Mad About Italian Opera

Gaetano Donizetti (Composer), Pietro Mascagni (Composer), Giacomo Puccini (Composer), Gioachino Rossini (Composer), Giuseppe Verdi (Composer), Claudio Abbado (Conductor), Giuseppe Sinopoli (Conductor), Ion Marin (Conductor), James Levine (Conductor), Chamber Orchestra of Europe (Performer), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Performer), Accademia di Santa Cecilia Orchestra (Orchestra), Berlin Deutschen Oper Chor und Orchester (Orchestra), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Orchestra), Philharmonia Orchestra of London (Orchestra), Cheryl Studer (Performer), Mirella Freni (Performer), Luciano Pavarotti (Performer), Plácido Domingo (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Cheryl Studer, Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti, et al.
• Orchestra: Accademia di Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Berlin Deutschen Oper Chor und Orchester, London Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra of London
• Conductor: Claudio Abbado, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Ion Marin, James Levine
• Composer: Gaetano Donizetti, Pietro Mascagni, Giacomo Puccini, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi
• Audio CD (September 20, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001GOO
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,134 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #4 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Larmore, Jennifer
  • #24 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Freni, Mirella
  • #71 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Featured Performers, A-Z > H to L

Track Listings

1. Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), opera: Largo al factotum

2. La Traviata, opera: Brindisi: Libiamo

3. Rigoletto, opera: La donna č mobile

4. Tosca, opera: Vissi d'arte

5. Turandot, opera: Nessun dorma!

6. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Chi mi frena in tal momento?

7. Il Trovatore, opera: Anvil Chorus

8. Il Trovatore, opera: Di quella pira

9. La bohčme, opera: Sě. Mi chiamano Mimě

10. La Traviata, opera: Follie!... Sempre libera

11. Tosca, opera: Recondita armonia

12. Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), opera: Flower Duet

13. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves

14. Tosca, opera: E lucevan le stelle

15. La Traviata, opera: Parigi, o cara

16. Cavalleria rusticana, opera (melodramma) in 1 act: Turiddu's Farewell

17. Manon Lescaut, opera: Donna non vidi mai

18. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Ah! Verrano a te sull'aure

19. Il Trovatore, opera: Miserere

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I really am Mad About Italian Opera, September 12, 2001

By 

Laresa Cochran (Orem, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mad About Italian Opera (Audio CD)

If you don't have any experience with opera, or if you have had opera experience and hated it, this is the CD for you. I had some experience with opera, but I rarely listened to it voluntarily, until I got this CD. It has the most famous and consequently most beautiful arias ever written for opera, and you get the benefit of listening to the most famous singers in the world, unlike other CDs you can get for this price. It is a wonderful investment, and can make even the most die hard opera opponents gain appreciation for the genre because of its caliber.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Actually, its more Mad About Placido Domingo, September 14, 2001

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mad About Italian Opera (Audio CD)

"Mad About Italian Opera" is really more like "Mad About Placido Domingo" since 11 of the 19 tracks feature the tenor. Another three offer vocals by Luciano Pavarotti, so obvious the emphasis is on tenors with this collection. Yes, there is the "Anvil Chorus" from Il Travatore and the "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves" from Nabucco, but the vast majority of tracks are tenor solos (e.g., "Il barbiere di Siviglia" from The Barber of Seville) or tenors engaged in operatic duels with sopranos (e.g., "Ah! Verrano a te sull'aure" from Lucia di Lammermoor), with a few soprano solo arias (e.g., "Vissi d'arte" from Tosca) tossed in for good measure, but you will not find a superstar soprano on this disc. However, you do get to hear Domingo sing Pavarotti's traditional encore piece, "Nessun dorma!" from Turandot, which is the best proof that this collection is a show case for that particular tenor.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mad About Italian Opera, March 29, 2010

By 

ADF "Aerocoins" (Wetumpka AL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mad About Italian Opera (Audio CD)

I purchased this CD to get an overview of classic and popular songs from Italian opera, including my favorite, 'Figaro.' I was not disappointed. There may be larger collections of Italian opera out there, but for the price, you cannot go wrong with this product. All the famous pieces are here and they are songs that the average music buff can recognize and enjoy. Of course, many of the songs I couldn't recognize or never heard before and some I didn't care for, but there's almost 80 minutes of music on this CD, so eventually you'll find something you like. (Assuming that you like Italian opera in the first place!) In addition, the quality of the music is very good and the descriptions are detailed and helpful.