Customer Reviews

The Only Opera CD You'll Ever Need !

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

Sad.... Something of a waste of time (the listeners' that is). The CD requires a link to the Internet; this alone disqualifies it as anything that could be useful for even the tyro Opera listener. The selections afforded the listener are too brief, and the included "bio's" of Opera Singers/Composers are not extensive enough to have value. I rated this CD at 1 star simply because a zero or negative value was not available. The idea behind this CD was excellent, the execution was not.

The clips are so short, they could use them as audio clues on Jeopardy. I threw it away; didn't want it taking up space on my shelf.

If one is buying this to play on a CD audio system, this is a mis-leading and very disappointing compilation of "excerpts" from famous operas by famous artists.

To most classical music lovers, an "excerpt" is a fully-set piece from within a larger work. In orchestral music, usually a full movement; in opera, usually an aria, duet, chorus, etc.

This collection features literally seconds from many operas, randomly starting and stopping with no thought to context or musical phrases. One doesn't even get a taste for the work or the singers in the length of time alotted for each snippet. The most interesting thing about the whole package is the cover.

However, this might make a good gag gift for people who hate opera.

with 100+ track listings that these were not complete samples. Somehow I didn't notice this until AFTER I bought it. This CD gives you NO idea of how these pieces sound, it's better suited for a game of opera Name That Tune. Please, don't waste your money.

Don't WASTE your $$$. ...---I thought excerpts meant FULL excerpts. Not 15 second wonders!!

this cd is not what its cracked up to be. The songs play for only 30 seconds (or less), leaving the listener wanting more.

However, if the cd is played on the computer, not only is the music heard, but the viewer can read about the performer. On some (not all) of the selections, there is a synopsis of the opera being listened to.

in short, a great cd for a opera novice, a disapointment for an opera buff.

I have several of "The Only [ ] CD You'll Ever Need, and this one really sucks! The longest track is a minute, and it is just samples of opera, you can't even get into an opera before another sample is thrown your way. I did what any self respecting opera critic would have done, and threw it out.

Do not buy this. It's THE WORST intro to the opera, as the cover image can attest to. TINY snippets are amassed here. AMAZINGLY, they even included Adele's Laughing Song from "The Bat" by... Florence Foster Jenkins! The purpose of this release seems to be to lure people away from the opera.
Absolutely distasteful!

I should only blame myself for not checking out more reviews... this is a CD filled with short, little snippets of great operas songs... and I mean SHORT, LITTLE snippets of 30 seconds or so, each. Don't buy this CD... it is a complete rip off... and that is saying ALOT since it is only $4.00... Again, my fault for not reading the reviews but I trusted that something called a "Music CD" would actually have complete songs... What else does this company offer? A "Music CD" that only has the intros or applause tracks to great songs...?

Move on to something else... Amazon has a great selection... just not this one.

No wonder 100+ songs fit into one cd, and no wonder it was so cheap. I thought it was going to have the whole song. I wanted to hear the whole song, but instead got tiny samples of stuff we'll hear on tv, commercials, movies, etc. And these samples are so short it's not even worth it. Plus it's an enhanced cd. I never even bother with the special features.