Customer Reviews

Kiri Te Kanawa sings Verdi and Puccini Arias

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

 

 

The original CD release of this collection of Verdi & Puccini arias was a major disappointment. On the CBS label, the sound levels were extremely low, and the depth of the sound field extremely limited. Recorded at a time when Te Kanawa's voice was at it's most glorious, and popularised by the use of two of the Puccini arias in the Merchant Ivory film "Room with a View" (Chi il bel sogno di Doretta (La Rondine) & O mio babbino caro (Gianni Schicchi))the CD release was a major disappointment. Sony have thankfully righted this wrong, and with the use of their proprietory Direct Stream Digital (DSD) remastering, the result is a massive improvement. In addition, as the original CD was a bit on the short side, they have included 5 welcome bonus tracks to bring the total time of the disc to a reasonable 69.13 minutes. Admittedly, not all the releases in this series should qualify as "Great Performances", but this is certainly one that does, and a most welcome re-release at a bargain price. Highly recommended. Grab it while you can.

The most desired album request for my wifes 50th. The spots were played off her ancient inferior tape. Apparently there was a question of some studio problem on an earlier CD. Anyhow.....It was past time for renewal. This CD is the prize of our collection;as usual the bargain merchants at Amazon made this purchase possible.

I fell in love with Kiri when I first heard her sing "O mio babbino caro" in the Corbelle commercial many years ago. I did not know who sang it or what the piece was but I never forgot it. I mainly bought this CD for that aria but it also has "Un bel di verdremo" from Madam Butterfly which I also love. Very happy with it. Fantastic voice.

The Puccini aias are very good. I was disappointed by the selection of Verdi arias.