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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A GREAT COLLECTION BY A LEGENDARY SOPRANO, November 28, 1999
This review is from: The Prima Donna Collection (Audio CD)
Leontyne Price's "Prima Donna" recordings were released in single volumes over around a ten year period. Now in a single CD box, it might make one think that all of the items presented here (and there is a lot here!) were recorded around the same time. They were not. Interestingly enough, most of the arias here come from operas Price never attempted on stage. She was an extremely intelligent artist and she kept her voice in spectacular condition for many years by refusing to undertake unsuitable repertoire. Thus, the arias from "Norma", "Turandot", "Oberon", "Macbeth", "Rigoletto", "Traviata", and many others represent nothing more than an experiment on Price's part. She sings them passably, but by no means is she suited to them. What she does well she does SUPREMELY well: the arias from "Louise", "Adriana Lecouvreur", "Atalanta", "Rusalka", "L'enfant prodigue", "Suor Angelica", "Les Dialogues des Carmelites". There are interesting accounts of the arias from "Don Giovanni", "Die Walkure", "Thais", and others. In other words, Price undertakes such a huge and all-encompassing repertoire throughout these discs that it is impossible for her to achieve equal success with all of it. But there is certainly enough here to enjoy, and I doubt whether anyone who purchases this lavish program will be sorry.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
SO MUCH TO ADMIRE HERE!, August 28, 2000
This review is from: The Prima Donna Collection (Audio CD)
There is so much to admire in these four discs, it is silly not to own them, however much I have always believed it wise not to run headlong in an induced ecstasy into the arms of everything Leontyne Price has recorded. In my view, the highlights of this collection are many, including a perfectly modulated "Dove sono", an exquisite "When I am laid in earth", one that surely enhances Handel's immortality, and a simply remarkable recording of "The Last Rose of Summer"; the "Willow Song" is as divinely joined as any recorded version I have heard, and, expectedly, the arias from "Adriana Lecouvreur", "Louise" and "Suor Angelica" are just wonderful. The first and final argument for purchasing this set, however, remains Price's peerless rendition of "Gluck, das mir verblieb" from Korngold's "Die Tote Stadt". Here is manifested perfectly articulated singing of magnificent proportions; intelligent, cultivated, a performance far above the score, though this is not inconsequential music, no matter that it touches upon those elements often referred to as kitsch. (Not so, though that remains fodder for another, different discussion from this one.) The 'Mariettalied' is surely a beautiful aria, yet Price's immense musical understanding, and indeed the relationship of her inborn musical conscience to her singing gifts, raises it to Art. It is a flawless, ineffacable, and utterly inevitable performance, one to be treasured at twice the price of this set! Finally, disc 4 presents not only an attractive episode from Poulenc's mesmerizing "Dialogues des carmelites", and a ravishing version of Micaela's aria so touchingly sung, but concludes in a burst of genius with Britten's "Gloriana"! Go on, deprive yourself not a moment longer of the glad enjoyment, and often surprise, found in this perfectly conceived and beautifully executed collection!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A brilliant collection from a great soprano, April 30, 2007
This review is from: The Prima Donna Collection (Audio CD)
Leontyne Price was much admired and this 4CD collection shows her outstanding vocal gifts to the best advantage. Numerous reviewers have commented on the wide-ranging styles present and I can agree wholeheartedly with them. You would be hard-pressed to find a greater compilation of Ms Price, showcasing her amazing gifts as a great singer!
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