Lucia Popp (Orfeo d'Or)

1. Russian Folksongs (12) for voice & piano, Op. 104 No.1, Zelënaâ rosica
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

2. Russian Folksongs (12) for voice & piano, Op. 104 No.2, Smezki belya
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

3. Russian Folksongs (12) for voice & piano, Op. 104 No.3, Cernec
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

4. Hungarian Folk Music for voice & piano, No.15, "Akkor szép az erd" (Lovely is the forest) No.15, Akkor szép az erd
Composed by Zoltan Kodaly
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

5. Hungarian Folk Music for voice & piano, No.12, "Kocsi, szekér" (Wheelcart, barrow) No.12, Kocsi, szekér
Composed by Zoltan Kodaly
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

6. Hungarian Folk Music for voice & piano, No.27, "Ifjúság mint sólyommadár" (A little sad song) No.27, Ifjúság mint sólyommadár
Composed by Zoltan Kodaly
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

7. Good night, my darling (Dobrú noc, má mila), song for voice & piano (In Folk Tone), B. 146/1 (Op. 73/1)
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

8. When a maid was a-mowing (Zalo dievca, zalo trávu) song for voice & piano (In Folk Tone), B. 146/2 (Op. 73/2)
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

9. Nothing can change for me (Ach, není, není tu, co by me tesilo) song for voice & piano (In Folk Tone), B. 146/3 (Op. 73/3)
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

10. I have a faithful mare (Ej, mám já kona faku) song for voice & piano (In Folk Tone), B. 146/4 (Op. 73/4)
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

11. Aus der Jugendzeit (Lieder und Gesänge) Vol.2, 9 songs for voice & piano
Composed by Gustav Mahler
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

12. Aus der Jugendzeit (Lieder und Gesänge) Vol.2, 9 songs for voice & piano
Composed by Gustav Mahler
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

13. Aus der Jugendzeit (Lieder und Gesänge) Vol.3, 5 songs for voice & piano
Composed by Gustav Mahler
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

14. Aus der Jugendzeit (Lieder und Gesänge) Vol.3, 5 songs for voice & piano
Composed by Gustav Mahler
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

15. Aus der Jugendzeit (Lieder und Gesänge) Vol.2, 9 songs for voice & piano
Composed by Gustav Mahler
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

16. Es steht ein Lind, folk song for voice & piano, WoO 33/41
Composed by Johannes Brahms
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

17. Sehnsucht ("Mein Schatz ist nicht da"), song for voice and piano, Op. 14/8
Composed by Johannes Brahms
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

18. Wie komm ich denn zur Tür herein? (Wie kumm ich dann de Pooz erenn), folk song for voice & piano, WoO 33/34
Composed by Johannes Brahms
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

19. Die Trauernde ("Mei Mueter mag mi net"), song for voice & piano, Op. 7/5
Composed by Johannes Brahms
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

20. In stiller Nacht, zur ersten Wacht, folk song for voice & piano, WoO 33/42
Composed by Johannes Brahms
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

21. Oiseaux, si tous les ans, song for voice & piano, K. 307 (K. 284d)
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

22. Lilacs, song for voice & piano, Op. 21/5
Composed by Sergey Rachmaninov
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

23. Gianni Schicchi, opera O mio babbino caro
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

24. Rusalka, opera, B. 203 (Op. 114) Lied an den Mond
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

25. Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow), operetta Vilja
Composed by Franz Lehar
with Geoffrey Parsons , Lucia Popp

Lucia Popp (Orfeo d'Or),Johannes Brahms,Antonin Dvorak,Zoltan Kodaly,Franz Lehar,Gustav Mahler,Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,Sergey Prokofiev,Giacomo Puccini,Sergey Rachmaninov,Lucia Popp,Orfeo D'or,20th/21st Century Music for Voice and Keyboard,Classical,Classical Artists,Classical Music,Classical Period Music for Voice and Keyboard,Czech Romantic Opera,Folk Song,Italian 20th/21st Century Opera,Opera,Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard,Song Collection for Solo Voice and Piano,Vocal

Average customer rating: Ring introduction critique FASCINATING STUDY FOR NOVICES AND AFFICIONADOS ALIKE Welcome back to a classic analysis Essential for Understanding Wagner's Ring Cycle Very Functional

An Introduction to Der Ring des Nibelungen Deryck Cooke , Georg Solti , Wiener Philharmoniker , Anita Valkki , Berit Lindholm , Birgit Nilsson , Brigitte Fassbaender , Christa Ludwig , Claire Watson , Claudia Hellmann , Dame Gwyneth Jones , Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau , Eberhard Wächter , George London , Gerhard Stolze , Gottlob Frick , Grace Hoffmann , Gustav Neidlinger , Hans Hotter , Helen Watts , Helga Dernesch , Hetty Plumacher , Ira Malaniuk , James King , Jean Madeira , Joan Sutherland , Kirsten Flagstad , Kurt Böhme , Lucia Popp , Marga Höffgen , Marilyn Tyler , Maureen Guy , Oda Balsborg , Paul Kuen , Régine Crespin , Set Svanholm , Vera Little , Vera Schlosser , Waldemar Kmentt , Walter Kreppel , and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra | ( V ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baritones | Voices | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Wagner's Ring: Turning the Sky Round Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sir Georg Solti Decoding Wagner: An Invitation to His World of Music Drama (includes 2 CDs) Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Levine, Metropolitan Opera (Complete Ring Cycle) Ring of the Nibelung ASIN: B00000424H Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

1. Of All Great Musical Compositions... (Examples 1-4)
2. The Fundamental Symbol... (Examples 5-11)
3. Returning Now To The Nature Motive... (Examples 6, 12-16)
4. A Number Of Further Motives... (Examples 5, 17-21)
5. A Second, Much Smaller Family... (Examples 22-25)
6. So Much For Nature. (Examples 26-38)
7. The Cause Of The Deterioration... (Examples 39-44)
8. The Other Transformation... (Examples 45-48)
9. Several Other Motives... (Examples 49-52)
10. Two Further Motives... (Examples 41, 53-61)
11. The Basic Motive Associated With The Spear... (Examples 62-68)
12. Along Another, More Complex Line... (Examples 69-72)
13. In Act Two Of Walkure... (Examples 69, 73-75)
14. Returning Now To Act Two Of Walkure... (Examples 76-79)
15. Love Is Another Of The Central Symbols... (Examples 80-83)
16. Later In The Same Scene... (Examples 84-87)
17. Freia's Motive Has Two Independent Segments... (Examples 88-91)
18. The Label 'Flight'... (Example 92)
19. When Fasolt, In Scene Two Of Rhinegold... (Examples 93-98)
20. A Little Later In The Interlude... (Examples 99-103)

Tracks:

1. The Other New Motive... (Examples 104-109)
2. There Are Several Independent Love-Motives... (Examples 110-114)
3. The Characters In Whose Lives... (Examples 115-120)
4. One Further Motive Belongs... (Example 121)
5. The Sword Motive Recurs... (Examples 122-130)
6. Ironically, This Phrase... (Examples 131-135)
7. Closely Associated With Gutrune's Motive... (Examples 136-140)
8. Here We Come To The End... (Examples 141-146)
9. Complemtary To This Symbol... (Examples 147-149)
10. One Last Central Symbol... (Examples 150-157)
11. One Further Motive Connected... (Examples 158-161)
12. There Are One Or Two Motives... (Examples 162-168)
13. These Motives Of Alberich And Mime... (Examples 169-171)
14. Quite A Number Of The Subsidiary Motives... (Examples 172-176)
15. Besides This Family Of Motives... (Examples 177-180)
16. Our Final Example... (Examples 10, 181, 182)
17. In The Final Scene Of Gotterdammerung... (Examples 181-183)
18. Even More Masterly... (Examples 184-188)
19. Now If We Return... (Examples 189-191)
20. This Masterly Way... (Examples 192, 193)

Amazon.com

When Wagner set the Ring to music, he intended the orchestra to act in the fashion of a chorus from a classic Greek tragedy--setting the mood and commenting on the action. In order to allow a nonverbal musical line to reflect on the plot, Wagner developed a psychologically and musically complex symbology to communicate his thoughts to the listener. From the beginning the Ring has spawned numerous written commentaries on the relationships of the motif structure, but by using examples from the Decca Ring recording, Deryck Cooke's thoughtful spoken commentary is by far the most accessible guide for either the fledgling Ring enthusiast or the seasoned veteran. --Christian C. Rix

Customer Reviews:

Ring introduction critique.......2006-11-04

This is very worthwhile, at the same time it requires time, patience and attention, but it does provide some keys to better enjoyment of a sensational piece of music.

FASCINATING STUDY FOR NOVICES AND AFFICIONADOS ALIKE.......2006-08-16

This may look an intimidating, daunting and dull prospect - a 2+ hour lecture on the motifs in the Ring. Don't be put off. Whether you're a relative novice to the Ring and want to find out what it's all about, more experienced with a desire to understand the composer's methods better or an afficionado who thinks he knows it all inside out, there is great pleasure as well as elucidation to be had from this set. Originally made to accompany the Decca Solti Ring, it contains a multitude of musical illustrations taken from those recordings as well as some specially recorded by Solti just for this Introduction.

It wasn't the first time this has been tried. The famous HMV sets from the late 20's also included recorded examples of over 100 motifs. (These, by the way, are available as part of the Pearl reissue of those wonderful HMV recordings). What that set lacked was the wonderful insights as well as the approachability of the talk by Deryck Cooke. Cooke was a great and much missed musicologist - a Mahler expert responsible for the performing edition of the Tenth Symphony still most played today, a fascinating explorer into the nature of music's basic building-blocks in his excellent book, The Language of Music, and an inspiring and elucidating critic of Wagner's work as shown by the fascinating book he left unfinished at his death, I Saw the World End.

On these CDs he does much more than list the leitmotifs and identify them as calling-cards. He shows the amazingly integrated and organic growth of the musical material that Wagner uses throughout his vast work. He demonstrates how motifs can change their sense and meaning as they evolve through the drama. And he shows how the complex combinations of motifs can radically advance both the musical and the dramatic narrative of the piece. There are even places where he corrects the misinterpretation of some of the motifs that had become ingrained from early commentators' false labels.

This set should engage and enlighten anyone with an interest in Wagner's huge and inexhaustible tetralogy. Do give it a try - no matter how far down the road to Wagnerianism you are.

Welcome back to a classic analysis.......2006-05-28

Deryck Cooke's lecture series upon THE RING is almost as much a classic by now as the Solti RING cycle, with which it was originally issued on LP, and from which it derives its musical examples. The difference is that whereas the Solti RING has been continuously in print ever since it was completed, and was among the first opera sets to benefit from the CD revolution, the Cooke analysis was for long almost totally unobtainable. Now we have it back. It should be welcomed: it is a classic. Cooke's mellow, deep voice with the hint of a Celtic burr - which made him ideal on BBC radio - patiently explains Wagner's melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic metamorphoses to such good effect that if you own this recording, you really require no other RING analysis. (A pity about the abrupt beginnings and endings of too many vocal and orchestral illustrations, though.) Musicology lost a fine, sensitive thinker with Cooke's premature death in 1976.

If all you want is dilettantish baby food, there are plenty of dumbed-down Wagner commentaries on the market, stretching from Anna Russell's famous monologue (which doesn't pretend to be anything other than a parody aimed at morons) to the latest standard-issue "Wagner-was-a-Nazi-boo-hiss" feuilleton (which, unfortunately, does). Without reasonable score-reading skill you will find Cooke useless, however diligently you have ploughed through Marx, Jung, Freud, or other gurus purportedly relevant to THE RING. Cooke expects you to use your brains and your musical sense. Quelle horreur. At today's BBC his "elitism" would render him unemployable.

Essential for Understanding Wagner's Ring Cycle.......2006-05-15

I originally bought this set on vinyl in the early 70s when I discovered the Ring in college. I studied the records and booklet assiduously, and after about three run-throughs I finally started getting it. Wow! Thirty-five years later, I still remember Mr. Cooke's analyses of various motive families, and I don't know how I could have mastered and loved the Ring without him. I now own this set on CD and listen again on the rare occasion of attending a Ring performance. My wife calls me a "Ring nut," but of course I'm nuts about many other things as well.

Bottom line, buy this set and study it if the Ring has captivated you as it has countless others. The presentation is dry, but sticking with it brings measureless and longlasting rewards.

Very Functional.......2006-03-19

This CD set is excellent for what it sets out to do: present the leitmotives of the Ring according to their relationship to one another and their role in developing both characters and plotlines. Deryck Cooke's lectures on each motive are very insightful, very helpful at cueing the listener into the semantic aspect of Wagner's orchestral writing. The one drawback is that the musical examples are a bit jarring. Without fade-ins or -outs, the engineering is quite barbaric. And though the orchestra was, I believe, conducted by Solti, and is beautifully done, the vocal performances can be quite unpleasant. Point being: this is not background music, but in accomplishing what it sets out to do, it is very successful, and I don't know of anything else like it.

Average customer rating: A glorious achievement, brimming with magic and wonder Recommendable only for the female voices Klemperer or Bohm in the Mgic Flute? A Magically-Sung MAGIC FLUTE And the Queen of the Night will be defeated

Mozart: Die Zauberflote Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Mozart: Don Giovanni Mozart: Così fan tutte Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro Verdi - Don Carlo / Domingo · Caballé · Raimondi · Milnes · Verrett · Estes · Giulini Beethoven: Fidelio ASIN: B00004VVZN Release Date: 2000-08-15

Tracks:

1. Ov - Philharmonia Orch/Otto Klemperer
2. Act One: Zu Hilfe! Zu Hilfe! - Nicolai Gedda/Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Christa Ludwig/Marga Hoffgen
3. Act One: Der Vogelfanger Bin Ich Ja - Walter Berry
4. Act One: Dies Bildnis Ist Bezaubernd Schon - Nicolai Gedda
5. Act One: O Zitt're Nicht, Mein Lieber Sohn! - Lucia Popp
6. Act One: Hm! Hm! Hm! Hm! - Lucia Popp/Nicolai Gedda/Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Christa Ludwig/Margo Hoffgen
7. Act One: Du Feines Taubchen, Nur Herein! - Gerhard Unger/Gundula Janowitz/Ruth-Margret Putz
8. Act One: Bei Mannern, Welche Liebe Fuhlen - Gundula Janowitz/Walter Berry
9. Act One: Zum Ziele Furht Dich Diese Bahn - Agnes Giebel/Anna Reynolds/Josephine Veasey/Nicolai Gedda/Philharmonia Chor/Wilhelm Pitz...
10. Act One: Wie Stark Ist Nicht Dein Zauberton - Nicolai Gedda
11. Act One: Schnelle Fusse, Rascher Mut - Gundula Janowitz/Walter Berry/Gerhard Unger/Philharmonia Chor/Wilhelm Pitz
12. Act One: Konnte Jeder Brave Mann - Gundula Janowitz/Walter Berry
13. Act One: Es Lebe Sarastro! - Philharmonia Chor/Wilhelm Pitz/Ruth-Margret Putz/Gundula Janowitz/Gottlob Frick
14. Act One: Nun, Stolzer Jungling; Nur Hierher! - Gerhard Unger/Gundula Janowitz/Nicolai Gedda/Philharmonia Chor/Wilhelm Pitz/Gottlob Frick

Tracks:

1. Act Two: Marsch Der Priester - Philharmonia Orch/Otto Klemperer
2. Act Two: O Isis Und Osiris - Gottlob Frick/Philharmonia Chor/Otto Klemperer
3. Act Two: Bewahret Euch Vor Weibertucken - Philharmonia Chor/Otto Klemperer
4. Act Two: Wie? Wie? Wie? - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Christa Ludwig/Marga Hoffgen/Walter Berry/Nicolai Gedda/Philharmonia Chor...
5. Act Two: Alles Fuhlt Der Liebe Freuden - Gerhard Unger
6. Act Two: Der Holle Rache Kocht In Meinen Herzen
7. Act Two: In Diesen Heil'gen Hallen - Gottlob Frick
8. Act Two: Seid Uns Zum Zweiten Mal Willkommen - Agnes Giebel/Anna Reynolds/Josephine Veasey
9. Act Two: Ach, Ich Fuhl's - Gundula Janowitz
10. Act Two: O Isis Und Osiris - Philharmonia Chor/Otto Klemperer
11. Act Two: Soll Ich Dich, Teurer - Gundula Janowitz/Gottlob Frick/Nicolai Gedda
12. Act Two: Ein Madchen Oder Weibchen - Walter Berry
13. Act Two: Bald Prangt, Den Morgen Zu Verkunden - Agnes Giebel/Anna Reynolds/Josephine Veasey/Gundula Janowitz
14. Act Two: Der, Welcher Wandelt Diese Strausse Voll Beschwerden - Philharmonia Orch/Otto Klemperer
15. Act Two: Der, Tamino Mein! O Welch Ein Gluck! - Philharmonia Chor/Wilhelm Pitz/Nicolai Gedda/Gundula Janowitz
16. Act Two: Papagena! - Walter Berry/Agnes Giebel/Anna Reynolds/Josephine Veasey
17. Act Two: Pa-pa-ge-na! ...Pa-pa-ge-no! - Walter Berry/Ruth-Margret Putz
18. Act Two: Nur Stille! - Gerhard Unger/Lucia Popp/Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Christa Ludwig/Marga Hoffman
19. Act Two: Die Strahlen Der Sonne - Gottlob Frick/Philharmonia Chor/Wilhelm Pitz

Customer Reviews:

A glorious achievement, brimming with magic and wonder.......2007-07-11

Walter Klemperer's historic 1964 recording of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte is a genius in operatic productions. Unlike Le Nozze di Figaro or Don Giovanni, Mozart's final opera is so dramatically convoluted and ridiculous that the recitatives provide more of a source of distraction and confusion than storyline continuation. Thus, Klemperer sculpts a marvelous collection of arias and ensembles with arguably the finest Mozartian cast ever assembled. The Philharmonia Orchestra is, for the greater part, in excellent form. Only occasionally does it sound archaic under Klemperer's traditional direction. The latter is also a bit sluggish at times, but, then again, Klemperer is often praised as a "slow conductor." The Overture is a beacon on his brilliance in lovingly drawing out the music into an almost panoramic phrase of majestic delight. Conversely, the eminent Act II duet "Pa-pa-ge-no! / Pa-pa-ge-na!" is taken horridly slowly and loses much of its energetic vitality.

The soloists - particularly the women - are where the true brilliance lies, nonetheless. Lucia Popp provides a career performance as the Königin der Nacht and fully defines the character described as a "vulture with the voice of a nightingale." Her renditions of "O zitt're nicht, mein lieber Sohn!" and "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" are utterly breathtaking. Hearing sublime, creamy-voiced Gundula Janowitz as Pamina is an absolute joy. Her demure duet with Berry ("Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen") is one of the most beautiful moments on the entire recording and her despondent aria ("Ach, ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden!") is truly heartrending. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Christa Ludwig, and Marga Höffgen (the superlative Erda in Solti's 1963 Siegfried) - in the dictionary definition of unmatched choice casting - are a fiendishly celestial trio as the three ladies in the service of the Königin der Nacht. They are a particular delight in the lusty Act I quartet "Stirb, Ungeheuer, durch uns're Macht!" with Gedda. Agnes Giebel, Anna Reynolds, and Josephine Veasey are another great trio as the three boys in the service of Sarastro, especially in their pleasant trio "Seid uns zum zweiten Mal willkommen." There have been greater Papagenas than Ruth-Margaret Pütz, singularly Renate Holm (for Solti), but the former is certainly competent in the small role.

Nicolai Gedda can only be seconded as Tamino by the illustrious Fritz Wunderlich. His voice - virile, gallant, daring - gives the very "un-laudable" character of Tamino the chivalrous, convincing sound he requires. His wondrous arias "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön" and "Wie stark ist nicht dein Zauberton" are excellent examples of the master Swedish tenor's lyric genius. Walter Berry is certainly the most likeable Papageno on record, especially during his two great arias ("Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja" and "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen") and quintets ("Hm! Hm! Hm! Hm!" and "Wie? Wie? Wie?" ... "Ganz nah ist euch die Königin") with Gedda, Schwarzkopf, Ludwig, and Höffgen. Gerhard Unger fails to project a Monostatos as nasty as Gerhard Stolze, but he is no less cruel and vindictive. His sniveling aria ("Alles fühlt der Liebe Freuden") is a definite highlight.

Oddly enough, it is Gottlob Frick, one of the greatest Wagnerian basses in operatic history, who nearly sinks the boat. He sounds unsettlingly wobbly and antiquated during Sarastro's great arias ("O Isis und Osiris" and "In diesen heil'gen Hallen") but most unforgivably so during his first few moments on stage ("Steh auf, erheit're dich, o Liebe") and during the trio "Sol lich dich, Teurer" with Janowitz and Gedda. Franz Crass is imposing as the old Sprecher in his long duet with Gedda ("Wo willst du kühner Fremdling hin?"). He and Karl Liebl are sanctimonious as the two armed men in the Act II hymn "Der, welcher wandelt diese Straße voll Beschwerden"; he is also excellent with Unger as the two priests in the similar Act II duet "Bewahret euch von Weibertücken."

In short, when considering the multitude of recordings of Mozart's masterpiece, this recording would be a significant addition to any collection and an excellent point at which to begin one's Mozartian anthology.

Recommendable only for the female voices.......2007-05-25

Never have the parts of Pamina and Queen of the Night been sung more perfectly and beautifully than by Gundula Janowitz and Lucia Popp on this recording. Their performances alone make it worth purchasing this CD set. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Christa Ludwig and Marga Höffgen as the three ladies are also pure joy to listen to. But the male voices are - I am sad to say - just good average. Here, the still unsurpassed standard is the Böhm recording (also from the early 1960s) with Fritz Wunderlich as Tamino, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as Papageno and Franz Crass as Sarastro. You need both Böhm and Klemperer to get an idea of the full artistic potential of this opera.

Klemperer or Bohm in the Mgic Flute?.......2006-07-12

The recent appearance of an excellent Magic Flute from Abbado (DG) prompted me to go back to two great favorites, this Klemperer set from 1964 and one from Karl Bohm made the same year for DG. Between them they included probably the greatest Mozart singers of the time in Europe. As listeners could hear immediately, the strengths of one cast were offset by the strengths of the other. Klemperer had the best women (Janowitz, Popp, Schwarzkopf, Ludwig) while Bohm had the two best men (Wunderlich and Fischer-Dieskau). For foty years fans of the opera have had to own both. Is that sitll the case?

The new Abbado recording could represent a way out of this Solomon's choice, since it is filled with eager, accomplished singing in every part except for the well-sung but prosaic Papageno of Hanno Müller-Brachmann. Otherwise, I think I'd favor Klemperer if I had to choose only one classic set. The pluses and minuses are as follows:

Klemperer: Always a good recording, the new remastering in EMI's Great Recordings of the CEntury is nearly perfect. The Three Ladies are enchanting as led by Schwarzkopf and Ludwig. The young Lucia Popp is a scintillating Queen of the Night, and Gundula Janowitz a pure, if rather cool Pamina. Also, one cannot discount Gedda's Tamino and Berry's Papageno, which are very well sung if not the best on CD. For many listeners what tilts the balance is Klemperer's magnificent conducting--he may well have been the greatest Mozart conductor of the century. What may tilt the balance the ohter way is the absence of spoken dialogue, a regrettable older practice in Mozart opera recordings. Note that because of its many reissues, this Flute can be had in its older version for around $10 on the used market, and even the new remaastering is under $20.

Bohm: Where Bohm's set is strongest it can't be beat: the once-in-a-lifetime Tamino of Fritz Wunderlich and the masterful, humorous Papageno of Fischer-Dieskau. They, combined with Bohm's expert, if rather measured conducting, have won many listeners over. Unfortunately, Bohm's weaknesses are very weak indeed: a too-mature Pamina from Evelyn Lear that sounds unpleasantly insecure in tone and pitch, and a thin, shrieky Queen of the Night from Roberta Peters, well past her prime. If you can't overlook these two, there's no need even to consider Bohm. Lots of dialogue is included, and for once the echt Deutsch acting is funny.

I wound up owning Abbado, Klemperer, and Bohm, but if you aren't so inclined, I'd say that Klemperer is indispensable and Abbado a gratifying, balanced compromise.

A Magically-Sung MAGIC FLUTE.......2006-02-11

Certainly the best SUNG version around, if not the best CONDUCTED version - Klemperer has his moments of brillance, but some of the music drags when it should dance (parts of the overture, Papageno & Papagena's duet), and is manic when it should be lyrical or slow. Still, there are truly lovely magical muscial moments to be found, despite this. Janowitz's Pamina is a delight, as is Berry's Papageno, and Popp is probably the best Queen of the Night on CD out there, with an almost unearthly pure voice befitting the character - so if you love her two highlight arias then this is a definite for your collection.

And the Queen of the Night will be defeated.......2005-11-23

One of the first innovations Mozart imposes onto the opera genre is the use of small dialogs between the arias to set up some dramatic elements in a light way, very easy to understand and integrate. That gives lightness and speed to the opera. We can't but think of the pantomime genre the English likes so much. Mozart plunges his imagination in old Egyptian beliefs and myths, Isi and Osiris first of all, of course. But he also refers to Selene the Goddess of the night and the moon, and her three Ladies representing the triple Goddess of old who will be defeated in the end in her triple femininity trying to dominate the world. We cannot but think of the reverse use of the triple Goddess, in a christianised form, by Goethe in his Second Faust when he decides to redeem Faust and save him from damnation. Mozart is constantly speaking of love and love affairs that are crossing, entertwining in all possible knots. That should lead to tragedy and many deaths. But Mozart is a believer in peace and peaceful solutions. So he leads his strifing lovers and his ambitious kings and queens to realizing that freedom of choice is the only solution and it has to be accepted by all. The social vision Mozart carries in him is very consensual even if it is for total freedom and change. And the music dances in our ears like the stuttering of Papageno when uttering his name. Mozart associates all extremes together and remembers that his two priests are the reincarnation of Boaz and Jachin, the two pillars, the two masters, the two figures that loom behind Solomon's Temple, the background of Mozart's freemason friends. He thus defeats the Queen of the Night with nothing but notes on the lines of his score. Boaz is the stable basis and Jachin invents all kinds of innovations that destabilize the poor Queen and the establishment without crashing them to the ground, just making them step back and accept the freedom of these sorcerer's apprentices, this Papageno that can charm and tame all birds, or this Pamina that only wants love both for herself and for her tyrannical mother, or the deep voice of Sarastro that makes our souls shudder with pleasure and fear, exhilaration and awe.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Université Paris Dauphine, Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne

Average customer rating: Absolutely perfect transaction great cd

Copying Beethoven Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Variations | Variations | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music $9.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Soundtracks | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Classical | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music $9.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Copying Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies - Arturo Toscanini / NBC Symphony Orchestra Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 "Choral" Letters from Iwo Jima Notes on a Scandal: Original Soundtrack ASIN: B000ICLT64 Release Date: 2006-10-10

Tracks:

1. Grosse Fugue in B-flat, Op. 133
2. Seid umschlungen, millionen
3. Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10 (Prestissimo)
4. String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131
5. Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 “Choral” (Finale)
6. AnnaÂ’s Etude and Variation
7. Diabelli Variations, Op. 120
8. Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111 (arietta)

Album Description

An aspiring composer of humble means, 23-year-old Anna Holtz (Diane Kruger) is seeking inspiration and career advancement in the world's music capital, Vienna. A student at the music conservatory, she is recommended for a position at a venerated publisher, and, in a fortuitous turn of events, orchestrates an opportunity to work beside the greatest, most mercurial artist alive--Ludwig van Beethoven (Ed Harris). When the skeptical Beethoven issues an impromptu challenge, Anna demonstrates her competence and musical insight. The maestro accepts Anna as his copyist, beginning a remarkable relationship that will transform both of their lives. Featuring Harris's remarkable incarnation as the celebrated composer, and a breakthrough performance by Kruger, ("Troy, "National Treasure") COPYING BEETHOVEN, directed by Agnieszka Holland, ("Secret Garden, "Europa, Europa") centers on the last years of Beethoven's life...a turbulent period in which his struggles with deafness, loneliness and family trauma all of which provide profound inspiration for arguably the greatest symphony ever written, his astonishing Ninth. An MGM release of a Sidney Kimmel Entertainment production. Myriad Pictures presents COPYING BEETHOVEN opens on October 13. The Decca soundtrack will be released on October 10 and features the works of Ludwig van Beethoven.

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely perfect transaction.......2007-06-12

Everything was as described with fast service. A pleasure to do business with.

great cd.......2007-06-08

Music is so beautiful especially the Ode to Joy! Inspirational as only Beethoven can be.

Average customer rating: A Cast Consists Full of Stars unfriendly liner notes A kinder, gentler Solti, but chilly singing Superstar Roster a/k/a What the NY Yankees Have Taught Us All-Star Cast Sings Mozart's Nozze Di Figaro

Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro / Te Kanawa, Popp, von Stade, Ramey, T. Allen, Moll, London Phil., Solti Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Kiri Te Kanawa , Samuel Ramey , Sir Georg Solti , London Philharmonic Orchestra , Frederica von Stade , Thomas Allen , Lucia Popp , Kurt Moll , Yvonne Kenny , and London Opera Chorus Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Allen, Thomas | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Solti, Sir Georg | ( S ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Te Kanawa, Kiri | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Von Stade, Frederica | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Box Sets | Stores | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Die Zauberflote / The Magic Flute Mozart: Don Giovanni Verdi - Rigoletto / Sutherland, Pavarotti, Milnes, LSO, Bonynge Puccini - La Bohème / Freni, Pavarotti, Harwood, Ghiaurov, Karajan Mozart - Così fan tutte / Fleming, von Otter, Scarabelli, Lopardo, Bär, Pertusi, Solti ASIN: B0000041OU Release Date: 1984-03-12

Tracks:

1. Le nozze di Figaro: Overture
2. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 1: Duetto - Cinque...dieci...venti - (Figaro) (Susanna)
3. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 1: Duetto - Se a caso madama - (Figaro) (Susanna)
4. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 1: Recitativo e cavatina - Bravo, signor padrone!...Se vuol ballare - (Figaro)
5. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 1: Aria - La vendetta - Bartolo
6. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 1: Duetto - Via resti servita - (Susanna)
7. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 1: Aria - Non so piu - (Cherubino)
8. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 1: Terzetto - Cosa sento! - (Susanna)
9. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 1: Aria - Non piu andrai - (Figaro)
10. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 2: Cavatina - Porgi amor - (Countess)
11. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 2: Canzona - Voi che sapete - (Cherubino)
12. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 2: Aria - Venite...inginocchiatevi... - (Susanna)

Tracks:

1. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 2: Recitativo - Che, Contessa - (Countess) (Count)
2. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 2: Terzetto - Susanna or via sortite - (Count) (Countess) (Susanna)
3. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 2: Duettino - Aprite, presto, aprite - (Susanna) (Cherubino)
4. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 2: Finale - Esci, ormai, garzon malnato - (Count)
5. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 2: Signori, di fuori son gia - (Figaro)
6. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 2: Voi signor, che giusto siete - Bartolo
7. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 3: Recitativo - Che imbarazzo e mai questo - (Count)
8. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 3: Duetto - Crudel! perche finora - (Count) (Susanna)
9. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 3: Recitativo ed aria - Hai gia vinta la causa - (Count)
10. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 3: Sestetto - Riconosci in questo amplesso - (Figaro) (Bartolo) (Count) (Susanna)

Tracks:

1. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 3: Recitativo ed aria - E Susanna non vien! ... Dove sono (Countess)
2. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 3: Recitative e duetto - Cosa mi narri!... Che soave zefiretto (Countess)
3. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 3: Finale - Ecco la marcia (Figaro)
4. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 4: Cavatina - L'ho perduta
5. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 4: Aria - Il capro e la capretta
6. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 4: Aria - In quegli anni (Basilio)
7. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 4: Recitativo ed aria - Tutto e disposto...Aprite un po' quegl'occhi (Figaro)
8. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 4: Recitativo ed aria - Giunse alfin el momento ... Deh vieni, non tardar (Susanna)
9. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 4: Finale - Pian pianin le andro piu presso (Cherubino)
10. Le nozze di Figaro: Act 4: Gente, gente, all'armi, all'armi (Count)

Amazon.com essential recording

A strong cast--with Lucia Popp a radiant Susanna and Frederica Von Stade deliciously precocious as Cherubino--makes this Figaro a delight from start to finish. Georg Solti presides masterfully, uncorking a propulsive reading with all the fizz of vintage champagne. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

A Cast Consists Full of Stars .......2007-06-28

I really love this opera, I mean the "Figaro." I never get tire of it. The music just flows endlessly, nonstop, no break. The voices and the orchestra are in complete harmony. It is like a symphony played with human voices. It can be performed in a big house having a cast lead by big named singers or in a provincial theatre by an ensemble. It will never go wrong. I collected so many recordings of it, in LP, ADD, DDD, or DVD, more than one or two versions in each format. Listen to all these records again and again, plus attending live performance in opera houses, and watching broadcast programs on television, I am on the verge of being overloaded. Some might say that I should be pretty confused about this whole thing by now. Well, probably.
There are many Figaro recordings consist all stars in the casting (of the five principal roles). Some even filled the sixth major role (Dr. Bartoro) with someone also a star. For this recording, when I put "Full of Stars" in the title of this review, I mean all the soloists (ten in all) were either big-star at the time of record making or on their way to become stars. That is really something. It is not always possible to assemble a big group of talent in one album. You don't find any other opera album has a cast like this one.
As far as a review goes, there are 41 of them ahead of this one. I agree with those positive comments they made on the conductor, and the singers. Whatever needed to be said has been said; it makes this one unnecessary. Inspired by the review of "Mr. Wellio," I just could not resist not to joining the discussion. But my assessment takes on a broader scope; it goes beyond just comparing two albums (the EMI/Giulini and the Decca/Solti).
Let it be clear that all of us have our own preference in everything. The case in point is about "Figaro," how should each character/role should sound like, among all the singers who would best suit to a certain role, etc. So, when we write a review to express our opinion, some bias is unavoidable.
Since this is a Mozart opera, naturally it should be performed in a Viennese tradition. There are two albums that are still available in the market that do just that. Both albums were done with celebrated conductors and singers of the Staatsoper Wien. All were the best of their time. Each was positioned to the role that suited his or her voice. The first album is the 1950 EMI recording, which was led by Herbert von Karajan (now digitally re-mastered, sell under the Regis label). The second one is the 1955 DECCA recording (digitally re-mastered in 1999), which was led by Erich Kleiber. The present disc, the DECCA/Solti version was made in 1981. It was a digital recording to begin with.
Now, what is my dream cast for Figaro? I would go for Giulinin for conductor. The singers names listed below are picked from all the artists that I know about their works, not necessary from any particular album. It is as if they exist in the same time frame, all in their prime.
Figaro: Giuseppe Taddei - If Cesare Siepi is the ultimate Don, I don't think any one can surpass Taddei for Figaro. He is the total Figaro, so alive, with an unlimited power. Just listen to the "Non piu andrai" in the EMI/Giulini disc, you know what I mean. I had the pleasure to watch him on stage (as Figaro). It was totally amazing.
Susanna: Lucia Popp - Susanna has to be a soubrette, or something similar. Schwarzkopf preferred Irmgard Seefried. I think Lucia Popp is the best. Besides, Popp has built her reputation on Sophie and Susanna. There is no mistake about that.
Countess: Carol Vaness (Alternate: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf) - The countess is not a soubrette, but needs to be sung by a reputable "Mozart singer."
Kiri was surely a wonderful Countess, so were Lisa della Casa and Fleming (she was a well thought-of Countess and has done the part so many times along the way to becoming the `Rene Flaming'). But if you really go for the voice, take Vaness. For perfection, it has to be Schwarzkopf.
Count: George London - Despite his fame, I always think he was too rigid, too rough. I never thought he would suit for Mozart. But the Regis/Karajan disc convinced me.
Cherubino: Frederica von Stade - This role was written for a soprano. Though not a soprano, her range, her clear tone, just makes her unique, fits the role perfectly.
A final note: All things considered, I consider this album (Decca/Solti) the best, in terms of singing, directing and sound. It should be aware that all the singers on this disc and many of those mentioned by the reviewers here and elsewhere were retired from the roles they sang, if not dead. The next generation of great or almost great Mozart singers has not yet arrived. It is interesting to note that one reviewer did mention Alison Hagley for Susanna. I think it is a very clever way to put it. How about Bryn Terfel? He is OK if he stops becoming too commercial. Angelika Kirchschlager? I never heard her sang Cherubino. Despite she received positive review on a recent Figaro recording; I still imagine that her voice might not be high enough for the role.

unfriendly liner notes.......2006-03-08

I bought this version principally becaue of Kiri Te Kanawa'a countess. Its worth it for that alone.
I agree with another reviewer who found the grouping of tracks and synopsis a little less friendly ( especially for those of us who are new to the complete work and want to follow along with the libretto in hand)

A kinder, gentler Solti, but chilly singing.......2005-09-24

British critics in genreal love this set, with its cool, unhumorous, respectful approach to Mozart. Dame Kiri sets the tone in her two arais as the Countess, both soporifically slow but sung with purity and gleaming tone. Nobody else really catches fire, either. If you want a Figaro that's warm and witty, go for Ostman or Giulini or Levine or Kleiber or....

Superstar Roster a/k/a What the NY Yankees Have Taught Us.......2005-03-06

Here it is, the Greatest Sequel Ever to that blockbuster known as The Barber of Seville. The Godfather II to Godfather I. If the first Godfather was all myth and grand gestures, the second brought it all down to a human scale yet losing none of that mythical stature. So follows Mozart/Da Ponte's adaptation of Beaumarchais' second part of his great social comedy trilogy through the eyes of a certain barber named Figaro. In the version of this opera, instead of Pacino, De Niro, Keaton, Duvall, Cazale we've got Allen, Te Kanawa, Popp, Ramey and von Stade - a superstar roster to make the stars in heaven jealous. A superstar roster that, just like the NY Yankees, most certainly guarantees victory ... right? No doubt, everything you hear about Te Kanawa is true - her performance as the Countess Rosina is glorious. So are Popp and von Stade as Susanna (the heart of the opera) and Cherubino (comic relief), respectively. Together they form a trio that is one of the treasures in all of operatic recordings. The only weak female performance here is a moany and wobbly Marcellina. As for the men, it's a bit more problematic. Technically, they are the height of professionalism - and Mozart's music is virtually foolproof - but only one, Thomas Allen as Count Almaviva, manages to dig deep and give a truly great acting performance. Ramey is an interestingly virile Figaro, but doesn't pull of a three-dimensional character. The other men, albeit secondary characters, range from very good (Moll as Bartolo) to lame (Tear as Don Basilio) who manages to kill the momentum with 'In quegli anni' in Act IV. Notwithstanding all the great talent on this team, in the end what's missing is great chemistry. In the ensembles, where some of Mozart's greatest genius shines, they fail to generate that extra spark, though they communicate the music with plenty of fervor. Perhaps too many egos prevent real chemistry? As for Solti, he's a terrific manager. After a thrilling overture which makes the heart flutter with anticipation of greatness, he makes good on that promise - until somewhere after the Countess' great aria in Act III - perhaps Solti becomes weary of handling all the egos and submits into a perfunctory professionalism. The music rendering here becomes lax and uncommitted. Mozart's opera, as great as it is, is very long and can suffer from "sameness" by the time Act IV comes around - it takes a truly great vision to keep the inspiration flowing to the end. In the end, we have a recording that is often inspired, beautifully sung, skillfully produced but shy of essential and not quite out of the ballpark.
Act I & II:***** Act III:**** Act IV:**

Other references: Top recommendation from Penguin Guide, NPR Guide and Rough Guide; High recommendation from Jim Svejda's classical guides

All-Star Cast Sings Mozart's Nozze Di Figaro.......2004-05-05

Wow. Talk about a lot of talent in a single performance. This recording of Mozart's Le Nozze Di Figaro is one of the best you'll ever find. The only other I can think of that is as good is the Claudio Abbado recording with Cecilia Bartoli as Cherubino. This recording is well-done as far as sound and the strong cast makes it very valuable. Kiri Te Kanawa, a Mozart singer of the highest calibre, makes a truly memorable and human Countess, whose situation we truly sympathize with. Te Kanawa has a rich melodic voice of angelic beauty. Not only does she truly capture the spirit of the Countess, she is a lesson for all sopranos singing the role. It was her debut role. The Countess is perhaps the most noble character other than Figaro in the opera. She has been temporarily jilted by her husband the Count because he has the hots for Figaro's fiancee Susannah. The Count, a bit of a jerk, is a dominant and blatantly male figure who did'nt even bother to realize that he desired his best friends' wife. Very ungrateful considering that in the prequel The Barber of Seville by Rossini Figaro had helped him win the hand of the Countess. The role of the philandering Count is played by Thomas Allen in a great performance.

The cast also includes Samuel Ramey as Figaro. Ramey had sung Figaro (or dubbed the voice) in the 1984 Amadeus film. He is not famous for this role. Samuel Ramey is best remembered for his villains and devilish characters- the Devil in Mephistopheles and Faust, the four villains in Tales Of Hoffman and Scarpia in Tosca. But as the noble Figaro, he is deliviring a good job. His baritone or bass voice becomes very healing rather than intense or frightening. Kurt Moll is in here too as Bartolo and is doing a funny performance. Lucia Popp sings Susanna with aplomb. Her voice is always beautiful to hear and she puts a lot of effort in her performances, plus she is well-known. Frederica Van Strade sings the trouser role of Cherubino, which was a trademark of hers. She is sensational. This is the recording to have of Mozart's comedy about human flaws, love and the crazy going-ons in a single day in the villa of a Count who learns his lesson by the end of the day. Based on Beamarchais social satire Figaro.

Average customer rating: Ever-reigning Queen of Sopranos Lucia Popp Lucy: The Reigning Queen of Opera

The Very Best of Lucia Popp Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dvorák, Antonín | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Grieg, Edvard | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Lehár, Franz | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mahler | Mahler, Gustav | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Orff | Orff, Carl | ( O ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Smetana | Smetana, Bedrich | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Strauss Jr., Johann | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Strauss | Strauss, Richard | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra | ( V ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Czech | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Very Best of Victoria de los Angeles Lucia Popp: Opera Arias Very Best of Very Best of Opera Arias ASIN: B0000AHEAY Release Date: 2003-09-02

Tracks:

1. Song To The Moon
2. Should I Ever Learn
3. How Confused I Feel
4. Solveig's Song
5. Solveig's Cradle Song
6. Amor Volat Undique
7. Stetit Puella
8. In Trutina
9. Vier Letzte Lieder
10. Vier Letzte Lieder
11. Vier Letzte Lieder
12. Vier Letzte Lieder
13. Symphony No. 4 In G
14. Tatiana's Letter Scene

Tracks:

1. Un Cenno Leggiadretto
2. Ho Perduto Il Caro Sposo
3. O Had I Jubel's Lyre
4. Laudate Dominum
5. Welche Wonne, Welche Lust
6. Porgi, Amor
7. Voi Che Sapete
8. Giunse Alfin Il Momento...Deh Vieni, Non Tardar
9. Crudele?...Non Mi Dir
10. Come Scoglio
11. Una Donna A Quindici Anni
12. Der Holle Rache
13. Ach, Ich Fuhl's
14. Crucifixus
15. Die Forelle
16. Gretchen Am Spinnrade
17. An Sylvia
18. Zueignung
19. Es Lebt' Eine Vilja
20. Klange Der Heimat

Customer Reviews:

Ever-reigning Queen of Sopranos.......2007-05-28

Listening through these two discs, one thought kept leaping up to mind: will ever there be another soprano as versatile and accomplished as Lucia Popp? Died in 1994 at the early age of 54, the operatic world hadn't really mourned her enough.
People are still lingering on Maria Callas, the 'star' soprano with all her glamour and legendary life could offer.
Real listeners, however, could not give up the memory of Lucia Popp's terrific artistry and almost supernatural voice.
Her Rusalka, her Solveig, her Susanna, Zerlina, Despina in the da Ponte/Mozart trio, her terrific Queen of the Night (unsurpassed by ANY subsequent sopranos up till now), and ALSO her Pamina in the same opera. In any language you ask her to sing, and she excelled. I marvel at the Letter Scene in Eugene Onegin - only if Lucia had the chance to perform the whole opera during her short life! The joy, the expectation, the emotional tribulations, so vividly captured in girlish and pure timbre. No one will ever beat her; not even Fleming and Netrebko.
"Weird and wonderful" - that's what Elisabeth Schwarzkopf said of Lucia Popp's singing. We today would modify it to 'wonderful and unsurpassable'.
This 2-CD set is an absolute must have, even if you have never heard of Lucia Popp before.

Lucia Popp.......2006-01-12

This is a wonderful album showcasing the very best of Lucia Popp (as the title suggests). Her voice was absolutely beautiful. She could sing the slavic languages like no one else. Her version of Dvorak's Song to the Moon is unbeatable. I dare anyone to find a better performance! Also, the song from Die Zauberflute -Ah Ich fuls (sp?) is outstanding. I've yet to hear a better version. Her diction was fantastic and while she wasn't the highest soprano around - she knew what worked for her voice. This is album is a keeper!

Lucy: The Reigning Queen of Opera.......2004-07-12

Lucia Popp is one of the best sopranos to ever grace the operatic/classical voice stage. This CD compilation shows her progression through lyric Handel to lyric and dramatic Mozart (her Der Holle Rache from Magic Flute is unrivaled) to tender art song and operetta literature. The first disc also showcases her adeptness with 20th Century literature as well as the ability to step out of the traditional four languages of opera. Any avid music fan MUST have this CD compilation.

Average customer rating: Triumphant return of Flor's Mendelssohn

Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Symphonies; Overtures; Concertos Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Overtures | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Sibelius: The 7 Symphonies; Finlandia; Kullervo; etc. Dvorák: Symphonies Nos. 1-9; In Nature; Serenade for Winds; Serenade for Strings, etc. Vaughan Williams: The Nine Symphonies Elgar: The 2 Symphonies; Enigma Variations; Overtures; Serenade; Violin Concerto; Cello Concerto Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 1-6, 8 & 9 ASIN: B0009A1AJG Release Date: 2005-05-31

Tracks:

1. Merce, Diletti Amici - O Tu, Che L'alma
2. Scena, Coro E Brindisi
3. Mamma...Quel Vino E Generoso
4. Lamento Di Federico
5. Improvviso
6. Come Un Bel Di Dimaggio
7. Oh! Fede Negar Potessi
8. Fontainebleau, Foresta Immense
9. Amor Ti Vieta
10. Cielo E Mar
11. Epilogo
12. Vesti La Giubba
13. Dio, Mi Potevi Scagliar
14. La Danza

Customer Reviews:

Triumphant return of Flor's Mendelssohn.......2005-06-01

At last Claus Peter Flor's Mendelssohn symphonies, overtures and piano concertos (with Edelmann) have returned. On the basis of these recordings (all previously issued) Flor, who is probably in his early 50s now, is still one of the better Mendelssohn conductors out there.

In particular, his Symphonies Nos. 2 and 5 have been hailed by critics on this side of the Atlantic for their beauty, proportion and Mendelssohnian sensibility. His other symphonies are also good and his collected overtures have been revered on both sides of the Atlantic by critics from Gramophone (which gave the overtures a rosette) to American Record Guide (which continued to promote his works even after they were out of print).

Flor's regualr partner in these performances, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, is a European band of the second rank. While not being confused with the more well-known orchestras in Vienna, Berlin or London, they perform universally well in these CDs in recordings that sound better than ever.

This is a very good collection of Mendelssohn's symphonic music and piano concertos that will rank with the best recorded boxes including Abbado and Karajn. In musical terms is far exceeds the collections led by Masur, Ashkenazy and the newer Naxos cycle of mixed quality.

Collectors that have never heard Flor conduct (or have never heard of him) can rest assured that this is a worthy alternative collection in this music. If this grouping and this price are attractive, go for it.

Average customer rating: Si, mi chiamano La Boheme (II)

Leoncavallo: La Bohème Manufacturer: Orfeo ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Leoncavallo: Zazà Lalo: Le Roi d'Ys Massenet: La Navarraise / Horne, Domingo, Milnes, Bacquier, Zaccaria, Davies, LSO, Lewis Massenet: Le Jongleur de Notre Dame Montemezzi: L'amore dei tre re ASIN: B00000596T Release Date: 1992-09-05

Tracks:

1. Act One: No, Signor Mio' - Friedrich Lenz/Alan Titus/Bernd Weikl/Franco Bonisolli/Raimund Grumbach/Sofia Lis/Lucia Popp
2. Act One: Signori, Poi Che Abbiam Fatto' - Alan Titus/Franco Bonisolli/Lucia Popp
3. Act One: 'Ed Ora, Conscetela' - Lucia Popp/Franco Bonisolli/Gordon Kember/Franco Bonisolli/Alan Titus...
4. Act One: 'Mimi Pinson, La Biondinetta' - Alexandrina Milcheva/Gordon Kember/Alan Titus/Bernd Weikl/Raimund...
5. Act One: 'Sentite: Se Ne Andassimo Al Ballo' - Alexandrina Milcheva/Alan Titus/Raimund Grumbach/Sofia Lis/Bernd Weikl/Alexander Malta
6. Act One: 'Signorina Musette' - Franco Bonisolli/Alexandrina Milcheva/Alan Titus/Freidrich Lenz/Alexander Malta
7. Act Two Part 1: 'Auf! Ce N'e Ancor?' - Norbert Orth/Alexandrina Milcheva/Franco Bonisolli
8. Act Two Part 1: 'Io Non Ho Che Una Povera Stanzetta' - Franco Bonisolli/Alexandrina Milcheva/Alan Titus/Bernd Weikl
9. Act Two Part 1: 'L'immenso Tesoro' - Bernd Weikl/Alexandrina Milcheva/Franco Bonisolli/Norbert Orth
10. Act Two Part 1: 'Qualcun!' - Alexandrina Milcheva/Norbert Orth/Lucia Popp/Sofia Lis/Alexander Malta/Jorn W. Wilsing/Bernd Weikl
11. Act Two Part 1: 'Da Quel Suon Soavemente' - Alexandrina Milcheva

Tracks:

1. Act Two Part 2: 'Brava! Bravissima!' - Bernd Weikl/Alan Titus/Alexander Malta/Sofia Lis/Lucia Popp/Jorn W. Wilsing
2. Act Three: 'E Che! Tu Pur Sei Vedovo?' - Franco Bonisolli/Alan Titus/Alexandrina Milcheva
3. Act Three: 'Addio!-E Destin!' - Alexandrina Milcheva/Lucia Popp
4. Act Three: 'Sei Proprio Tu Che Hai Scritto Cio?' - Franco Bonisolli/Alexandrina/Bernd Weikl/Lucia Popp
5. Act Three: Ecco, Ho Finito!' - Alexandrina Milcheva/Franco Bonisolli
6. Act Four: 'Scuoti, O Vento' - Bernd Weikl/Franco Bonisolli
7. Act Four: 'Brr! Che Freddo!' - Alan Titus/Bernd Weikl/Franco Bonisolli
8. Act Four: 'Buona Sera! V'incomodo?' - Lucia Popp/Franco Bonisolli/Alan Titus
9. Act Four: 'Mimi Pinson La Biondinetta' - Franco Bonisolli/Alexandrina Milcheva/Lucia Popp/Bernd Weikl

Customer Reviews:

Si, mi chiamano La Boheme (II).......2005-08-31

Puccini's "La Boheme" was produced in Turin on February 1, 1896. Although Leoncavallo seems to have begun writing first, his opera followed in Venice on May 6, 1897. "Since that time," wrote Silvia Camerini in an essay that accompanied another recorded version of this opera, "a simplistic and senseless mistake has always been made: that of comparing the two Bohemes. Indeed, apart from the common source of their inspiration, the artistic personalities of the two composers and the consequent interpretations are so different and distinct one from the other as to render any serious comparison impossible." That statement surely earns both the fur-lined teacup and the leather medal for being one of the most fatuous statements in the famously fatuous literature of opera. How can anyone NOT compare the two Bohemes?

Here is Leoncavallo's plot:

-- Act 1. Rodolfo (baritone), Mimi, Marcello (tenor), Musette and friends are having a Christmas Eve party at the Cafe Momus. They have trouble paying the bill.

-- Act 2. Musette is behind on her rent and is being evicted from her apartment. Her furniture has been placed in the street. Marcello sympathizes and invites her to move in with him. They decide to have a party right there in the street. During the party, Mimi is approached by Visconte Paolo who offers her love and a life of luxury. Tired of living in poverty with Rodolfo in his garret, Mimi joins him (reluctantly).

-- Act 3. Musette loves Marcello but she is fed up with being poor. She is about to leave when Mimi appears. Mimi has come to beg Rodolfo to take her back. While the two women talk, Marcello comes in. Musette tells him she is leaving. An argument ensues. Marcello becomes convinced that her betrayal has been caused by Mimi. When Rodolfo turns up, Marcello denounces Mimi to him. Rodolfo refuses to hear Mimi's denials and tells her that his love for her is dead.

-- Act 4. Christmas time again, Marcello tells Rodolfo he has written a letter asking for Musette's return but has received no reply. Mimi appears. She has been cast aside by the Visconte and has become sick. Having nothing and nowhere else to go, she begs to stay the night. They take her in but are distraught that they can do nothing more for her. Musette arrives. She gives a bracelet and a ring to Schaunard to purchase medicine for Mimi, but it is too late. Mimi dies in Rodolfo's arms.

Even boiled down as far as this, it is clear that Puccini had a better story-sense than Leoncavallo, who wrote his own libretto. I have never come across a copy of Murger's book, but I would bet that Leoncavallo preserved more of its original elements than Puccini. Leoncavallo's people are cheerful in his first two acts, but never quite as cheerful as Puccini's. There is a certain pervasive grim charmlessness about them. Leoncavallo's final two acts are unrelieved gloom. I suspect that Puccini's librettists originally delivered something quite like Leoncavallo's storyline to that notoriously difficult man and that he tossed it back at them, insisting that they cut out everything extraneous to focus on Mimi.

Bar for bar of the music and phrase for phrase, Puccini and Leoncavallo write in pretty much the same verismo idiom. Leoncavallo can match Puccini in providing orchestral lushness but seems less inclined to so so. Puccini has the better sense of overall structure, brilliantly mixing darkness and light in three of his four acts. Leoncavallo, following a simpler path, goes straight from two acts of giddiness into two acts of gloom.

As for the individual arias, sometimes the similarities get downright eerie. In Act II, Leoncavallo's tenor Marcello finds Musette's furniture in the street. He asks her to move in with him in "Io no ho che un povera stanzetta" (rendered by one translation in lumpy fashion as "I have but a poor little room.") Leoncavallo's aria has the texture and spirit of "Che gelida manina" almost perfectly but it does not develop from that point. Musette does not reply to Marcello in the same heightened manner that Puccini's Mimi does to Rodolfo and there is no advance into glorious duet.

Despite my nitpicking, Leoncavallo's "La Boheme" is a sound piece of work with some good tunes. Had it not been torpedoed by Puccini, it would probably be lurking at the edges of the standard repertory in very much the same manner as "Adriana Lecouvreur." As an alternative version of a great masterpiece, it should be in every serious collection of opera recordings, just like, say, Nicolai's "Merry Wives of Windsor."

I must admit that I have not heard this performance since it first came out to earn widespread critical approval many years ago. It was only recalled to me when I sat down to listen to a markedly inferior version of the opera from La Fenice that was issued by Nuova Era. After each number of that ho-hum performance, I found myself thinking that I had heard it better done. The little chunklets of this performance that Amazon provides on-line are not much but they were at least sufficient to convince me that my memory had not substantially misled me. I regard this set to have a strong cast that offers an enjoyable performance for this pleasing opera. Of the three complete versions of Leoncavallo's "La Boheme" that Amazon lists, this one appears to be the best bet for anyone with the inclination and the wherewithal to pay full price.

Five stars.

Average customer rating: Before you buy this older release... A "Regular People" Review over-rated Electric Solti performance Incredibly successful for good reason, but not musically

Mahler - Symphony No. 8 / Popp · Auger · Minton · Harper · Kollo · Shirley-Quirk · Talvela · Chicago SO · Solti Gustav Mahler , Sir Georg Solti , Arleen Auger , Lucia Popp , Chicago Symphony Orchestra , Yvonne Minton , Heather Harper , René Kollo , John Shirley-Quirk , and Martti Talvela Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Mahler | Mahler, Gustav | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Mahler: Symphony No. 2 / Mehta, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Gustav Mahler: Symphonie No. 9 Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde Mahler: Symphony No. 5 Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5; Lieder ASIN: B00000JXZ8 Release Date: 1999-08-10

Tracks:

1. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part I. Veni, creator spiritus
2. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part I. Imple superna gratia
3. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part I. Infirma nostri corporis
4. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part I. Accende lumen sensibus
5. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part I. Veni, creator spiritus
6. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part I. Gloria Patri Domino
7. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part II. Poco Adagio - Waldung, sie schwankt heran
8. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part II. Ewiger Wonnebrand
9. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part II. Wie Felsenabgrund mir zu Fussen
10. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part II. Gerettet ist das edle Glied
11. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part II. Uns bleibt ein Erdenrest - Hier ist die Aussicht frei
12. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part II. Hochste Herrscherin der Welt - Dir, der Unberuhrbaren
13. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part II. Bei der Liebe, die den Fussen
14. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part II. Neige, neige, du Ohnegleiche
15. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part II. Blicket auf zum Retterblick
16. Symphony No.8 In E Flat Major 'Symphony Of A Thousand': Part II. Alles Vergangliche

Amazon.com essential recording

Solti was an eminent Mahlerian, reveling in the dramatic sweep and power of the scores but also surprisingly sympathetic to their many delicate, sparely scored passages. The gigantic Eighth Symphony is perhaps Solti's finest Mahler recording. The opening outburst, "Veni, creator spiritus," is shattering in its impact, and the next 80 minutes are an emotionally wrenching trek across Mahler's vast musical landscape. Most conductors do well simply to hold together this gargantuan, often ungainly combination of symphony, oratorio, and sceneryless opera (Part II is a setting from Goethe's Faust). But Solti's conducting makes it work by maintaining tension throughout. He gets superb orchestral playing from the Chicago Symphony and inspires a great Viennese chorus and the best team of vocal soloists to record this work. Add outstanding engineering that, nearly three decades later, still yields demonstration-quality sound, and you get the best stereo Mahler Eighth in the catalog. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Before you buy this older release..........2007-03-01

I'm a huge fan of the original Solti performance. Decca did this CD release in 1999 and the newer one in 2006 with a different cover. (Amazon carries the later one.) I find the 2006 release a far, far better remastering of an already amazing recording and I recommend it over this 1999 CD release. The newer one has a less clouded sound... is not too bright to my ears... is musical... with beautiful balance maintained amongst the orchestra, chorus and soloists - my favorite recording of No. 8... I'm a former musician and I've heard both CD editions, much preferring the clarity of the later version, without a doubt.

A "Regular People" Review.......2007-02-17

This CD is good, however if your new to Mahler, I would recommend the Second or Sixth Symphonies before this one. Mahler has never dissapointed me and this is no exception. I can't say whether this recording is better than any other becuase this is the only one I have ever heard, but there are no complaints here.

over-rated.......2006-12-02

What the heck! - I may as well have some fun as I'm hanging out, and rain on everybody's parade. I'm still giving this four stars because it IS good from any technical standpoint. But that's precisely the problem; it's only technically good - well, for me anyway. Yes, the vocal soloists are all very good. They're also quite loud and quite close. Much of that simply has to do with the recording itself, which in turn comes off as being rather noisy, yet limited in its overall dynamic range. For 1971, it's really very good. This is 2006 - darn near 2007. There's also a real mismatch between the powerful trumpets and trombones of the CSO, and the more reticent, almost gentle singing of the Viennese chorus members. Both are good, but in totally incompatible ways. The pipe organ - which is very strong - sounds as though it was recorded in a totally different acoustic (and it was!). The whole thing fits together in a sonic soup that - while lacking in distortion - does sound heavily multi-miked and artificially mixed. The ending of Part 2 is typical Solti: loud organ and loud brass, but the percussion get buried over (simultaneous cymbals and tam-tam). Why is it that a conductor who enjoyed so much noise from the brass, also had no clue what to do with a modern percussion section? I digress.

My sage advice? Get the Solti if you already know it and like it. But if you're new to this piece, give some of the other ones an audition as well. In particular - until the one from MTT/SFSO arrives in 2008 (which should be good) - check out the Antoni Wit Mahler 8th on Naxos. If older recordings are your bag; man, the old Bernstein/LSO one still sweeps me off my feet everytime; distortion and all.

Electric Solti performance.......2006-01-13

Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 "Symphony of a Thousand", like his second symphony, requires great forethought and is quite problematic to perform, nonetheless record with some semblance of quality. This Decca Legends digital transfer of Sir Georg Solti's great 1971 Vienna performance was the first to translate well to a recorded medium, where others failed.

The first problem in putting together the Symphony No. 8 is instrumentation. A large woodwind section, brass section with 8 horns, 8 trumpets, 8 trombones, celeste, piano, organ, harmonium, mandolin, not to mention eight soloists, two mixed choirs, and a children's choir is tough to balance, not to mention perform. The symphony is in two parts: the first part is on a Latin text, the famous Veni, Creator Spiritus. The opening with full organ and double chorus brings me to the second problem in putting the work together, the music is terribly difficult. Solti has combined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, two Viennese choruses, and the Vienna Boy's Choir; by all accounts, a world class occasion. The musicians tackle the virtuosic music in stride, on both the instrumental and vocal sides. The 20+ minute first part is a unceasing, breathless praise to God. The music's extreme ranges and quickly changing harmonic foundations are performed with reckless abandon here, as Solti does anything but dwell, but instead forges ahead. The soloists, all legends of their time (and this time as well) are a treat. Each are heard well over the orchestra (the tenor is sometimes overwhelmed by the orchestra and soprano soloists) and the same goes for the chorus. The ending Gloria is taken at break-neck speed and ends as stated in the text, gloriously. The second section is in German and sets the final scene of Goethe's Faust. A scene of redemption, it fills the rest of this 79 minute CD. A bit more subdued, the lovely opening instrumental gives a breather after the first part. The rest that follows is rather operatic in nature, with arias, duets, ensembles, and chorus work. The last six minutes, which begins extremely soft in the chorus and strings, is the last great build-up to the conclusion of the work, a splendid finale. The third problem in putting together the work, especially from a modern perspective, is quality of sound and balance. Suffice to say, with the 1971 transfer, it is very difficult to tell the age of the recording. All voices speak well across the board, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra cannot be beat by any other ensemble, especially the brass section, and only on rare occasions are their signs of the recordings' age. The voices are clear and the text is conveyed satisfactorily. Each classical music fan has their favorite "Symphony of a Thousand" by Gustav Mahler; this is mine. An easy recommendation.

Incredibly successful for good reason, but not musically.......2005-09-29

Decca's recording engineers were the best in the world at capturing orhestral impact, as they showed in Solti's Ring cycle. His Mahler Eighth won equal fame for sonic drama--this huge symphony sounds as massive exploding from home speakers as it might in live performance. The orchestra and soloists are also first rate, and to this day--as the reviews here demonstrate--Solti's version ranks very high in sales and fame.

Musically, however, thre is the usual high-voltage Solti aggressive drive throughout and little poetry. The sonics are surprisingly shrill and uncomfortable in this digital remastering--what hapened to the gorgeous bloom of the LP originals? I have known this set since the day it shot out of the cannon, and it's a relief to hear far more musical versions by Haitink, Sinopoli, Bernstein, Abbado, Gielen, and Colin Davis.

Average customer rating: Good -- but not great Outstanding, yet Affordable Mahler Set Ignore the name(s): Listen to the Music! An exceptionally fine bargain best overall cycle

Mahler: Symphonies 1-10; Das Lied von der Erde Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Mahler | Mahler, Gustav | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 1-9; Adagio Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in c minor [Hybrid SACD] Prokofiev: The Complete Symphonies Beethoven: Piano Sonatas (Complete) [Box Set] Mahler - The Symphonies plus Das Lied von der Erde Boxset / Leonard Bernstein, Wiener Philharmoniker, London Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra ASIN: B000BQ7BX2 Release Date: 2006-01-10

Tracks:

1. I. Langsam, Schleppend, Wie Ein Naturlaut - Im Anfang Sehr Gemachlich - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
2. II. Kraftig Bewegt, Doch NIcht Zu Schnell - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
3. III. Feirlich Und Gemessen, Ohne Zu Schleppen - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
4. IV. Sturmisch Bewegt - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
5. I. Allegro Maestoso. Mit Durchaus Ernstem Und Feierlichem Ausdruck - Krisztina Laki

Tracks:

1. II. Andante Moderato. Sehr Gemachlich - Krisztina Laki
2. II. In Ruhig Fliessender Bewegung - Krisztina Laki
3. IV. Urlicht: Sehr Feierlich, Aber Schlicht - Krisztina Laki
4. V. Im Tempo Des Scherzo. Wild Herausfahrend - Krisztina Laki
5. Wieder Sehr Breit - Krisztina Laki
6. Ritardando...Maestoso. Sehr Zuruckhaltend - Krisztina Laki
7. Wieder Zuruckhaltend - Krisztina Laki
8. Langsam, Misterioso - Krisztina Laki
9. Etwas Bewegter - Krisztina Laki
10. Mit Aufschwung, Aber Nicht Eilen - Krisztina Laki

Tracks:

1. I. Kraftig. Entschieden - Gwendolyn Killebrew
2. II. Tempo Di Menuetto - Gwendolyn Killebrew
3. III. Comodo. Scherzando - Gwendolyn Killebrew
4. IV. Sehr Langsam - Gwendolyn Killebrew

Tracks:

1. V. Lustig IM Tempo UNd Keck Im Ausdruck - Gwendolyn Killebrew
2. VI. Sehr Langsam - Ruhevoll - Empfunden - Gwendolyn Killebrew
3. I. Bed Achtig. Nicht Eilen - Lucia Popp
4. II. In Gemachlicher Bewegung. Ohne Hast - Lucia Popp
5. III. Ruhevoll - Lucia Popp

Tracks:

1. IV. Sehr Behaglich - Lucia Popp
2. I. Trauermarsch (Im Gemessenem Schritt - Streng - Wie Ein Kondukt) - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
3. II. Sturmisch Bewegt, Mit Grosster Vehemenz - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
4. III. Scherzo (Kraftig, Nicht Zu Schnell) - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
5. IV. Adagietto (Sehr Langsam) - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
6. V. Rondo - Finale (Allegro) - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester

Tracks:

1. I. Langsam - Allegro - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
2. II. Nachtmusik I - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
3. III. Scherzo: Schattenhaft - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
4. IV. Nachtmusik II. Andante Amoroso - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
5. V. Rondo - Finale - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester

Tracks:

1. I. Allegro Energico, Ma Non Troppo - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
2. II. Scherzo. Wuchtig - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
3. III. Andante Moderato - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester

Tracks:

1. IV. Finale: Sostenuto - Allegro Moderato - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
2. I. Andante Comodo - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
3. II. Im Tempo Eines Gemachlichen Landlers - Etwas Tappisch Und Sehr Derb - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester

Tracks:

1. III. Rondo Burleske: Allegro Assai. Sehr Trotzig - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
2. IV. Adagio: Sehr Langsam Und Noch Zuruckhaltend - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
3. I. Adagio - Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester

Tracks:

1. Veni, Creator Spiritus - Maria Venuti
2. Imple Superna Gratia - Maria Venuti
3. Infirma Nostri Corporis - Maria Venuti
4. Accende Lumen Sensibus - Maria Venuti
5. Veni, Creator Spiritus - Maria Venuti
6. Gloria Patri Domino - Maria Venuti
7. Poco Adagio: Waldung, Sie Schwankt Heran - Maria Venuti
8. Ewiger Wonnebrand - Maria Venuti
9. Wie Felsenabgrund Mir Zu Fussen - Maria Venuti
10. Gerettet Ist Das Edle Glied - Maria Venuti
11. Uns Bleibt Ein Erdenrest - Maria Venuti
12. Hier Ist Die Aussicht Frei - Maria Venuti
13. Hochste Herrscherin Der Welt - Maria Venuti
14. Dir, Der Unberuhrbaren - Maria Venuti
15. Bei Der Liebe, Die Den Fussen - Maria Venuti
16. Neige, Neige, Du Ohnegleiche - Maria Venuti
17. Blicket Suf Zum Retterblick - Maria Venuti
18. Alles Vergangliche - Maria Venuti

Tracks:

1. I. Das Trinklied Vom Jammer Der Erde - Marjana Lipovsek
2. II. Der Einsame Im Herbst - Marjana Lipovsek
3. III. Von Der Jugend - Marjana Lipovsek
4. IV. Von Der Schonheit - Marjana Lipovsek
5. V. Der Trunkene Im Fruhling - Marjana Lipovsek
6. VI. Der Abschied - Marjana Lipovsek

Customer Reviews:

Good -- but not great.......2007-07-07

Having listened intently to this set two times now, once with scores in hand, once without, I have to give this set less than a 5 star rating. The sound is adequate, compressed at times, muddy at others. The later symphonies fare better than 1 & 2. Conducting is fine: very straightfoward and unfussy. Plays it straight. And maybe that's a problem. The sixth in particular never really scales the heights or depths. Same story with 8. Layout is weird, but economical. My biggest beef is the orchestral execution. There are a LOT of bloopers that should have been fixed. In a live concert you can accept, even expect, some error in music this difficult. But on recordings they become very irritating. I grant that most people would never notice any, but if you have a good ear and really know this music there are some problems. The worst is an abundance of wrong notes in the 4th movement of the 7th, which otherwise is a superb version -- one of the best. Another easy to spot example occurs at the end of the 6th: why did the cellos leave the bass clarinet to fend for itself just a few bars before the end? Why didn't someone fix this?
I'm glad I heard this set, but there are better, albeit more expensive. As a complete set there isn't any that is altogether perfect, but Solti/Decca, Haitink/Philips, Kubelik/DG and deWaart/RCA come closer.

Outstanding, yet Affordable Mahler Set.......2007-06-10

If you are looking for a great Mahler set that doesn't give you the Walletdämmerung syndrome, yet you also want excellent musicians and soloists and a conductor with a most refreshing and philosophically true understanding of Mahler's music, I would recommend that you purchase this box set of Mahler symphonies with Gary Bertini. Although Gary Bertini was not a big name in the recording industry, he was deemed as a highly esteemable conductor in Europe. His Mahler offers a completely different sound from what you would hear from Bernstein, Abbado, Walter, and Klemperer, much closer to what Rafael Kubelik did with his Mahler, but Bertini offers a degree of transparency in his music that you cannot hear in any other conductor. Despite the transparency, his Mahler does not lack passion. If you want to know what I mean, you must listen to his Symphonies no. 1,2,4,5,6,7,8, and 9. These renditions are ranked with the very best Mahlerians in a very competitive field. Bertini is also supported by an ensemble of an extremely high calibre--the WDR or the Kölner Rundfunks Orchester. They play with a finesse and a grace that rivals the very best Mahler orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony, and the Concertgebouw. In terms of virtuosity and beauty, the orchestra offers some of the most glorious playing and a crystalline sound balance that you would want in a world-class German orchestra.

The soloists are all excellent too. You have Florence Quivar, Paul Frey, Lucia Popp, Julia Varady, Julia Hamari, and Alan Titus, among others. You must simply hear the alto part that Quivar sings in the Resurrection Symphony!

Included in this already sparkling box set is a Das Lied von der Erde with Marjana Lipovsek and Ben Heppner. While I will always love Klemperer, Ludwig, and Wunderlich, I think this Das Lied von der Erde comes close to being one of the very best recordings of the work. Heppner sings with his usual golden tone and security, and sings the tenor's songs with an abandon and an elan that makes his interpretation very attractive. Lipovsek sings the mezzo parts with a tragically imbued tone that improved over her recording with Solti years earlier. You must listen to what she does in the Abschied. I have never heard a more resentful and reflective understanding of this very complex movement other than Christa Ludwig, Janet Baker, and Kathleen Ferrier.

All in all, a Mahler box set that everyone should get along with Haitink, Chailly, and Kubelik.

Ignore the name(s): Listen to the Music!.......2007-05-07

Gary Bertini and the Cologne Radio Symphony? The Mahler symphonies have been recorded in toto by many of the "biggest" names in music Leonard Bernstein (three times), Solti, Kubelik, Haitink and so on with the best known orchestras in the world ---- Vienna Philharmonic, Concertgebouw, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, and so on and so on. I've given away my bias by those I've chosen to list and the sequence I've put them in.
And along comes a little known conductor, now deceased, with an orchestra I would not rank with those above; and by virtue of their sheer musicianship they belong alongside all the above. Mr. Bertini's performances hew closer to Mr. Kubelik and Mr. Haitink in being moderate in both tempo and phrasing. At the same time, Mr. Bertini still beings a far greater feeling of intensity and passion than either. Mr. Bertini's performances have a sweep and a grandeur that places them on the same plane as Mr. Bernstein's performances without entirely going "over the top" as Mr. B. was inclined to do.
No: Bertini's recording of the Sixth Symphony does not take us emotionally to the depth of Mr. Bernstein's last recording (DG digital). Nor has Mr. Solti's magnificent performance of the Eighth been surpassed. But I were asked to choose one cycle to live with for the rest of my life, it would be this one.

An exceptionally fine bargain.......2007-03-26

Gary Bertini's EMI Mahler cycle is more or less contemporary with Tennstedt's Mahler cycle on the same label. But, according to the gossip, the company decided to keep Bertini in the vaults since the former and LPO where more publicly known. In my view, however, Bertini's set is clearly superior. The orchestra - Kölner Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester - is outstanding, far better than LPO, and so are most of Bertini's interpretations as well.

Considering that Bertini and the orchestra are not among the obvious "stars", it is an exceptional sleeper. In fact, Bertini was virtually unknown before this cycle made him famous, post mortem.

The cycle combines both live and studio recordings. The live ones were recorded in Japan where the audience knows how to behave. Excellent stereo sound adds to the pleasure.

But one could note that some of Bertini's tempi are among the slowest on record. The final movement of symphony no. 9 stops at 28:34, which is ten minutes more than Walter's 1939 classic. It's even a few seconds slower than Chailly's very slow account on Decca. The finale of the third is six minutes longer than Tennstedt's on EMI. But the adagietto in the fifth stops at just above 10 minutes, so Bertini is not consistently very slow when Mahler's music may invite sentimental conductors to drag. Unlike such conductors, however, Bertini has the ability to keep tension during a long breath, bringing forth interesting details in contextual balance.

Thus the performances of symphonies 1, 5, 7, 8, 9 and Das Lied von der Erde are outstanding, challenging almost every recording in the current catalogue. The remaining symphonies are also convincingly presented, in perfectly consistent performances.

However, one irritating thing with this set is that the fourth symphony is divided over two discs. That EMI decision was not necessary. The cycle could still fit on 11 CDs with a different editing. The policy for all record companies should be to avoid unnecessary splitting.

At a super-bargain price, this is of course the first choice among boxed sets, especially the contemporary ones. All the recordings in this box have something that attracts repeated listening. This is true of Gielen's outstanding cycle too (Hänssler), but it requires you to pay four times the price. Still, Kubelik (DG) remains my favourite cycle. But Bertini's is better recorded.

Warmly recommended!

best overall cycle.......2006-12-09

There's little that I could add to the testimonials that have already been written here . While none of these performances would be an absolute first choice for me, save Bertini's Mahler 8th (which IS extraordinary), all of them have an amazing consistantcy in style, sound quality, and orchestral execution. The inclusion of a really fine "Das Lied von der Erde", expertly sung by Ben Heppner and Marjana Lipovsek, makes this a clear front runner. While Bertini didn't record a complete Mahler 10th symphony (finished by Deryck Cooke and others), his M10 Adagio is outstanding - giving the feeling of completeness on to itself. In fact, other than Leonard Bernstein, I can think of no other conductor who has been so satisfying in capturing the complete emotional range of Mahler's symphonies; going from the fresh and youthful first symphony (and Bertini is truly fresh and youthful); working on up to the cosmic orgasm that is the 8th symphony (and Bertini is cosmically orgasmic here), and still making the drastic shift to the zen-like, other-worldliness of the so-called farewell trilogy: "DLvdE", 9th symphony, and 10th symphony adagio. He runs the entire gamut, Janet.

Much positive has been written about Gielen's fine Mahler cycle. But his box set doesn't include his recording of the Cooke 10th (Chailly's does!), which is really a very good 10th. It's also more expensive. In a