Puccini Album / Arias for Piano

John Bayless (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 17, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Angel Records
• ASIN: B000002SKC
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,864 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cocktails at La Scala, January 22, 2004

By 

Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator" (Long Beach, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Puccini Album / Arias for Piano (Audio CD)

This is a superb collection of Puccini's melodies arranged and improvised for solo piano, and brilliantly played by John Bayless; it wrings every bit of emotion from these resplendent arias, some so tender and expressive, like the exquisite "Son Andati ?" from La Boheme.
Puccini once told a soprano to "walk in clouds of melody", and on this disc we have a celestial feast, making one realize how starved we are in today's world of great melodies, with so much of popular music very uninspired in this area, and classical music ignoring it.
Perhaps my favorite track is the gentle and passionate interpretation of one of opera's best loved arias, "E Lucevan le Stelle" from Tosca.

The way Bayless has transcribed this music and improvised on it is a stroke of genius, and very clever marketing as well, giving us a new, unique take on "opera lite", and one of the most enjoyable I've heard; his virtuoso technique is up to the task, and he manages to get a myriad of sounds and colorations out of the instrument.
This enthralling presentation of operatic themes is lighthearted and would make great background music, but is also much more; it's inventive and beautifully performed, is true to the emotional content of the original, and oh ! those glorious melodies.
The sound is crisp and clear, and total playing time 78'28.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous music magnificently played with technique to spare, January 30, 2000

By 

hashiru (Dexter, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Puccini Album / Arias for Piano (Audio CD)

The first opera I ever liked was La Boheme and especially the solo arias in the first two acts. Bayless' rendition of Musetta's Waltz is the perfect blend of sweetness and bright shining light. He must have four hands, at least! Besides revisiting favorites that I knew and loved, this album introduced me to other Puccini operas that I was unfamiliar with. Like others who have reviewed this disc, I wanted a rating higher than 5 stars.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Liberace lives!, November 14, 2002

By 

M. C. Wolf (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Puccini Album / Arias for Piano (Audio CD)

If you enjoyed the flourishing style of Liberace, you'll love this wonderful schmaltzy tribute to Puccini. All the favorites are here from Un Bel Di to Nessun Dorma, played with extravagant passion by John Bayless. I like to play this CD on a rainy day with a cup of hot cocoa, close my eyes and just disappear into the sensuality of the music