Carlo Bergonzi

1. I due Foscari, opera Non maledirmi
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
with Carlo Bergonzi
Conducted by Michelangelo Veltri

2. La forza del destino, opera Quel sangue sparsi
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
with Carlo Bergonzi
Conducted by Michelangelo Veltri

3. Giovanna d'Arco, opera Amici v'appressate...Sotto uba quercia...Pondo è letal martirio
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
with Carlo Bergonzi
Conducted by Michelangelo Veltri

4. Attila, opera Ella in poter...Cara patria
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
with Carlo Bergonzi
Conducted by Michelangelo Veltri

5. Luisa Miller, opera Quando le sere al placido...L'ara o ''avello
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
with Carlo Bergonzi
Conducted by Michelangelo Veltri

6. La Wally, opera Wally! Wally...M'hai salvato
Composed by Alfredo Catalani
with Carlo Bergonzi , Renata Tebaldi
Conducted by Fausto Cleva

7. Rigoletto, opera Parmi veder le lagrime
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
with Carlo Bergonzi
Conducted by Kurt Eichorn

8. Il Trovatore, opera Ah sì ben mio
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
with Carlo Bergonzi
Conducted by Kurt Eichorn

9. La bohème, opera O Mimì tu più non torni
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
with Carlo Bergonzi , Piero Cappuccilli
Conducted by Kurt Eichorn

10. Pagliacci, opera Vesti la giubba
Composed by Ruggiero Leoncavallo
with Carlo Bergonzi
Conducted by Kurt Eichorn

11. Andrea Chénier, opera Vicino a te s'acqueta
Composed by Umberto Giordano
with Carlo Bergonzi , Raina Kabaivanska
Conducted by Kurt Eichorn

Tracks:

Part One: N.1 Preludio E Coro D'Introduzione: Percorrente Le Spiagge Vicine - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Part One: N.2 Scena E Cavatina: Tu Sei Turbato! - E N'Ho Ben D'Onde - Piero Cappuccilli
Part One: No.2 Scena E Cavatina: Cruda, Funestsa Smania - Piero Cappuccilli
Part One: N.2 Scena E Cavatina: Il Tuo Dubbio E Ormai Certezza - Piero Cappuccilli
Part One: N.3 Scena E Cavatina: Ancor Non Giunse! - Beverly Sills
Part One: N.3 Scena E Cavatina: Regnava Nel Silenzio - Beverly Sills
Part One: N.4 Scena E Duetto - Finale I: Egli S'Avanza - Carlo Bergonzi
Part One: N.4 Scena E Duetto - Finale I: Sulla Tomba Che Rinserra - Carlo Bergonzi
Part Two: Act One, N.5. Scena: Lucia Fra Poco A Te Verra - Piero Cappuccilli
Part Two: Act One, N.6. Duetto: Appressati, Lucia - Piero Cappuccilli
Part Two: Act One, N.6. Duetto: Il Pallor, Funesto, Orrendo - Piero Cappuccilli
Part Two: Act One, N.7. Scena Ed Aria: Ebben? - Di Tua Speranza - Beverly Sills
Part Two: Act One, N.7. Scena Ed Aria: Ah! Cedi, Cedi O Piu Sciagure - Beverly Sills

Tracks:

Part Two: Act Two - Finale II, N.8. Coro E Cavatina: Per Te D'Immenso Giubilo/Per Poco Fra Le Tenebre - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Part Two: Act Two - Finale II, No.9. Scena E Quartetto: Dov'E Lucia? - Qui Giungere Or La Vedrem.../Ecco Il Tuo Sposo - Piero Cappuccilli
Part Two: Act Two - Finale II. Sestetto Con Coro: Chi Mi Frena In Tal Momento?/Chi Raffrena Il Mio Furore? - Piero Cappuccilli
Part Two: Act Two - Finale II, No.10. Seguito E Stretta Del Finale II: T'Allontana, Sciagurato - Maledetto Sia I'Istante - Piero Cappuccilli
Part Two: Act Two, No.11. Uragano, Scena E Duetto: Orrida E Questa Notte - Piero Cappuccilli
Part Two: Act Two, No.11 Urgano, Scena E Duetto: Ashton! - Si/Qui Del Padre Ancor Respira - Piero Cappuccilli
Part Two: Act Two, No.12. Coro: D'Immenso Giubilo - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Part Two: Act Two, No.13. Gran Scena Con Cori: Deh, Cessate Quel Contento - Justino Diaz
Part Two: Act Two, No.14. Scena Ed Aria: O Giusto Cielo! - Il Dolce Suono - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Part Two: Act Two, No.14. Scena Ed Aria: Ardon Gli Incensi - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Part Two: Act Two, No.14. Scena Ed Aria: S'Avanza Enrico! - Piero Cappuccilli
Part Two: Act Two, No.14. Scena Ed Aria: Spargi D'Amaro Pianto - Piero Cappuccilli
Part Two: Act Two, Scena - Recitativo: Si Tragga Altrove - Piero Cappuccilli
Part Two: Act Two, No.15. Aria E Finale: Tombe Degli Avi Miei - Carlo Bergonzi
Part Two: Act Two, No.15. Aria E Finale: Fra Poco A Me Ricovero - Carlo Bergonzi
Part Two: Act Two, No.15. Aria E Finale: Oh Meschina!/Tu Che A Dio Spiegasti L'Ali - Ambrosian Opera Chorus

Amazon.com

This Lucia was recorded in 1970, when Beverly Sills was at the peak of her vocal and dramatic powers. She had been singing the role of Lucia on stage for six years, and she knew the character. Here is a manic-depressive who is slightly crazy from the start, and Sills's embellishments to the vocal line (and there are tons of them; hardly a line is left as written), mostly composed especially for her, are always at the service of the drama. She is a far cry from the chirpy Pons and Peters (and even Sutherland, whose just-plain-singing of the role is unmatchable, but who was never all that interested in building character) and comes closer to Callas, but without the great Greek soprano's huge palette of colors or, for that matter, vocal limitations. Sills is gloriously fluent in the coloratura, the high notes are impeccable, and her reading of the words is truly involved and involving. Carlo Bergonzi has everything as Edgardo, while Piero Cappuccilli's Enrico is snarling and cruel. Schippers leads a very tight, exciting, complete performance, and for the first (and only) time on CD, the glass harmonica Donizetti asked for is used in the Mad Scene. This is a must for lovers of great singing. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Sweet.......2007-06-30

The opening chords and strains, the sextet and the mad scene. These of course are what I love about Lucia, though all of it is beautiful. I've had this recording for months and just listened to it today. I doubt I'll listen to it again. I have lots of Lucias, and no favorites. Though I especially like Sutherland's 1959 recording of the mad scene, it's beautiful, and her trills hadn't got muddy yet. I'm only going to comment on the mad scene in this recording. It sounds more like a lullaby than the ravings of someone who'd just murdered her husband. I was surprised, because I'd read (apocryphal) that Sills had said she'd pound tables and sing off key to get the drama out. I prefer bel canto coloratura to table pounding, I don't care about the drama. At all. Still, that said, I was both stunned and disappointed in Sills' mad scene. It was, well, flaccid. (I love Sills, am listening to the 1st disc of Sillsiana right now, and I have the Pons recording and do not think she chirped!)

A Desert Island Disc.......2007-06-11

Like many other reviewers here, I am a serious bel canto fan. And like many of them, I have heard many Lucias live and have several recordings of the great Lucias: Callas, Sutherland, and Sills. This opera is, in my view, along with Norma, fundamental to understanding bel canto properly as a style in which virtuosity is the servant of drama. Not just empty display by prima donnas.

I have known and loved this opera since I was a teenager and to me, Sills is simply the best Lucia I have heard. I recall as a college student going to the listening library on many Friday afternoons and listening to this recording on LP over headphones until well into the evening, as it was not released on CD until a decade later. I was simply entranced.

Sills really is Lucia, the perfect realization of the "Ophelia" type so beloved by the Romantic imagination: a delicate, sensitive, emotional girl driven mad by cruelty and betrayal and crushed by events outside her control. Her tone is delicate, yet clear, and she sounds girlish (which Callas, for all her considerable art, could not quite convey). The high notes are firm and a bit bright, but never shrill or wobbly. The words absolutely clear, even in the hushed tones Sills uses so devastatingly. Her ornamentations express joy, terror, or agitation, perfectly evoking those heightened emotions. Her mad scene is really spooky. Again, only she and Callas sound like they are wandering about in a trance, living a demented fantasy. Along with Callas' Norma, in my view, it is the greatest bel canto performance on record. Sills, like Callas as Norma, really makes you think she IS Lucia.

What more can you ask for? Well, you get a perfectly stylish Edgardo in Bergonzi (although I feel that Pavarotti is unbeatably ardent, passionate, and even sexy in the role) and as so many have noted, a conductor who loves the opera and conducts like he does, excellent stereo sound, and a complete edition of the score. And how about that wonderfully spooky glass harmonica in the mad scene!

This recording needs to be in the collection of every opera lover and above all is required listening for any fan of bel canto. Sills, through words and music, makes us "see" DONIZETTI'S Lucia (not Beverly Sills, Diva) and feel her plight. That is what great operatic artists do. Run to get this one!

Ne plus ultra.......2007-01-03

I have four "Lucia"s on my shelf, and this is the one I always listen to when I want to experience the full drama of this bel canto classic. (We can safely ignore the opinions of those tin-eared listeners who don't grasp the shattering drama delivered by bel canto at its best.) Granted I may be somewhat influenced by having seen and heard Sills in the opera house, but her superiority in all "departments" in conveying Donizetti's dramatic achievement is not bettered anywhere, not by Callas and certainly not by Sutherland, whatever the glories of her singing. Sills conveys Lucia's incipient madness with the first notes she utters and her performance traces an uninterrupted arc from the fountain scene until she's led away after the Mad Scene. And she's fully seconded by everyone else who takes part, especially Bergonzi and -- best of all conductors in this score -- Thomas Schippers. If you want to know why bel canto opera has such a large body of fans, immerse yourself in in this recording as soon as possible.

One of the great Lucias.......2004-12-03

Many people, me included, have often wondered at the supreme ugliness of, even in her "prime", Maria Callas' voice. Of course, the rejoinder always has been "But did you see her in the house?"

Obviously, since she blew herself out at a comparatively early age, the answer is "no".

Now, we have a whole new group of nay-sayers telling us the Sills voice is too small, too thin, too ugly, too whatever. To those, I would simply say "But did you see her in the house?". Fair is fair.

I saw Ms. Sills many times in the house throughout her lengthy career. She did not possess a "perfect" voice. Who does?

But, during her greatest years, of which this recording is one of several examples, she possessed a beautiful and remarkably expressive lyric coloratura instrument. While a shade "lighter" than some, she had the almost uncanny ability of always being heard, even in the heaviest ensembles and over the loudest orchestras (which happened often when Julius Rudel was at the helm). Her voice seemed to bounce around the house. When you saw her in person.

Lucia was one of her most remarkable achievements. Anyone who ever saw her in the house knows of what I speak. Those who did not see her in the house should remain silent in their envy.

Now, make no mistake. I adored Sutherland. I would be completely unable to chose between the two, so different were their approaches to their art.

Of course, Sills' tireless efforts to popularize opera and bring a new audience to the opera house are well known.

Thank God I was around to see them both in the house. Many times.

And as for Anna Moffo. Well, she was a beautiful woman with a beautiful voice. For a while.

Enough said.

Crazy reviewers.......2004-11-30

Sills is a great Lucia. For those who say her voice is too small for the role, especially compared to Sutherland and Callas, I say it is the right size for this role. Lucia, after all, was written for Fanny Persiani, who was a soprano with a light coloratura voice. Also, for those who say Sills' coloratura pales in comparison with Sutherland's, I say hogwash. Sills' coloratura is superb. She does smudge some staccati, but only does so for dramatic effect. Her trills and runs are breathtaking.

This role is NOT merely a display of stratospheric high notes and complicated coloratura. It is also a greatly dramatic role which must be ACTED with the voice. In this regard, Sills succeeds with flying colors. Her solo scenes are magnificent, just listen to her Mad Scene (her singing here reaches the highest pinnacle of vocal acting). Her work with her colleagues is also superb.

The rest of the cast is made up of great singers, especially Carlo Bergonzi as an elegant and passionately restrained, but still affecting Edgardo. One must hear his double-aria finale to realize his greatness. He sings with beautiful tone and magnificent phrasing and diction. He is truly in a class of his own.

The conducting of Thomas Schippers is great. He propels the action forward and gives every passage its dramatic due. His pacing of the three duets that follow "Regnava nel silenzio" is very exciting and makes for thrilling listening.

In short, this recording is truly one of the best on the market.

Average customer rating:

Correction to the entry by "sergiocqh"
Fantastic!
HATE OPERA? THIS ONE WILL CHANGE YOUR MIND
"Ultimate" only if you like your opera "al fresco"!
Wonderful Performance but Average Recording Quality

The Ultimate Puccini Collection
Giacomo Puccini , Herbert von Karajan , Riccardo Chailly , Stephen Barlow , Tullio Serafin , Lorin Maazel , Sir Edward Downes , Giuseppe Patane , Zubin Mehta , Alberto Erede , John Mauceri , Plácido Domingo , José Carreras , Kiri Te Kanawa , John Alldis Choir , Luciano Pavarotti , London Philharmonic Orchestra , Bologna Community Theater Orchestra , Ettore Bastianini , Carlo Bergonzi , Renato Cesari , Fernando Corena , Cesare Siepi , Renata Tebaldi , Gianna D'Angelo , Saint Cecilia Academy Orchestra , Franco Corelli , Alfredo Mariotti , Regine Crespin , Royal Opera House Orchestra Covent Garden , London Symphony Orchestra , Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra , Rome Opera House Orchestra , Pilar Lorengar , Berlin Philharmonic Brass Ensemble , Mirella Freni , Rolando Panerai , Jussi Bjorling , Leontyne Price , and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Price, Leontyne | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Te Kanawa, Kiri | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Turnadot: Nessun Dorma!
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Amazon.com essential recording

Ordinarily, it pays to be wary of collections such as these, which often promise a lot but deliver a mishmash of disconnected excerpts. This disc, however, is something of an exception: you really do get just about all of Puccini's best arias, which is possible, because he didn't write so many operas that choosing the best moments becomes a matter of the producer's personal taste. Also, Puccini's operas are so popular that every major label has excellent complete recordings of all of them, so in making this compilation it was possible to cast from strength: all the singers here are fine. In fact, the only proviso that needs to be made before you rush out and add this disc to your collection is that it's wrong to assume that all of Puccini's best tunes lie in his arias. The opening 10 minutes of any one of his operas will tell you that's not true. So by all means enjoy this disc--then start sampling the operas complete. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Correction to the entry by "sergiocqh".......2005-11-08

"Quando m'en vo" is not omitted from this CD; it is just called "Musetta's waltz song." It is the same aria.

Fantastic!.......2003-10-14

This is one of the first opera CDs I ever got. It's wonderful for just about any body;from the newbies like me or the opera fanatics. I especially like 'In Questa Reggia'. Buy it now!!

HATE OPERA? THIS ONE WILL CHANGE YOUR MIND.......2003-09-04

The Ultimate Puccini Collection features some of Puccini's most arias and will appeal to even the most ardent operaphobes.

A great listening experience featuring some of the greatest opera performers of all time.

"Ultimate" only if you like your opera "al fresco"!.......2002-06-13

The music is without question, among the most beautiful ever written. But the quality of the fidelity tells me that many of the selections were recorded live in concert in outdoor venues. I wish that was clear to me before I bought the disc. So, is the music the ultimate? YES! Is the recording the ultimate? NO!

Wonderful Performance but Average Recording Quality.......2002-02-18

I love opera! I love Puccini! Not only is the vocalism important to me, but the quality of the recording as well. I enjoy my hi-tech sound system. I like to feel as if I am sitting in the front row of the first balcony when I listen to opera. This CD is excellent! The vocalists were well chosen. The technical performances are eloquent and emotional, as Puccini should be. However, the quality of the recording is not very good. No matter how you adjust your sound system, the recording is a bit tinny and as a result, the emotional high points of the arias are not as vibrant as they could be if the recording were of better quality. I would recommend this CD to anyone who loves Puccini and who is not as finicky as I!

Average customer rating:

Wow! It's like dying and going to Heaven!
How Italian should 'Un Ballo' be? This one isn't very
ARGUABLY THE BEST "BALLO" EVER RECORDED
Grazia Decca! Bravo Bergonzi!

Verdi: Un Ballo in Maschera

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Ahime! S'appressa Alcun!
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Customer Reviews:

Wow! It's like dying and going to Heaven!.......2007-05-30

What to say....."AT LAST!"
Yes, at last! Finally, after all these years (I guess it took the passing of Ms Nilsson and many inquiries from me to Decca/Philips/Universal Classics, pleading for it), finally it is available for our hot little hands again.

I love this recording. Another of my "growing-up" opera recordings, so it's like seeing an old friend from my childhood again! Is this the best "un Ballo"...probably not, but it certainly ranks up there. I loved these old singers, and generally will always want the "old" recordings I knew to still be in my collection, even though they have been "surpassed" or replaced with newer efforts. In many cases today, I feel that studio recordings have been "juiced-up" technologically or electronically to sound better than they really are. The singers in these older recordings were doing all this on their own, with no "clean-up" or "beefing" as I call it, except for perhaps occasional phrases or notes being re-recorded and spliced in. This recording is one of my favorite recordings from the beginning of my operatic journey to today. It has been bested by Solti's newer effort in digital sound, etc, and by others, but know what...this will always be in place on my shelves, and I will go to it frequently to listen to Ms Nilsson's efforts, along with Bergonzi's, Macneil's, Simionato's, Solti's and the Accadamia de Saint Cecelia Orchestra of Rome. To Universal Classics I say "Brava" on the re-release of this grand old recording. ~operabruin

How Italian should 'Un Ballo' be? This one isn't very.......2007-05-29

In terms of recording and vocal polish, this 1962 Un Ballo from Rome is exemplary. Bergonzi and Nilsson were world-class voices, and the role of Amerlia suited Nilsson almost as well as Aida. For power, accuracy, ad vocal gleam she has no peers. Yet I always hear her in the shadow of Callas and Tebaldi, who gave us tragic, poingnant Amelias in the true Italian style. If that doesn't matter so much to you, then Nilsson is ealy beyond praise. She displays real heart and is never steely.

In fact, I like her better here than Bergonzi, who is always priased for stylishness yet who lacks heft and passion. His Riccardo is too much like a school lesson in how to sing the role, and by comparison Domingo and Pavarotti create more passion and thrills. I must concede, however, that sparks do fly between Bergonzi and Nilsson in their great Act 2 duet. Macneil is strong and stalwart but not Italiante, either. As for Solti, his aggressive, punchy conducting is actually quite effective, but he would go on to do much better in 1985 with Margaret Price and Pavarotti as his two leads. That set is preferable to this one, I think, because it feels emotionaly ture whereas this one feels put together form bits and pieces. Both are powerhouse readings, however.

ARGUABLY THE BEST "BALLO" EVER RECORDED.......2007-05-22

Deccca is to be congratulated and commended for finally reissuing this superb recording long absent from the catalogue. Georg Solti's way with the weightier Verdi operas is dramatic, compelling, and totally absorbing. He infuses the power of Wagner and Strauss into his orchestration, and it gives this opera an orchestral grandeur that is far less evident on other recordings. He's directing a cast who are themselves legendary. Carlo Bergonzi, the epitome of Italian lyricism, is heard here in his early vocal prime, and the dividends he pays are only slightly less than those paid by Bjoerling on the legendary 1940 Met performance. His voice flows like honey, and his phrasing is exemplary. Cornell MacNeil is captured here in his early prime as well - with a free and sonorous baritone that makes "Eri tu" one of the highlights of the performance. His Renato is appropriately menacing and anguished at the same time. Giulietta Simionato, a veteran Italian mezzo, who specialized in Verdi's mezzo roles, makes the most out of this brief but important role. Her top voice rings out dramatically in Ulrica's climaxes, though one would have liked equal power on those exciting "basement" notes that Verdi actually wrote for a true contralto, which Simionato was not (but then again, real contraltos are as scarce as original Mickey Mouse watches). Sylvia Stahlman was an excellent coloratura who should have had a greater career, as her Oscar here demonstrates. Her passage work is accurate, attractive, and limber. Her contribution to the trio in Act III is formidable. That leaves Birgit Nilsson, the mighty Isolde and Brunnhilde of her generation. Yes, she was a Wagnerian and Strauss soprano, but she was also an Aida, a Tosca, a Lady Macbeth, the most famous Turandot in history, and finally, an Amelia in "Ballo". Nilsson does not have the Italianate sound that we have become accustomed to in these roles, but her Nordic virtues are well known. She sang this role often in Sweden, and did very well by it. The role is very difficult, and is loaded with top B flats, B's, and a couple of high C's. These top notes are child's play for her. Her vocal power is something not to be believed, and her ascent to the climatic top C in the Act II aria is something which must be experienced rather than described. She and Bergonzi blend beautifully in the big duet in Act II and they both end it on a sustained high C (though it must be said that Nilsson's is five times the size of Bergonzi's, and she was probably STILL standing further from the microphone!). This recording is a real recorded achievement, and I don't think you've really experienced Verdi"s "Ballo" until you've heard the possibilities explored here. If I had to part with all my other "Ballo" recordings (and I have plenty of them!), this is most definitely the one I'd be clinging to. At the incredibly low price Amazon is charging for it, my advice is to grab it before it again becomes out of print.

Grazia Decca! Bravo Bergonzi!.......2007-04-22

Thanks and praise to Decca for finally making this Ballo available on CD. Riccardo was one of Carlo Bergonzi's greatest roles -- right up there with Radames, Alfredo, Alvaro, Edgardo, and Nemorino. In addition to this Decca/Solti offering, which is Bergonzi's first commercial recording of Ballo, there is his second commercial recording a few years later for RCA with L. Price, Grist, Verrett, and Merrill under Leinsdorf. There are also pirate CDs of a live performance with Leyla Gencer, as well as pirate VHSs, now available on DVDs, of a fine live televised performance in Tokyo (with Stella and Zanasi, and Japanese subtitles). When Decca recently issued its Bergonzi "Sublime Voice" collection, most of Riccardo's role was included (but not the final masked ball scene with the Amelia-Riccardo duet and Riccardo's death-bed pardon of Renato). That release was welcome, but not enough for those who admire the whole Decca recording which until now was available only on our old LPs.

Comparing the present Decca issue with the RCA studio recording, Bergonzi's performance on both is outstanding, but the Decca is, to my ears, the more exciting of the two. As to the other participants and the two recordings taken as a whole, each has its merits and demerits, and any lover of this opera will be fortunate to own both. The Decca acoustic, as with other Decca recordings of the period (such as the Karajan Aida with Tebaldi, Bergonzi, and Simionato), favors the orchestra and occasionally comes close to drowning out the soloists at a climactic moment (but it's better than the aforementioned Aida in this respect). But all the words and all the music are there and are easily audible, especially if you know what you are listening for, and the quality of the sound -- both near and distant --is excellent. There is also some use of the patented Decca stage movement, which works well. With the soloists in full cry and not close-miked, the Decca comes much closer to simulating the ambience of a live performance than the RCA studio recording. And Solti's account of the orchestral score is exciting in a way that the Leinsdorf for RCA, though excellent, is not.

Birgit Nilsson may not be anyone's first choice for Amelia, and sometimes her loud high notes are so metallic as to be more suited to her Wagner and Strauss heroines than to Verdi. But I find her performance here taken as a whole to be enjoyable, dramatically expressive, in many places exciting, and sufficiently attuned to the Verdi style to be interesting and worth hearing and rehearing. L. Price on the RCA has her good moments, and she was a great Verdian, but she seems not to be in her best voice in many places on that recording.

As for Oscar, Sylvia Stahlman on Decca holds her own with the much more frequently recorded Grist on RCA. Stahlman is quite pleasant to listen to and acquits herself very well in the role, although her low notes are weak and her diction not quite up to Grist's standard. The Grist performance on the RCA is also excellent.

Ulrica is a somewhat ungrateful part which is not the best role in the great Simionato's repertoire (or that of other great Verdi mezzos), but she acquits herself honorably here, sometimes with better volume in the high parts than in the low parts (a bit surprising, in light of her justified fame as Amneris and Azucena, although I think part of the problem on this recording may be the Decca sonics). If mild criticism is justified, the fact remains that the role is well and idiomatically sung. Verrett on RCA is her usual full-toned force of nature, and she gives the kind of thrilling account of this role that one came to expect from her, whether she was Eboli, Dalilah, or Lady Macbeth.

MacNeil as Renato on Decca is fresh-voiced and deploys a beautiful instrument. But Merrill on RCA gives a more seasoned and, perhaps surprisingly to some, a more dramatically characterful account of the role.

John Culshaw recounts in his autobiography "Putting the Record Straight" the difficulties that arose in making this recording, including a sad account of his dealings with Jussi Bjorling, whom Bergonzi replaced on this project. Although Culshaw was "haunted" by the "ghost" of Bjorling "no matter how superbly Bergonzi sang" and appears to think that this recording is not one of Decca's most successful efforts, it has much to commend itself from my perspective. You can turn the volume up for most of the opera for optimal appreciation of the soloists, and you can turn it down in time to avoid being startled by the one or two orchestral climaxes that may fairly be characterized as blasting (including the final notes of the opera). The faults of this recording notwithstanding, the magnificence of the Bergonzi performance is a treasure, and the rest of the recording matches up pretty evenly with the RCA when the pluses and minuses of each are considered, and there are elements in each that could just as well lead someone to favor the Decca over the RCA as vice versa. But since we now have both, there is no need to prefer one over the other.

If Decca's tardiness in preparing and issuing this CD had to do with a perceived conflict with its Bartoletti/Pavarotti and/or its Solti/Pavarotti recordings of this opera (and I have no idea whether that was the case) -- or if it reflected an assumption that there would not be a sufficient market for this Solti/Bergonzi offering in view of the Pavarotti recordings (also entirely speculative) and the reductions over time in the ranks of Bergonzi fans, including those who, like myself, have heard him perform this and other roles at the MET -- those considerations would only make me more grateful. There is more than one good recording of most great operas. It will be interesting to see how the market responds to the current issue. I would guess that there are many people of all ages who cherish Bergonzi's extensive discography and who will be delighted to have this Ballo for the enjoyment it will hold for years to come. Perhaps this review will help encourage others to take advantage of the opportunity to experience the pleasures of this recording.

Average customer rating:

The main attractions are the stupendous Warren and Rysanek
ALL TIME BEST
A Legendary Album Of Verdi's Macbeth
Terribly disappointing
Superb!!

Giuseppe Verdi: Macbeth
Emilia Cundari , Osie Hawkins , Jerome Hines , Calvin Marsh , William Olvis , and Carlotta Ordassy
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Verdi: Ernani (Complete) [Germany]
Beethoven: Fidelio (Ger)
Giuseppe Verdi: Luisa Miller
Giuseppe Verdi: La Forza del Destino
Giacomo Puccini: La Rondine

ASIN: B000003ENG
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Prelude
Act I, Scene 1: Che Faceste? Dite Su!
Act I, Scene 1: Giorno Non Vidi Mai Si Fiero E Bello!
Act I, Scene 1: Due Vaticini Compiuti Or Sono
Act I, Scene 1: S'allontanarono!
Act I, Scene 2: Nel Di Della Vittoria Io Le Incontrai...
Act I, Scene 2: Vieni! T'affretta! Accendere
Act I, Scene 2: Oh Donna Mia!
Act I, Scene 2: Sappia La Sposa Mia
Act I, Scene 2: Fatal Mia Donna!
Act I, Scene 2: Di Destarlo Per Tempo Il Re M'impose
Act I, Scene 2: Schiudi, Inferno, Inghiotti
Act II, Scene 1: Perche Mi Sfuggi
Act II, Scene 1: La Luce Langue
Act II, Scene 2: Chi V'impose Unirvi A Noi?
Act II, Scene 2: Studia Il Passo; Come Dal Ciel Precipita
Act II, Scene 3: Salve, O Re!
Act II, Scene 3: Si Colmi Il Calice

Tracks:

Act II, Scene 3: Voi Siete Demente!
Act II, Scene 3: Spirto D'abisso!
Act III: Tre Volte Miagola La Gatta
Act III: Che Fate Vio, Misteriose Donne?
Act III: Fuggi, Regal Fantasima
Act III: Ove Son Io?
Act III: Ora Di Morte E Di Vendetta
Act IV, Scene 1: Patria Oppressa!
Act IV, Scene 1: O Figli; Ah, La Paterna Mano
Act IV, Scene 1: Dove Siam? Che Bosco E Quello?
Act IV, Scene 2: Vegliammo Invan Due Notti
Act IV, Scene 2: Una Macchia E Qui Tuttora
Act IV, Scene 3: Perfidi! All' Anglo Contro Me
Act IV, Scene 3: Pieta, Rispetto, Amore
Act IV, Scene 3: Ella E Morta!
Act IV, Scene 3: Mal Per Me Che M'affidai
Act IV, Scene 3: Vittoria! Vittoria!

Customer Reviews:

The main attractions are the stupendous Warren and Rysanek.......2007-02-08

Note: Please ignore an undue number of negative votes for this review. They come from a few mindless stalkers.

You can throw a rock at random and hit a five-star review for practically anything at Amazon, especially when it comes to operas, but in this case the superlatives are deserved on two fronts. First and foremost is the young Leonie Rysanek, a great vocal actress who throws herself into the role of Lady Macbeth that every rival is swept off the stage except Callas. But Rysanek had a far more beautiful voice than Callas, and her two big arias are examples of vocal splendor.

The ohter star is the legendary Leonard Warren, but newcomers should be warned that by 1959 Warren's magnificent dark baritone had acquired some wobble under pressure and was slightly frayed around the edges. Even so, he is passionate, ruthless, and dramatically convincing in one of his signature roles.

Why, then, a reduction to four stars for the set as a whole? First, the sound. RCA didn't always manage stereo well, and here they often start an aria out completely in the left speaker and end it entirely in the right. Duets plunk one singer in each channel. You might not be as annoyed as I was, but in any event there's shrillness and microphone shatter to contend with, too, and a chorus placed at the very back of the stage.

The ohter, bigger negative is the brisk, uninflected conducting of the always rigid, sometimes disastrous Erich Leinsdorf. Here he's not terrible, thank goodnesss, but he's no asset, and the finicky Met orchestra plays routinely for him. Again, some opera lovers care only aobutt the voice and won't be as bothered as I was, but I'm sure Verdi cared deeply about the overall conception, not just one aria at a time. This is a one-aria-at-a-time performance graced by two stupendous voices.

ALL TIME BEST.......2005-02-03

This recording, in my opinion, is the overall ALL TIME BEST recording of this opera. I think this is an under rated Verdi opera. The music is very dramatic and listenable. It follows the story quite well also. The musical direction is perfect especially for the age of the recording. The direction is clear and energetic. Now, for singing. There are no words to describe Leonard Warren. I have not heard this recording since I was a teenager. I finally found the CD and listened to it the other day. Leonard Warren still sends chills. His large dramatic voice lends itself well to Macbeth. He gives power to the role where most other baritones just gives weakness. His voice is glorious. No other can match his incredible voice. As a far as Leonie Rysanek, I absolutely love this singer. I saw her in her "declining" years at the Met years ago in Electra and her voice was very youthful and beautiful. She is the finest Lady Macbeth ever. Her voice is even, her high notes are not pushed and over produced. She uses her beautiful voice well and I don't find myself cringing like I do with so many of today's voices. This truely is an era where singers took time to really learn to sing and you can hear it in this recording. Leonie is dramatic without sacrificing her voice. She uses many different colors, again without sacrificing her voice to do so. In addition, Lady Macbeth is a soprano role and should be sung by a soprano and not a mezzo no matter how high a mezzo can screatch up to the high notes. Jerome Hines is dark, musical, strong, and, well, perfect. You just couldn't get any better than that. If you are looking for a recording that is completely perfect, this is it. Yes, it has the slightly older sound that is quickly forgotten within seconds. They did a very good job in transferring this to CD. This is the second recording I have of this opera. The first is with Birgit Nilsson, another incredible recording with Nilsson and the orchestra as the stars. The Macbeth is okay and from there it goes down hill. But it is worth the price just for Nilsson. However, this recording of Warren and Reysanek is the best. I will never get tired of listening to these great artists. I wish we had them today.

A Legendary Album Of Verdi's Macbeth.......2004-11-27

Although it isn't perfect as some critics would have it, I find this recording sensational. The Metropolitan Opera conducted by Erich Leinsdorf, treats Verdi's Macbeth as an early grand opera of his, which it truly is. Macbeth is a sensational, dramatic and dark play and as an opera it is equally as electrifying. Verdi's first big success is credited as Nabucco but Macbeth is well-made, having many dramatic moments that should bring down the house. Leonard Warren was a famous baritone who was instantly a Met legend because he died on the stage of the Met of a heart attack after singing the lines "Morir tremenda cosi " "What a horrible thing is death" in the opera La Forze Del Destino by Verdi. Warren IS Macbeth, ambitious, driven, cruel, heartless. Everyone seems to think that he is the true reason you should get this recording. No other interpretor matches his performance.

As for Leonie Rysanek. She is incredible ! True she overacts, she is melodramatic and she sounds totally crazy, but I think this is how she should be performed. Critics have always admired Shirley Verrett's performance as Lady Macbeth, which they feel is more accurate on a human level. But I find that Rysanek is a fine Lady Macbeth. After all, the character is dark and crazy. At the beginning of the drama, she is ambitious, bloodthirsty and even more cruel than her husband. She drives her husband to murder and to seize power. She is the dark part of Macbeth's own nature. Such a strong woman suddenly turning crazy in the Mad Scene is incoherent. Therefore the singing and acting should come off as crazy ! It makes sense to me. No one sings like that then Leonie Rysanek who can sing in the classical diva style but with so much bite and fury. I find that she is doing a perfect job. This is an old recording with fine sound quality, with a great cast. Carlo Bergonzi sings the tenor role of Macduff, a tame performance but good nonetheless. He is meant to sound "noble" and "good" next to the dark Macbeth of Leonard Warren. This is why the role of Macbeth is a bass or baritone role. The tenors are rarely the villain. The great exception is Verdi's own creation in the Duke in Rigoletto. This opera is terrific and highly recommended. Don't just ignore it. Listen to the Macbeth that you will most like among the many recordings. But this one is one that ought to be on your exploration route.

Terribly disappointing.......2004-09-30

Let me be frank. I obtained this recording because of the other positive reviews here, and because I hold Leonard Warren in very high esteem as an artist. He is fantastic here as Macbeth. Leonie Rysanek, a soprano who normally didn't record well, is in excellent voice here. But a performance never really "happens," and I place the blame squarely on the shoulders of conductor Erich Leinsdorf, an experienced theater conductor who apparently had no feeling for Verdi. Leinsdorf's recordings of Puccini and Wagner operas are quite fine, but this one is DOA: stiff, lifeless, square as a cube, man.

Which is a shame because, as I say, Warren is incomparably the best Macbeth on records. Rysanek sings with power and musicality, but, you never really "feel" Lady Macbeth in her. The late Jerome Hines is an excellent Banquo, but Banquo's role is very small. Carlo Bergonzi sings the music of Macduff. That's all he does - sing notes. Very nicely, but he could as well be singing "Arrivaderci Roma" or "The Hut-Sut Song" for all the difference it makes, not an aria about his anguish in losing the family he loved. The Witches sound studied and bored. All in all, a very disappointing failure.

The finest performance of this much-maligned opera is still the 1952 Callas conducted by the great Victor de Sabata. You can see my comments at that listing.

Superb!!.......2003-09-26

This is a superb recording!! All the principal singers are in peak form. You will find it hard to surpass Leonard Warren as Macbeth. His voice is deep and powerful. His characterization appropriate. Rysanek is highly dramatic as Lady Macbeth. And she sings her high D flat full-throated. No screechy singing - just a full, glorious shimmering voice at a high D flat!! Jerome Hines is marvellous as Banquo. His voice is deep and powerful too, sounds a bit like Warren's voice. Conducting is excellent and sound is great. In wonderful stereo and no tape hiss. Very highly recommended.

Carlo Bergonzi - The Sublime Voice ~ 40 Tracks from the Legendary Tenor

Average customer rating:

Complete Solti/Bergonzi Ballo Released
Another dazzled listener
Sublime indeed
The sublime vocal artist
Blown away!

Carlo Bergonzi - The Sublime Voice ~ 40 Tracks from the Legendary Tenor
Giuseppe Verdi , Giacomo Puccini , Ruggiero Leoncavallo , Pietro Mascagni , Amilcare Ponchielli , Tullio Serafin , Herbert von Karajan , Georg Solti , Rafael Kubelik , Nello Santi , Gianandrea Gavazzeni , Lamberto Gardelli , Sir John Pritchard , Carlo Bergonzi , Renata Tebaldi , Ettore Bastianini , Fiorenza Cossotto , Enzo Sordello , Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau , Tugomir Franc , Renata Scotto , Libero Arbace , Fernando Corena , Birgit Nilsson , Giulietta Simionato , Sylvia Stahlman , Joan Sutherland , Dora Carral , and Piero de Palma
Manufacturer: Decca
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Binding: Audio CD

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Carlo Bergonzi - Italian Songs ~ Bellini · Verdi · Danza · Tosti · Donizetti · Rossini · Mascagni · Puccini
The Very Best of Franco Corelli
The Very Best of Beniamino Gigli
The Very Best of Giuseppe di Stefano
The Very Best of Nicolai Gedda

ASIN: B00004C8TH
Release Date: 2001-06-12

Tracks:

La Boheme: Che Gelida Manina - Carlo Bergonzi/Renata Tebaldi/Rodolfo Gianna D'Angelo/Ettore Bastianini
La Boheme: O Soave Fanciulla - Carlo Bergonzi/Renata Tebaldi/Rodolfo Gianna D'Angelo/Ettore Bastianini
La Boheme: Mimi E Tanto Malata - Carlo Bergonzi/Renata Tebaldi/Rodolfo Gianna D'Angelo/Ettore Bastianini
La Boheme: Dunque E Proprio Finita! - Carlo Bergonzi/Renata Tebaldi/Rodolfo Gianna D'Angelo/Ettore Bastianini
La Boheme: In Un Coupe?... O Mimi, Tu Piu Non Torni - Carlo Bergonzi/Renata Tebaldi/Rodolfo Gianna D'Angelo/Ettore Bastianini
Madama Butterfly: Dovunque Al Mondo - Carlo Bergonzi/Renata Tebaldi/Fiorenza Cossotto/Enzo Sordello
Madama Butterfly: Vogliatemi Bene - Carlo Bergonzi/Renata Tebaldi/Fiorenza Cossotto/Enzo Sordello
Madama Butterfly: Io So Che Alle Sue Pene - Carlo Bergonzi/Renata Tebaldi/Fiorenza Cossotto/Enzo Sordello
Madama Butterfly: Addio, Fiorito Asil - Carlo Bergonzi/Renata Tebaldi/Fiorenza Cossotto/Enzo Sordello
Cavalleria Rusticana: Ah! Io Vedi, Che Hai Tu Detto? - Carlo Bergonzi/Fiorenza Cossotto
Pagliacci: Recitar!... Vesti La Giubba - Carlo Bergonzi
Don Carlo: Dio, Che Nell'alma Infondere - Carlo Bergonzi/Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Tugomir Franc/Chor Of The ROHCG
Rigoletto: Questa O Quella - Carlo Bergonzi/Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Renata Scotto/Fiorenza Cossotto
Rigoletto: Ella Mi Fu Rapita! - Carlo Bergonzi/Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Renata Scotto/Fiorenza Cossotto
Rigoletto: Parmi Veder Le Lagrime - Carlo Bergonzi/Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Renata Scotto/Fiorenza Cossotto
Rigoletto: Possente Amor Mi Chiama - Carlo Bergonzi/Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Renata Scotto/Fiorenza Cossotto
Rigoletto: La Donna E Mobile - Carlo Bergonzi/Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Renata Scotto/Fiorenza Cossotto
Rigoletto: Bella Figlia Dell'amore - Carlo Bergonzi/Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Renata Scotto/Fiorenza Cossotto
Otello: Dio! Mi Potevi Scagliar - Carlo Bergonzi

Tracks:

Un Ballo In Maschera: La Rivedra Nell'estasi - Carlo Bergonzi/Birgit Nilsson/Giulietta Simionato/Sylvia Stahlman/Fernando Corena/Libero Arbace...
Un Ballo In Maschera: Di' Tu Se Fedele - Carlo Bergonzi/Birgit Nilsson/Giulietta Simionato/Sylvia Stahlman/Fernando Corena/Libero Arbace...
Un Ballo In Maschera: E' Scherzo Od E Follia - Carlo Bergonzi/Birgit Nilsson/Giulietta Simionato/Sylvia Stahlman/Fernando Corena/Libero Arbace...
Un Ballo In Maschera: Teco Io Sto - Carlo Bergonzi/Birgit Nilsson/Giulietta Simionato/Sylvia Stahlman/Fernando Corena/Libero Arbace...
Un Ballo In Maschera: Forse La Soglia Attinse - Carlo Bergonzi/Birgit Nilsson/Giulietta Simionato/Sylvia Stahlman/Fernando Corena/Libero Arbace...
Un Ballo In Maschera: Ma Se M'e Forza Perderti - Carlo Bergonzi/Birgit Nilsson/Giulietta Simionato/Sylvia Stahlman/Fernando Corena/Libero Arbace...
Tosca: E Lucevan Le Stelle - Carlo Bergonzi
Manon Lescaut: Donna Non Vidi Mai - Carlo Bergonzi
Aida: Se Quel Guerrier Io Fossie!... Celeste Aida - Carlo Bergonzi/Renata Tebaldi
Aida: Pur Ti Riveggo, Mia Dolce Aida - Carlo Bergonzi/Renata Tebaldi
La Gioconda: Cielo E Mar! - Carlo Bergonzi
La Traviata: Un Di Felice, Eterea - Carlo Bergonzi/Joan Sutherland/Dora Carral/Piero De Palma/Chor Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
La Traviata: Lunge Da Lei - Carlo Bergonzi/Joan Sutherland/Dora Carral/Piero De Palma/Chor Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
La Traviata: De' Miei Bollenti Spiriti - Carlo Bergonzi/Joan Sutherland/Dora Carral/Piero De Palma/Chor Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
La Traviata: O Mio Rimorso! - Carlo Bergonzi/Joan Sutherland/Dora Carral/Piero De Palma/Chor Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
La Traviata: Parigi, O Cara - Carlo Bergonzi/Joan Sutherland/Dora Carral/Piero De Palma/Chor Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Il Trovatore: Deserto Sulla Terra - Carlo Bergonzi/Ettore Bastianini/Chor Del Teatro All Scalla Di Milano
Il Trovatore: Ah! Si, Ben Mio - Carlo Bergonzi/Ettore Bastianini/Chor Del Teatro All Scalla Di Milano
Il Trovatore: Di Quella Pira - Carlo Bergonzi/Ettore Bastianini/Chor Del Teatro All Scalla Di Milano
Adriana Lecouvreur: La Dolcissima Effigie - Carlo Bergonzi
Adriana Lecouvreur: L'anima Ho Stanca - Carlo Bergonzi

Customer Reviews:

Complete Solti/Bergonzi Ballo Released.......2007-04-24

No need to add to what the other reviewers say about this five-star collection. I am writing to alert readers that on April 10, 2007 Decca released the complete recording of Un Ballo in Maschera with Bergonzi, Nilsson, Stahlman, Simionato, and MacNeil, conducted by Solti. To read my detailed review of that release, bring the product up on Amazon.

Another dazzled listener.......2006-12-12

I had to write the same thing for the Sony Classical recording of a Bergonzi recital of Italian songs--this is simply one of the most passionate and intelligent singers I have ever heard, and he sounds as good or better now than when I first played one of his records 25 years ago. Anyone who has the slightest shred of interest in the operatic voice should own this collection from one of the truest and most passionate tenors in recorded history.

Sublime indeed.......2006-05-31

I first came to appreciate the artistry that is Carlo Bergonzi on his magnificnt recording of Butterly with Renata Scotto. Later I got the privelege of hearing him several times in person. He was among the most intelligent of tenors. He knew his voice well and how to use that voice to convey the drama and music in a wonderful combination.

If you appreciate Bergozni, this recording will remind you why. If you are not familiar with "The Tenor's Tenor", you will find out why he has that title. However, in addition to the magnificent Bergonzi, you also get wonderful performances from partners such as Tebaldi, Birgit Nilsson, Sutherland, Scotto, Fischer-Dieskau and Cossotto.

I can only find fault with a couple of the selections. First and foremost is that Bergonzi should never have even attempted the Dio Mi Potevi from Otello. That is the only performance that is in anyway subpar. It is unlike any other performance on this recording (or any other time I heard Bergonzi) -- forced. I would have far preferred a version of Una Furtiva Lagrima, which Bergonzi could sing the sock off of. Or given the presence of E Lucevan Stelle, couldn't they have included Recondita Armonia instead? The only other very minor complaint is the pairing with Nilsson . The duet is fine until the very end. On the final high C you can't even hear Bergonzi due to the sheer size of Nilsson's voice. The music and performance of both are wonderful, but a perfect Alfredo and perfect Brunnhilde do not necessarily mesh. But that is a minor quibble. Aside from a disappearing Carlo, it is quite a wonderful performance.

On the plus side a few things particularly stand out. To me, this is simply the best recording ever of Cielo e Mar. The sections with Tebaldi (Boheme and Butterfly and Aida in particuar) are fabulous. Other standouts include the quartet from Rigoletto with Scotto, Cossotto and Fischer-Dieskau and the Cavelleria duet with Cossotto.

All in all, this is, with a few minor exceptions, a magnificent collection of the best of Carlo Bergonzi.

The sublime vocal artist.......2003-08-15

I have seen most of the great tenors of the past 50 years at the Met: Corelli, Tucker, Vickers, Gedda, Pavarotti, Domingo, etc.. For me, Bergonzi over all, was the superior Italian Opera tenor. His legato, agility, breath control, tasteful musicianship, diction, was superior to most of the great tenors. He was outstanding as Nemorino and Rhadames; Edgardo and Alvaro etc.. This CD shows him at his very best, which is a joy to hear. This CD is a must vocal lesson for any aspiring young tenor, as Carlo Bergonzi is a master singer.

Blown away!.......2003-01-20

This album brings Carlo Bregonzi to life. This is a view from all angels. He commands such an array of singing styles.
No one brings the great composers to life the way Carlo Bergonzi does.

Tracks:

Atto 1: ...E soffito e pareti...
Atto 1: Sorride Vostro Onore?
Atto 1: Dovunque al mondo
Atto 1: America forever
Atto 1: ler l'altro il Colaolato
Atto 1: Ecco. Son giunte al sommo del pendio
Atto 1: Gran ventura
Atto 1: L'Imperial Commisario
Atto 1: Vieni, amor mio!
Atto 1: leri son salita tutta sola in segreto allo Missione
Atto 1: Tutti zitti!
Atto 1: O Kami! O Kami!
Atto 1: Cio-cio-san! Cio-cio-san!
Atto 1: Bimba, bimba, non piangere
Atto 1: Viene la sera
Atto 1: Vogliatemi bene
Atto 2, Parte 1: E lzaghi ed lzanami, Sarundasico e Kami
Atto 2, Parte 1: Un bel di vedremo
Atto 2, Parte 1: Ce. Entrate

Tracks:

Atto 2, Parte 1: Non lo sapete insomma
Atto 2, Parte 1: Si sa che aprir la porta
Atto 2, Parte 1: Udiste?
Atto 2, Parte 1: Ora a noi. Sedete qui
Atto 2, Parte 1: Ebbene, che fareste, Madama Butterfly
Atto 2, Parte 1: E questo? E questo?
Atto 2, Parte 1: Che tua madre dovra prendeteri in braccio
Atto 2, Parte 1: Vespa! Rospo maledetto!
Atto 2, Parte 1: Una nave da guerra
Atto 2, Parte 1: Scouti quella fronda di ciliegio
Atto 2, Parte 1: Or vienmi ad adornar
Atto 2, Parte 1: Coro a bocca chiusa
Atto 2, Parte 2: Intermezzo
Atto 2, Parte 2: (fischi d'uccelli dal giardino
Atto 2, Parte 2: Gia il sole!
Atto 2, Parte 2: Chi sia?
Atto 2, Parte 2: lo so che alle sue pene
Atto 2, Parte 2: Non ve l'avevo detto?
Atto 2, Parte 2: Addio fiorito asil
Atto 2, Parte 2: Suzuki! Suzuki! Dove sei?
Atto 2, Parte 2: Tu, Suzuki, che sei tanto buona
Atto 2, Parte 2: Come una mosca prigioniera
Atto 2, Parte 2: Con onor muore chi non puo serbar viat con onore

Customer Reviews:

renata is a dream.......2007-03-17

i have been playing non-stop for two weeks and have not tired of it yet--i love it

An Opera I Love That I Know I Should Loath.......2006-05-11

I'll admit that MADAMA BUTTERFLY is not one of my favorite operas, at least as far as characters are concerned. I find Pinkerton repulsive and as an American, I hate the fact that one of opera's most popular works has what is perhaps the most obvious example of an "Ugly American." I remember reading that some American critics hated the work at its New York premiere for the reasons I state. And yes I know, there are far more vile characters in opera than "Love'm and Leave'm Pinkerton, but he's so realistic ,Cio Cio San is so vulnerable, and Puccini's music so fits the story, I almost hate to listen to the opera because the same tragedy happens over and over again. Yet every time I put the CDs in the player and hear the string prelude, I know I have to listen because there are some of opera's most emotional and passionate musical moments in this work.

There are a number of tremendous recordings of this work available with some of operas greatest stars as Cio Cio San: Maria Callas, Mirella Freni, Anna Moffo, and Renata Tebaldi. Tenors who love the bravado of Pinkerton include Pavarotti, Carreras, Domingo, Mario Del Monaco and Carlo Bergonzi. Any set with any of these stars is musical heaven, but for me the BUTTERFLY of choice is this mid priced set with Renata Tebaldi and Carlo Bergonzi under the direction of Tulio Serafin. Anytime I listen to it, I'm captivated by the performance and drawn into the drama. It is often considered one of Tebaldi's best studio recordings, and Decca has used excerpts from this recording in many of its opera compilations.

Since this is a role often associated with both Renata Tebaldi and her rival Maria Callas, some may wonder which is the better choice. Well, I'm the wrong person to ask. I own and love both. The Callas recoding has certain intensity as opposed to the polish of this set, and this set is in stereo as opposed to the mono recording of the Callas set. Both sets are masterpieces, but for my tastes, the Tebaldi set is the better choice.

Better than Tebaldi's first recording.......2003-02-26

This is Renata Tebaldi's second recording of "Madama Butterfly". She sounds wiser in this role than when she recorded it the first time around. Her vibrato sometimes turns into an obtrusive wobble, but it is mostly under control. Her high notes are not as secure as in her first recording of the work. Her interpretation is subtler here than it is in her first recording. Butterfly's Death Scene is more subtly sung in this version than it is in her first, but the high notes are not nearly as secure. Dramatically, she is no Renata Scotto or Victoria de los Ángeles, but she has a superior voice. Her voice is a little different here than in her first recording. The rest of the cast is marvelous. Carlo Bergonzi is a great Pinkerton. To my ears, he is the best tenor to have recorded this role. He is significantly better than Giuseppe Campora on Tebaldi's first recording. Enzo Sordello has a wobbly, but very attractive baritone. He sounds too light to be a convincing Sharpless. He has a better voice than Giovanni Inghilleri, the Sharpless on Tebaldi's first recording. However, Inghilleri's voice is much more suited to the role of Sharpless than Sordello's is. Fiorenza Cossotto is a heavenly Suzuki. She has a beautiful voice and characterizes nicely. She has got to be the best Suzuki on records. She is infinitely better than Nell Rankin, the Suzuki in Tebaldi's first recording. That Suzuki has poor Italian and a vastly inferior voice. Tullio Serafin is a marvelous conductor. He is much better than Alberto Erede, the conductor on Tebaldi's first recording. Erede goes through the motions. Serafin actually takes time to conduct and pace this opera intelligently. Overall, this is a marvelous recording.

Maravillosa pero..........2002-08-30

Esta es una gran Butterfly en muchos sentidos, con un Elenco de los que ya no existen. Bergonzi canta su Pinkerton con su seducuctora elegancia característica, lo que lo pone en los primeros lugares para este papel. Cossotto, lo mejor que se puede pedir para Suzuki. Y Tebaldi, bueeno, si bien canta con esa voz que hace que cualquiera se derrita por ella, tenemos otra vez uno de sus grandes problemas para estos papeles... Su voz es demaciado madura, olvida que Butterfly tiene 15 y después 18 años, no se la puede cantar como a Desdemona. Mi Butterfly favorita es aquella que a priori parece la más inadecuada para el papel de todas: Maria Callas, si bien la dureza de su timbre hace que uno sienta cierto rechazo, no hay intérprete como Callas, simplemente. Y Serafin, bueno, es Serafin, no se puede desear algo mejor.

stunning.......2002-02-20

This recording is amazing. It sounds very live with the passion and emotion that come through in the singing, not often found in studio recordings.

Tebaldi's Butterfly is electrifying, flirtatious, and innocent at the same time. The lush, cool power that she has comes through everywhere and she is never drowned out by the orchestra. This is a recording of Tebaldi in her prime and he rhigh notes are spacious and ringing, never strained.

Bergonzi is, as usual, perfect and makes every tenor green with envy. His duet with Butterfly at the end of Act I is booming, arrogant, and passionate. Under the baton of Tullio Serafin, the orchestra creates a truly moving sequence of all-encompassing sound here as well; it's hard not to fall into the romantic scope of the scene.

The supporting cast is also very convincing, especially Cossotto as Suzuki, with the fervor she injects in the scene where she is praying, and Enzo Sordello as Sharpless fills "America Forever" with backhanded patriotism.

Easily one of the finest opera recordings out there and a great bargain. Puccini's music speaks for itself... you won't need a libretto.

Average customer rating:

The Definitive Butterfly

The definitive Butterfly

THE Madama Butterfly

Madama Butterfly
Giacomo Puccini , Sir John Barbirolli , Renata Scotto , and Carlo Bergonzi
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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La Boheme

Richard Strauss - Capriccio / Schwarzkopf, Wächter, Gedda, Fischer-Dieskau, Hotter, Ludwig, Moffo, Philharmonia Orchestra, Sawallisch

Verdi - Falstaff / Gobbi · Schwarzkopf · Moffo · Karajan

Puccini: Tosca

Beethoven: Fidelio

ASIN: B00006I0DJ
Release Date: 2002-09-17

Tracks:

E Soffitto...E Pareti
Questa E La Cameriera
Che Guardi?...Se Non Giunge Ancor La Sposa
Dovunque Al Mondo
Quale Smania Vi Prender!
Ecco! Son Giunte Al Sommo Del Pendio
Gran Ventrua
L'Imperial Commissario
Vieni, Amor Mio!
Leri Son Salita Tutta Sola
Tutti Zitti!...E Concesso Al Nominato
Ed Eccoci In Farmiglia
Bimba, Bimba, Non Piangere
Viene Le Sera
Quest'Obi Pomposa
Bimba Dagli Occhi Pieni Di Malia
Vogliatemi Bene, Un Bene Piccolino
Vieni, Vieni...Via Dall'Anima In Pena
E Izaghi Ed Izanami
Suzuki...E Lungi La Miseria?
Un Bel Di Vedremo

Tracks:

C'e. Entrate
Ah Si, Gogo, Appena B.F. Pinkerton Fu In Mare
Si Sa Che Aprir La Porta
Ora A Noi
Qui Troncarla Conviene
E Questo? E Questo?
Che Tua Madre Dovra
Lo Scendo Al Piano
Vespa! Rospo Maledetto!
Una Nave De Guerra
Scuoti Quella Fronda Di Ciliegio
Or Vienmi Ad Adornar
Coro A Bocca Chiusa
Introduzione/Oh Eh! Oh Eh! Oh Eh!
Gia Il Sole
Chi Sia? Oh!...Zitta! Zitta!
Lo So Che Alle Sue Pene
Addio, Fiorito Asil
Glielo Dirai?
Tu, Suzuki, Che Sei Tanto Buona
Come Una Mosca Prigioniera
Con Onor Muore

Customer Reviews:

The Definitive Butterfly.......2006-05-31

There are a few recordings that I believe most opera lovers can agree on: the Beecham Boheme and the Callas Tosca stand at the top of the list. This Butterfly belongs in that group. There is not a weak link the entire recording. First and foremost, Butterly is a soprano's opera -- probably more so than any other opera. From her entrance until her death, Butterly is never offstage except for the brief period at the start of act III when sleeping. However, a beautiful voice is not enough. The ability to go from sounding like a 15 year old girl in act I to being almost weary in act III is not easily done. Renata Scotto has done it in this recording better than any one. Her's is the ultimate reading of the drama. She sounds much younger in Act I than in Acts II and III. For some, the highlight of the opera is Un Bel Di. However, for me, it comes a bit later is in the letter scene with Sharpless. In Che Tua Madre, Scotto will rip your heart out. At the end of the aria, on her first "morta" on the high A, it stabs you like the knofe that is soon coming. Sharp, pointed and wrenching -- maybe even the best single note in any recorded opera. It's that magnificent. I had the privilege of seeing Scotto do Butterfly later in her career (after some of the wear and tear had introduced some wobble in the upper register). Dramatically, they were among the most intense performances I have ever seen. Amazingly, on this recording, she conveys the same dramatic line as well as being at the prime of her vocal career.

This is the recording that introduced me to the glorious Carlo Bergonzi. His Pinkerton is simply unequaled. Although I am one of the biggest Domingo fans, Placido could never approach Berognzi's Pinkerton. Bergonzi's portrayal is not quite the cad most others project, but his emotional breakdown at the realization of what he has caused at the end of the opera almost makes you feel sorry for him. Being able to make Pinkerton sympathetic is a neat trick. It shows how great Bergonzi is as Pinkerton.

The third leg of the stars is Rolando Panerai as Sharpless. I don't know of anyone who does not believe this is the greatest Sharpless recorded. Warm and sympathetic when needed, reproaching but never condeming with Pinkerton in both Act I and III.

Lastly, Sir John Barbirolli leads the forces masterfully. Sir John only recorded two operas, but I'm glad this is one of them. The story is told in the liner notes of how the Rome Orchestra a few weeks before had played about as bad as possible on another recording and still get paid. Yet here, just a few weeks later, they play their hearts out for him. His pacing makes the drama and the dramatic portrayal by the rest of the cast even more intense. His reading is flawless.

There are not enough adjectives in the thesaurus to describe how magnificent this recording is. If you don't know Butterfly, this is the recording that will make you fall in love with the opera. If you love the opera, this recording will remind you why. This recording belongs in every opera lover's library.

The definitive Butterfly.......2004-11-05

Forget about Callas (Karajan), de los Angeles (Santini), Freni (Karajan) and Tebaldi (Serafin). This recording with Scotto, Bergonzi and Barbirolli is not to be believed! It is the definitive recording of Madama Butterfly.

THE Madama Butterfly.......2003-12-29

Scotto is the best Butterfly on record. She brings her incomparable artistry with her. You feel her as a human being with emotional depth (without overdoing things). Bergonzi proves himself the most stylish Italian tenor in the world. Barbirolli is a master at the score. Preferable to Karajan's Butterfly which is overrated.

Average customer rating:

Classic coloratura singing by Dame Joan
Great Sutherland Recordings
Joan Sutherland in her Prime!! Amazing!!!
La Stupenda!
Exquisite combination of lyricism and coloratura

Joan Sutherland - The Greatest Hits

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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La Stupenda ~ The Supreme Voice of Joan Sutherland
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The Art of the Prima Donna
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ASIN: B000006P4S
Release Date: 1998-05-12

Tracks:

Samson: Let The Bright Seraphim
La buona figliuola: Furia di donna
Norma: Casta diva
I Puritani: Son vergin vezzosa (Polonaise)
La Fille Du Regiment: Pour ce contrat fatal...Ah! salut a France
Lakme: Ah!...Ola jeune Indoue (Bell Song)
Rigoletto: Gualtier Mald.Caro nome
Faust: Dieu! que de bijoux!...Ah! je ris de me voir si belle (Jewel Song)
La Traviata: E' strano!...Ah, fors'ui...Sempre libera
Les Contes d'Hoffman: Les oiseaux dan la charmille (Doll Song)
Lucia di Lammermoor: Il dolce suono mi colpi di sua voce!...Ardon gl'incensi (Mad Scene)

Customer Reviews:

Classic coloratura singing by Dame Joan.......2007-01-21

Joan Sutherland was one of the wonders of coloratura technique in the 1950s and 1960s. Some say that the 1960s represent the peak of her accomplishments. The cuts on this CD represent that period, so this is Dame Joan at her best. Music ranges from Handel to Bellini to Delibes to Donizetti to Verdi, with Gounod, Piccinni, and Offenbach thrown in for good measure. She was not great on characterization (no Tebaldi, Callas, or Moffo here), but, oh, that voice! Some illustrative examples follow. . . .

She began as a dramatic soprano, so that there is a lot of punch behind her coloratura technique. It is amazing that she exhibits such agility, given that background. "Let the Bright Seraphim" from Handel spotlights that agility, as well as one of the best trills of the past 60 years. While some CDs that feature coloratura singing may end up with excessive ornamentation, ornamentation at some level is di rigueur. And a trill is a key part of the coloratura soprano's armamentarium. Also present on this cut is a command of high notes, precisely hit.

Bellini's opera, "I Puritani," includes a "polonaise," entitled "Son vergin vezzosa" that shows off Sutherland's gifts to good effect. Coloratura techniques, again, are evident. The repeat features increased ornamentation and a clean hit on the final high note. The "Bell Song" from Delibes' "Lakme" is included on this CD. Some stunning trills are featured; again, she hits the notes well, including the high ones. This ends with a nice trill and high notes well done.

Verdi's opera, "Rigoletto," features wonderful music, including ""Gaultier Malde. . .Caro nome," where an innocent is messed around with by a genuine cad. But the music is wondrous, one of Verdi's best tunes. Sutherland hits trill after trill. Well conceived and executed effects. From "La Traviata," also by Verdi, a nice rendering of "Sempre libera." Again, characterization is not her forte; for Violetta, go to others like Renata Scotto and Anna Moffo for that. Once more, trills that are glorious are manifest. An agile voice and well done high notes.

The "Mad Scene" from Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor"? Here is one of the iconic recordings. This was one of Sutherland's genuine "greatest hits." Again, forget characterization and acting; that was never her strength. Listen to the voice and the singing. "Spargi d'amaro pianto," the culminating segment of the "Mad Scene," is absolutely stunning. Trills, runs, high notes cleanly hit, other ornamentation (e.g., appoggiaturas) are exemplary.

I have not listened to Sutherland's work in some time and I had begun to wonder if I had romanticized her skills as I was listening to more contemporary coloratura sopranos singing the same repertoire. However, listening to this CD reassures me that I am not simply some old-timer going into the past. While there is talent today (including the voices of Netrebko, Fleming, Dessay, and others), Dame Joan Sutherland is one of "the real deals" among coloratura sopranos.

Great Sutherland Recordings.......2006-08-02

For starters, I am not not a die-hard Sutherland fan,
for various reasons not to be discussed here. However,
it's impossible to deny her status as one of the
quintessentially impeccable soprano voices of
recorded history. Many of her recordings are
prototypes of how certain arias "should sound."
Above all, I love her clarion-like vocal presentation.
Her virtuoso trills and technical ability are
hall of fame-worthy.

This CD displays much of her famed vocal
ability. Although, a couple of the tracks
seemed personally out of place for me, several
other tracks are wonderful showpieces of her talent.

"Ou va la jeune hindoue" from Lakme is text book perfect. She lifts the roof about 10 meters on the final E; over a full orchestra! (Outstanding work.) "Il dolce suono" from Lucia di Lammermoor is incredible. Her control of pitch and dynamics are almost frightening. She displays power and vocal grace in equal parts. Her "Casta Diva" is well done, but I can't help but compare it to that of Maria Callas. Sutherland is the soprano
archetype in term of technique, however,
her emotional delivery is not always on the par
with other great sopranos. Nonetheless, the "Casta Diva"
track is still superb and pleasant to the ears.

This is an excellent collection of recordings. I believe that both new and veteran fans of Joan Sutherland will be pleased.

Highly recommendable.

Joan Sutherland in her Prime!! Amazing!!!.......2006-07-21

Joan Sutherland is truly the voice of the twentieth century. Up until hearing this album, I had only heard recordings of her from the 80's, and frankly, I wasnt impressed. I have since learned that she was is her prime in the 60's and early 70's.

Her sound during her vocal prime is so bright and amazing. Her high notes are truly umatched by any other singer, and she has such expresssion. Although her diction is somewhat lacking, she makes up for it in vocal splendor. WOW!

She goes from heavy, bright Verdian arias like Sempre Libera to a light, high aria like the Doll Song. She is truly an amazing vocalist with unparalled vocal versatiltiy.

He sound from the 80's was very covered and her high notes sometiems seemed almost strained. If not strained, they were very small and dainty. While she was in her prime, her high notes were big and bawdy, and thats how us opera folks like it!

If you are looking for a reasonable priced compilation of Ms. Sutherlands finest work, then look no more. This is the one for you. It has excellent recordings of Verdian Soprano arias, Coloratura arias, and lots of Bel Canto vocal fireworks. Her recording of the Bell Song from Lakme is alone worth the purchase. The whole thing is great.

La Stupenda!.......2006-06-04

I have to say that Dame Joan Sutherland has one of the most amazing voices ever with such a range. This collection is my first but not my last. In fact, I would use this cd when the upstairs neighbors would start getting loud and I assure you that it probably made them quieter down. Anyway, God Bless Dame Joan Sutherland who has accomplished so much more than anybody. No wonder, her nickname is La Stupenda.

Exquisite combination of lyricism and coloratura.......2004-02-03

Here Sutherland proves that she wasn't a "mere" lyric coloratura songbird but a full-voiced dramatic soprano d'agilita. Singing Violetta's aria and the Jewelsong she manages an exquisite balanche between glittering acuti and lyric ardour. This is by far one of the best recitals ever recorded and no opera-collection is complete without it!

Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana / Herbert von Karajan

Average customer rating:

Makes a Masterpiece out of Cavalleria
Beautiful opera, but recording volume too extreme...
Wonderful...look no further
wangerian verismo
The Best Cavalleria Rusticana Recording Ever!

Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana / Herbert von Karajan

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
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Leoncavallo: Pagliacci
Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana
Verdi:Otello
Beethoven: Fidelio
Verdi - Don Carlo / Domingo · Caballé · Raimondi · Milnes · Verrett · Estes · Giulini

ASIN: B000031WYP
Release Date: 2000-01-11

Tracks:

Cavalleria Rusticana: Preludio - Siciliana
Cavalleria Rusticana: O Lola ch'hai di latti la cammisa
Cavalleria Rusticana: Tempo I
Cavalleria Rusticana: Allegro giocoso
Cavalleria Rusticana: Gli aranci olezzano
Cavalleria Rusticana: Largo
Cavalleria Rusticana: Dite, mamma Lucia...
Cavalleria Rusticana: Il cavallo scalpita
Cavalleria Rusticana: Beato voi, compar Alfio
Cavalleria Rusticana: Regina coeli laetare
Cavalleria Rusticana: Inneggiamo
Cavalleria Rusticana: Voi lo saoete, o mamma
Cavalleria Rusticana: Tu qui, Santuzza?
Cavalleria Rusticana: Fior di giaggiolo
Cavalleria Rusticana: Ah! lo vedi!
Cavalleria Rusticana: Oh! il Signore vi manda
Cavalleria Rusticana: Comare Santa
Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo sinfonico
Cavalleria Rusticana: A casa, a casa
Cavalleria Rusticana: Viva il vino spumeggiante
Cavalleria Rusticana: A voi tutti salute!
Cavalleria Rusticana: Mamma, quel vino e generoso

Customer Reviews:

Makes a Masterpiece out of Cavalleria.......2006-04-22

This disc proves how important it is to choose the right cast.

Karajan's restrained, wagnerian-influenced aproach is the apropriate way to interpret this opera!
The problem lies with the execution of Karajan's(/Mascagni's? ) vision, which demands a very able tenor, with perfect italian and flexibility of a lyric tenor together with the long breath of a heldentenor.
Such a tenor was found - Carlo Bergonzi.

Another important decision is who shall sing the part of Santuzza.
I think that a dramatic soprano/mezzo is the most effective.
Mezzo-soprano Fiorenza Cossotto as Santuzza is an excellent choice.
She sings beautifully without ever yelling, crying or screaming, but still with a certain dramatic impact.
The fact that she's a mezzo and not a soprano is also an advantage, for there are many low notes which should have dramatic strength many sopranos don't posses.
Nevertheless, she has no problem with the high notes either, and she could have easily developed into a fine dramatic soprano, but then we would have lost the greatest mezzo of the century.
Still, I would love to find a recording of her portraying a wagnerian role.

The rest of the cast is good, Allegri and Martino have beautiful voices and Guelfi is an apropriately violent Alfio.
The Chorus and Orchestra of La-Scala are the best.

Is there anything more to ask for?

Beautiful opera, but recording volume too extreme..........2006-01-02

I am not a sophisitcated opera afficiando. My love of opera is limited mostly to the operas I recall my father listening to on Sunday afternoons, Madame Butterfly, Aida, Tosca, and Cavalleria Rusticana. Cavalleria is my favorite, but unfortunately, this recording is not.

The volume extremes make it essentially impossible to listen to and enjoy. Listening in my car (a Jaguar XJ12), if the volume is loud enough to hear the softer portions, then when the louder portions arrive, I'm nearly scared into having an accident. I think my point is important to consider because nowadays about the only place you can listen to opera is in a car.

I'm online now to buy a different recording.

Wonderful...look no further.......2004-12-10

I think the story of this famous opera needs no telling. It is very accessible and very exciting....and it's short. All in all, a brilliant package.

The singers, however, are paired with one of my favourite conductors of all time. Herbert von Karajan has been criticised for making his music "too beautiful". Well, for me there can be no such thing. His conducting here is typically sensitive and his devotion to the singers was just pure genius. The chorus is excellent and their hymn with Santuzza goes the full way in making the audience sympathetic to the circumstances leading to her drastic actions.

So we come to Santuzza. Fiorenza Cossotto is one of those singers who give it her all. You hear it in her voice. She can rise, soar and float her notes like a warm current as well as stop your world with her chest register. Naturally, she excels in both mezzo and soprano roles. Not to eclipse her esteemed art, I would concur that she is every bit as astounding as the great Simionato.

Allegri's Mama Lucia seems an improvement over all the others I've heard. Not a wobbly, fruity note in sight, yet not the sort of melo-drama to leave you feeling overindulged. Her "Aiutateci noi..." for example, feels genuinely 'winded'- like someone who has heard the sort of new to make her quietly sit down. To complete the female protagonists, Martino's Lola made me applaud the CD-player as if it were a live performance! There she came along, singing sweetly, only to be caught unawares...in other words, the vocal acting and singing were excellent. BUT it get's better. The exchange with Santuzza (and here Cossoto deserves even more high praise) builds to an electrifying tension that gets released in sheer genius: Martino's "Io me ne vado"! I dare you not to laugh at the cat-fight metaphor when you listen to it!!

Bergonzi has always been a reliable tenor for me...in fact, perhaps more than that. While I can't claim that he was particularly amazing, he was amazing nonetheless. His Turridu is faultless...I only wish I hadn't heard Bjorling! But these should not be reasons to under-rate a great singer. Once again, Bergonzi gives a wholly Italian and aesthetically appealing performance. Nowhere is this more apparent than the cavatina at the beginning.

Finally, Guelfi's Alfio, with his resonant, secure baritone, is simply dashing. He colours his voice superbly (e.g., "Io me ne vado").

This is for me a first choice.

wangerian verismo.......2004-07-20

this is one of the recordings that made me believe that hvk knew what he was doing. he brings out details in the music that i'd never heard in other recordings. it was a revelation. one reviewer put it well: this is a wagnerian treatment of an italian opera, the music telling the story even w/o the words. i was impressed. a first rate version of cav. highly recommended. good price, too, considering it includes the libretto.

The Best Cavalleria Rusticana Recording Ever!.......2003-10-18

This is the ultimate live recording of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. The audience noise doesn't even exist in the recording. Karajan's choice of casting characters is very good. The La Scala Orchestra plays excellently like both Karajan and Mascagni himself wanted. And the La Scala chorus is the same way. Carlo Bergonzi is a Beniamino Gigli-like Turiddu and really sounds excellent the whole way through, especially in "O Lola, ch'ai di latti la cammisa" or "No, No, Turiddu" or "Compar Alfio, Lo So Che il Torto e mio", or even in "Mamma, Quel Vino e Generoso". Carlo Bergonzi is the best Turiddu ever. And Fiorenza Cossotto as Santuzza is as great as Mascagni wanted Santuzza to be like. Cossotto is like no other Santuzza: One who never oversings and one who's not a "Zinka Milanov acting like Maria Callas" like singer. She sings "Turiddu mi tolse l'Onore" and "Voi lo Sapete, O Mamma" nicely. Mariagrazia Allegri sings the role of Mamma Lucia excellently and she sounds as old as Mascagni wanted the character to sound. Giangiacomo Guelfi is the loudest and greatest Alfio to cast. He's a super-villain in "Il Cavallo Scalpita" and "Ad Essi Non Perdono". This is by far the only Cavalleria Rusticana for people to get.

Average customer rating:

BREATHTAKING HIGBROW ROMANCE

Puccini: Madam Butterfly

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

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Puccini: Madama Butterfly [Hybrid SACD]
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ASIN: B000G03Q46
Release Date: 2006-07-10

Tracks:

E Soffitto, E Pareti
Questa E La Comeriera
Dovunque Al Mondo
Quale Smania Vi Prende!
Quanto Cielo!... Ancora Un Passo Or Via
Gran Ventura
L'Imperial Commissario
Vieni, Amor Mio!
Leri Son Salita Tutta Sola
Ed Eccoci In Famiglia
Viene La Sea
Bimba Dagli Occhi Pieni Di Malia
Vogliatemi Bene, Un Bene Piccolino
E Izaghi Ed Izanami
Un Bel Di Vedremo
C'e. Entrate
Non Lo Sapete Insomma

Tracks:

A Voi Pero Giurerei Fede Costante
Ora A Noi
E Questo? E Questo?
Che Tua Madre Dovra
Lo Scendo Al Piano
Vaspa! Rospo Maledetto!
Una Nave Da Guerra
Scuoti Quella Fronda Di Ciliegio
Or Vienmi Ad Adornar
Humming Chorus
Oh Eh! Oh Eh! Oh Eh!
Gia Il Sole!
Povera Butterfly
Lo So Che Alle Sue Pene
Addio, Fiorito Asil
Glielo Dirai?
Che Vuol Da Me?
Come Una Mosca Prigioniera
Con Onor Muore

Customer Reviews:

BREATHTAKING HIGBROW ROMANCE.......2007-01-19

Are there enough words in the English language to illustrate the brilliance of Puccini's Madam Butterfly? Showcased for the first time in the late 1900 it is an opera filled with immeasurable passion that satisfies all your senses. This CD is sung in Italian as god intended by the Rome Opera. The quality is excellent. CD 1, track 5 "Quanto cielo" Act 1, had me tear filled, not from sadness ~ but from the unadulterated magnificence of the voices, the music and the chorus supporting the main soprano Renata Scotto. Act 11, tracks 14 "E Lzaghi ed izanami" & 15 "Un bel di vedremo" showcase the more recognisable tracks of Madam But