Great Operatic Arias

Thomas Allen (Performer), Charles Gounod (Composer), Gioachino Rossini (Composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Richard [Classical] Wagner (Composer), Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Ambroise Thomas (Composer), Giuseppe Verdi (Composer), Georges Bizet (Composer), Benjamin Britten (Composer), Johann II [Junior] Strauss (Composer), Franz Lehar (Composer), Richard Rodgers (Composer), Erich Wolfgang Korngold (Composer), David Parry (Conductor), London Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Janice Watson (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Thomas Allen, Janice Watson
• Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: David Parry
• Composer: Charles Gounod, Gioachino Rossini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Richard [Classical] Wagner, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, et al.
• Audio CD (February 22, 2005)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Chandos
• ASIN: B0006SGF1Y
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #329,322 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #100 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Composers > Korngold, Erich Wolfgang

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Musician of Great Dignity and Style, July 26, 2005

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Great Operatic Arias (Audio CD)

Sir Thomas Allen is one of the enduring baritones who has been able to move throughout the operatic repertoire and the recital stage with intelligence, informed characterization, and immaculate musicianship. To have a recording of some of the roles he has inhabited at this point in his career is a gift (this CD was recorded in 2003). To have the added challenge of retaining the stature of the roles while sung in English translations at the request of Chandos is a credit to his abilities and communicative powers.

English is a difficult language to make musical, though saying that abruptly is countered by the fact that some of the most beautiful operas in history are by Benjamin Britten, a composer who truly understood his native tongue and kept it as fluid as the soaring melodies he wrote, as Thomas Allen proves here in 'Billy in the Darbies' from Britten's 'Billy Budd'. It is the other major arias from Korngold to Wagner to Tchaikovsky to Rossini, Bizet, Mozart, Gounod, Verdi, Thomas, Strauss, and Lehar that Allen proves that English translations do not detract at all from the performances!

For those purists who prefer opera sung in the original language (and for those who don't even need supertitles in the opera house!), then this recording may provide a temporary barrier to respecting Allen's singing. But once caught up in the ease with which he moves from style to style and comedy to drama, it is hard not to relinquish old preferences and not be wholly impressed with the beauty of the voice and the warmth and dignity of this fine musician. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, July 05

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Passed the "Opera in English" test with flying colors., July 3, 2005

By 

OperaOnline.us "OperaOnline.us" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Operatic Arias (Audio CD)

For me, the test here was Figaro's Cavatina, from Rossini's Barber of Seville - sung in English, as is this entire compilation of 14 operatic favorites, sung by baritone Sir Thomas Allen. Could he pull it off? Could Chandos pull it off? The answer is an unequivocal, unqualified yes! The secret in singing classics in English, that were written and scored in another language, is in three things: pacing, vocal agility and appreciation for "fit", and what greater test for tongue and timing than Figaro? When you listen to this one song, you will understand why Chandos and its benefactor, Sir Peter Moores have such a passion for their Opera in English series. Sir Allen's voice is a matured unmistakably settled baritone voice that contains a lifetime's worth of understanding of the music and words he imparts through his magnificent delivery. For example, when he sings, Tchaikovsky's "You have my love and devotion" from The Queen of Spades, he delivers a smooth and deeply emotional rendition that lacks nothing in translation. Wagner's "Turning my gaze upon this proud assembly", from Tannhäuser is another example of how fine, full orchestration behind a seasoned voice that waxes eloquent with every phrase, can create a mood of relaxed familiarity with word and music, that may be lacking when sung in another tongue. Great Operatic Arias, serves up a smorgasbord of tunes that are familiar, made more so by the care and attention given to creating a place for the Opera in English series in every home library. The mood here is romantic, relaxed and with few exceptions consistent throughout. If you haven't heard Opera in English, this might be a good way to start, given the fact that the listener gets to sample how different composers might sound in other than German, Italian or French. You might be surprised to discover that when done with care, as is obviously the case here, the sound is about as good as it gets. As an added bonus, the booklet that comes with the CD is full of pictures, libretto in English, and biography that gives us a good insight into history of the singer and his identifying rolls.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good collection, May 14, 2007

By 

D. Strickland - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Great Operatic Arias (Audio CD)

Unlike the huge names, collections by Allen are not many - plenty of his opera performances are recorded, but there are only a few collections. My voice teacher recommended I listen to him to understand better how to deliver power without weight, something we've been working on. Yes, it's all in English, but that's fine, and the quality of Allen's instrument comes through very well.