Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A TREASURE OF SINGING ----- IN A LAVISH PRESENTATION, April 18, 2008
Marilyn Horne is plainly one of the greatest classical singers ever heard. She stands beside Caruso, Bjoerling, Flagstad, Callas, Sutherland, Caballe, Domingo, Pavarotti and every other "great". Horne's mezzo-soprano voice was astounding, with booming chest tones, a seamless middle, and a flaming top. Moreover, she had the rare ability to execute the most intricate and fearsome bel canto coloratura embellishments. She was fundamental in the revival of the bel canto repertoire (began by Callas, and continued by Sutherland, Caballe, and Sills) and managed to make operas like "La Donna del Lago", "Semiramide", "Ermione", "Tancredi", and "L'Assedio di Corinto" available to a operatic public who only read of these titles in opera history books. I myself had the pleasure of hearing her in Rossini operas in Chicago ("L'Italiana in Algeri", Il Barbiere di Siviglia", as well as a revival of "Semiramide" with Joan Sutherland in a performance that I will never forget. But Horne was too much of an artist to be a one-composer singer, no matter how gifted a vocal technician she was. She ventured into the lieder of Mahler, Schubert, Wolf, Schumann, as well as into such diverse composers as Granados, Nin, Faure, Debussy, Berlioz, and Massenet. She commanded German, French, Spanish and English, as well as Italian. She performed Bach and Handel magnificently, and she was as at home on the recital platform as she was in the opera house. And of course, she became the first mezzo soprano since the long-ago Ernestine Schumann Heink to undertake the role of Fides in "Le Prophete" at the Metropolitan Opera.
This magnificent eleven disc set, at a very wonderful price, includes music from nearly all of the repertoire noted above. Each recital is presented with the original London/Decca cover art, and the entire set has a very classy accompanying book. Included in this all-encompassing set is her first operatic recital, her "Souvenir of a Golden Age", the German Lieder set, the French and Spanish Song recital, the French Opera arias with orchestra, two Mahler recitals, an American Song Recital, and virtually everything she recorded for London/Decca in the LP days. None of her complete operas are here, of course. There's plenty here without them.
London-Decca is to be commended and congratulated in making available once again (many on CD for the first time) these incredibly rich performances. Marilyn Horne is deserving of no less a tribute. She was and still is one of a kind. My advice to all of you is to grab this spectacular box set at the incredibly low price Amazon is selling it for.
My highest recommendations.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond the realm of five stars . . ., May 21, 2008
Marilyn Horne's career is beyond the reach of the five star standard. I have had the pleasure of hearing her sing in person many times at the Lyric in Chicago as well as in recital. These discs bring a flood of memories of the size, beauty, range, and absolute glory of her voice.
"Souvenir of a Golden Era" was always my favorite of her recordings; as a consequence I was so pleased to hear that it would be re-released. When I learned that it would be available in this set as well, how could I resist. I actually still have all these discs in vinyl, but could not resist the opportunity to purchase this wonderful compilation and overview of her career.
The most glorious evening I have ever spent in the opera house was the night I heard "Semiramide" at the Lyric. Chicago was in the grip of a fierce blizzard. However, I waited outside the stage door for both Marilyn and Joan to emerge to collect their autographs on my program. Miss Horne and Dame Joan were astounded to see this snow covered person standing and waiting and were graciously signed my program. Marilyn left the "e" off of her signature, remarking, "I've forgotten the final 'e.'" She tacked it on with a giggle and a smile. I shall never forget the experience and, of course, cherish that program to this day.
As I listen to these discs, my memories of her last recital here in Chicago come flooding back as she remarked that she would be enlisting in Medicare soon and noted "the voice isn't what it used to be." How we all wished it would never diminish. Thank you Decca/London for this rare gift.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a TREASURE TROVE....thank you, Decca/Universal, September 11, 2008
what to say??? First, "THANK YOU" to Decca records for assembling and presenting this WONDERFUL collection to us, honoring this Great Lady...the complete recital recordings of the Fabulous Ms Horne...certainly one of the GREATEST SINGERS of the Century. I do not recall a more distinctive mezzo voice in my many years of listening to opera and classical voice recordings. She had a seamless, absolutely stellar voice, and used it well, carving her niche in the history of Great Operatic Singing. These 11 discs are all stunning on their own as individuals, but packaged up together, in this Beautiful Box Set, and with the Original Album Cover Art reproduced on the individual sleeves, as well as the documentation presented with them, make this set a true Treasure-Trove, and Meaningful Remembrance of Ms Horne's long and memorable career. In today's "money, money, money" world, where we think that things are produced simply to "sell", it is refreshing, and heartening, to know that the people at Decca have produced this set Not for Quick Bucks, but as a Homogeneous Testament to the Talent and Memory of Marilyn Horne, truly one of America's Greatest Treasures...here, "ART" takes first place over "dollars". Thank You, Decca records for giving us this great collection of Ms Horne's solo recordings.
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