Customer Reviews

Bidu Sayao: La Damoiselle elue / Opera Arias

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

 

 

I have loved her voice since 1981 when I destroyed a Bidu Sayoa LP "French Songs and Arias" listening to it repeat for hours (Guess I could make a hat out of that record now).
I cannot add anything original to previous comments lauding her silvery tone or elegant. intelligent, brave, sophisticated, subtle, balanced sense of style. Emotion and control!
I would not normally have chosen a recording of the Debussy piece with its chorus and orchestration but am won over after several listens. I find her "Un bel di vedremo" refreshing and satisfying.
The liner notes insightfully outline her career; translated lyrics, for the Debussy piece at least, would have been welcome. Great sound quality with notes on sound transference technique from LP to CD.

This is a great CD by the lengendary Brazilian soprano, Bidu Sayao. A better performance of the Debussy does not exist even though it was recorded about 50 years ago. Sayao has not been surpassed. Also, the Mozart arias are a special treat as are the Bellini, Verdi, and Puccini. Sayao was a wonderful artist and very unique in her interpretations. This CD offers great singing and should be acquired by record collectors who value sensitivity, style, and voice qualities above and beyond the superficial. The tragedy is that Sayao was not recorded as frequently as she deserved -so what we have are limited treasures.

Sayao --with a multi-colored voice of silver proved to be a great singer of Debussy--too bad they did not record her Melisande or Sayao in the extensive French song literature-or early baroque Italian songs-only 6 beautiful renditions of Mozart--Why not more?The most touching Violetta --not only deeply expressive but with great technique--Her Bellini and Puccini are in the same league--why wasn't she recorded more? Recording executives missed the opportunity to preserve more fully one of most wonderful vocalists of the 20th century-- Her one recorded operatic role was recorded when she was not well --reported to have had a cold

This is my first hearing of Ms. Sayao and it's a real surprise, both in performance and sound. Every selection is beautfully performed by a flawless singer who knows her material. It's a treat to hear these arias sung with great understanding rather than bravura. The sound is excellent mono, with great clarity and no background noise.

....is a joy forever. Since Madame Sayao sang her last notes more than 50 years ago, few will know her. That is truly sad...from the mid 1930's to the early 1950's, Bidu made the lyric soprano repertoire her own. Trained in Europe as the last student of the great Jean de Reszke, she combined a beautiful voice with a perfect technique. Bidu sang the whole lyric gamut, from Mozart to Puccini, but Violetta, Juliette, and Mimi were roles for the ages. To my mind, she remains the absolutely definitive Mimi....

In this absolutely wonderful collection, we get to hear arias from two of her three greatest roles, Juliette being found elsewhere. In addition, her Mozart sparkles, and the "Butterfly" and "Gianni Schicchi" selections will make your heart flutter. [OK, I know; Albanese was the definitive Butterfly...still...]. And, if that's not enough, the Debussy is worth the whole price.

Today, Bidu is a forgotten treasure to all but a few. Not just a great voice, but maybe the most gorgeous female ever to grace an Opera stage. God blessed her with beauty, talent, and length of days...she, in turn blessed us all. Sadly, she didn't record much...several Columbia albums in the 1940's. But, those show her absolute prime. When Bidu quit in 1952, she had the sense to stay quit. If you love great singing, do not fail to grab this. Maybe my vicarious crush shows in this review; that's OK; this was a singer, and this is an album, for the ages.

I have rarely bought an album that I was so pleased with. This album ranks with Joan Sutherland's "Art of the Prima Donna." The engineering is superb, and Bidu Sayao is in magnificent voice on all of it. It would be worth the price if only for the "O mio babbino caro" and Musetta's waltz, which I have never heard done better, but all of the album is beautiful. She was one of the greatest sopranos of the twentieth century and this album will prove it to anyone but a total idiot.

Excellent, amazing, recommend.

(excelente para conhecermos melhor uma das mais importantes e conhecidas sopramos de todo o mundo)

This is sheer delight. For an evening of complete sensory pleasure, read the Rosetti poem, let a Godiva chocolate melt in you mouth, look at the Pre-Raphaelite painting, sip some sweet sparkling wine, and listen to this recording(lying down, of course).

How can you resist someone whose name is "Bidu"? Don't bother trying: listen to this CD and you'll hear the same warmth and sensitivity that enchanted listeners half a century ago. It's hard to believe that these recordings date from the 1940's, since the mono sound is full and there's hardly any surface noise. Sony deserves high praise for a wonderful remastering job, as well as beautiful packaging and good notes.