Customer Reviews

Pavarotti: Greatest Hits

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you could have only one or two CDs of Luciano Pavarotti, this 2-CD set probably would be an excellent choice. The first CD contains a great selection of 21 arias (such as Nessun dorma, Brindisi, Di quella pira, M'appari, Una furtiva lagrima, Amor ti vieta, La donna e mobile, etc.) recorded over a period of three decades (from 1968 to 1997), and the second CD comprises 20 beautiful songs (mostly Italian lyric songs, such as O sole mio, Torna a Surriento, Core 'ngrato, Ave maria, Caro mio ben, Santa Lucia, etc.) recorded from 1974 to 1995. Two songs in CD #2 appear to be ill-chosen among the otherwise excellent selections: "My Way", where Pavarotti sings along with Frank Sinatra, is not the sort of song one would expect in this CD set. In "Notte 'e piscatore", where Andrea Bocelli joins Pavarotti, Bocelli's voice is rather disappointing in comparison to Pavarotti's. But overall this CD set is, in my opinion, the best of Pavarotti's CDs. If this set is too pricey for you, you may want to consider Pavarotti's "Romantic Italian Love Songs", which has a good selection of arias and Italian lyric songs (a total of 17 selections) in just one CD.

Yes, the price is a little high but amongst the many official and unofficial Pavarotti compilations out there, this is the most comprensive compilation available. Disc 1 is a Pavarotti classical compilation, gathering his most notorious arias performances, Disc 2 is Pavarotti "popular" compilation, having songs like My Way and Caruso. So you get both sides of Pavarotti, classical and popular. The selection as you can see is great. Why did I give it 4 and not 5 stars? Because the quality of the sound recording is not that great (im not saying is awful but is like 6.5 out of 10) and the booklet is very omise and lack a lot of information, actually, I wouldnt call it a booklet. Anyway, you just cant get a compilation like this. Thats why I bought it. It could have been 5 stars, but it is 4.

I have never been a huge fan of Maestro Pavarotti but I must admit that this compilation is a masterful collection of his operatic highlights.

I particularily enjoy the first disc which contains just about all the major tenor arias. The singing is superb and listening to this CD it becomes obvious what the fuss over the pre-3 Tenors Pavarotti was all about - the man really did have one of the greatest tenor voices of all time.
His diction was flawless, his line perfect and his interpretation in keeping with the greatest of the Italian tenors of days gone by.

The second disc is interesting in that it is a bit uneven. It contains a few neapolitan standards, a x-mas song, a duet with Frank Sinatra and some other random selections.

Overall this is a 5 star CD but due to the extremely low volume, particularily on the first and most important disc I can only give it a 4 star rating.

On a final note, anyone puzzeled by the current hype over the now againg and commercially over-blown Pavarotti should purchase this CD. This is the great tenor in his prime and as such a CD well worth having...even if you're not a Pavarotti fan.
I'm still not, but I recognize greatness when I hear it.

This is a "Super hits" CD, with over forty different cuts (quite a few of which have appeared elsewhere, of course). For those who are aficionados of Pavarotti, this is what might be called "hog heaven."

Disc 1 features estimable works such as "Nessun dorma" (well done, with his voice showing to good effect), "Che gelida manina" (excellently done, with good characterization), ""Celeste Aida" (elegantly sung), "Di quella pira" (a much better than average version), "E lucevan le stelle" (Pavarotti does a nice job in the Puccini-Verdi repertoire), "La donna e mobile" (sung with aplomb), "Recondita armonia" (the other aria from Tosca, which also shows Pavarotti's voice off to good effect), and so on.

Disc 2 is especially interesting, because it features a more popular set of works, from the redoubtable "O sole mio" (richly orchestrated and nicely sung, not overpowered by Pavarotti's operatic voice), "Core n'grato" (compare with Caruso's version), "Oh, holy night," "La danza" (spritely sung with excellent breath control in a treacherous song), "Santa Lucia" (again, smoothly sung), "Ave Maria" (seemingly sung with respect and affection).

A cornucopia of Pavarottiana. For those fans of Pavarotti, this "greatest hits" collection will be welcome. For those who may not be aware of this tenor when his voice was still fresh, this is a fine entrée to his work.

Pavarotti has a voice that can take hold of you and change your entire mood...even if you don't know Italian. The problem with this set is the mastering (mastering evens out the volumes and signal to noise ratio on an album). The first CD in this collection is so quiet that you literally have to crank your player to get any kind of volume. For a professional CD this is absolutely unacceptable.
The song choices are good with the exception of "My Way" with Frank Sinatra. Both singers sound ....ummm...let's just say less than their best on the recording. It sits out like a boil on a pretty girl's face.

Few, if any can let off such contagious heat when attacking those high Cs as Pavarotti. His golden voice more than makes up for obvious acting limitations. Whereas Domingo could be defined as an acting operasinger, Pavarotti rests solely on his larynx powers. Having said that, his vocal force is phenomenal and without peers.

I am not too sure about his crossover material; His English, like my Italian, is utter crap, but the arias are flawlessly done, and are thank God in dominating majority here.

Highlights include Nessum Dorma,an easy effortless version of Celeste Aida...anything on Disc one really.

Pavarotti was a great Rodolfo in Boheme and Calaf in Turandot. Trace down complete versions of these Puccini masterpieces along with this compilation and you're on safe ground.

If you look for alternatives, you will hardly find his like this side of 1960. When it comes to power and gusto Corelli is an obvious choice. As for his outstanding lyricism, I suppose only Nicolai Gedda is on par with him.

The greatest operatic singer ever was of course Jussi Björling. Any compilation of him from the 30s and 40s (e.g. his recent historic aria set on Naxos) define what the tenor's art is all about. (...oh, and avoid Andrea-need-an-even-bigger-microphone-down-my-throat-Bocelli ...)

I started collecting LPs by Pavarotti as soon as they became available, and this CD is a welcome addition so I can stop wearing them out. The technical quality, for CD technology, is quite good, enough to keep me from missing my LPs. Pavarotti, of course, has impacted our culture more than any other opera singer in my 62 year life. I am not an opera fan, but the first time I heard his voice, the fact that I didn't understand the words or the genre of music didn't mean a thing. Relatives and guests tell me "I don't like opera" but when I play Pavarotti, they are blown away. There is a reason he played the "Tonight Show" with Carson many years ago. That rare ability to appeal to folks who may not have ever liked any other opera they have ever heard. This CD is a good overview of my favorite Pavarotti performances, and an excellent CD to start a Pavarotti collection, which you will want to do, after you've heard it.

I started collecting LPs by Pavarotti as soon as they became available, and this CD is a welcome addition so I can stop wearing them out. The technical quality, for CD technology, is quite good, enough to keep me from missing my LPs. Pavarotti, of course, has impacted our culture more than any other opera singer in my 62 year life. I am not an opera fan, but the first time I heard his voice, the fact that I didn't understand the words or the genre of music didn't mean a thing. Relatives and guests tell me "I don't like opera" but when I play Pavarotti, they are blown away. There is a reason he played the "Tonight Show" with Carson many years ago. That rare ability to appeal to folks who may not have ever liked any other opera they have ever heard. This CD is a good overview of my favorite Pavarotti performances, and an excellent CD to start a Pavarotti collection, which you will want to do, after you've heard it.

A great hits CD by the 20th century's most outstanding voice. Love Nessun Dorma, Brindisi, La Donna E Mobile, O Holly
Night, O Sole Mio, Notte E Piscatore with Andrea Bocelli, just everything. Outstanding slection of songs (41). A must have for every fan of great singing.

Grand music by a modern master. Great listening experience. Second only to Lanza.