Italian Opera Arias [Original recording remastered]

Arrigo Boito (Composer), Pietro Mascagni (Composer), Amilcare Ponchielli (Composer), Giacomo Puccini (Composer), Giuseppe Verdi (Composer), Edward Downes (Conductor), Royal Opera House Chorus and Orchestra Covent Garden (Orchestra), Régine Crespin (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Régine Crespin
• Orchestra: Royal Opera House Chorus and Orchestra Covent Garden
• Conductor: Edward Downes
• Composer: Arrigo Boito, Pietro Mascagni, Amilcare Ponchielli, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi
• Audio CD (April 13, 2004)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B000174LXE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #472,454 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous singing by a great singer, May 14, 2004

By 

V. Chau (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Italian Opera Arias (Audio CD)

This recital is full of very good vocalism. Régine Crespin was the greatest opera singer France produced after World War 2. She had a huge, beautiful dramatic soprano voice. She sings all the arias here really well, though her agility is not the best and she cannot muster a real trill for "L'altra notte in fondo al mare". It must be noted that she has a short and rather shrill top register, but her middle register is very beautiful, with a slightly metallic sound, and her lower register is very strong and imposing. Her "Suicidio!" is sung with firm, strong low notes. She sings the Willow Song from Verdi's "Otello" beautifully, and her "Ave Maria" is gorgeous, with a ravishing piano high A-flat at the end. Everywhere on this CD, she displays her trademark crystal-clear diction. The sound on this CD barely hints at the huge size of her voice, though it is very good. Decca should have released this recording with better notes. We get some biographical and career information on Crespin, and the dramatic context of each of the arias included on the recording. All of this is printed on a cardboard case in very small text, with the CD facing the information. There is no booklet, and therefore, no texts and translations.

If you want to hear Crespin at her best, try to acquire her live recordings. They are very hard to find, but are well worth the effort. The live recordings really show how big her voice was, and give you some idea of the enormous lower register she had at her disposal. Unlike many soprano lower registers, hers was feminine sounding and quite beautiful.