The Best of Italian Opera

Robert Merrill (Performer), Giuseppe Verdi (Composer), Gioachino Rossini (Composer), Giacomo Puccini (Composer), Adrian Denss (Composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Amilcare Ponchielli (Composer), Gaetano Donizetti (Composer), Tullio Serafin (Conductor), Francesco Molinari-Pradelli (Conductor), Colin Davis (Conductor), Gabriele Santini (Conductor), Reri Grist (Conductor), Lamberto Gardelli (Conductor), Thomas Schippers (Conductor), Anatole Fistoulari (Conductor), Alceo Galliera (Conductor), Giuseppe Patanè (Conductor), Franco Ferraris (Conductor), Rome Opera House Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Robert Merrill
• Orchestra: Rome Opera House Orchestra
• Conductor: Tullio Serafin, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Colin Davis, Gabriele Santini, Reri Grist, et al.
• Composer: Giuseppe Verdi, Gioachino Rossini, Giacomo Puccini, Adrian Denss, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, et al.
• Audio CD (January 21, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B000000UXN
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,114 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. La Traviata, opera: Libiamo, libiamo

2. Rigoletto, opera: La donna č mobile

3. Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), opera: Una voce poco fą

4. La bohčme, opera: Che gelida manina

5. Rigoletto, opera: Gualtier maldé Caro nome

6. Il Trovatore, opera: Vedi! le fosche (Anvil Chorus)

7. Il Trovatore, opera: Il balen del suo sorriso...Per me ora fatale

8. Tosca, opera: Vissi d'arte

9. Gagliarde: Di Provenza il mar, il suol

10. Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), opera, K. 492: Voi che sapete

11. Aida, opera: Se quel guerrier io fossi...Celeste Aida

12. Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), opera: Un bel dķ vedremo

13. La Gioconda, opera in 4 acts: Cielo e mar

14. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Ardon gl'incesi (Mad Scene)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous bargain for anyone, November 23, 2002

By 

R. M. Barge (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Best of Italian Opera (Audio CD)

I would recommend this CD to anyone, from opera novice to experienced listener...

These are older recordings -- I would guess mostly from the 1960's. The recording quality is exceptional for the day and, while not the equivalent of modern engineering, is sufficient to allow sheer physical pleasure from the music and an immediate appreciation of the vocal qualities of the artists. The sound quality is the only mild drawback...

The performances are magnificent! The voices are almost entirely lighter and more agile than the great voices of the 80's and 90's. In fact, the ear of the editor is apparent in his preference for lighter and more agile voices.

For example, there is a beautiful rendition of "Che Gelida Manina" from someone I had never heard before, Guiseppe Campora. He does not have the weight or volume of Pavarotti or Domingo, but has more elegance and a pure, charming tone. A connoisseur performance, but nevertheless a true operatic rendition by a tenor who can hit the high C with authority -- as good for a newcomer to opera who wants to hear the real thing, as for an opera lover who would like to hear something a bit different.

Some of the artists were among the most famous singers of their day: Moffo, de los Angeles, Gedda.

Anna Moffo, one of the greatest sopranos of her day (and all time), is in magnificent voice in famous blockbusters from Rossini's Barber of Seville, Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, and the Mad Scene from Lucia di Lammermoor.

De Los Angeles is at her best in "Libiamo" from La Traviata, but the recording quality (the one inadequately engineered track on the CD) and her lack of oomph make for a second-rate version of "Un bel di".

In keeping with the light and lyrical orientation of the selections, Moffo -- a famous Gilda and hardly a dramatic voice -- is bypassed for the even lighter, sweeter and more agile colatura Reri Grist (while she still had her voice), in a lovely "Caro Nome".

Another nice selection is Mario Sereni performing "Di provenza, il mar". Both this and "Libiamo" are taken from one of my favorite recordings of Traviata -- also a great chance to hear Serafin at the helm of the Rome Opera House orchestra. (The 2-CD version of this is still available from EMI, I think.) Newcomers will love this pretty tune, and Sereni's archtypal Verdi baritone is good, although hardly the best ever.

Franco Corelli has never been a favorite of mine, but he sounds the best I've ever heard him in his rendition of "Cielo et mar".

Anyway, I didn't intend to list every cut. Whether you are an opera lover who would like to hear some of opera's most famous arias performed in a new light, or an opera lover who would like to hear great performances at a cut-rate price, this CD gets my unqualified approval.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a better cd at this price, October 26, 2000

By 

Robert A. Dunn (Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of Italian Opera (Audio CD)

Whether you are an opera lover already or want to find out if opera is something you would enjoy, this is a cd for you. I bought this cd on a whim because of the price and now I would gladly pay five times that to replace it in my collection. The voices are phenomenal and filled with emotion as I think they should be in opera.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Introduction to Italian Opera, April 30, 2005

By 

A student - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of Italian Opera (Audio CD)

The artists on this CD succeed in their goal to create a CD that displays great Italian opera. Carlo del Monte and Victoria de los Angeles open the disc with the Brindisi from La Traviata. Victoria de los Angeles is not the best Violetta, but she does the job, along with her parner Carlo del Monte, an underappreciated tenor. Victoria de los Angeles also appears on the CD in "Un bel di vedremo" from Madama Butterfly, a role she was well known for. Swedish tenor Nicolai Gedda appears on the disc twice. His first appearence is a superb rendition of "La donna e mobile" from Rigoletto. His final performance on this disc is in the heroric aria "Celeste Aida", a performance in a role that was not in his voice range. Anna Moffo is the star on this CD, appearing three times in three very different roles. First is her beautiful "Una voce poco fa", normally a role that calls for a mezzo-soprano. Her second is "Voi che sapete" from Le Nozze di Figaro, another mezzo-soprano role. Her final appearence is her best, "The Mad Scene" from Lucia di Lammermoor. Underrated tenor Giuseppe Campora performs "Che gelida manina" with a great tenor voice. Soprano Reri Girst is excellent in her performance of "Caro nome" from Rigoletto. One of my favorite baritones appears on this CD. Robert Merrill is a perfect Count di Luna, and it is evident in his rendition of "Il balen del suo sorriso". Another baritone appears on this CD: mario Sereni. He is not a world famous baritone, but he should have been. Overall, this is an excellent introduction to the world of Italian opera.