Customer Reviews

Mascagni - Cavalleria Rusticana & Leoncavallo - Pagliacci / Pavarotti, Freni, Varady, Cappuccilli, Gavazzeni, Patanč

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

 

 

This CD-Box is outstanding. Here you will find Pavarotti at his best, surrounded by other great artists. The few minutes of "Ridi pagliaccio", by itself, is worth more than the full price. When I listen to this CD, or to "La Boheme", or "Turandot", by the same label (Decca), all sung by Pavarotti during his peak years, I cannot avoid finding myself, at some point, with tears in my eyes. If you love opera, you should also own all Puccini sung by Pavarotti in his best years. I think that whatever Pavarotti did or sung in his latest years cannot stain a life of wonderful achievements. And it's beautiful that his achievements will be available for everybody to listen for ages to come.
But beware... After listening to these wonderful Decca-Pavarotti recordings, most live performances of these operas may end up being very disappointing...

I was so looking forward to hearing Pavarotti in this memorable role and was so disappointed in finding that Pagliacci begins with the chorus and not the prologe....Why was this not noted? I wish I had read the reviews to realize I was not getting the complete opera. I bought it for the COMPLETE opera not the excerpts that I got. I am very disappointed and am sadly returning it to find the complete opera. Beware those of you who are looking for the complete opera. You will NOT get it here. Although you will be get a masterpiece of music.

I bought this to hear Pagliacci, but ended up enjoying the other opera, Cavalleria Rusticana, more. The solo vocals on one of the recordings are a bit distant in parts, but otherwise the sound is good. I'm a bit of an opera newbie, but they're both worth a listen.

Every piece has its magic moment, it's "money shot." For Turandot it's Nessum Dorma. For The Messiah, it's the Hallelujah Chorus. For Cavelleria Rusticana it's the Easter Prayer scene, the entrance of the corpus de Jesus. Preghiera, or Easter Hymn. That piece is missing from this otherwise delicious rendition. This CD SHOULD have been noted as excerpted -- featuring most solos/duets... only. Caveat emptor. It's a reasonable price to pay to hear Pavarotti. But when the melody is referenced in other pieces, you realize what you're out. There is a decent version of it on the Godfather III soundtrack, believe it or not.

I bought this CD because I was in the choir of a production of "I Pagliacci" in the city Stjųrdal, Norway in 2002. (The opera is called "Bajazzo" in Germany and Scandinavia)
I had not heard very much of the music before I got the recording, but I have listened to it several times now!
The music by leoncavallo is beautiful - it thrills with the light, soft songs but it also amazes with the powerful and dramatical songs!
My favorite songs are the choir of the bells, Silvio and Nedda's love duet, Vesti la giubba (as you might have heard) and the whole second act.

I have started to listen to "Cavalleria Rusticana" too, though I haven't heard all of it. But it seems like a great opera too - the music touches me. Actually, I'm working on a translation of Cavalleria Rusticana. I don't think it has been translated to Norwegian before, and it's a hard job!

The singers are masters! Pavarotti is well-known, and he is BIG!! But I think he maybe is emphasized too much, but he is the star...
Alas you can nearly hear the choir! Especially the male voices. That is a pity!! (only on Pagliacci)