Customer Reviews

Souvenirs (Deluxe Edition)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is probably my favorite cd by Anna Netrebko, (although her Duets
cd with Rolando is up there too)!
The "Barcarolle" from "Les Contes D'Hoffmann" that she sings with
Elina Garanca, is one of my favorites on the cd. Also , the Yiddish
lullaby, and the song by Dvorak! All the pieces are serene and beautiful.
You will want to keep this close by, to memorize by heart.
She just keeps getting better.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Behind the Vogue magazine cover photo and the fan-based DVD and promotionals, we have a vocal recital to deal with. The best thing about Anna Netrebko is that she isn't all image, lovely as hers is. She's bidding to join Angela Gheorghiu as a permanent opera star with a lasting legacy. One requirement in that ascendency is to release an album of crossover mass apeal while still remaining respectably opratic.

This refreshing CD sets out to accomplish that and generally succeeds. The listener is softened up with three operetta lollipops to start off. Like Gheorghiu, Netrebko was trained to have a Slavic voice. Both sopranos work hard to ovrcome the drawbacks of the Slavic sound, which is darker, more throaty and chesty than Western opera voices. I don't know if Netrebko has gotten all the way -- her Lehar and Kalman heroines sound as if they are from Eastern Europe more than Vienna or Paris. She has yet to find light-hearted charm.

"Depuis le jour" puts in a bid for comparison with famous accounts from the young Leontyne Price and Kiri Te Kanawa, who were knockouts in this aria. Netrebko isn't -- she lacks that thrilling, ethereal extension on top that makes the listener float away. But she's certainly lovely to listen to in her own right. The Barcarolle from "Tales of Hoffmann" suits her better; it's soulful and dreamy, a good combination for her temperament.

As the program unfolds, we hit all the right beats for a mass-appeal album but with sidelong glances to the more knowing. Richard Strauss's "Caecille" is one of his most sumptuous orchestrated songs, and here Netrebko is thrilling, beyond reproach even if her German is sketchy. And so it goes. "Solveig's Song" is close enough to Slavic in mood that it brings out her best side, as do the items by Dvorak and (naturally) Rimsky-Korsakov.

What does it all add up to? I think the public will continue to love their new diva, but eveen for us grumpy connoisseurs, who have been holding out a bit, there's a bright light. When Netreboko stops being all things to all people, what she actually is is a fine Slavic soprano with potential in French and German music. DG pushed Netrebko into Verdi and Puccini because that's where the limelight shines. In the end, however, they will do full justice by showing off her strongest suit, not her most glamorous (and profitable).

This is a stunningly beautiful CD, like the singer herself. Her choice of music for this CD is superb, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys gorgeous music sung with sensitivity and warmth. Her voice makes you feel the emotion of every song and her rendition of Songs My Mother Taught Me brought tears to my eyes, it is magnificent. Other standouts are Barcarolle, Pie Jesu, and Meine Lippen, sie Kussen so heiss. In fact there are no songs on this album that are a disappointment - buy it for yourself, or as a gift for someone this holiday - you won't be sorry. Anna Netrebko goes from strength to strength and one thing I love about her is her diction, you can understand every word (if you understand the language) and the sheer passion and emotion she brings to each piece is beyond compare - absolutely sublime.

Netrebko, glamour, publicity and hype notwithstanding, continues to develop and mature as a vocal artist, reaching new interpretive heights-like in the Russian Album- in non-standard operatic repertoire. The voice is luscious, and the top notes (Depuis Le Jour and Pie Jesu) are clean and effortless, with a totally controlled breathing technique. Her low range has expanded, while maintains nobility and depth. Some sopranos'-no names please!- low tessitura is either inaudible, flat or vulgar. Some question the "slavic" color of Netrebko's voice. I personally love it. It gives the voice certain degree of darkness that translates into passion and introspectiveness. The companion DVD is fan to watch, too. The set is highly recommended, if you aren't in the mood to listen to structured operatic CDs.

So far (sure it will be more and more) this is the best Netrebko collection. What a beautiful voice and dignifying performances (the rest of the singer too). It is hard to pick a favorite selection and, at the end, it unnecessary: from Kálmán to Arditi deserve to be heard once and once. Superb.
Deluxe Edition worth the price and, for a fan, the DVD and the rest of stuff is more than a bonus.
A must, again.

Beautiful from start to finish. As if the voice was not enough joy, there is a poster, dvd and booklet. Great value and total pleasure.

As one who has all of Anna's albums, "Souvenirs" came as a surprising delight. This album is not an aria recital, but offers often well-known operetta pieces each sung in it's distinct language. Each piece has it's own personality and color, but Anna's voice remains honest, and rich, leaving the listener wanting to replay it again and again.

Hace unos 3 años escuche por primera vez la voz de Anna Netrebko en la televisión y desde ese instante supe que seria un gran fanatico de ella. El primer trabajo que escuche de Anna fue en su papel de Violetta en la Ópera de Verdi "La Traviata", y quede mas que complacido con su bella voz. Anna posee una voz sumamente hermosa, y hoy en dia es una de las grandes Divas de la Opera junto a Renée Fleming & Cecilia Bartoli, Anna posee una bella coloratura & un timbre de voz oscuro & exquisito. Souvenirs es un trabajo unico de Anna, en el que reune arias de Operetas, Ópera & Zarzuela, además de temas muy poco escuchados & en diferentes lenguas. Adquiere pronto este album, si eres un verdadero fanatico de la Opera, quedarás mas que satisfecho.

Anna has given us another gift and I am ecstatic. The music is wonderful, the orchestra is spot-on, and Garanca's mezzo only adds to the beauty of this recording. The special edition comes with a bonus dvd, postcards and a beautiful poster- Happy Holidays indeed.