Rossini: Il Viaggio a Reims (The Journey to Reims) [Box set, Import]

Gioachino Rossini (Artist), Claudio Abbado (Artist), Cecilia Gasdia (Artist), Lucia Valentini-Terrani (Artist), Katia Ricciarelli (Artist), Lella Cuberli (Artist), Eduardo Gimenez (Artist), Francisco Araiza (Artist), Samuel Ramey (Artist), Ruggero Raimondi (Artist), Enzo Dara (Artist), Leo Nucci (Artist), Giorgio Surjan (Artist), Oslavio di Credico (Artist), Raquel Pierotti (Artist), Antonella Bandelli (Artist), Bernadette Manca di Nissa (Artist), Luigi de Corato (Artist), Ernesto Gavazzi (Artist), William Matteuzzi (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Box set, Import
• 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: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001G6O
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66,876 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This is one of those great Rossinian singing competitions in which everyone--and, in particular, the listeners--wins. Composed as a piece of occasional entertainment for the coronation of Charles X in Paris, Rossini borrowed liberally from his recent comic success Le Comte Ory and fashioned a musical necklace chock filled with one shiny bauble after another. Each character has a showpiece aria, from the highs of soprano Cecilia Gasdia as a melodramatic poetess all the way down to the basso realms of Samuel Ramey and Ruggero Raimondi. The ensembles are as delicious as the solos, and Claudio Abbado, in a very theatrical mood (this was recorded live) keeps everything going wittily and with great elan. The plot is practically nonexistent, but with singing like this, it's hard to complain. A real dazzler--and great fun. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Discovery, February 15, 2000

By 

Richard Posner "wordspinner" (Long Island, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rossini: Il Viaggio a Reims (The Journey to Reims) (Audio CD)

First of all, Robert Levine is incorrect in his review. Rossini did not borrow from Le Comte Ory for Viaggio a Riems--it was the other way around! Rossini wrote Viaggio as an occasional piece for the coronation of Charles V and withdrew it after three performances (there was a fourth benefit performance later) because he knew he wanted to re-use some of the music. He used five of the numbers three years LATER for Le Comte Ory! That said, I am really glad I bought this one. I was familiar with Rossini's other comic operas, and I had been getting to know and love his opera seria. Discovering Viaggio is like being at the premiere of a brand new Rossini comedy! It shows off his delicious way with melody and comic effects, but with more sophistication and complexity than in his youthful works. The singers sound like they're having a ball doing this, and it was so tuneful and exciting that I listened to it twice the first time I played it. The dinner scene at the end, where everyone sings a national song, is especially triumphant (I love the Swiss yodeling tune!). You'll want to channel Rossini's spirit to thank him for this one last comic gem.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The MOST important opera recording of the 80' s, December 2, 1999

By 

Gerardo Cabrera Munoz (México) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rossini: Il Viaggio a Reims (The Journey to Reims) (Audio CD)

When the Pesaro Rossini Foundation announced that Il Viaggio a Reims had been reconstructed, we all knew that it was one of the most important cultural events of the century, and boy, we were not disappointed. This marvelous coronation opera is a gem! This first recording has all the excitement of those unforgettable Pesaro nights, with a 24 carat roaster of singers headed by the exquisite Texas soprano Lella Cuberli, whose hat aria covers her with glory. Everyone else is sensational, and Claudio Abbado shows why he is the finest living conductor.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure rediscovered, December 30, 1999

By 

J. Luis Juarez Echenique "pepechenique" (Mexico City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rossini: Il Viaggio a Reims (The Journey to Reims) (Audio CD)

I can't possibly argue that this is one of the most important opera recordings of the past few decades. This delicious comedy is both sofisticated and very funny indeed. The music is glorious, a masterpiece. The original Pesaro cast is ideal, and much better than the Berlin remake for SONY. If you don't know this opera you are missing so much, that words just can't tell.