Puccini: La Bohème; Madama Butterfly; Turandot; Manon Lescaut; Tosca (Highlights) [Box Set] [Box set]

Giacomo Puccini (Composer), Alain Lombard (Conductor), Bruno Bartoletti (Conductor), Gabriele Santini (Conductor), James Levine (Conductor), Thomas Schippers (Conductor), New Philharmonia Orchestra (Orchestra), Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg (Orchestra), Rome Opera Theater Orchestra (Orchestra), Andreas Velis (Performer), Antonio Sacchetti (Performer), Delia Wallis (Performer), Ferruccio Mazzoli (Performer), Itzhak Perlman (Performer), José Carreras (Performer), Jussi Björling (Performer), Mariella Adani (Performer), Jr. Mario Basiola (Performer), Mario Sereni (Performer), Michel Sénéchal (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Andreas Velis, Antonio Sacchetti, Delia Wallis, Ferruccio Mazzoli, Itzhak Perlman, et al.
• Orchestra: New Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Rome Opera Theater Orchestra
• Conductor: Alain Lombard, Bruno Bartoletti, Gabriele Santini, James Levine, Thomas Schippers
• Composer: Giacomo Puccini
• Audio CD (November 5, 2002)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 5
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Angel Records
• ASIN: B000067FH2
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #990,859 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Acte I Che Gelida Manina - Nicolai Gedda

2. Acte I Si. Mi Chiamano Mimi - Mirella Freni

3. Acte I O Soave Fanciulla - Mirella Freni

4. Acte II Viva Parpignol - Mirella Freni

See all 13 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Acte I Vieni, Amor Mio! - Jussi Bjorling

2. Acte I Leri Son Salita Tutta Sola - Jussi Bjorling

3. Acte I Viene La Sera - Victoria De Los Angeles

4. Acte I Bimba Dagli occhi Pieni Di Malia - Jussi Bjorling

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Gira La Cote, Gira, Gira! Choeur - Renato Bruson

2. Perche Tarda La Luna? - Renato Bruson

3. La, Sui Monti Dell'est - Renato Bruson

4. O Giovinetto! Grazia! Grazia! - Renato Bruson

See all 17 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Cortese Damigella, Il Priego Mio Accettate - Placido Domingo

2. Donna Non Vidi Mai - Placido Domingo

3. Vedete? Lo Son Fidele Alla Parola Mia - Placido Domingo

4. In Quelle Trine Morbide - Placido Domingo

See all 13 tracks on this disc

Disc: 5

1. Dammi I Colori - Renato Bruson

2. Mario! Mario! Mario! - Renato Bruson

3. Ah, Quegli Occhi! - Renato Bruson

4. Tre Sbirri, Una Carrozza - Renato Bruson

See all 16 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy, buy, buy, absolutely amazing!, February 28, 2005

By 

Marten Velthuijsen "puccini-fan" (Maarssen, Utrecht, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Puccini: La Bohème; Madama Butterfly; Turandot; Manon Lescaut; Tosca (Highlights) [Box Set] (Audio CD)

I had allready seen this box a few times before I bought it and I had always planned to buy it, never having looked at the price, so when I came to the shop yesterday I saw it again and I checked the price aswell: 15 euros only (about fifteen dollars aswell)!!!
So I bought it and I don't regret it! As a beginning Puccini-fan I don't have so many of his operas on CD at home, like this I have pieces of five of his great operas for 15 euros (one hour per opera!!!!)
Now one might think: so much for so little money, it must be bad, unknown singers. They're not!
La Boheme is with beatifull Mirella Freni, Nicolai Gedda and Mario Sereni, and ooooh how well a Mimì is Freni. How sweet, how shy and also how funny!

Madama Butterfly is with Victoria de los Angeles, Jussi Bjorling and Mario Sereni again. And allthough De los Angeles is not such a young Cio-cio-san in the first act (she's still AMAZING!!!) she makes up (and how??!!) in the second act. She is very good! That's the only word. And ofcourse the great Jussi Bjorling with his understanding of the music, the text and his smooth toning is absolutely amazing. In Madama Butterfly there's an aria from Cio-cio-san in the second act called: Che tua madre dovra. Ofcourse I had heard it before, but the way De los Angeles portrays the character here, is from unknown beauty!

Turandot is good. Montserrat Caballé is very good at portraying this character and sings it nice, not as good as Sutherland, but still good. José Carreras is very beautifull in this recording, allthough I'm not a particular fan of his, having Mirella Freni as Líu is pure luxery, but ooh so touching!

Manon Lescaut I had never heard before. So this was a big treat for me. With Montserrat Caballé in the title-role (she's one of my favorite sopranos) and Placido Domingo as De Grieux (I'm not really into Domingo, but he's good in this role). The pure and innocent pianissimos of Caballé are so beatiful that it almost seems inhuman.
There were two parts that I liked particularly: first the famous intermezzo and second the song of the small mezzo part in this opera. Absolutely a great opera from wich I would like to hear more.

The last opera this box containes is Tosca. It's not my first Tosca, but it is my second. The first I heard was with Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna and Ruggero Raimondi. It was good for a while, but I didn't really like the singers (except for Raimondi) so I quit listening to it. Then I heard this and discovered how beautiful Tosca can be.
Renata Scotto sing a Tosca only definable as magnificent. Because that's what it is, with her huge Puccini-voice she tackles the part as if it's nothing. Her acting is great and with a lot of stile.
Domingo as Cavaradossi is nice, but he's not the right tenor for this part. Renato Bruson is great as Scarpia.
From Tosca the parts I like the most are the dialoges between Tosca and Scarpia in the second act and the very end of the opera, when Tosca waits for the executioners to shoot, then discovers Mario is dead and then jumps. The music with that is so gripping!

This box is worth it's five stars, because of the dazzling singers in every opera and the price of the box!!! Buy, you won't regret it.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars For heaven's sake, don't confuse this with opera!, November 21, 2005

By 

L. E. Cantrell (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Puccini: La Bohème; Madama Butterfly; Turandot; Manon Lescaut; Tosca (Highlights) [Box Set] (Audio CD)

Sheesh, the marketing mavens are at it AGAIN!

With all due respect to the admirable enthusiasm of the previous reviewer, EMI has effectively shortchanged him with this collection of highlights. Let's be absolutely clear about this: an opera is more than an assemblage of bleeding hunks. An opera is (or should be) a large-scale work with both a dramatic and a musical arc. Both of these arcs are undercut and mangled in the process of selecting highlights, thus providing a falsified picture of what the composer, librettist(s), conductor and cast intended.