The Art of Beverly Sills

Beverly Sills (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 12, 2002)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000075A7K
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #143,636 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars America's greatest diva captured in all her glory!, July 7, 2003

By 

Charles Richards (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art of Beverly Sills (Audio CD)

When I was growing up in the 70's, Beverly Sills was probably America's best known opera singer, a star who not only appeared on the opera stage, but who could also be seen constantly on talk shows, non-operatic TV specials, and even on "The Muppet Show"! I developed a love for her voice, her personal charm, her keen acting ability, and her fantastic sense of humour early on and never lost it. Sadly, in the 80's and 90's she fell into something of an eclipse, largely due to the fact that very few of her recordings were available on CD. Fortunately, DG's recent aquisition of some of her finest recordings has created a real Sills renaissance, and this compilation is perfect for every opera fan who would like to get aquainted or re-aquainted with her glorious voice. Almost every aspect of her repertoire is represented here and shown off to its full extent, from her highly dramatic Donizetti "Three Queens" portrayals, to her melting reading of Mozart's exquisite "Ruhe Sanft" to her amazingly beautiful (and formerly very hard to find) recording of the final scene from Strauss' "Daphne". A must have for every opera fan, this is Sills at her best, truly America's greatest diva!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars two beautiful discs!, February 17, 2007

By 

J. Anderson (Monterey, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art of Beverly Sills (Audio CD)

Beverly Sills not only survived being a child prodigy - a rare enough thing among singing musicians - she triumphed in a big way. Her fertile and beautiful art is wonderfully represented on this double disc set from Deutsche Grammophon. I sense today a resurgence of appreciation for her art, and to call it well deserved is saying the least. The singing's jam packed with pure musicianship, attention to nuance, fidelity to composer and character - in a word, everything requisite to making the operatic art thrive, qualities in short enough supply today among many opera stars, and it makes this package even more attractive. Sills not only understood bel canto art, she accomplished it memorably. Highlights include 'Ah! Tardai troppo...' (Linda di Chamounix), &an unearthly 'Regnava nel silenzio...' (Lucia), which I might prefer to Sutherland's for its committment and munificence. The gone too soon Thomas Schippers conducts a great performance - how that man could possess whatever orchestra and score he worked with. Two arias from I Puritani - especially 'Vieni, vieni fra queste braccia' with the singing of the genius Nicolai Gedda as Arturo, and an opening to Anna Bolena's aria 'Cielo, a' miei lunghi spasimi' that wipes clean every memory of other versions. All that on disc 1! I had forgotten Sills' beautiful pianissimos, singing so musicianly and free of ego - her interpretation is always only her adherence to score and composer, and greater praise cant be given a classical singer. Disc 2 offers a definitive version of Korngold's 'Gluck, das mir verblieb' (Die Tote Stadt) among a number of fine versions out there. The slowest version available and I feel I'm hearing it for the first time, and with a true Viennese (Rudel) conducting! You can put this track alone on repeat and live out the day in freedom! If you dont know Sills' art, or dont remember it well and truly, this set is a fine place to begin what will become transfixion with a musical art that proves itself urgent and inextinguishable! Highest recommendation.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beverly Sills: The Greatest Soprano Of All Time, January 17, 2003

By 

Rachel Garret (Beverly Hills) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Beverly Sills (Audio CD)

The Art Of Beverly Sills is the greatest compilation cd of her masterful arias and performances. It is a portrait of her most memorable roles, her vocal pyrotechnics and dramatic power. It is sad that no one has reviewed this album yet. I am honored to be the first. Beverly Sills. Her name is synonymous with opera. She is the American opera star with genuine soul, warmth, personality and electric acting ability. To those who remember her live performances in the 60's and 70's, they recall her ingratiating persona, her connection with the audience, her sense of humor, her beautiful coloratura and lyric qualities, as well as engaging dramatic flair. Equally as good an actress on the opera stage as Maria Callas, and surpassing the voice of Joan Sutherland, Beverly Sills is my personal favorite soprano. I have reasons to declare her the greatest soprano of all time.

First of all, she did not come from the European elite, or the traditional foreign class. She was born in Brooklyn, New York and has worked with the New York City Opera and the Met exclusively. Her humble beginnings were in radio and television, as a child prodigy. She was educated in music, mainly piano, and was taught by the esteemed vocal coach Estelle Liebling. She was an operetta star long before she graced the bigger heroines of opera- singing as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus. On this cd, we are fortunate enough to hear an operetta aria which must have been nostalgic for her during recitals. We hear her in the roles that made her a star- Donizetti's Anna Bolena, whose aria "Copia Iniquia " is full of demanding higher notes, as Maria Stuarda in her coloratura/lyric aria "O Nube" and as the lovesick Queen Elizabeth I in Roberto Deveraux. We hear her as Massenet's romantic heroine Manon, "Adieu, notre petit table", showcasing off her French style to perfection. The same is said of Olympia's aria "Les Ouiseaux" from Offenbach's Tales Of Hoffman. Although Beverly excelled unrivaled in bel canto and coloratura, she could also take the risky leap into dramatic soprano. Perhaps her most challenging role was Bellini's Norma. But successfully, she won the world's attention when she appeared on Time magazine's cover as Elizabeth I in Robert Deveraux. This was her greatest moment.

This cd is a colorful, varied portrait of Beverly Sill's career. She has long retired from the opera stage (1979), but she has been active in the Met since the 80's and 90's. She is an inspiration to sopranos everywhere. With justice, she deserves the recognition as the greatest soprano of all time. For an unexplained reason, her recordings on LP were scarce, but now, thanks to digitally remastered reissues on cd, a new generation will hear her great performances. Available now are her performances in Lucia Di Lammermoor, Manon, Tales Of Hoffman, Barber Of Seville, I Puritani, La Traviata, Thais, and the box set featuring the three Donizetti Tudor Queens- Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda and her master performance in Roberto Deveraux.