Marcello Giordani - Tenor Arias

Giovanni Guagliardo (Performer), Gioachino Rossini (Composer), Gaetano Donizetti (Composer), Vincenzo Bellini (Composer), Giovanni Pacini (Composer), Georges Bizet (Composer), Giuseppe Verdi (Composer), Pietro Mascagni (Composer), Steven Mercurio (Conductor), Maria Arghiracopulos (Performer), Cantania Philharmonic Orchestra of the Bellini Theatre (Orchestra), Marcello Giordani (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Giovanni Guagliardo, Maria Arghiracopulos, Marcello Giordani
• Orchestra: Cantania Philharmonic Orchestra of the Bellini Theatre
• Conductor: Steven Mercurio
• Composer: Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, Vincenzo Bellini, Giovanni Pacini, Georges Bizet, et al.
• Audio CD (November 18, 2003)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B0000TSR0G
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,109 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

"Marcello Giordani sang like a god." (The New York Times) The Sicilian born tenor, Marcello Giordani, has garnered many accolades for his performances, which include Tosca, Un ballo in maschera, Eugene Onegin, La Damnation de Faust, La favorita, La bohème, Lucrezia Borgia and Verdi’s Requiem. Emerging as one of the leading Romantic tenors of the present day, Marcello Giordani is in demand at the world’s major opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, La Scala, Vienna, Zurich and Verona.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most under-rated tenor of today, December 9, 2003

By 

Rosomax (Boulder, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marcello Giordani - Tenor Arias (Audio CD)

When you hear the seemingly endless "fourth tenor" talk, you rarely hear the name Marcello Giordani. This is both good and bad. The good part is that every artist needs to be appreciated as an individual, not simply as a "second XYZ tenor". Another good aspect is that given the context of this discussion, we probably will not see Giordani making a foray into the glitzy world of pop music. The bad part, though, is that the man and his art are not well known on this side of the Atlantic safe for the recent run of "Eugeny Onegin" at the MET. There are precious few commercial recordings available with him, a notable exception being recently released complete "Jerusalem" under Luisi.
So it's a small miracle of sorts that we're able to get this CD, and at an extremely low price.
The voice itself never fails to impress. It has a marvelous bronze ring and a well-focused top, with velvety "baritonal" timbre. It pleasantly reminded this listener of young Jose Carreras. This is a voice that's perfect for early Verdian romantic hero roles, as well as the roles of bel-canto repertoire. This disc, therefore, is a showcase for Giordani's skill in these areas since Verdi, Bellini, and Rossini are prominently featured. Do not delay in getting this CD, this is a tenor you have to hear.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Decent Introduction to One of Today's Best Tenor's...., October 29, 2004

By 

Amazon Jon "AJ" (Connecticut, United Staates) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marcello Giordani - Tenor Arias (Audio CD)

Though he has been singing professionally for nearly twenty years now, Marcello Giordani has only recently "come into his own" as a tenor. Part of this, I believe, is the lack of hype surrounding him and lack of an exclusive recording contract. While recordings by the likes of Bocelli, Alagna, Cura, and Alvarez flood the CD stores, Giordani's output has been minimal. This is quite unfortunate because, for the most part, Marcello Giordani is better than these singers.

This disc serves as a good introduction to the wonderfully warm and versatile vocie of this Sicilian tenor. He is not necessarily heard at his best here, though. Some of this may have to do with the fact that it was recorded rather quickly at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo. While it's nice that the CD has a sort of "live" quality to it, Giordani too often sounds rushed and labored. Still, there are moments to here treasure.

Having seen most of his recent triumphs in New York City over the last couple of years (ADRIANA LECOUVREUR, IL PIRATA & LA GIOCONDA) I feel that his voice is best appreciated live. There are moments where he definitely comes up short on this recording, but there are two major exceptions: the aria from CARMEN and the aria from IL TROVATORE.

Giordani has always professed his love for singing French opera, and that is quite evident with the CARMEN excerpt. It is sung sweetly and with the final high note is right on the mark.

While it may be too soon for Giordani to tackle the role of Manrico in IL TROVATORE, his "Ah! Si Ben Mio" is absolutely perfect and I can safely say that I haven't heard this aria sung that well in quite some time.

While he does well with most of the other pieces on this disc, he won't exactly make you forget any other singers takes on them.

I admire NAXOS for releasing a CD of this tremendously underrated singer, however Giordani deserves even more. One hopes that a recording contract is in the works for him and listeners can then get an even better taste of this great voice.

Those who live in the New York area will have the chance this season to see him at the MET in two of his best roles: Gustavo in UN BALLO IN MASCHERA and Cavaradossi in TOSCA. This will be a way to hear this great singer at his best.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't pass this one by as just another tenor/aria indulgence, February 8, 2004

By 

Laurie Eckhout (Juneau, AK USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Marcello Giordani - Tenor Arias (Audio CD)

It took a couple of years to be released but finally it's here and well worth the wait. Giordani's voice embraces fluidly the Italian as well as the French. His flexibility is astounding with no perception of a struggle to attain those notes, high and low. Equally wonderful is Steven Mercurio's always "note-worthy" orchestrations. Mercurio's arrangement of Track 6 and Giordani's excellent vocals, make this a standout on the CD. Another favorite is Bizet's "La fleur..." Giordani's voice really shines in this piece with sweet passion from start to finish. As a whole this CD is full of great music. Every track is a gem. I look forward to future works from both Giordani and Mercurio. Superb CD!