,Classical Vocals,French Romantic Opera,Italian Romantic Opera,Opera,Popular Music,Romantic Opera
Dorothy Kirsten: Live Performances 1944-1975
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Beautiful voice.
  • The superb artistry of Dorothy Kirsten
Dorothy Kirsten: Live Performances 1944-1975

Manufacturer: Video Artists Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by MassenetAll Works by Massenet | Massenet, Jules | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by PucciniAll Works by Puccini | Puccini, Giacomo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by VerdiAll Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Villa-Lobos, HeitorVilla-Lobos, Heitor | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Villa-Lobos, Heitor | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General ModernGeneral Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
RomancesRomances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Modern & 20th CenturyModern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Romantic (c.1820-1910)Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
FrenchFrench | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ItalianItalian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003LKH
Release Date: 1995-08-22

Tracks:

  1. Bachiana Brasileira No. 5
  2. La Traviata: Ah, Fors' E Lui...Sempre Libera
  3. La Traviata: Teneste La Promessa...Addio Del Passato
  4. La Traviata: Ed Or Si Scriva A Lui... Amami, Alfredo
  5. TOSCA: Perche Chiuso?
  6. Madama Butterfly: Bimba, Bimba, Non Piangere...Bimba Dagli Occhi Pieni Di Malia
  7. Madama Butterfly: Bimba, Bimba, Non Piangere...Bimba Dagli Occhi Pieni Di Malia
  8. TOSCA: Vissi D'Arte
  9. Manon Lescaut: Sola, Perduta, Abbandonata
  10. Madama Butterfly: Tu, Tu, Piccolo Iddio
  11. Adriana Lecouvreur: Io Son L'Umile Ancella
  12. La rondine: Chi Il Bel Sogno Di Doretta
  13. Louise: Depuis Le Jour
  14. Manon: Gavotte
  15. Madama Butterfly: Un Bel Di Vedremo

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Beautiful voice........2003-01-20

This is a delightful CD of live performances. The sound quality is decent but not outstanding, considering when it was recorded (live). If you like Dorothy Kirsten, you will enjoy this recording, especially the haunting Bachiana Brasileira No. 5. My only reservation is that the quality of the sound reproduction on some of the older recordings sounds rather flawed on a good modern music system, which reveals all its weaknesses.

5 out of 5 stars The superb artistry of Dorothy Kirsten.......2002-07-01

If you like sopranos, especially the well-known greats like Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, and Leontyne Price (just to name a few), then you must give your ears a delicious treat by listening to the superb artistry of Dorothy Kirsten. Get this CD, then go immediately to Track #11 - Io son l'umile ancella ("I am the humble handmaiden" - of the poet or playwright). The composer captured this humility in his poignant melodic phrasing and ends with: "Un soffio e la mia voce que al nuovo di morra" ("My voice is but a breath which will die at the dawning of a new day.") By the time they're ready for their "big note", too many prima donnas, having been servants just about as long as they can stand it, throw off their serving aprons and don their breast plates for a frontal attack, summoning all their strength in Wagnerian proportions to fill the rafters and bring the house down. Only a few, rare, gifted sopranos (like Magda Olivero and Dorothy Kirsten) delicately spin remarkable pianissimi, and hold those breathless flights of vocal purity till you honestly believe they will, in fact, die on the morrow. (I've never heard Monserrat Caballe in the role, but I imagine she would join the ranks of Kirsten and Olivero.

Then it's back to the beginning and the haunting melody of Villa-Lobos. Kirsten sings the Brasileira flawlessly, with a certain mysterious elegance. Unfortunately, the sound editing of this CD is lacking. The dreaminess of Villa-Lobos is jarred by the harsh brassy sound of a track taken from a live recording. But soon, you've adjusted to the sound and you allow yourself to be entranced by a youthful, fun-loving courtesan who suddenly finds herself wondering if real love is really possible. Listening to Kirsten, you get a deep insight into Violetta's astonishment that someone might actually love her!

As you listen to each selection on this marvelous collection, you hear a soprano whose artistry is superb while she lets her voice do the acting. For Kirsten, the Puccini heroines were her bread and butter and she perfected them like no other soprano (no, not even Callas or Tebaldi). When Kirsten sang, she entered into the character totally.

I had the privilege of seeing her several times each in Manon Lescaut, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and La Fanciulla del West. It is the world's loss that she never made any commercial recordings of these operas. The Metropolitan Opera Record Club in the 1950's issued abridged versions of Tosca and Butterfly, both of which show the great artistry of that magnificent singing actress, but unfortunately we have only the Poker scene, with Mario Sereni, on The Voice of Firestone VHS release, to give us a hint as to the intensity she brought to the role of Minnie in La Fanciulla del West.

So enjoy every note, every pause, every emotive shudder on this recording. And discover why even people like Frank Sinatra and Gordon Macrae chose Dorothy as their leading lady. See why Dorothy Kirsten was chosen to represent American Culture in Russia at the height of the cold war.

Then, do yourself a favor and discover a priceless performance of Madama Butterfly, stumbled across by accident in the archives of the New Orleans opera.

Track Listings:

  1. Mendelssohn: Concerto for piano & violin in Dm
  2. Mengelberg Conducts Beethoven
  3. Messiaen: Catalogue d'Oiseaux, Books 4-6
  4. Messiaen: Preludes/ Quatre Études de rhythme/ Canteyodjaya
  5. Mozart: The Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2
  6. Mozart: Violin Concertos nos 4, 5 / Zukerman, St Paul CO
  7. New Mexico Brass Quintet
  8. Nocturnal World: Selected Nocturnes
  9. Offenbach - Les contes d'Hoffmann
  10. Phyllis Curtin Opera Arias

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Kingdom Come

Mozart's Last Thoughts, Vol. 1

Old, new, borrowed and blue

Hot Club of 52nd Street

Mcguinn Clark & Hillman [Import]

Pepsi World

Night Time

Jean-Jacques Beauvarlet-Charpentier: Journal d'Orgue

Submodalities [Import]

Man Bites Harmonica

Miaow [Import]

One Hand Clapping

Liquid Hip Hop [Import]

Turn

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