Customer Reviews

Bel Canto

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I disagree with another reviewer who remarked on the lack of drama in this material. The Bel canto style had its peak of popularity in the Rossini, Bellini and Donzinetti era, where singing is less about drama and content, and all about the art of beautiful singing, vocal control and floral agility, which is exactly what we get from Elina Garanca. There is all the emotional content in her voice to make the songs touching and will invite repeated listening. If you appreciate beautiful singing you can't go wrong with this. If the reviewer wants drama I suggest to buy something from Verdi or Wagner, but that is not the point and purpose of Bel canto.

Let's not fight. The previous reviewers both agree that this is a well produced album of music sung by a beautiful voice. It is, indeed. Why is that not enough??

Elina has given us a recording of non-standard Bel Canto pieces. Thank you. Yes, I like the "old favorites" as much as anybody, but the 247th. recording of "Uno poco voce fa" would be somewhat pointless. No, I did not previously know this material; I admit it. But, I'm happy to learn...and learning new things is one of life's joys....

I am NOT an unbiased reviewer of Elina. I could listen to her forever. She has honored us with a CD of rather unfamiliar music, and I, for one, am glad to have it. I like Verdi and Puccini as well as the next person, but Opera is way more than conventional repertoire. Keep it coming, pretty lady. Six or seven stars.

I'm neither a professional reviewer, nor a music critic. However, I know quality when I hear it.
Elina Granca, to me, has a magnificent mezzo-soprano voice,so well-produced and a pleasure to listen to.
I have listened to this CD, 'Bel Canto', time and time again, and keep hearing new and wonderful things, even though the music is not familiar to me. It is becoming a very good friend , as is Elina Granca.

This bel canto album by young mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca is a wonderful performance by all concerned, except the sound engineer, who put too much bass into the mix that is not flattering to the singer's mezzo-soprano one bit.
However, even with this drawback, Garanca sings with daring abandon and ultimate musicality. It is gratifying to hear such stylistically alert renditions of Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini. The three composers are NOT the same, and Garanca manages wonderfully to bring out each stylistic difference in each, remaining throughout musically committed and emotionally entrenched in each single track!
If one says that Ms. Garanca has immaculate vocal technique, it would not be a compliment but an affront. Elina Garanca's 'technique' is so sound and secure that it has become solely a means and never an end, even in the most technically demanding pieces.
If you want to push for it, I would say that she has the devilish agility for Rossini, the arching cantilena for Bellini, and all the dramatic nuances for Donizetti.
I don't know how such a young singer could achieve all these, but there she is!
Perhaps the brightest of the current crop of operatic stars.

This has to be the most intelligent, refined and boldest bel canto album out there, even more so than Florez Bel Canto Spectacular, which is also phenomenal. Garanca's sublime and radiant voice can only be grasped after some considerable extended exposure (once you do you can't get enough) and this album enjoyed only by lovers of pure bel canto magic. It's refreshing to see an artist escape the tired mezzo rep of Una voce poco fa, the Habanera, O mio Fernando or Mon Coeur S'ouvre A Ta Voix, as gorgeous as these pieces are, and sink her teeth into real gems written for mezzos. No, she's no Horne or Verrett but in this case and for this repertory, I'm glad she's not. The choice of extended arias from L'Assedio di Calais (my favorite in this release, which ends the album) is a major coup, as this is Donizetti as his best, and so are the others by him, Roberto Devereux, Maria Stuarda, Lucrezia Borgia and Dom Sébastien. Also magnificent is the Adelson e Salvini piece by Bellini. The Rossini aria from Trancredi is fabulous. The icing on the cake is the cabaletta from Capuleti e i Montecchi, fantastically sung by Garanca. This is a must have for bel canto lovers, no question.

This is a beautiful CD from a svelte, elegant mezzo. I like the collection and the subtle, artistic treament of each extract means that I will be listening to this many times. The purity and naturalness of her voice is most appealing.
RKJ

Elina Garanca is fast becoming a favorite operatic aria singer C d is very good in content and manufature of recording

I enjoyed the selections on this CD, and as usual, Garanca performed them extremely well.

I just read Robert Levine's review of this album on the Classics Today website and glad to know that I am not alone in my lack of general enthusiasm for the material contained therein. For a far more educated and articulate review I suggest you read the aforementioned's. I just wanted to add my two cents, if I may. There is no doubt that Garanca's voice is a lovely an instrument as you could possibly want. It's warm, evenly produced throughout its range and multi-hued. There is no strain (at least not evident) and it's used intelligently, so no qualms there; however, this collection of many lesser known bel canto arias for mezzo soprano comes across like a studied and amazingly restrained exercise in singing. It's not that either I or the pieces themselves demand vocal fireworks but in my opinion they do require drama and commitment to communicating text and we get absolutely none of that here. And though, thankfully, there are no annoying mannerisms here, there is such a reserved approach to the music that it would seem Ms. Garanca were marking rather than offering a full blown performance. This is very pretty singing, indeed, and Roberto Abbado's deft knowledge of this repertoire proves very beneficial but it's also, sadly, a dull affair; seriously lacking in intensity and overall drama. It's a shame, really, because with a voice such as this and such a great selection of repertoire, this could have been 2009's vocal recital to beat. Instead what we have is an all together forgettable product that will be heard once and soon be collecting dust on CD shelves everywhere.