Sai [Import]

1. Ã¿ÊØ

2. Vida

3. Rano

4. Seer

Tracks:

Sinfonia
Aggiorna Appena...
O Di Capellio, Generosi Amici
E Serbata A Questo Acciaro
Si: M'abbraccia
L'amo Tanto, E M'e Si Cara
Vanne Lorenzo
Lieto Del Dolce Incarno
Ascolta. Se Romeo T'uccise Un Figlio
Riedi Al Campo
La Tremenda Ultrice Spada
Eccomi In Lieta Vesta...
Oh! Quante Volte
Propizia E L'ora
Si, Fuggire: A Noi Non Resta
Odi Tu? L'altar Funesto
Vieni, Ah! Vieni

Tracks:

Lieta Notte, Avventurosa
Deh! Per Pieta, T'arresta
Tace Il Fragor
Che Miro?
Soccorso, Sostegno Accordagli
Accorriam...Romeo!
Ne Alcun Ritorna!
Morte Io Non Temo Il Sai
Prendi, Gl'istanti Volano
Deh! Padre Mio, Deh Padre Mio!
Deserto E Il Luogo
Chi Sei Tu?
Qua' Voci! Oh Dio!
Ella E Morta, O Sciagurato
Siam Giunti
Ecco La Tomba
Tu Sola, O Mia Giulietta
O Tu, Mia Sola Speme
Ah! Crudel! Che Mai Facesti?

Customer Reviews:

Highest Level of Artistry Displayed .......2007-02-13

This isn't the Shakespearean version, in case you get disappointed, but is based on an Italian source. In spite of the obvious fact the Sills and Gedda were already past their prime by the time of this recording, they still have plenty to give us, and their musical insight makes this recording better than other well-sung performances recorded in the studio. Baker is absolutely fantastic throughout and gave a very satisfying performance both musically and artistically.

Now coming to the comparison made by a reviewer between Bellini and Verdi. Well, even if Bellini had lived to 80, it would not be his aim to write like Verdi. Bellini stood alone amongst the great opera composers of Italy. Even his contemporaries recognized it and called his music 'filosofico'. Bellini's aim was not to create dramas with music like Donizetti or Verdi, but rather music drama - a fact which Wagner recognized. Only that Bellini's aim was to realize it via the voice (think Norma), while Wagner did it with the orchestra. It is note-worthy that Wagner spared Bellini the usual bashing he gave to the Italians. Not only that - he admitted to Cosima that the love duet from Capuleti was the source of his inspiration for his own in Tristan. In his old age, he was proud to say that he learned from 'these pages' what Messrs Brahms etc had failed to learn. One should approach a Bellini opera as one does a Chopin Ballade or Wagner's Tristan, not Verdi. That is not to say that Verdi is inferior, but just different.

And regarding Bellini's orchestration, Wagner and Bizet were on separate occasions, were tasked to 'improve' the orchestration of Norma. Both eventually gave up the job as impossible and concluded that the orchestration written by Bellini was the most suitable. Comparing the orchestration between the early Il Pirata (with its almost Wagnerian finale!) with Norma, it dawns upon one that the decision to thin out the orchestra by Bellini was deliberate, in line with his purpose of using the voice as the primary tool to express the drama.

"Behold the Tomb".......2006-09-30

I find it difficult to evaluate Bellini's work because it depends so heavily on performance. Never a connoiseur of performances, I leave it to others to tell one bel canto aria from another. It is discouraging to realize that Bellini, who died young, never took much interest in orchestral music, making him a lesser counterpart to Verdi, who combines the Italian devotion to the voice with powerful dramatic effects from the orchestra. Even the cover of the EMI CD is disappointing because it slaps a mod-erotic photograph on an opera where the lovers are too traumatised to make love. The libretto is so poor that the recording does not bother to supply it, confirming the view that Bellini's operas are for connoiseurs of vocal sound only.

I have downoaded the text from Karadar Classical Music as well as a synopsis from Opera japonica. We learn that the Capuleti and Montecchi are local versions of the Guelph and Ghilbelline parties respectively. The Ghibelline Dante would have been allied with the Montecchi, Romeo's party. Capellio, Juliet's father, seeks to avenge the death of a son at the hands of Romeo. Romeo's part is sung by a mezzo-soprano, adding further to the absurdity of the EMI cover photo. Although Romeo and Juliet are already lovers, she refuses to elope with him out of loyalty to her father. These lovers really seem more interested in dying than in making love. Juliet does manage to declare that she breathes easier when she learns that Romeo has survived a fight. We know that Romeo has reached his appointed place when he sings, "Ecco la tomba." Janet Baker, as Romeo, shines in the slow, heart-broken singing that follows, interspersed with sympathetic passages by the chorus of Montecchi. There is no doubt that Bellini's operas allow top performers to sing as beautifully as they can. The instrumental accompaniment in this concluding scene is reduced to a bare minimum.

Well-sung Shakespearean travesty.......2005-10-15

Source: Studio recording made at Abbey Road Studio, London, June 16-25, 1975.

Sound: Analog stereo. The engineering is competent, I suppose, but as a matter of personal taste I do not care for the distant and echo-y soundscape. It sounds as though the opera were taking place at the far end of a Gothic cathedral.

Documentation: No printed libretto, although there is a reference to an on-line libretto available at the EMI Classics website, (which failed to download in five tries over two days) just in case I want to listen to this opera while I am working at my computer. The accompanying essay by James Harding is the most useless I have ever found in a CD case--and that is by no means an easily earned distinction. Harding is vitally interested in Bellini's lame love life but indifferent to such trifles as the plot of the opera he is supposed to be writing about.

Format: Disk 1, Act I, Scenes 1 and 2; 60:42. Disk 2, Act I, Scene 3; Act II, Scenes 1-3; 74:23.

Bellini premiered "I Capuleti e i Montecchi" at Teatro La Fenice in Venice exactly one month before his twenty-ninth birthday. It was a success but it was not without critics. In his essay, Harding writes, "It was unfair of Berlioz to denounce I Capuleti e i Montecchi as a travesty of Shakespeare." Berlioz clearly had a point, for where the Bard had twenty characters, the librettist "Romani made do with only five. You will look in vain," Harding gushes on, "for the Nurse and Friar Laurence" and, I must add, for Mercutio, Benvolio and Paris, too. In the opera, Paris and Tybalt become a single character, Tebaldo, to the great detriment of the plot.

"I Capuleti e i Montecchi" came about midway in Bellini's too short career. The really big hits on which his fame rests were yet to come. The music is competent but somehow lacking that indefinable ping that makes "La Sonnambula," "Norma" and "I Puritani" extraordinary.

Overall, the performance is good. Best by far in the cast is Janet Baker. She does not generate overt excitement but she offers an overwhelming sense of rightness when she essays any part in the narrow range that she made her own. This recording is a little late for the best of Sills but she is still very bright and amazingly agile. As always, I feel that her voice is just a little too cool and too thin, but that is purely a matter of personal taste. It is also late for Nicolai Gedda, who sounds unexpectedly baritonal as Tebaldo, a part that any other 19th Century composer would surely have written for a baritone. (I know, I know, Gounod's Tybalt is a tenor. I sang the role, myself, back in college days. But Gounod's Tybalt is markedly different in character from Bellini's Tebaldo-Paris.) Gedda is very good, but I am not at all sure that I would have recognized him if his name had not been on the cover.

"I Capuleti e i Montecchi" is not a great opera, but three famous and very fine singers offer intelligent and entertaining performances. That's worth five stars as far as I'm concerned.

FOR THE HISTORICALLY MINDED: William Shakespeare wrote his "Romeo and Juliet" in the 1590s, in the early days of his career. As was usual for him, he based his play on older materials. The first literary mention of the Montagus and the Capulets is in Dante's "Purgatorio," vi, lines 106-108. The Montagus lived in Verona and the Capulets in Cremona. They were used by Dante as examples of warring factions that had been exterminated. About 1530, Luigi da Porto mistakenly assumed that the Montagus and the Capulets had both resided in Verona and had feuded with one another. He worked up a tale that involved two young members of his warring clans, Giulietta and Romeo. In 1554, Matteo Bandello published a novella called "Romeo e Giulietta" which proved to be an international hit. A French version was adapted from Bandello by Pierre Boaistuau in 1559. This, in turn, was translated into English in 1562 by Arthur Brooke as a "tragical history" in verse form called "Romeus and Juliet," later to be pounced on by Will Shakespeare in search of a popular hit. The only major changes that Shakespeare made in Brooke's plot were to compress the time frame and to introduce Tybalt into the story at an earlier point in order to build him up as a worthy adversary for Romeo. And, oh, yes, he created an array of living characters such as had never been conceived before.

A number of commentators have taken note of the much simplified plot of "I Capuleti e i Montecchi." They have accounted for it by declaring that Shakespeare's version was not yet well-known in the world, so Romani must have based his work on an earlier version of the story, by which I presume they mean by Bandello or even by da Porto. I don't buy that explanation. By 1830, the cult of Bardolatry was firmly established. The standard German translations (that the Germans to this day hold to be superior to the English originals) were well along. Two generations earlier, the tourist industry of Stratford Upon Avon had been given a kick start by the great actor, Garrick (in a bicentennial celebration conceived by David Garrick, written by David Garrick, produced by David Garrick, directed by David Garrick and starring David Garrick--additional dialogue by W. Shakespeare.) Just seventeen years later, Verdi would write his "Macbeth" and make sketches for a "King Lear," that greatest of all operatic might-have-beens. One of the twenty or so books that Verdi kept close to himself until the day he died was an Italian translation of the works of Shakespeare.

No, I do not think that Romani dealt with any obscure 16th Century originals. I think that he exercised a hack's privilege to pillage a respectable source for his convenience. Berlioz was correct. In both the literal and the figurative senses of the word, this is a travesty.

beautiful and moving opera .......2005-08-12

One may regret that Beverly Sills and Nicolai Gedda did not
record this opera earlier in their careers (1975) yet still
be glad they did. Though there are some audible signs of vo-
cal wear their artistry and commitment are never in doubt and
they offer memorable performances. Janet Baker is on the other
hand in splendid voice and sings superbly - she portrays a
somber Romeo and is supremely moving in the tomb scene.
Robert Lloyd and Raimund Herincx offer excellent support.
Very well recorded and beautifully conducted by Maestro
Patane - a very welcome release !

Wonderful nostalgia .......2005-05-20

Back in the 1970's I was a very intense fan of both La Sills and La Baker. The very idea of both of them coming together for an opera recording sent this rapid fan into a severe swoon! Therefore, this recording sent me into a state of ecstasy! I along with other Sills and Baker fans would gather around my stereo listening to this recording with Baker and Sills weaving their vocal magic which always elicited from us many tears and bravos.
At the time Beverly was a known commodity in Bell Canto operas; however, Janet was mainly known as a song recitalist. Nevertheless, Janet Baker, in this opera, proves that she could sing opera with the best of them showing her great operatic credentials-she is up to every vocal challenge Bellini throws at her. She tackles the role with great artistry and beauty of tone. Her last scene STILL dissolves me to copious tears.
In this recording Beverly sings a little cautiously not throwing out high E's with abandon as before; however, her years of experience being a sublime singer of Bell Canto operas comes through. Her singing is gorgeous, sweet and touching to the highest degree, I truly believe that this recording was one of her best.
It truly is great to hear this recording again-ah the memories. Time has NOT diminished its appeal!

Average customer rating:

An aural treat for lovers of vocal music
Enchanting
If Angels Ever Recorded A CD
another exquisite performance
Anonymous, but in no way generic

A Portrait Of Anonymous 4
Anonymous , Hildegard of Bingen , and Anonymous 4
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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American Angels
Gloryland
1000: A Mass for the End of Time / Anonymous 4
The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen
Wolcum Yule: Celtic and British Songs and Carols - Anonymous 4 with Andrew Lawrence-King

ASIN: B0000007HW
Release Date: 1997-04-10

Tracks:

Miracles Of Sant'Iago: Music From The Codex Calixtinus: Venite omnes cristicole
Miracles Of Sant'Iago: Music From The Codex Calixtinus: Ad superni regis decus
Miracles Of Sant'Iago: Music From The Codex Calixtinus: Portum in ultimo
The Lily & The Lamb: Chant & Polyphony From Medieval England: O Maria stella maris
The Lily & The Lamb: Chant & Polyphony From Medieval England: Stabat iuxta Christi crucem
The Lily & The Lamb: Chant & Polyphony From Medieval England: Stillat in stellam radium
A Star In The East: Medieval Hungarian Christmas Music: Primo tempore alleviata
A Star In The East: Medieval Hungarian Christmas Music: Speciosus forma
A Star In The East: Medieval Hungarian Christmas Music: Mi Atyank Atya Isten
Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex: Puisque bele dame m'eime - Flos Filius
Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex: Ne sai, que je die - Iohanne
Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex: Amor potest conqueri - Ad amorem sequitur
Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex: Quant yver la bise ameine - In Seculum
Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex: On doit fin(e) Amor - La Biaute - In Seculum
An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant & Polyphony: Edi beo thu hevene quene
An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant & Polyphony: Ave maris stella
An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant & Polyphony: Salve virgo virginum
On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets: Ther Is No Rose Of swych vertu
On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets: Prolis eterne genitor - psallat mater gracie
On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets: Ecce quod natura
Spiritui sancto

Amazon.com

This sampler album of excerpts from seven other Anonymous 4 releases is a good introduction for anyone who is unacquainted with the A4's startlingly pure singing and virtually celestial blend. But if you fall under the spell of this outstanding a capella quartet, the present disc will become extraneous because you'll want to own the complete recordings from which it's drawn. If you prefer complete works to samplers, try taking the plunge with "An English Ladymass" or "On Yoolis Night." --Sarah Bryan Miller

Customer Reviews:

An aural treat for lovers of vocal music.......2007-04-14

If you love vocal music these gals are fabulous! This is a best of album, which is always good as an introduction to a new artist. It gives you a taste of their various albums, so you can go ahead and pursue the ones you like. Enjoy!

Enchanting.......2007-01-10

If you enjoy music that takes you to a different time and place, you will get lost in time with this beautiful work.

If Angels Ever Recorded A CD.......2006-03-16

Four female voices have never blended together so perfectly and beautifully as do those of the 'Anonymous 4.' Their CD titled, 'Portrait' contains a selection of tracks from seven other previous CD's, kind of a "Best Of" you might say.

If angels ever came down from heaven to record a CD this is what they would sound like.

Harmonious, Celestial, Purifying and Eternal.

another exquisite performance.......2006-02-27

This amazing quartette is so talented. The Christmas cd reminds me of Christmas 50 years ago in rural England where I grew up. It contains the only rendition of The Holly and the Ivy I have heard that actually does the carol justice.

Anonymous, but in no way generic.......2001-02-04

I learned about this quartet though a review in Stereophile magazine. Although they don't publish a lot of reviews, I've had exceptionally good luck with their past picks and have been able to branch out successfully in new musical directions as a result.

These four women are virtuoso female vocalists, hauntingly pure of voice. They perform music from centuries ago in the same type of setting that it was originally performed in, with stunning results. I'm generally not one for "religious" material (this is the first recording of this nature I've ever bought), but this music goes so far back in time that it sounds more primal than Christian overall.

A refreshing change when you're in the right mood, and something that can relax even you type A personalities out there (and you *know* who you are :) , I can suggest this one without reserve. You'll be adding a nice, quiet corner to your collection, and you'll probably wind up visiting it more than you ever imagined.

Renée Fleming: Bel Canto
Average customer rating:

Yes, she DOES sing a High G!

Intriguing and powerful voice

A beautiful voice, but the wrong stylistic approach...

The Voice God

A Bel Canto Cake: Enjoy

Renée Fleming: Bel Canto
Gioacchino Rossini , Patrick Summers , and Orchestra of St. Luke's
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Renée Fleming - Signatures ~ Great Opera Scenes / Sir Georg Solti

ASIN: B00006589U
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Tracks:

Bellini/La sonnambula: "Ah!..se una volta sola"
Bellini/La sonnambula: "Ah!..non credea mirarti"
Bellini/La sonnambula: "Ah! non giunge uman pensiero"
Donizetti/Maria Padilla: "Abbracciami"
Donizetti/Maria Padilla: "Il piu tenero suon d'arpa morende"
Donizetti/Maria Padilla: "Ah! non sai qual prestigio si cela"
Rossini/Semiramide: Introduzione
Rossini/Semiramide: "Bel raggio lusinghier"
Rossini/Semiramide: "Dolce pensiero di quell'istante"
Bellini/Il pirata: Introduzione
Bellini/Il pirata: "Ah! s'io potessi dissipar le nubi"
Bellini/Il pirata: "Col sorriso d'innocenza"
Bellini/Il pirata: "Oh sole! ti vela di tenebre oscure"
Rossini/Armida: "D'Amor al dolce impero"
Rossini/Armida: "Gli augei tra fronde e fronde"
Rossini/Armida: "La fresca eta sen fugge"
Rossini/Armida: "Ah! si, godete amanti"
Donizetti/Lucrezia Borgia:"M'odi, ah m'odi, io non t'imploro"
Donizetti/Lucrezia Borgia: "Figlio!...Figlio!...Ola, qualcuno!"
Donizetti/Lucrezia Borgia: "Era desso il figlio mio"

Amazon.com

Surely Renée Fleming's soprano must be one of the most beautiful voices before the public today. Though renowned for her interpretations of Mozart, Strauss, and Verdi, as well as for her commitment to contemporary music, she says that the bel canto repertoire has always been central to her career. On this recording, which features scenes and arias from operas by Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini, she proves that she has achieved total, effortless technical mastery of the uniquely difficult vocal writing characteristic of the style. Every note is perfectly placed. Her runs, including scales over a huge range in both directions, are as clear and evenly paced as a chain of exquisite pearls. Her leaps always land in the center of the pitch. Her intonation is flawless.

Fleming also displays her emotional affinity for the drama, pathos, and lyricism of the music and her ability to identify with her larger-than-life heroines. Chosen from familiar and unfamiliar operas, the music is beguilingly beautiful, ranging from peacefully pastoral to darkly menacing. However, some listeners may feel that Fleming's tendency to overinflect, overphrase, make long pauses, and put swells on long notes, especially in the slow arias, undercuts the music's simplicity and the directness of her expressive communication. The performances are based on the latest scholarly research into the "bel canto" style regarding historically correct ornamentation (only in repeats) and the problems of balancing textual fidelity with imaginative freedom. The Orchestra of St. Luke's gives splendid support, with outstanding solos, especially from the winds. --Edith Eisler

Album Details

Bel Canto is Shrink Wrapped as a Strictly Limited Edition, with a Bonus Disc of Four Unreleased Tracks of Popular Favorites By: Bach, Handel, Mozart and Debussy

Customer Reviews:

Yes, she DOES sing a High G!.......2007-03-21

When I was reading the other reviews of this album, I saw people talking about Renee Fleming going up to a High G (that is G above High C), and I was a bit skeptical...I was used to hearing her in the roles that climax on High B-Flat or High C. But now that I have the album, I can verify that she does indeed go that high! She just touches on it, but hey, that counts! My favorite selections from this album are "Ah! Non Giunge" when she sings a brilliant high E-flat, and because I just love that bouncy little aria. And "Era desso il figlio mio"... that's the one where she sails up to a High G...and She ends the piece with another glorious High E-Flat. Her melismas are delectable. And her high notes are not grating or shrill. Her tone quality is, as usual, plush and sumptuous...and the way she turns the musical phrases so poetically is just amazing. I'm SO glad she made this CD!

Intriguing and powerful voice.......2007-01-21

Renee Fleming has an interesting voice and is obviously an accomplished bel canto singer. Her voice seems to have a heavier, darker sound than many sopranos who essay the coloratura corpus. The sound is very rich. While I'm not sure that I would call her voice ravishing or beautiful, it is clearly up to the task of producing a compelling sound.

This CD begins with a scene from Bellini's "La Sonnambula." Her version of "Ah! Non giunge uman pensiero" is nicely done. She displays an agile voice. She hits the high notes well. Other versions feature trills; hers does not. However, later cuts on this CD surely show that her trill is one of the better ones today. I had never heard even small selections from Donizetti's "Maria Padilla" before. However, Fleming does a very good job. In the final part of the scene that she sings, "Ah, non sai qual prestigio si cela," she trills wonderfully. I have been acquiring CDs and listening to contemporary bel canto singers lately and, to this point of those to whom I have listened, she has one of the best trills around.

"Bel raggio lusinghier" from Rossini's "Semiramide" is nicely sung. Again, she is agile, can hit the high notes, and displays good coloratura technique. The high notes are wonderfully wrought; appoggiaturas well crafted. A number of other reviewers comment on her high note to conclude the cut from Donizetti's "Lucrezia Borgia." She nailed it pretty well, as those others noted.

And so on. No need to go through each cut one by one. All in all, a very good CD. Her darker, heavier voice combined with her vocal agility and coloratura technique make for a very interesting work. She clearly has some of the better coloratura technique among sopranos working in the vineyards of opera today.

A beautiful voice, but the wrong stylistic approach..........2005-11-16

I remember hearing Renee Fleming's first CD - I was instantly struck by the extremely beautiful lyric sound, and the ease with which Ms Fleming sang repertoire that required a high tessitura. I was reminded very much of Kiri Te Kanawa's tone, atlhough at the time, of course, Ms Fleming didn't have the polish of Te Kanawa.

The voice itself is a miracle. It is one of the beautiful voices of this age. But increasingly, I have become disenchanted with the WAY in which Renee Fleming uses her voice. Endowed with such a lovely voice, with a rich and even legato quality throughout, one would think that bel canto repertoire would suit Ms Fleming perfectly. And I think potentially it does... If you do not already possess the full opera recordings of Rosmonda d'Inghilterra (Donizetti) and Armida (Rossini), with Fleming in the title roles, I would like to recommend that you purchase them. They are very beautiful - stunningly so.

A small digression... My CD collection, I should mention (just casually), is nearly 3000 CDs strong, all of which are classical, and the majority of which are vocal (opera, oratorio, Lieder, operetta, early music, French chansons, etc.). The bel canto portion of my collection is substantial. I am also a bel canto singer myself. I speak, thus, with a knowledge of bel canto style, with particular reference to the ways in which the composers would have expected singers to handle their works.

So I hope readers will understand that when I say that Ms Fleming isn't performing on this CD with appropriate bel canto style, I am not speaking out of ignorance, malice, or uninformed opinion. The liner notes shed light on Renee Fleming's approach: she mentions that "like the great singers who premiered these works, we must use our own musical intelligence and imagination to make this music come alive. For someone like myself, trained as a jazz singer, this comes as a liberating reveltion."

Yes. That puts the finger on the major difficulty here. Of course the arias and scenas need to give interpretation and wonderful ornamentation in the repeats of cabalettas, etc. - but NOT, please God, with jazz in mind. The two fields are completely different. This explains to me why Ms Fleming's later recordings fail to satisfy me as much as her earlier ones. I was surprisingly enchanted by her Schubert album, in which I thought a lot of careful interpretative work had gone, and those two earlier full recordings of bel canto operas were superb. How had that wonderful bel canto technique gone astray in this recording? I think - I may be wrong - but I think that Renee Fleming is now relying almost entirely upon her own idea of how bel canto should be sung, rather than being given detailed guidance from an experienced conductor who's both au fait with the requirements and not intimidated by Ms Fleming's very beautiful voice and star billing.

I did buy this CD with great anticipatory pleasure, and I was disappointed because I had such high hopes. I am sorry, because I adore Ms Fleming's voice, but the swoops and the bathos of the interpretations are not moving to me. I so much want Ms Fleming to record bel canto in the future with a great conductor guiding her to avoid the mannerisms that may seem very expressive to Ms Fleming, but strike many listeners as only detracting from the creamy and lovely tone.

Three stars from me, because the voice is unquestionably beautiful.

I do hope that Renee Fleming decides to follow the guidance of some bel canto specialists.

For more authentic bel canto soprano singing, I recommend the peerless Edita Gruberova (still singing wonderfully), the beautiful Sumi Jo, and the great classic recordings of Callas, the young Caballe, and the young Joan Sutherland.

The Voice God.......2005-09-08

I've been a lover of opera for the past 5 years, and I'm 20 now. Never have I been so utterly blown away from a recording, and I have many. After purchasing this CD, I quickly bought 4 of her other recordings, as well as her film. After listening to "Bel Canto" I am sure that you will be convinced, as I am that Renee Fleming is hands down this generation's greatest soprano. Every selection on the CD is amazing, especially the scene from Lucrezia Borgia where she hits a high G above high C. You can feel the passion and drama through her voice, it pierces your heart it's so beautiful! For me, this CD was truly an epiphany. I did not realize that the human voice could be so beautiful, and now singing is all that I want to do! I highly recommend this CD for anyone who wants to hear unbelievable singing.

A Bel Canto Cake: Enjoy.......2005-07-27

Renee Fleming is today's leading American opera diva and her many albums attest to her versatility and superb musicianship. Among these albums, the recent jazz album Haunted Heart, (Fleming originally intende to sing jazz)Strauss- Der Rosenkavalier, Arabella and Cappricio as well as Four Last Songs, Mozart Don Giovanni (in the role of Dona Ana) Nozze Di Figaro (Countess)Cosi Fan Tutte (Fiordiligi)The Schubert Album, and such successful roles as Violetta in Traviata, Massenet's Manon and Dvorak's Rusalka. Not to mention she sang for such films as Lord of the Rings (in Elvish) and Bride of the Wind about the composer Gustav Mahler's ambitious composer wife Alma. Fleming has established herself as the most beautiful voice of recent years in the opera scene. I didn't know of her until she rose to prominence in the late 90's (she is also credited in the Mass In C by Beethoven in the movie Immortal Beloved). Fleming is primarily a lyric voice, whose purity and focus on tone is more important to her than dramatic effect. In this way, she is only following the tradition of the techniques of such sopranos as Elisabeth Schwartkopff, Leontyne Price, Montserrat Caballe and Joan Sutherland. She does have an ethereal beautiful voice, and this album - bel canto - is a showcase for gorgeous legato, pianissimi and coloratura trills and roulade fireworks.

Bel canto literally means "beautiful singing" and Renee Fleming brings that meaning back. Because of the illustrious efforts of such singers as Beverly Sills, Shirley Verrett, Leyla Gencers and inevitably Maria Callas, bel canto has now been a vehicle for dramatic intensity. Callas was never afraid to sound ugly or gritty to bring out the dramatic portions in the opera. But Renee Fleming knows she has a miraculous voice of sheer beauty of sound and she pleasures our ears with the sound of it. But one also sees her own efforts to sound as dramatic as she can sound. In La Sonnambula, Bellini created a vehicle for beautiful lyric sopranos with coloratura prowess. Singers like Anna Moffo made it sound gorgeous but Callas sang it and unearthed its dramatic power. Fleming attempts the Callas effect and even at times sounds like Montserrat Caballe, especially in such arias from Il Pirata (an opera Caballe recorded and performed on stage). She sounds creamy, golden, full-voiced, with gleaming high tops and rich chest registers, effectively colorizing all the melodic lines. I have not heard singing like this in a long time, and again Montserrat Caballe comes to mind. Just listen to how she sings Lucrezia Borgia, especially in the outburst "E sperto! " (He's dead!) the dramatic moment when Lucrezia discovers she has poisoned her own son. Fleming is also exceptional in Rossini's Semiramide. This is not her first experience singing Rossini. She has sung Il Vaggio A Reims, a rare Rossini opera. Bel canto is truly challenging, and it was for her, but she stepped up to the challenge and came out on top.

What's in the future for Fleming ? I would love for her to take on heavier roles, but she is herself very cautious about ruining her voice. Lyric sopranos like her can easily break if not properly trained. While she has sung Handel well and modern operas like "Ghosts of Versailles" I fear she will never take on the roles I long for her to sing - Tosca, Norma, not even Madame Butterfly. Mirella Freni, a voice quite like Fleming's managed to transition to heavier repertoire well- she sang Butterfly and Tosca with flying colors. Perhaps Fleming will continue to sing purely lyric roles- more Desdemonas, more Tatianas in Eugene Onegin or perhaps the heroine in Queen of Spades. But perhaps she can step outside herself and sing Elisabeth Valois in Don Carlo, or perhaps Lucia Di Lammermoor (why hasn't she sung that ? It's tailor made for her)Who knows what she has in mind but whatever it is, she will sound brilliant.

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Valuable compendium
Rareties available on CD at last!
Heavenly
WHO ELSE CAN SING LIKE THIS TODAY?

The Art of Joan Sutherland

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000654OUQ
Release Date: 2005-03-15

Customer Reviews:

Valuable compendium.......2007-01-24

This set is extremely valuable, not only as an overview of Dame Joans career but because it contains three complete LP sets that have been very hard to find. The sets are the 2 LP French opera (operetta) set, the Mozart album and the Wagner album. Although some of these do not show her to her best advantage (the Wagner set) they all have some very beautiful things and the French items are superb. The annotations and photos are interesting as well and there are some piano songs with Bonynge that are released here for the first time along with a scene from a live Covent Garden Norma.

Rareties available on CD at last!.......2006-03-29

While Joan Sutherland has recorded a number of impressive aria collections throughout the many years of her recording career, they tend to get lost in the shuffle of the countless reissues Decca/London has endlessly repackaged. While some of the original collections have appeared intact on CD--"The Art of the Prima Donna," "The Age of Bel Canto," "Love Live Forever" (her operetta collection that was originally titled "The Golden Age of Operetta"), to name a few--others are currently represented in the CD catalogue by only a few selections on discs that also include excerpts from complete opera recordings or duplicates of selections from other original collections. As a result, it has been impossible to assemble a CD collection of her recordings without a LOT of duplication, and some of the most interesting collections are still unavailable (e.g. "Command Performance" and "Serate Musicale").

While this newest set does include a lot of bits of this and that, ranging from her very first LPs to excerpts from complete recordings most Sutherland fans already have and a few "live" performances, what is perhaps most significant about it is that it features the complete contents of the "Sutherland Sings Wagner" LP--a real repertoire departure for her--and the double-LP album called "French Opera Gala" (in the U.S.--the British title was "Romantic French Arias"), neither of which, to the best of my knowledge, has been available on CD before. "Opera News" magazine once ran an article in which they asked various stars to name the one album that they felt best represented their artistry for future generations, and Dame Joan selected the "French Opera Gala," so for Sutherland fans, this is a long-awaited treat.

I'm not going to waste space saying how miraculous I consider Dame Joan's artistry. If you are familiar with her work already, you know whether you adore her or not; and if you aren't, this massive set is probably not the best place to start (that would be "The Art of the Prima Donna" album that introduced her to most listeners decades ago)--especially since this newest set doesn't contain the lyrics, a must for newcomers. Let's hope Decca/London gets around to releasing the rest of her recordings intact instead of endlessly scrambling and repackaging the same selections over and over.

Heavenly.......2006-01-31

I first heard of Dame Sutherland while on the internet while listening to a internet radio station. I was instantly a fan, her control, technique, and tone is perfectly executed and rivals the equally fantastic Maria Callas. She has a powerful voice and presence that will evoke every emotion from her listeners. Highly recommended to all Opera Diva fans.

WHO ELSE CAN SING LIKE THIS TODAY?.......2005-04-10

This is Decca's second multi disc evaluation of this fantastic singer's long career and many recordings. True that a lot on the first set is duplicated here, but there are a few exceptions here and there that make it a worthy addition. Of particular interest are the very early items of Handel and Italian baroque arias, some forgotten song recordings and a live performance of the duet from Norma. It can't be said too many times - who can sing like this today? For sheer vocalism it's hard to find anyone on the same wavelength. This set will give very young opera goers an idea of what they missed.

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The Very Best of Giuseppe di Stefano

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000A5BXQ
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Tracks:

Addio, Mignon
Ah! Non Credevi Tu
Io Son Solo...Ah! Dispar, Vision
E La Solita Storia (Lamento Di Federico)
Lunge Da Lei...De' Miei Bollenti Spiriti
Fra Poco A Me Ricovero
Tu Che A Dio Spiegasti L'Ali
Son Gia Lontani!...Corre A Valle
Intanto Amici Qua...Viva Il Vino Spumeggiante
Mamma, Quel Vino E Generoso
Recondita Armonia
E Lucevan Le Stelle
Dovunque Al Mondo
Addio, Fiorito Asil
Recitar!...Vesti La Giubba
La Vita E Inferno...O Tu Che In Seno Agli Angeli
Una Parola Sola...Or Son Sei Mesi
Ch'ella Mi Creda Libero
Avete Torto!...Firenze E Come Albero
Non Piangere, Liu
Nessun Dorma

Tracks:

Questa O Quella
Ella Mi Fu Rapita!...Parmi Veder Le Lagrime
La Donna E Mobile
Ah Si, Ben Mio
Di Quella Pira
Di' Tu Se Fedele
Teco Io Sto...Non Sai Tu Che Se L'Anima Mia...Oh, Qual Soave Brivido - Maria Callas
Forse La Soglia Attinse...Ma Se M'e Forza Perderti
Che Gelida Manina
In Un Coupe?...O Mimi, Tu Piu Non Torni - Rolando Panerai
Donna Non Vidi Mai
Oh, Saro La Piu Bella - Maria Callas
No! Pazzo Son! Guardate!
A La Barcillunisa
Cantu A Timuni
'O Sole Mio
Marechiare
Core 'Ngrato
Torna A Surriento

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Heaven!

Kiri Te Kanawa Classics
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , George Frideric Handel , Charles Gounod , Franz Schubert , Johann II Strauss , London Symphony Orchestra , Bavarian Radio Chorus , Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra , Jeffrey Tate , Sir Colin Davis , Barry Rose , André Previn , Kiri Te Kanawa , Neil Black , English Chamber Orchestra , Jose-Luis Garcia , William Bennett , Charles Tunnell , London St. Paul's Cathedral Choir , and Thelma Owen
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Kiri
Kiri Te Kanawa - Ave Maria
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Kiri Te Kanawa Sings Verdi and Puccini Arias

ASIN: B000004150
Release Date: 1993-04-13

Tracks:

Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, KV 384: Martern Aller Arten
Samson: Let The Bright Seraphim
Messe Solennelle De Sainte Cecile: Sanctus
Idomeneo, KV 366: Se Il Padre Perdei
Don Giovanni, KV 527: Don Ottavio, Son Morta! - Or Sai Chi L'onore
Ave Maria, Op. 52 No. 6
Vesperae Solennes De Confessore, KV 339: Laudate Dominum
Die Zauberflote, KV 620: Ach, Ich Fuhl's
Faust: Il Ne Revient Pas
Exsultate, Jubilate, KV 165
Faust: Ah! Je Ris De Me Voir Se Belle
Die Fledermaus: Klange Der Heimat

Customer Reviews:

Heaven!.......1999-11-21

Wow. I just purchased this album yesterday and have listened to it over and over already! Kiri is perfect, every note, every vowel..every song, it's just absolute heaven. The first track, 'Martern aller Arten' is beautifully sung, Kiri flings her voice around and achieves a glorious, full sound. But the best track of all is Sei il Padre perdei -it will make you cry, smile, be blown away and be just plain amazed. Kiri has the richest voice I've ever heard, and is one in a million - the greatest soprano of this century, and if you looking for a good compilation by this artist, you've found it.

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Divas Of More Recent Years
As an opera lover, or a beginner this is great
Soprano Songbirds In All Their Glory
You too will become "Mad About Sopranos"

Mad About Sopranos

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001GKL
Release Date: 1993-07-13

Tracks:

TOSCA: Vissi d'darte
La Traviata: Sempre libera
The Marriage Of Figaro: Porgi, amor
The Tales Of Hoffmann: The Doll's Song
Don Giovanni: Batti, batti
Die Walkure: Du bist der Lenz
Aida: Ritorna vincitor
The Marriage Of Figaro: Venite...inginocchiatevi
Cosi fan tutte: Despina's Aria (In uomini)
The Magic Flute: Queen Of The Night's Vengeance Aria
The Magic Flute: Ach, ich fuhl's
Turandot: Signore, ascolta
Madama Butterfly: Vedrai, piccolo amor
Manon Lescaut: In quelle trine morbide
Manon Lescaut: Sola, perduta, abbandonata
Turandot: Death Of Liu (Tu che di gel)
Don Giovanni: Or sai chi l'onore
Der Rosenkavalier: Final Trio
Die Gotterdammerung: Brunnhilde's Immolation (Fliegt heim)

Amazon.com

Mirella Freni, Kiri Te Kanawa, Edita Gruberova, Katia Ricciarelli, Edith Mathis, Barbara Hendricks, Hildegard Behrens, and more than a fistful more of the world's greatest sopranos sing here some of the world's greatest music, with some of the greatest conductors and orchestras to assist them. This CD is for aficionados and newcomers as well: It's a feast for the ear. Despite the fact that specialists are sure to miss one of their favorites, this should please, entertain, and teach everyone about the glories of those high, sweet, sometimes agile, sometimes dramatically piercing voices that fall under the category of "soprano." From Mozart (a delicious "Ach ich fuhls" from Mathis) to Wagner to Verdi to Puccini (a gorgeous Liu from Hendricks), this is rich. Enjoy. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Divas Of More Recent Years.......2005-06-18

When I brought this album I assumed the sopranos featured in it would be more classic sopranos of decades past- Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Birgit Nilsson, Leontyne Price, Montserrat Caballe, Joan Sutherland, Beverly Sills, etc. But instead we get a fine collection of soprano arias sung by divas of more recent years. The album feautes such artists as Edita Gruberova- an essentially lyric-coloratura soprano who sings one hell of a Doll Song from Tales of Hoffman is showcased here. Cheryl Struder as Violetta, Edith Mathis as Pamina, Karen Ott as the Queen as the Queen of the Night (Magic Flute) Kathleen Battle as Zerlina from Don Giovanni (Batti Batti)..I'm not thrilled about Miss Battle though her voice, a coloratura miracle, is good, she herself was an unprofessional and terrible diva drama queen with very bad manners. Mirella Freni is gloriously showcased her singing the emotionally moving Puccini heroines- Madame Butterfly and Manon Lescaut. Mirella Freni is a soprano I am very fond of. She had a voice that was flexible so she could sing not only fine Puccini roles as the ones previously mentioned (not to mention her Tosca) but Tatiana in Tchaikovsky's Russian opera Eugene Onegin and the French reperotire- she sings the best Micaela ever from Bizet's Carmen and Marguerite in Gounod's Faust as well as Juliette and Mirelle. It's fitting that Mirella Freni should be here in this album, for she is truly the last great "Italian" diva.

Anna Tomowa Sintow, a dramatic lyric soprano possessing a huge voice, is showcased here as Dona Ana in Don Giovanni singing "Or Sai Che L'onore" in a grand manner. She is also in the Trio with Agnes Baltsa for the richly layered cake of an opera that is Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier. Barbara Hendricks is here, as is Hildegard Behrens and Jessye Norman. These singers were making it big in the 80's and early 90's. I wish they could have made this album bigger. In the 80's there were many singers that were shining as brightly as any of these. For instance, the very neglected Ghena Dimitrova whose voice has to be without a doubt the most powerful ever!! Carol Vanness could have been featured as well, certainly she's a singer harkening to the best of Callas with a big voice as well as lyric subtle beauty.

I wish they could have just showcased sopranos of great allure from past and present. Kiri Te Kenawa as the Countess is fine but she did much more than Mozart- she sang Strauss extremely well. Callas is not here ? Whats' that all about ? She needs no introduction so I shan't comment on her. Anyone who knows opera will never avoid the mention of Callas. Katia Ricciarelli is here but she is singing Aida, something more fitting for the voice of Leontyne Price who did the best damn Aida ever. If only they could have featured her in this. Ricciarelli was much better as Tosca, Queen Elisabeth Valois in Don Carlo, Desdemona in Otello, or Luisa Miller- her voice is big but very lyric. And for an album of newer divas where is Renee Fleming ? Enough said. But not a bad album really.

As an opera lover, or a beginner this is great.......2004-04-03

I love opera and confess to being a soprano junkie. Even so, this is an impressive CD. I have a lot of opera in my collection, but this is one of the CDs that I reach for over and over again. This is a delightful confection, every track a joy. If you haven't liked opera before, this CD could convert you. If you love opera, you will be ecstatic. I would consider many of the tracks on this CD to be the definitive versions of the songs. Track 4 - The Doll's Song, is by itself worth the price of the CD, and started a love affair for me with Edita Gruberova that contines to this day. Track 2 - Sempre Libera is the best version of this very famous aria that I have ever heard. Track 10 - Otts Queen of the Night's Vengeance aria is excellent. If you have any love for sopranos, you cannot be without this CD.

Soprano Songbirds In All Their Glory.......2004-02-21

This compilation album is a dazzling showcase of the multiple range and repertoire of the female singing voice in opera. It is a cd which fans of the opera and of sopranos should not be without. This "Mad About" series is a great way to get you into opera if you're not hooked into it already. Other titles in the "Mad" labels include "Mad About Puccini" "Mad About Wagner" "Mad About Italian Opera" etc. Look for them to add to you're collection. They're all very impressive. As the title indicates, this cd features the beauty and virtuosity of the soprano voice. The compilation album features some of the best singers of the last 30 years - among them Mirella Freni, Hildegard Behrens, Cheryl Struder, Kiri Te Kenawa and Agnes Baltsa. Of course, considering the total number of amazing sopranos who have graced the opera stage, this catalog of sopranos is very limited. Not showcased here is Maria Callas and her contribution to the opera world, Cecilia Bartoli whose mezzo-soprano style is dynamic, Beverly Sills whose coloratura ranks among the finest, Joan Sutherland, Shirley Verrett, Leontine Price, Elizabeth Schwartzkopff and Birgit Nilsson. These opera women have all been great artists throughout the 20th century and should have been featured on this cd.

The album makes use of the coloratura richness of Cheryl Struder in her role as Violetta from Verdi's Traviata. "Sempre Libera" is a tour de force aria and Struder really delivers all the goods. On here is the art of Mirella Freni, who was quite skilled at singing various Puccini heroines, from Tosca to Madama Butterfly. Freni's arias on here are "Vissi D'arte" and "Un Bel Di" respectively. But something that should have been used is her Russian repertoire. Mirella Freni performed as Tatiana from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin to great acclaim. Kiri Te Kenawa first achieved international recognition in her performance as The Countess in Mozart's Le Nozze Di Figaro. Her aria "Porgi Amor" is exquisite. Hildegard Behrens, a Wagnerian and German-singing soprano, was able to achieve equal success as Brunhilde and even as Tosca. The Immolation Scene from Gotterdammerung, Wagner's masterpiece, is featured on the last track and Behrens is sensational as the suicidal Valkyrie. There it is, folks. This is a must have for fans of the soprano voice in opera. Look also for "Mad About Tenors".

You too will become "Mad About Sopranos".......2000-08-30

Mad about Sopranos, is a wonderful collection of fantastic voices singing outstanding and well known music. Not only is it's music selection diverse from Offenbach's "The Doll Song" to Wagner's Brunnhilde, but the complilation of different voice types is a real treat. This is a great album for an oprera lover at any level, but is also a excellent album to compliment the growing repertiore of a young singer studying opera. I loudly echo Robert Levine's review regarding this cd; "It's a feast for the ears".

Love's Illusion-Music From The Montpellier Codex 13th Century

Average customer rating:

Excellent Rendition of Early Music. Buy It.
Fun and full of love
from a newcomer viewpoint
Love's Illusion
OUTSTANDING

Love's Illusion-Music From The Montpellier Codex 13th Century
Anonymous 4 , and Marsha Genensky
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000007E5
Release Date: 1994-08-23

Tracks:

Montpellier Codex: Plus Bele Que Flor - Quant Revient - L'autrier Joer - Flos Filius (Mo 21)
Montpellier Codex: Puisque Bele Dame M'eime - Flos Filius (Mo 231)
Montpellier Codex: Amours Mi Font Souffrir - En Mai - Flos Filius (Mo 111)
Montpellier Codex: Ne Sai, Que Je Die - Iohanne (Mo 185)
Montpellier Codex: Si Je Chante - Bien Doi Amer - Et Sperabit (Mo 311)
Montpellier Codex: Or Ne Sai Je Que Devenir - Puisque D'amer - Kyrieleyson (Mo 267)
Montpellier Codex: H? Dieus, De Si Haut Si Bas - Maubatus - Cumque (Mo 92)
Montpellier Codex: Celui En Qui - La Bele Estoile - La Bele, En Qui - Iohanne (Mo 20)
Montpellier Codex: Qui D'amours Se Plaint - Lux Magna (Mo 215)
Montpellier Codex: Amours, Dont Je Sui - L'autrier, Au Douz Mois - Chose Tassin (Mo 270)
Montpellier Codex: Au Cuer Ai Un Mal - Ja Ne M'en Repentirai - Jolietement (Mo 260)
Montpellier Codex: Quant Voi La Fleur - Et Tenuerunt (Mo 241)
Montpellier Codex: Quant Se Depart - Onques Ne Sai Amer - Docebit Omnem (Mo 131)
Montpellier Codex: Joliement - Quant Voi La Florete - Je Sui Joliete - Aptatur (Mo 34)
Montpellier Codex: Amor Potest Conqueri - Ad Amorem Sequitur (Mo 238)
Montpellier Codex: Ce Que Je Tieng - Certes Mout - Bone Compaignie - Manere (Mo 33)
Montpellier Codex: J'ai Si Bien Mon Cuer Assiz - Aucun M'ont - Angelus (Mo 128)
Montpellier Codex: Ne M'oubliez Mie - Domino (Mo 236)
Montpellier Codex: J'ai Mis Toute Ma Pensee - Je N'en Puis - Puerorum (Mo 255)
Montpellier Codex: Blanchete - Quant Je Pens - Valare (Mo 168)
Montpellier Codex: Dame, Qeu Je N'os Noumer - Amis Donc Est - Lonc Tans A (Mo 337)
Montpellier Codex: Li Savours De Mon Desir - Li Grant Desir - Non Veul Mari (Mo 323)
Montpellier Codex: Entre Copin - Je Me Cuidoie - Bele Ysabelos (Mo 256)
Montpellier Codex: S'on Me Regarde - Prenn?s I Garde - H?, Mi Enfant (Mo 223)
Montpellier Codex: Quant Yver La Bise Ameine - In Seculum (Mo 223)
Montpellier Codex: Ne M'a Pas Oubli? - In Seculum (Mo 207)
Montpellier Codex: On Doit Fin[e] Amor - La Biaut? - In Seculum (Mo 134)
Montpellier Codex: Ja N'amerai Autre Que Cele - In Seculum (Mo 3)
Montpellier Codex: Quant Je Parti De M'amie - Tuo (Mo 200)

Amazon.com essential recording

How's this for a concept: "True love may exist only outside of marriage, and a man must subject himself totally to the will of his beloved, whether or not her requests seem rational." If you think these ideas strange, be glad you weren't looking for love in France in the Middle Ages. These precepts course through thousands of song lyrics and love poetry during the 12th and 13th centuries and some of them appear on this exceptional recording by Anonymous 4. Specifically, these four women perform 13th century French motets found in an important manuscript known as the Montpellier Codex. These polyphonic works span the entire century and thus express a variety of styles. Sometimes the use of texts is striking, as when a love song, a diatribe against hypocrisy, and a rousing drinking song are sung simultaneously. Not bad, if you can get away with it. Anonymous 4 can-and does. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Rendition of Early Music. Buy It........2005-10-29

`Love's Illusion' is the third album done by the medieval vocal quartet, `Anonymous 4' and the first recording for them of secular motets, although it is important to note that to my relatively uneducated ear, I find it hard to discern the difference between these French love songs and their renditions of medieval church music.

This is not to say I have a totally tin ear but rather to indicate that there is as strong or stronger connection between these secular songs and the liturgical music of the day as there is between Aretha Franklin's soul singing and Southern Baptist church songs. One would be foolish to think that church music influenced secular music for the first time in 1956.

The text for these songs is based on the Montpellier Codex from the 13th century and, as I said, are all in what I believe is an early version of French. The accompanying booklet gives all the French lyrics, plus translations of these lyrics into English and German (since the record company, harmonia mundi, is, I believe, headquartered in Germany and the recording is manufactured in Germany.

While this is the first album I have reviewed by this group (named after an anonymous 13th century English writer on music who lived and worked in Paris and wrote about the music done) I have been listening to their recordings for several years now and I decided to start with this one and leave some of the liturgical works for later, closer to the Christmas season.

On a purely visceral level, I like this recording very much. On an intellectual level, I believe this is as good or better than any other medieval pieces, and most other Renaissance vocal pieces I have heard, except for some works with larger choruses such as Guillaume Du Fay's Mass for St. Anthony of Padua and Ensemble Gilles Binchois recording of eleventh century French Polyphony.

For those who are new to Anonymous 4 recordings, they are generally done not in a studio but in the nave of a large church, so there is a distinct sense of their singing in a great open space, with little or no sense of electronic enhancement. I really like this effect for this music and find it just one more reason to recommend this and other Anonymous 4 recordings. I think my highest recommendation comes from the fact that I can listen to this recording many times over and not become tired of it. There are other unusual types of music such as Russian chants, tangos, and even jazz which I can take for an hour or so and then must change. This material I can listen to for hours on end.

Highly recommended for fans of early music or for people who want something different.

Fun and full of love.......2005-10-13

This is a wonderful collection of chansons, or songs, from medieval France. It is different from many Anonymous 4 collections in that this is a piece of secular songs, primarily dealing with courtly love; the songs are particularly influenced by the Arthurian romances, very much in vogue at that time. This is a collection of motets - a musical style that came out of polyphony and is an important bridge between chant and modern song styling.

The Montpellier Codex has over 300 different motets (not including duplications), including many double motets, where the tenor piece is based on a plainchant, and different voices have their own texts. These 'fin amours' songs were most likely performed mostly in private entertainment settings, and song have argued that certain parts should be done by instruments rather than voices. Of course, the Anonymous 4 is an a capella group, so that idea does not come into practice here.

This is a playful and fun recording, full of lovely songs that reach the heart in strong ways.

-- Liner Notes --
This text accompaniment to this disc is very full, so much so that the booklet is not contained within the jewel case, but rather within a slipcover in which both the CD/jewel case and the booklet reside. The liner notes include a description of the work, a brief piece about the quartet, and the lyrics of the songs both in original language and in translation - all repeated in English, German, and French sections (however, the French lyrics are in the older French language; a modern translation would be helpful). The cover art is a section of the lovely Tapestry, Lady and the Unicorn, Atelier of the Loire Valley, 'mille fleurs', fifteen century in the Museum of Cluny, France.

-- Anonymous 4 --
Contrary to the implication of their name, the Anonymous 4 are not anonymous. This is a vocal quartet made up of Ruth Cunningham, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer, and Johanna Rose at the time of this recording (Ruth Cunningham will later go on to a solo career early, and another member will join - Jacqueline Horner). They came together as a formal group in 1986, and have been ensemble-in-residence at St. Michael's Church in New York City, giving concert series in New York as well as throughout North America. They have been featured a number of times on national media in North America as well as Germany. They then went on to yet more success, eventually performing more that 1000 concerts worldwide.

Their specialty is working with chant, monophonic and polyphonic music, and working with medieval texts. According to one source, 'The group takes its name from an anonymous music theorist of the late 13th century, Anonymous IV, who is the principal source on the two famous composers of the Notre Dame school, Léonin and Pérotin.'

The group ended a touring career of nearly two decades in 2004.

from a newcomer viewpoint.......2003-02-23

LOVE'S ILLUSION is one of those uncanny instances that make tradition more unusual than avant-garde. Having two to four texts in an archaic language sung on top of each other makes the album at once chaotic and highly ordered. Some texts were clearly written after one another (cf. track 24), whereas others have but a random connection. Harmonically, however, everything falls into place.
I'm still fairly new to classical music, so I can only speak of my attempts at overcoming my difficulties in listening to mediaeval polyphony. When one knows any piece of music has a text, one wants to be able to hear the words - even if one doesn't know the language -, and this is main reason why a first listening of LOVE'S ILLUSION may be disturbing, if not annoying. One initial solution is to think of it as instrumental, and take the words for granted; I suggest also repeated listening of your favorite tracks, while trying to follow one singer's voice, with booklet in hand. I have paid some attention to this record and I believe it has helped me.
The major flaw of this record is not presenting a translation of the 13th century French songs into contemporary French. The difference is indeed quite astounding.

Love's Illusion.......2002-12-11

Overall: Monotonous, irritating. I had a headache after only three cuts, and the cut I really wanted is barely recognizable as the melody of interest. Let's just say that this is a sound (i.e., all female vocals, no instrumental variety), regardless of performers, that I do not go looking for.

OUTSTANDING.......2001-01-11

This is an excellent recording of some of the most beautiful music from the 13th Century. The vocal quartet "Anonymous 4" does a superb job, especially considering the entire CD is sung in Old French. This may well be the most peaceful and reaxing CD you will ever own.

Christine Schäfer - Mozart Arias & Strauss Orchestral Songs / Pires - Berlin Phil. · Abbado

Average customer rating:

Many lovely moments, but Schafer lacks vibrancy
Schafer's Resplendent Vocal and Maestro Abbado
Beautiful voice; heartfelt interpretations....

Christine Schäfer - Mozart Arias & Strauss Orchestral Songs / Pires - Berlin Phil. · Abbado
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Richard Strauss , Claudio Abbado , Christine Schäfer , Maria João Pires , Berliner Philharmoniker , Kay Johannsen , and Christopher Alder
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Songs of Robert Schumann 1 / Christine Schäfer, Graham Johnson
Christine Schäfer, Soprano
Christine Schäfer - Debussy & Chausson: Mélodies / Irwin Gage

ASIN: B00000613U
Release Date: 1998-04-14

Tracks:

Nehmt meinen Dank, ihr holden Gonner
Exsultate, jubilate
Mia speranza adorata! - Ah non sai qual pena sia
Ch'io mi scordi di te? - Non temer, amato bene
Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben (aus Zaide)
Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio! - Ah conte, partite!
Wiegenlied
Das Rosenband
Liebeshymnus
Das Bachlein
Morgen!

Customer Reviews:

Many lovely moments, but Schafer lacks vibrancy.......2006-09-26

Nothing can be lovelier than a recital of Mozart and Strauss arias by a gifted lyric soprano, and those that specialize in the one composer tend to be just as good in the other (Schwarzkopf, of course, but also Battle, Fleming, and Te Kanawa). Chrstine Schager makes a ice impression with her pure, appealing voice, but it seems better suited to the baroque music she specializes in. for music as romantic as Strauss's she's underpowered and rather expressionless. The same is true in the Mozart--listen to Exsultate Jubilate ans decide if she sounds either exultant or jubilant. I didn't find that she did. Abbado's conducting, however, is exemplary throughout, and the orchestra is wonderful.

Schafer's Resplendent Vocal and Maestro Abbado.......2000-07-17

When I first saw the "Mozart & Strauss" arias in Borders Books and Music, I was a bit hesitant to acquire the album. You can assumje that I had the cold feet about whether or not I will like the album or regret buying it.

Two weeks later, I went back for my July acquisition for I usually buy a CD per month. I went back to Borders and there it was lying on the shelves--this time, I bought it!

The album was a replendent effort of Miss Christine Schafer's vocals and the Maestro Abbado conducting the world's reowned Berlin Philharmonic! I espectially loved Schaefer's interpretation of my all-time favorite "Exulate Jubilate" & "Morgen."

I am telling you, buy this album if you have the chance, you won't regret it, I didn't. Also, the recording is superb. I read in the inlet that this audio disc employed the "4DDD" method which brings out the natural sound that the artist had intented and there is no "studio magic" involved in the process of this CD.

I also reccommend "Flippa Giordano," a new debut CD released in the US on July 11, 2000. The CD comnprised of famous arias given rebirth in a voice of a young, wonderful Italian soprano in training, Ms. Flippa Giordano. She perform the famous arias, "O Mio Babino Caro" "Vissi d'Arte" "Casta Diva" "Habanera" with a new approach singing in her lower registers of her voice! Truly refreshing to hear them in a different medium.

Beautiful voice; heartfelt interpretations...........1999-05-28

Christine Schafer possesses one of the most beautiful lyric coloratura voices of this century. Her voice is creamy, limpid, and budding with a variety of different tone colors. Her voice has a depth and a richness to it intermingled with a fresh purity of tone.

The Mozart selections are lovely, especially, "Che mi scordi di te?" which Schafer sings with both pathos and brilliance. "Ruhe sanft" is sung with a sweet caress in the voice. Schafer meets the challenging demands of "Mia speranza adorata" with ease, tossing off the high Gs with clarity and managing the difficult coloratura passages without any sound of strain.

The Richard Strauss selections represent some of the most beautiful singing on disc. "Wiegenlied" is sung with an impeccable legato line and is ravishingly lovely. "Morgen!" seeps with longing and dreams of tomorrow. Schafer's singing is both elegant and passionate.

Customer Reviews:

Giving J. C. His Due.......2004-01-08

Forgive me, Johann Christian, for ever thinking of you as a half-baked Mozart--especially denigrating from a music lover who much prefers Haydn to Mozart! As penance (if you can call sheer pleasure penance), I have been getting to know as much of your work as I can. Listening to this three-CD set from Anthony Halstead and the Hanover Band has been an especial ear-opener. While I can't say that these overtures have the true stamp of theater about them, as Mozart's greatest overtures clearly do, Bach's music is always diverting and often much more than that. There are many beauties and occasionally high drama as well in these little works. And in the Ballet Music from Amadis des Gaule, there is music of such delicate color and panache that I think immediately of Rameau.

Some of these overtures will be familiar to you if you know Bach's symphonies, since they are just a reworking of the same. But most of this music will be new to you and will bring surprise and pleasure, I'm sure. Much of the credit is due Halstead and his band. By this point in their traversal of what seems all of Bach's orchestral music, they are expert at capturing the essence of this composer, whose musical ideas and orchestration are bolder and more scintillating than anybody could have imagined before the birth of the original-instruments movement. If anyone thinks of J. C. Bach as a merely genteel proto-Mozart, as I mistakenly once did, listen to these CDs and be chastened--and royally entertained in the bargain.

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