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32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Version Available, November 6, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Rossini - L'Italiana in Algeri / Horne · Ramey · Battle · Palacio · Zaccaria · I Solisti Veneti · Scimone (Audio CD)
Horne is simply the best. She has an improbable voice - not really what you expect - but no one else has ever sung the core Rossini mezzo repertoire so well. There have been only a few singers who have transformed the repertoire. Maria Callas was one, Sam Ramey is another. If you listen to Pasero's Assur you may admire it, but if you have heard Ramey you probably won't even recognize it. Pasero leaves so many of the notes out it becomes an different piece - one that he could sing. In a real sense then Ramey has invented the serious Rossini bass for the twentieth century. In this recording Palacio is much less awful than he often has been. If you have heard his contribution to Ermione, be assured, he not that bad. He does not ruin this fine recording. We all regret that Kathleen Battle went bonkers. Here she is good example of what we lost. This is probably the best version available. It is certainly a bargain.
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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great - BUT NO ENGLISH LIBRETTO, May 20, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Rossini - L'Italiana in Algeri / Horne · Ramey · Battle · Palacio · Zaccaria · I Solisti Veneti · Scimone (Audio CD)
Great recording, but be warned, the libretto is only in Italian. So if you don't have any other recordings of this, and you don't speak Italian and you want to know what is going on, maybe go for another recording.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sexy sounding opera recording with Battle & Horne !!!!, August 19, 2003
This review is from: Rossini - L'Italiana in Algeri / Horne · Ramey · Battle · Palacio · Zaccaria · I Solisti Veneti · Scimone (Audio CD)
L'Italiana in Algeri is a hot & fun opera.....The duets and the ensembles are especially giddy and full of lustful yet comic high speeding word to word leaps and soaring runabouts.And there are some lovely arias here to.Just listen to Kathleen Battle spin golden melodies by herself at intervals through out the opera.Kathleen Battle is one beautiful black woman & she possess a voice to match,She sings rossini like she was born to do it ,the way she does it melts your icecream & has you standing up to give her your last arcane box of accolades & praiseworthies....I'll tell you this recording is one of the best out there,and should be in every library and tasteful home.
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