Bellini - La Straniera / Caballé, Cossoto

Vincenzo Bellini (Artist), Fiorenza Cossoto Montserrat Caballé (Artist), Vincente Sardinero Amadeo Zambon (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 6, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Gala
• ASIN: B000001XND
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #570,268 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #89 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Caballe, Montserrat

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Voga, Voga, il Vento Tace

2. Triste E Pensosa

3. La Straniera

4. Oh Tu Che Sai Gli Spasimi

5. Č Sgombro il Loco

6. Serba, Serba I Tuoi Segreti

7. Campi Ai Veltri

8. Ti Trovo Alfin

9. Eccola!

10. No, Non Ti Sono Rivale

See all 13 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. T'Appressa... E il Ver Rispondi

2. Meco Tu Vieni, O Misera

3. A Tempio Io Giungo

4. Ne'alcun Ritorna

5. Č Dolce la Vergine

6. Valdeburgo!

7. Che Far Vuoi Tu?

8. Sono All'ara

9. Ciel Pietoso

10. Vaneggia

See all 13 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars it is a caballe show., July 16, 2006

By 

bel canto fan (edmonton, canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bellini - La Straniera / Caballé, Cossoto (Audio CD)

Caballe is divine here and that alone worth 5 stars in my opinion. Maria Casoni sings exelent Isoletta. Mail singers are just OK and it does not matter.
It is a short opera with lots of beautifull music. There is no libretto, no synopsis, just some description of the story. The plot is one of the silliest you can find in the silly world of the opera and it does not matter.
What you have is a Bellini music, sang with such beauty and expression by Caballe that the rest does not matter.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A rare work with Caballe in her prime, May 28, 2007

By 

Ralph Moore "Ralph operaphile" (Bishop's Stortford, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bellini - La Straniera / Caballé, Cossoto (Audio CD)

"La Straniera" is not a mainstream opera; it did not succeed in the same way as its predecessor, "Il Pirata", did, owing to its silly plot and sometimes less than inspired music. It has been intermittently available in various expensive live recordings and as I write, the only other options are a similarly cheap "Opera d'Oro" set with Renata Scotto with an otherwise mediocre cast, and an excellent live, 1993 version with a young Renee Fleming and Gregory Kunde, both in superb voice, with a first class supporting cast in very good stereo sound, conducted by Eve Queler, available for around $42 delivered from Celestial Audio in Australia. I am not a great fan of Scotto but even those who are, might be deterred by the lack of quality in her co-singers and the rough sound, so it's between this set and the Fleming one. Renee is in her fresh, youthful prime, delivering great topnotes and a creamy, seamless stream of tone; Kunde is similarly impressive.

This Gala set is not in the best sound either, but it's not bad for a 1969 performance - perfectly listenable mono without much distortion. The principal women are very good, Caballe floating those trademark high pianissimi and injecting real drama into her characterisation, Casoni singing strongly without any special distinction. I have read complaints about both male singers but I find Sardinero to be his usual dependable self, using his ringing baritone to great effect, and I do not object to the rather unvaried, stentorian tones of the little-known tenor, Amadeo Zambon (who died aged 65 in 2000); he is not subtle but his is a proper Italianate voice. He sings all the notes and produces some good ones as he goes up to compensate for the rather blaring sound in the middle of the voice.

Guadagno is a sensitive, seasoned conductor and oversees what was clearly something of an occasion in New York; Caballe in her prime was a phenomenon despite some of those irritating mannerisms which crept in quite early in her career, such as glottal emphasis and that matronly tone in the middle of the voice; her vocal pyrotechnics are a joy.

As a clincher, there is the bonus of an extended extract from the famous Act 2 duet from "Norma" sung by Caballe and Cossotto in 1970; the sound is muddy but the singing peerless.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Caballe in TOP form with disappointing male singers, August 7, 2004

By 

Armindo (Greece) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bellini - La Straniera / Caballé, Cossoto (Audio CD)

Montserrat Caballe has always been particularly affective in Bellini and this early Straniera is an indispensable testament. The young Caballe is nothing short of a miracle. The voice is at its best and the top notes gorgeous! No libretto is provided but Caballe's impeccable phrasing communicates every emotion. Her entrance in the first act and especially the opera's finale show why Caballe became world famous!

If you ever considered Del Monaco one-dimensional, give Zambon a listen. Wasn't there really any other tenor in the US at that moment? He obviously is the weakest link here. Sardinero has given many fine performances on other occasions but here he sounds wobbly and bored. Maria Casoni on the other hand does some great singing as Isoletta. I'm not a maestro, but Anton Guadagno does a solid job to my ears. The sound quality is above average.

You also get to hear Act II of Caballe's 1970 Norma debut in Barcelona! Dormono entrambe is heartbreaking with Caballe using her musicality to great effect. The proceeding duet with Cossotto's legendary Adalgisa is stunning!

3 stars because an opera performance is more than the soprano although Caballe here deserves a thousand!