Operatic Arias

Leonie Rysanek (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 16, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000003GB6
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,474 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. La forza del destino:: Pace, pace, mio Dio

2. TOSCA: Vissi d'arte

3. Aida: Ritorna vincitor

4. Aida: Qui Radames verra; O patria mia

5. Andrea Chenier: La mamma morta

6. Turandot: In questa reggia

7. Cavalleria Rusticana: Voi lo sapete

8. Otello;: Canzone del salce

9. Otello;: Ave Maria

10. Un Ballo in Maschera: Ma dall arido stelo divulsa

11. Un Ballo in Maschera: Morro, ma prima in grazia

12. Macbeth: 'Nel di della vittoria...'; Vieni! t'affretta! accendere

13. Macbeth: La luce langua

14. Otello: Gia nella notte densa

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great recital disc!!!, October 31, 2003

By 

V. Chau (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Operatic Arias (Audio CD)

This recital was my introduction to the fabulous artistry of Leonie Rysanek. Having read so many good things about this soprano, I decided to buy this disc and hear for myself. This disc was a very pleasant surprise.

Rysanek has a huge, rich, soaring soprano voice. Her voice's glory is its intense, powerful, immense upper register. Hearing her top B's, B-flats, and C's on disc definitely makes one wonder about the effect this voice had in the opera house. The speakers of my stereo were barely able to contain her awesome high notes. Rysanek's voice has two other registers and they, unfortunately, are not as strong as her upper register. Her middle register is a bit thick and slow-moving, while her lower register is almost non-existent. As a result, low notes, such as the ones in "Mai nessun, nessun m'avrà" in "In questa reggia", are barely audible. Her tendency to sharp on middle register notes is well known and is evident here. However, nothing here goes terribly awry pitch-wise. Hearing her glorious, soaring high notes is ample compensation. Rysanek's middle register did eventually strengthen and her lower register did fill in, which allowed her to embark on a second singing career as a mezzo-soprano.

Besides her wonderful, if slightly marred, singing, what impresses me most about her is her dramatic commitment. Every aria here, as well as the duet from "Otello", is given its dramatic due. Her interpretation of each one is unique. From hearing about Rysanek being a true creature of the stage, one can only imagine how effective she must have been in an opera house. I really wish that I could have been able to see her in a live opera performance in her prime. Oh well.

A few of the disc's highlights:

There is a beautifully floated, pianissimo high B-flat in "Pace, pace, mio Dio". A powerful high B-flat at the end of "Vissi d'arte". Gorgeous soft singing in the last section of "Ritorna vincitor". A super-powerful forte high C at the climax of "O patria mia" that leaves the listener breathless with awe. Believe me, after hearing her blast out this note, you will be glad that she didn't follow Verdi's pianissimo marking for this note. Great high notes in "In questa reggia". The aria itself is beautifully sung, with Rysanek sounding like a vulnerable princess instead of sounding like a cruel and ice-cold one. A very affecting Willow Song and "Ave Maria", both full of shimmering pianissimos. Dramatically exciting and vocally thrilling accounts of "Vieni! t'affretta!" and "La luce langue", complete with blazing high notes. Her reading of the letter reveals a beautiful speaking voice and perfectly pronounced Italian. A wonderful "Già della notte densa" from "Otello". Jon Vickers, despite sounding a bit strained, is wonderful in this duet and Rysanek really shines as Desdemona.

A few drawbacks:

Some unidiomatic Italian diction is present in her singing. Her account of "Ma dall'arido stelo divulsa" reveals this. Rysanek does not pause to prepare for the final "Signor" in "Vissi d'arte". This lessens the excitement of the following high B-flat. The difficult last phrase in "O patria mia" is broken up for breath, which dampens its effect. Montserrat Caballé, in her studio recording of "Aïda", takes this phrase in one breath and the effect is marvelous.

I have greatly enjoyed listening to this disc and recommend it to all fans of great singing.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A SHINING SOPRANO IN A STUNNING RECITAL, May 7, 2000

By 

"lesismore26" (Chicago, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Operatic Arias (Audio CD)

Although remembered today as a Wagner and Strauss specialist, Leonie Rysanek, who died last year at age 71, sang many Italian operatic roles in the earlier portion of her career, and still retained a few of them well beyond then. She had, in her absolute vocal prime, the exact type of voice that Richard Strauss loved to write for ----- high, clear, radiant, at at it's best, thrilling. These are the precise vocal qualities that Rysanek brings to the Italian operatic arias heard on this CD. All of the Verdi arias presented here (from Aida, Ballo, Forza del Destino, and Macbeth) are performed with vocal mastery and complete authority, and the "Cavalleria Rusticana" has the sound of real heartbreak and pathos. The highlight of this recital for me was the "In Questa Reggia" from Puccini's "Turandot", which concludes with one of the most spectacular top C's I've ever heard from ANY soprano. Certainly the versions of all of the arias and scenes heard here have been performed with great distinction by such great sopranos as Tebaldi, Callas, Price, Nilsson, Milanov, etc, but there is something very unique and special in the way Rysanek performs them. There is some truly stunning singing to be heard here from a great artist whose career is now remembered for having specialized in a vastly different repertoire, but it is the very unique sound that made her so suited to the Wagner/Strauss repertoire that makes these Italian operatic items so interesting and special.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable, October 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Operatic Arias (Audio CD)

You'll never believe that anyone can sing like this. Magnificent. The top B's, C's and D flats are taken with conssumate ease. It is as if no difficulties exist for Rysanek. This would rank with Joan Sutherland's "The Art of Prima Donna" as one of the best ever recital committed to recording.