The Fabulous Victoria De Los Angeles

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Performer), Johann Christian Bach (Composer), Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Hector Berlioz (Composer), Johannes Brahms (Composer), Ernest Chausson (Composer), Claude Debussy (Composer), Henri Duparc (Composer), Antonin Dvorak (Composer), Oscar Espla (Composer), Manuel de Falla (Composer), Gabriel Faure (Composer), Enrique Granados (Composer), Reynaldo Hahn (Composer), George Frederick Handel (Composer), Franz Joseph Haydn (Composer), Federico Mompou (Composer), Xavier Montsalvatge (Composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Henry Purcell (Composer)

Product Details

• Performer: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
• Composer: Johann Christian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz, Johannes Brahms, Ernest Chausson, et al.
• Audio CD (February 15, 1994)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 4
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B000002S5G
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #192,891 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #31 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( B ) > Bach, Johann Christian
  #58 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( T ) > Turina, Joaquin
  #59 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( C ) > Chausson, Ernest

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The word "fabulous" seems vulgar when applied to the Spanish diva whose delicately shaded voice encompassed music from the middle ages to the present. This four-disc compilation emphasizes her song repertoire, to which she brought warmth, intelligence, linguistic integrity and irresistible sincerity. Her dignity makes listeners want to come to her, and she rewards them with an intimate, personal experience, especially in this small-scale repertoire by Ravel, Debussy, Duparc, Fauré, lots of Spanish composers and German masters such as Schubert and Brahms. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous? Yes!!!, September 13, 1999

By A Customer

The album is a marvelous sampling of this great singer's artistry. Her performances of the French and Spanish composers are something special. The De Falla "Seven Popular Folksongs" are powerful, passionate; the last song, "Jota," raised the hair on the back of my neck.

I was delighted to see Faure's "Claire de lune" on the album, and equally delighted with De Los Angeles' elegant rendition of this work. The only recording of the song I've liked better is from an LP featuring Frederika Von Stade.

As an added bonus, several duets with the great baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau are featured on Disk #4. These include some charming settings of Irish songs by Beethoven, and a gorgeous arrangement of "Let Us Wander" by Henry Purcell. I remember hearing these duets years ago on an LP recording, and it was a pleasure to hear them again.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome musicality, July 25, 2006

By	huphucxyz - See all my reviews

This 4-CD set is a tribute to the concert career of the great Victoria de Los Angeles. The first 3 CDs show her totally at home in the art song of France and of her native Spain. In the French art songs, her silvery, creamy tone, her legendary legato and her perfect French diction make for wonderful and unforgettable performances. These include a sensual Scheherazade, magnificient singing in the Duparc songs and a phenomenal Poeme de L'amour et de la mer of Chausson (try to keep your eyes dry by the end of La mort de l'amour). In the Chausson, while de Los Angeles does not opt for the intensely Wagnerian approach, her sensitive singing more than does justice to the poetry and the feelings of the character. The Spanish songs showcase de Los Angeles at her most natural, flamboyant and attractive singing. The tunes are catchy, full of bouncy rhythms and De Los Angeles's fabulous voice never ceases to amaze. The 4th CD shows the wonderful chemistry between de Los angeles and the great Gerald Moore. While she does not erase memories of Fischer-Dieskau and Schwarzkopf in the Schubert selections, the Brahms songs are excellent and her Faure songs here are earth shaking in their elegance and refinement. The Italian and the famous Handel aria helps to prove De Los Angeles's reputation as an excellent bel canto singer. Her duets with Fischer-Dieskau are absolutely memorable and gorgeous.
The set comes with booklet including full words plus translations, helpful notes on De Los Angeles's concert career and a dozen of beautiful and rare black and white photos. Victoria de Los Angeles's concert career was as prolific as her legendary operatic performances and continued well after her retirement from the operatic stage. This introspective and almost encycopledic release is a real treat and is absolutely recommended. I totally agree with the editor's review who states that the word "fabulous" fails in every respect to fully capture the artistry of the Spanish soprano. Victoria de Los Angeles is definitely one of the most wonderful lyric sopranos of the 20th century and is one of the most heavenly artists to have ever graced the concert scene. A must-have for any collection.

3.0 out of 5 stars the complete Victoria de los Angeles, January 6, 2009

By	J. R. Cawley (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This 4 CD collection is a must for hard core de los Angeles fans. The recordings are, of course, dated and the quality is not up to modern standards. Still, this amazing voice shines. I bought it for the duets with Fischer-Dieskau (I had the LP years ago) and it was wonderful to hear these again.