The Very Best of Alfredo Kraus

 

Release Date: 04/26/2005 Label: EMI Classics Number of discs: 2 Composer: Various Performer: Alfredo Kraus cd info/ buy

Review:

Alfredo Kraus remained an EMI Classics artist throughout most of his career. It is for that reason that this compilation extends from the early 1960s (two arias from Così, as conducted by Karl Böhm) up to a live recording from December 1987 ("Una furtiva lagrima" from L'Elisir d'amore and "Salut! demeure chaste et pure" from Faust). Kraus, who was born on September 24, 1927 in the Canary Islands, was 60 at the time, and hardly less of fresh of voice than he was in the Così recording. Kraus was a lyric tenor who never sounded juvenile. In lighter bel canto roles such as Ernesto (Don Pasquale) a more youthful vocal persona would have been more appropriate, perhaps, but in the heavier ones, such as Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor) and Arturo (I puritani), Kraus's power, maturity, and masculinity were welcomed – no tenorino here. His bright, trumpeting voice and exciting high notes were tempered by a sunny suavity. On the other hand, he could be a rather bland interpreter. Given his excellence in the French repertoire, in particular, it is tempting to go as far back as Georges Thill when looking for comparisons. Kraus died in 1999. Most of these selections are taken from Kraus's complete recordings; the exceptions are the two indicated above from 1987, which were recorded at this Paris Opéra. (Frankly, it is a shame that Kraus left commercial recordings of neither L'Elisir nor Faust.) This means that Kraus is joined by excellent singers, including Montserrat Caballé in I Puritani, Renata Scotto in La bohème and La traviata, and Beverly Sills in Rigoletto and Don Pasquale. The selections have been chosen well, although, as with the other releases, there are some untidy fade-in and fade-outs. With the exception of Così, the engineering remains bright and shiny. This is an excellent compilation, and for those who are less familiar with Kraus than with the "Three Tenors," this might whet their appetite for more.

 

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The Very Best of Nicolai Gedda

 

Release Date: 09/02/2003 Label: Emi Classics Number of discs: 2 Composer: Various Performer: Nicolai Gedda cd info/ buy

Review:

Hands down, Nicolai Gedda was the classiest lyric tenor of the 1950s and '60s (and very early '70s). For the most part he wisely kept away from the after-1860 Italian repertoire: his voice lacked the necessary juice, and with Björling, Bergonzi, Corelli, and del Monaco around, why bother? These CDs offer two hours and 35 minutes of singing--and interpreting--that never tire the ear and never bore. "Ach so fromm" is ravishing in its intimacy (by its close, it's normally shouted); Lohengrin's Narrative may lack heft, but it's a model of lyricism and Gedda darkens his tone enough to give it authority; an aria from Goldmark's The Queen of Sheba closes on an unearthly head-voiced high-C that's matched only by a similar feat in Bizet's Pearl Fishers (a performance notable for its great breath control and legato as well); Hoffman's tale of Kleinzach is a riveting, snappy story, filled with just the schizophrenia the role requires; the Dmitri/Marina duet from Boris is energetic and filled with smoldering undercurrent; three Tchaikovsky songs become little dramas; Beethoven's "Adelaide" and Schubert's "Ständchen" are models of Lieder singing; selections by Gounod and Massenet exhibit his impeccable French diction and style; the high-D at the close of Adam's "Postman" aria and repeated Cs in William Tell's would be the envy of any tenor; and his bel canto style in a duet from Sonnambula (with Mirella Freni) is ideal. Yes, this is the very best of Nicolai Gedda.--Robert Levine

 

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Verdi - Jerusalem - Fabio Luisi, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

 

Release Date: 02/13/2001 Label: Philips Number of discs: 3 Composer: Giuseppe Verdi Performer: Fabio Luisi cd info/ buy

Review:

Jérusalem is Verdi's 1847 Paris rewrite of I Lombardi, composed four years earlier. He made extensive revisions, dropping scenes and characters to give more coherence to the fanciful story. The orchestra was expanded, a ballet added, and new music composed, all playing to the French taste for grandeur, a taste that was especially gratified by his new, smashing finale. The plot: Gaston, the tenor, is falsely accused by the Count's brother, Roger, of stabbing the Count, father to his fiancée, Hélène. Gaston is exiled and the penitent Roger becomes a hermit in Palestine where everybody, including Hélène, winds up in the pre-millennial Crusade of 1099. Gaston and Hélène are taken prisoner and rescued by the victorious Crusaders, whose leader, the Count, understandably annoyed at discovering his daughter with his would-be assassin, condemns Gaston to death. Roger gives Gaston a sword so he can join the battle of Jerusalem. Gaston is hailed as a hero, the wounded Roger confesses all, and everybody sings a rousing victory anthem. Marcello Giordani is excellent as the wronged Gaston. He may not be another Gilbert Duprez, the toast of Paris who created the role, but he comes as close as we can get these days. He's a lyric tenor well on his way to becoming a spinto, bringing to the role some lovely soft singing in the love duet and some thrilling high notes elsewhere. He varies tone and dynamics nicely and creates a believable character. As Hélène, soprano Marina Mescheriakova matches him vocally and dramatically. She's exciting in ornate passages and has the big, powerful voice and easy phrasing that mark a fine Verdi soprano. The lesser roles are, well, lesser, although the Roger, Roberto Scandiuzzi, balances a rough Act 1 with nuanced, inward singing elsewhere. None of the leads are French, leading to occasional oddities of pronunciation (as in Gaston's "misero" for "misère"). Fabio Luisi conducts a vigorous performance, finding the right tempos and drawing excellent playing and singing from his orchestra and chorus. The sound has the immediacy an early Verdi opera needs. Jérusalem may not be a masterpiece, but even lesser Verdi is worth hearing, especially in such a convincing performance.--Dan Davis, ClassicsToday.com Performer:  Marina Mescheriakova,  Marcello Giordani,  Roberto Scandiuzzi,  Philippe Rouillon,  Simon Edwards, Hélène Le Corre,  Daniel Borowski,  Wolfgang Barta,  Slobodan Stankovic, Jovo Reljin Conductor:  Fabio Luisi Orchestra/Ensemble:  Suisse Romande Orchestra,  Geneva Grand Theatre Chorus

 

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Viva Villazon!

 

Release Date: 04/23/2008 Label: Virgin Classics Number of discs: 2 Composer: Various Performer: Rolando Villazón cd info/ buy

Review:

The most exciting tenor during the first decade of the new millennium has undoubtedly been Rolando Villazón. He has a charming appearance, is a good actor, has a voice that besides brilliance and beauty can also express all kinds of nuance, he has good taste and a versatility that is stunning. In other words he has all the attributes to make him a star performer. More than once his voice has been compared to that of the young Placido Domingo. In certain repertoire, notably on this set in the two zarzuela arias, the similarities are so close that one has to check who is singing. As can be seen from the track list, we are treated to a large number of the expected standard arias. Few of them have been better sung in recent times. We are also treated to several comparative rarities, which makes this an attractive buy even for those who are already well stocked with the standard stuff. When, for example, did you last hear something from Gounod’s Polyeucte or Massenet’s Le Mage and Roma? The sacred song by Berlioz is also something for the rarity list. Make no mistake: these are high quality pieces that are very likely to become friends to which you will want to return.

 

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Verdi - Aida - Nilsson, Corelli, Bumbry, Sereni - Zubin Mehta ('67)

 

Release Date: January 12, 1993  Label: EMI Number of discs: 2 Composer: Giuseppe Verdi Performer: Zubin Mehta cd info/ buy

Review:

I think the greatest strength of this recording is to be found in two men. Franco Corelli simply shines in this outing. For once, and for all I know, for the only time in his career, he displays strength and delicacy in proper proportions. Take that galumphing old warhorse aria, "Celeste Aida." He strikes the final B-flat with the anticipated forte blast but most unexpectedly he drops down to piano, at once transforming the aria from the usual out-of-place warcry to the intended reverie. In the tomb scene at the end of the opera, he is simply faultless; there is no other way to describe him. The other man is Bonaldo Giaiotti who makes Ramfis into a true star part. Ferruccio Mazzoli, too, is impressive as the King of Egypt, but his role is too brief to have full effect. Mario Sereni's Amonasro is well-conceived and effectively offered, but by 1967 Sereni no longer had the sheer strength of the others--if he ever did. As Aida, Birgit Nilsson did not have Milanov's sheer beauty of tone or Callas' insightful intensity, or Tebaldi's inborn italianata--but she was NILSSON and that was plenty impressive all by itself! In an opera house, she'd have blown me right out of my seat. Amneris is not a role that I might spontaneously associate with Grace Bumbry. In a perfect universe I would prefer Barbieri, Simionato or the young Stignani, but in this mundane world, Bumbry will do just fine for me, thank you very much. As an opera, "Aida" can be approached as an intimate drama, as a large-scale spectacle or as something in-between.  If your ideal "Aida" is a spectacle, Mehta is the man for you.

 

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Juan Diego Florez - Bel Canto Spectacular

 

Release Date: January 13, 2009 Label: Decca Number of discs: 1 Composer: Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi  Performer: Juan Diego Florez cd info/ buy

Review:

The King of the High Ds returns with an album of bel canto arias and duets. Juan Diego Florez once again proves why he is THE tenor in demand around the world for the operas of Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini. In fact, he even broke the 70 year-old taboo against encores at La Scala in Donizetti s La Fille du Régiment, effortlessly tossing off 18 high Cs in a row (twice as many as other tenors)! For this special album, Florez is joined by an all-star roster of his friends, including Anna Netrebko, Placido Domingo, Mariusz Kwiecien, Patrizia Ciofi and Daniela Barcellona. Rarely have so many talents come together on one recording. For anyone who wants to hear truly great singing of a repertoire long known for it's vocal difficulties, you can't go wrong with this.

 

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Verdi - Nabucco - Riccardo Muti,Manuguerra, Ghiaurov, Scotto, Philharmonia Orchestra

 

 

 

“Con quest’opera si può dire veramente che ebbe principio la mia carriera artistica.” (“It can truly be said that my artistic career began with this opera”). Verdi may perhaps be forgiven for taking artistic licence with this observation to Ricordi, his publisher. His previous works were the patchy and immature “Oberto” and the comic flop “Un giorno do regno”. “Nabucco” marks a huge advance over these. Verdi here begins to find his true voice, mining the rich seam of cantilena melody which characterises his best early work and adding to it both psychological profundity and economy of expression. Re-visiting this recording, I was struck by the tautness and impact of the libretto and plot. Verdi was as incapable as Shakespeare of creating cardboard characters and it is remarkable how both the villains of the piece, Abegaille and Nabucco himself, emerge as complex, tormented souls, far more absorbing than the supposed heroes. They are the forerunners of that long line of father-daughter pairs; Solera’s libretto stimulated Verdi’s imagination and his emotions at a time when he was trying to emerge from two years of grief and suffering, marked by personal loss and (comparative) artistic failure.The popularity of “Va, pensiero”, the emphasis upon spectacle, the four marches, unison choruses and brassy scoring all combine to support the reputation of “Nabucco” as the chauvinistic rallying-call of popular legend. However, in the admixture of private passion and political chicanery, certain situations and even specific musical ideas are clearly proleptic of later, greater works such as “Simon Boccanegra”, although the masterpiece it most resembles in mood, atmosphere and in its melding of extremes is perhaps “Aida”. Certainly his contemporaries thought well enough of it to choose its music to accompany Verdi’s funeral cortège. Riccardo Muti’s conducting of this 1977 recording has been condemned as crude and aggressive. He is hectic at times, to be sure, but that is hardly out of keeping with the swift pace of events and he still gives his singers space in the more contemplative passages.

The eponymous starring role is taken by a first class baritone. Manuguerra has a smooth, most sheerly beautiful voice, with plenty of sap in its upper reaches. Manuguerra delivers a detailed, compellingly vocalized account.
As Abegaille, a spinto soprano, as Renata Scotto had become by this stage of her career - provides the listener with thrills and vocal virtuosity. Scotto shares features of Callas’s delivery, including a biting articulation of text and the less recommendable lapses into flapping top notes when pressed at forte. When not pressing too hard, Scotto can still float the top and hers is a formidable firebrand of an Abegaille - she is the best actress of all. Given the intensity and conviction of Scotto’s performance, I am now much more forgiving of those squally high notes.

Nicolai Ghiaurov, who is rusty and occasionally bleak of tone at this stage in his career but still impressive makes a beautiful job of the aria “Tu sul labbro”, with its beguiling six-part cello accompaniment. Robert Lloyd is a notable High Priest for Muti; I wonder if I am the first to notice that he must have been absent for whatever reason (not worth paying him to sing so little?) during the second, 1978, recording session and thus we hear the unmistakable voice of Ghiaurov, deputizing for Lloyd in the High Priest’s one line in the finale. One of the great pleasures of the Muti set is to hear Veriano Luchetti in the brief and rather ungrateful role of Ismaele. His smooth, ringing, Italianate tenor is particularly admirable in the lovely trio “Io t’amava”.
The Ambrosian Chorus sounds a little lean but as ever they sing with verve and precision.

The Philharmonia respond with alacrity to Muti’s taut direction and the sound is excellent.--Ralph Moore

CD INFO

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Verdi - Otello - Domingo,Freni,Cappuccilli,Cianella,Raffanti,Roni; c Kleiber

Verdi - Otello - Domingo,Freni,Cappuccilli,Cianella,Raffanti,Roni;
c Kleiber
Opera | single Ape| no log, cover | 2 CD, 442 MB
April 13, 1999 | Music & Arts | RapidShare

The fabled 1976 La Scala performance conducted by Carlos Kleiber

This live performance from La Scala was Placido Domingo's first Otello and as such is of great value to his fans who collect the operas he sang throughout his career. It has been digitally remastered so that the sound is terrific. This same recording exists in two Opera D'Oro versions but the sound quality is not as great as this one. Domingo's first Otello is in many ways his best vocal-wise. He is in his prime and his voice is steely, vibrant, powerful and beautiful. The supersquillo is here and although he would later refine his interpretation, he would lose some of the power he once had in the voice. Consequently, his two other Otellos- from 1986 with Katia Ricciarelli and Justino Diaz and the 1991 with Cheryl Studer and Sergei Leiferkus, are not as exciting as this one. All fans of Domingo in his prime will wan to own this recording as he makes an intense, passionate and riveting performance.

Mirella Freni was no stranger to the role of Desdemona when she sang opposie Domingo in this performance. She had already sung the role with Jon Vickers, another powerful Otello interpretor. Freni sings with sweetness, true lyrico spinto abilities and powerful dramatic heft. She was actually a blonde and that helps a lot in the physical aspects of the role of the blonde/Aryan Desdemona in love with the black Moor Otello. Her arias and lines are spun like threads of gold but she is also highly influenced by the dramatic aspect.

Piero Cappucilli is a supremely excellent Iago. He makes his voice seem darker than usual, with a powerful and frightening quality. He was masterful in Verdi baritone roles (Nabucco, Macbeth) and here he pulls out all the stops, and all sung in beautiful voice. He really is a great match for Domingo and satisfies.

With a cast like this, you're hard pressed to find a better Otello. With Carlos Kleiber making the score tight and dramatic, you get a phenomenal Otello.

Tracklist

cd1
01. Otello, opera: Act 1. Una vela! Una vela!
02. Otello, opera: Act 1. Esultate!
03. Otello, opera: Act 1. Roderigo, ebben che pensi?
04. Otello, opera: Act 1. Fucco di gioia!
05. Otello, opera: Act 1. Roderigo, beviam!
06. Otello, opera: Act 1. Innaffia l'ugola! Trinca, tracanna
07. Otello, opera: Act 1. Capitano, v'attende la fazione ai baluardi
08. Otello, opera: Act 1. Abbasso le spade!
09. Otello, opera: Act 1. Già nella notte densa
10. Otello, opera: Act 2. Non ti crucciar
11. Otello, opera: Act 2. Vanne! La tua meta già vedo
12. Otello, opera: Act 2. Credo in un Dio crudel
13. Otello, opera: Act 2. Ciò m'accora...
14. Otello, opera: Act 2. Dove guardi splendono
15. Otello, opera: Act 2. D'un uom che geme sotto il tuo disdegno
16. Otello, opera: Act 2. Se inconscia, contro te, sposo, ho peccato
17. Otello, opera: Act 2. Desdemona rea!
18. Otello, opera: Act 2. Tu? Indietro! Fuggi!
19. Otello, opera: Act 2. Ora e per sempre addio
20. Otello, opera: Act 2. Pace, signor Listen
21. Otello, opera: Act 2. Era la notte, Cassio dormia
22. Otello, opera: Act 2. Oh! Mostruosa colpa
23. Otello, opera: Act 2. Sì, pel ciel marmoreo giuro!


cd2
01. Otello, opera: Act 3. La vedetta del porto ha segnalato
02. Otello, opera: Act 3. Dio ti giocondi, o sposo
03. Otello, opera: Act 3. Esterrefatta fisso
04. Otello, opera: Act 3. Dio! mi potevi scagliar
05. Otello, opera: Act 3. Ah! Dannazione
06. Otello, opera: Act 3. Vieni; laula è deserta
07. Otello, opera: Act 3. E intanto, giacché non si stanca
08. Otello, opera: Act 3. Quest'è il segnale
09. Otello, opera: Act 3. Come la ucciderò?
10. Otello, opera: Act 3. Il doge e il Senato salutano
11. Otello, opera: Act 3. Messere, son lieto di vedervi
12. Otello, opera: Act 3. Eccolo! È lui!
13. Otello, opera: Act 3. A terra!... sì... nel livido fango
14. Otello, opera: Act 3. Quella innocente un fremito
15. Otello, opera: Act 3. Fuggite
16. Otello, opera: Act 4. Era più calmo?
17. Otello, opera: Act 4. Mia madre aveva una povera ancella
18. Otello, opera: Act 4. Piangea cantando nell'erma landa
19. Otello, opera: Act 4. Ave Maria, piena di grazia
20. Otello, opera: Act 4. Chi è là?... Otello?
21. Otello, opera: Act 4. Aprite! Aprite!
22. Otello, opera: Act 4. Quai grida! Orrore! Orrore!
23. Otello, opera: Act 4. Niun mi tema


OTELLO Plácido Domingo
DESDEMONA Mirella Freni
JAGO Piero Cappuccilli
CASSIO Giuliano Ciannella
RODERIGO Dano Raffanti
LODOVICO Luigi Roni
MONTANO Orazio Mori
HERALDO Giuseppe Morresi
EMILIA Jone Jori

Orchestra e coro del Teatro alla Scala, Milano
Director: Carlos Kleiber
7 Diciembre 1976
Milán