16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bravissima!, July 20, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: "Montserat Caballe sings Bellini and Donizetti (Audio CD)
This certainly is an album to treasure. RCA did a fairly good job of restoring these late 60's - early 70s recordings so we can marvel at one of the most beautiful soprano voices ever. Hers is the one of the very few sopranos you can listen to on headphones. I won't say anything bad about Callas, but just try listening to her on headphones, aspirin? Caballe's wonderful silvery yet smooth voice supplemented by peerless pronunciation and vivid characterization goes "straight to the heart." And what pianissimos! She is, of course, renown for these, so don't underestimate her power, no smaller than Callas' but clear, without the shrilling: listen to the beginning of "Havvi un dio!" or the Anna Bolena's Mad Scene. Even with her high tessitura, she is quite capable of producing strong low notes, and never comes across as one of those faceless "canary" sopranos. Her voice could not be mistaken for anyone's, no one sounds remotely like Montserrat! Every one of her interpretations is very personal and touching. Interestingly, even for Bellini, who seemed to be concerned only with sheer beauty of sound, Caballe finds ways to accentuate the real emotion, thereby giving the arias a dramatic "Verdian" touch. She has been recorded probably more than any other soprano, however there's no hype surrounding her name. This is, most likely, due to her modesty, femininity and class, so rare in a Diva, the qualities that shine through on every aria.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
BEL CANTO PERFECTION! GIFT FROM GOD!, June 21, 2003
This review is from: "Montserat Caballe sings Bellini and Donizetti (Audio CD)
This recital and the other RCA masterpiece M. Caballe: Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi rarities are two recitals that every opera fan DESERVES to hear! It's a gift for all of us who love the sound of bel canto and opera in general.
These are exactly the roles Caballe was born to sing. Her voice and musicianship are wonders! Everything on this CD is sung with such emotion and vocal brilliance that makes me forget any other reading of these famous pieces.
Casta Diva has been superbly performed and recorded before Caballe by legends like Callas and Sutherland and it's hard not to compare them. Yet, in my opinion there is no competition. It's Caballe that I will listen to for the ultimate reading of this piece. It's the perfect combination of her gorgeous voice (I can't get enough of her high notes here!) and expressiveness that makes the difference.
The same goes for the other tracks of this recital. Just listen how she phrases Imogene's "Col sorriso d'innocenza". It's as if time stops when she utters that phrase. Sadly, Caballe did not completely record Roberto Devereux or Maria di Rohan or Anna Bolena in studio. I would have sacrificed many other recordings of hers just to have her in studio in these roles. "Mira o Norma" is taken from her complete Norma recording and Cossotto's wonderful Adalgisa perfectly compliments Caballe's high priestess. The recital ends with Caballe singing some of her best pianissimi in Bolena's scene.
Purchase this recital and discover the world of opera! Just keep in mind that Montserrat Caballe's singing here is addictive!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Stunning Recital Disc, June 26, 2002
This review is from: "Montserat Caballe sings Bellini and Donizetti (Audio CD)
There is probably no end to the compliments that I can give this recital disc, which I think is the best currently available on CD by any artist. Montserrat Caballe never sounded so good. Fortunately the sessions captured are, for the most part, early in her career, when she was singing the Marguerites and Violettas. In other words a perfect time in her career to make a recording of bel canto arias, while the voice is still young. Then again, even late into her performing career, Caballe's bel canto skills were fully in evidence.
But what sets Caballe apart from her brethren, such as Sutherland, Moffo, Sills, even Scotto, is that smoky, rich, lush Caballe sound to flesh out what is normally songbird material. And the sheer power of her voice has yet to be equalled in the bel canto repertoire, at least in recordings.
Where she is at her most triumphant on this disc is in the Bellini material. She is known as one of the preeminent Normas of her time, and here we get a glorious taste of what dramatic bel canto singing is all about. Her "Casta diva" is glorious. It is limpid in the slow section and powerful in the cabaletta, with the voice as strong and sure as any I have heard. Her coloratura is first rate.
Similarly brilliant is the Mad Scene from "Il Pirata", which gets a thoroughly rousing rendition here. Caballe's interpretation of the cabaletta is one of finest executed on record--vocally pristine and dramatically spot on. Simply amazing.
The duet from "Norma" is from a later full-length recording and is certainly listenable, if not to quite the same standard as the other Bellini excerpts.
The Donizetti arias also fare quite well, with the exerpt from "Anna Bolena" standing out as the strongest, again demonstrating Caballe's strength and her ability to sing gently, and there is always the trademark pianissimi.
But it's the Bellini for me which carries the day, and I can think of no other interpretations that best Caballe's as heard on this CD. She has long been one of my favorite singers, and to be able to hear her in her vocal prime is an amazing experience. The sheer flexibility of her voice is a marvel considering its relatively dramatic heft. She is that rare combination of awesome power and supple grace.
Supporting her brilliantly is conductor Carlo Felice Cillario, one of the finest of bel canto conductors, and one who seems to feel in his bones what bel canto should sound like. He keeps things moving along briskly, giving the cabaletta's the thrilling push they need, while allowing the slower movements their due. He also seems attuned to his singer, and the two compliment each other beautifully. There are no orchestral credits, but that does not obscure the fact that the playing is first rate.
Montserrat Caballe's singing on this CD is flawless, but, more than that, it is exciting. This CD is a marvel.
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