Jane Eaglen - Bellini & Wagner

Jane Eaglen (Artist), Vincenzo Bellini (Composer), Richard Wagner (Composer), Mark Elder (Conductor), Covent Garden Royal Opera House (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Covent Garden Royal Opera House
• Conductor: Mark Elder
• Composer: Vincenzo Bellini, Richard Wagner
• Audio CD (October 15, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony Classical
• ASIN: B0000029OA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #362,033 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #6 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Eaglen, Jane

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Bellini and Wagner may seem like a musical odd couple, but the pairing makes sense since Italian bel canto formed one of the streams that fed the tumultuous torrent of Wagnerian music drama. Jane Eaglen's sumptuous dramatic soprano is a throwback to rare prima donnas of the past who excelled in the music of both composers although, like them, she possesses a voice whose size and amplitude often defeat the microphone's ability to capture it with realism. Still, there's much to admire, including the sheer novelty of so sizeable a voice negotiating Bellini's fragile lines and the sheer beauty of much of the singing. However, despite some thrilling whoops and hollers in Brünnhilde's battle cry from Die Walküre, impact is dimmed by a hint of interpretive blandness, routine orchestral accompaniments, and, especially in Bellini, a rhythmic slackness. An important, if flawed, document of one of the great voices of our age. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awsome, Thrilling and Brilliant, November 8, 2000

By 

"aleibo31" (Dobbs Ferry, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jane Eaglen - Bellini & Wagner (Audio CD)

Do not hesitate, simply stop what you are doing and order this CD. Jane Eaglen is the finast drmatic soprano singing today, and one of the three or four best of all time. She has the golden tones of Kirsten Flagstad along with the thrilling high notes of Birgit Nilsson. This disc is a wonderful example of her ability, listen to the beautiful phrasing and tone of Casta Diva and the Liebestoad and then compare it to the awesome attack of the Hojotoho battle cry. I have heard her sing many times at the Met here in NY and each and every time I walk out of the opera house in awe. She sings the most demanding roles in opera and makes it look so easy and effortless it is almost criminal. I recently saw her perform as Isolde, opposite Ben Heppner, and her voice was as glorious at the end as it was five hours earlier. She is the BOMB.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, April 18, 2000

By 

essmac "smcsls" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jane Eaglen - Bellini & Wagner (Audio CD)

You at least have to hand it to Ms. Eaglen for doing Wagner and Bellini. It's wonderful that someone still finds it important to do both, realizing how much a Wagnerian performance can benefit from some bel canto proficiency. Still, the Bellini just seems a little limp. In interviews, Ms. Eaglen seems like a humorous, opinionated, forthright person, but these qualities don't come across in this recording. However, if your main interest is a Valkyrie warcry complete with trills as written, you won't be disappointed.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disapointed, July 15, 2005

By 

Kevin Mulder "Opera crazy" (Enschede, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jane Eaglen - Bellini & Wagner (Audio CD)

When I first bought this recording I was very impressed by Eaglen singing of Bellini and Wagner. But after listening to singers as Callas, Sutherland, Nilsson she sounds inadequate.

I don't no why she thinks she can pull this off. The person who wrote that Eaglen's Norma was the best must be out his mind.

I whas also stupid enough to buy her recording of Turandot. Eaglen and O'neil both sound awful on that recording. The only Eaglen recording I can recommend is her Tosca. Forget everything else.