Nabucco [Highlights]

Giuseppe Verdi (Composer), Fulvio Vernizzi (Conductor), Omroeporkest (Orchestra), Anita Cerquetti (Performer), Dino Dondi (Performer), Giampaolo Corradi (Performer), Giovanni Andrea Fioroni (Performer), Jolanda Mancini (Performer), Ugo Trama (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Anita Cerquetti, Dino Dondi, Giampaolo Corradi, Giovanni Andrea Fioroni, Jolanda Mancini, et al.
• Orchestra: Omroeporkest
• Conductor: Fulvio Vernizzi
• Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
• Audio CD (June 6, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Gala
• ASIN: B000001XMU
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #616,417 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): Throw down and destroy all festive decorations

2. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): Be of good cheer, my children!

3. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): There upon the shores of Egypt

4. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): What noise is that?

5. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): As night before the shining sun

6. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): Soldiers, the temple is taken!... Valiant soldier!

7. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): I loved you!

8. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): You saw him?

9. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): Finale: Long live Nebuchadnezzar!

10. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): What are you about?

11. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): Let the madmen tremble at my anger!

12. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): Down on your knees

13. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): My fury

14. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): Happy chance I found you

15. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): I, too, once opened

16. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): Who comes here

17. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): I now ascend the bloodstained seat

18. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): Woman, where are you?

19. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): Oh what deep shame afflicts my grey hairs!

20. Nabucco, opera (Nabucodonosor): What sound is that?

See all 28 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glorious Cerquetti in very good Nabucco, July 18, 2000

By 

Gustavo Demarco (Buenos Aires) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nabucco [Highlights] (Audio CD)

With the exception of the famous Hebrew's choir 'Va pensiero', the number of recordings of 'Nabucco' is notably low. One possible reason is the extraordinary vocal demand of the female leading role, King Nabucco's daughter Abigaille. Very few sopranos have succeeded with this difficult role: Maria Callas, Elena Suliotis, Renata Scotto, Ghena Dimitrova (arguably the best). Now we have a live recording of the great Italian soprano Anita Cerquetti, and she is probably so good as Dimitrova. Cerquetti was one of the greatest sopranos of the century, although she had an astonishingly short carreer (she retired at the age of 30!). Most of her (scarce) recordings are live performances, so having any single piece of recording of her extraordinary voice is a real must. This Nabucco was one of the last documents of her operatic carreer, and here she sounds so splendid that it remains a mystery why she decided to give up singing so soon afterwards. The rest of the cast is very good, especially the bass Ugo Trama as the High Priest Zaccaria. Dino Dondi is a good Nabucco, but his interpretation of the title role is not a reference. The orchestra sounds well, and the choir efficiently provides the necessary support. The quality of sound is good for the time (1960). To Summarize: This incredibly low priced recording has an adequate combination of the elements needed for a good Nabucco: A very good choir, an excellent bass (Trama), a good baritone (Dondi) and a star of stars as princess Abigail: the great soprano Anita Cerquetti. Enjoy it!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blistering Vocalism, February 22, 2001

By 

Neil P Kelly (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nabucco [Highlights] (Audio CD)

I first heard this rare pearl over 20 years ago on some faded third-generation cassette. Despite the dim sonics, I was thrilled to hear a diva who could actually negotiate the scorching roulades of Abigaille's music while still sounding like a singer and not some wounded forest creature howling in pain. Apart from Callas' live performance, we've had precious little to celebrate in recorded Abigailles. Sure, Scotto lit a few fires with her EMI pressing, but who wouldn't with a microphone clenched betweeen her teeth and the volume control nailed in place at the top of the control panel? For Heaven's sake, most of the current generation of half-wit dimpled divettes and "sound-enhanced" melody muffins could come off like an Abigaille with the right studio wizards calling the shots.

Cerquetti was the REAL thing. Like Margharita Roberti (listen to her in Christoff's ATTILA recording), Caterina Mancini and Fedora Barbieri, she came from a school of barnstormers who could shake the foundations of San Carlo or La Scala with truly schooled, crafted voices that emanated from the viscera and not the top of the larynx. Cerquetti was one of the Queens of Can Belto, and this new release in great sound is one of the treasures among re-releases of the past decade. I cast aside all conservatory terminology and call this type of performance a ripsnorter for the ages. With Callas, Cerquetti, and Dimitrova on disc, and the rare likes of Linda Roark-Strummer performing the role onstage, the other studio bunnies can turn their attention to gentler repertoire and give the rest of us a break.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cerquetti's Abigaille, September 5, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Nabucco [Highlights] (Audio CD)

First off, it should be known to the potential buyer that these are HIGHLIGHTS only. The mono sound is acceptable. Orchestra and chorus are average at best. The focus clearly is on Anita Cerquetti and her rendition of Abigaille. Even though in the booklet listing of tracks her name is omitted on the last cue point. I never heard this singer live. My first encounter with her voice was the studio GIOCONDA with del Monaco and Simionato and I liked it very much. As Abigaille I find her less convincing. The voice is beautiful and even. But she cannot convey Abigaille's high flying ambitions. She sounds noble most of the time. Never aggressive or infuriated or spiteful or menacing. Her repentance/dying scene is superficial. Which makes me wonder how often Miss Cerquetti may have had the chance to sing this role during her brief career and develop a feeling for it. At times she unexpectedly breaks a phrase to catch her breath, which I find somewhat irritating. And some climax seem "rushed". It's also a bit disappointing to me that the "Salgo gia" cabaletta gets no repeat. Guess such were the customs in those years, even for concert performances. I am pleased with Messrs. Dondi (in the title role) and Trama. Aside from their vocal qualities I find them very much in character. Also the singers of Fenena and Ismaele made me prick up my ears. Taken all in all, it's worthwhile to have this document. It will nicely supplement your studio NABUCCO. It's been a guilty pleasure of mine to compare Anita Cerquetti to Elena Suliotis and Dino Dondi to Tito Gobbi. And I wish that one day the Metropolitan Opera's NABUCCO with Leonie Rysanek under the baton of Thomas Schippers will appear on CD.