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Many of these items were available on different cd, now out of print. That disc introduced me to the art of Mirella Freni, and one listening had me hooked. Mirella Freni is my favorite artist in any genre. She has taken such good care of her voice that she is still singing and getting fantastic reviews at the age of 68. She started off by singing lyric/coloratura roles such as Adina, Susanna, Zerlina, Micaela, the Puritani Elvira, then came Mimi, Juliette, Violetta, Marguerite, Manon, which which had heavier orchestrations. The seventies saw Freni's voice expanding and growing naturally very unlike Renata Scotto, who pushed her voice to sing roles too heavily orchestrated. Scotto is a great artist, but nobody can deny the fact that her voice turned terribly shrill. New roles for Freni were Desdemona, Elisabetta, Aida, Tosca and Butterfly (on record) and Boito's Marguerita. Never forcing or pushing, she sang these roles with great success and beautiful tone. She also was expanding emotionally and her characterizations grew deeper and more intense. In the 80's, she continued to expand her repertoire, though not giving up old roles, to include Manon Lescaut, Adriana Lecouvreur, Tschaikovsky's Tatyana and Liza with incredible results. She still added new roles in the 90's and into the 21st century, Fedora, Madame Sans Genes and Tschaikovsky's Maid of Orleans (a mezzo role). Unlike Tebaldi and other Italian sopranos, Freni often sang roles in their original language, French, Russain and songs in German. We only get to hear French and Italian here, and I strongly urge any opera lover to seek out her recordings on other labels than EMI. DG, for her wonderful Manon Lescaut, 2nd Butterfly, 2nd Tosca, Tatyana, Boccanegra's Amelia. On London/Decca, her Mimi (legendary), Butterfly, Nedda, Nannetta, Margharita, Mathilde, Tosca, the Trittico heroines (a Suor Angelica that is supreme).
Now, about the singing on this disc:
The Pasquale aria is nicely done (though I prefer Sill's rendition). The Boheme numbers are legendary, enough said. The Tosca aria is my favorite of all soprano's and ever Freni's (she recorded it at least twice more), beautiful and slow. Her Butterfly is regarded as "model" and her singing of both arias are intense and heart wrenching. Her Amico Fritz arias are perfectly judged and performed. The Adriana arias are fine, though they would grow in character when she took on the full role in the 80's and I prefer her later recording of them for Decca on her Verismo Arias disc. Her Micaela is also regarded as legendary and this recording shows why. The Pearl Fishers, Faust and Manon arias are gorgeously sung with golden tone and the Romeo arias show her technical skills in coloratura, well done. Her Mozart, too, is wonderful, receiving praise from, of all people, Renata Scotto in her autobiography. Her Violetta is secure and rich with brilliant coloratura in the Sempre Libera section. Her Doretta is ok, with some odd breath points that should have been eliminated. The other Puccini sections are very special, showing what a superb Puccinian she is. She is a commanding Verdian in the Forza arias, but the acoustic is horrible. Her singing is worth it, though. The Aida items are intense and with long breaths. I just love her as Aida but the engineers did not capture her voice as richly as it was at that time. Still this is masterful singing of difficult music. Willow Song and Ave Maria are, in my mind, the best ever committed to disc. If you are not under her spell in these tracks, then you must be stone-hearted. My only regret is that her gorgeous Tu che le vanita from Don Carlos is not included here......a serious omission!!!!!
This is a great showcase for a supreme artist. Buy it.....you won't regret it!

Freni is a soprano I didn't much care for in the past. For some reason I took her for granted and didn't listen to her records a lot. However, in search for an lyric soprano with ample coloratura to tackle bel canto roles as well, Freni was one of the few I could think of who had the qualities I was looking for; unmistakeable Italian phrasing and musicality, a firm middle register with an easy top and a sweet timbre.

This new release is a great introduction to her big recording legacy. She didn't possess the largest instrument but her technique and wise choices allowed her to expand her repertoire in many areas. The lyrical roles such as Zerlina, Mimi, Liu suit her the best but notice how a more florid part like Norina in Don Pasquale or even the more demanding Puritani Elvira benefits from her firm lyric sound. She avoids the highest notes and if needed sings them carefully but everything is so charmingly sung that a single note cannot ruin the whole. Sincere classical singing does not lie in a single note. Even without the large voice these roles need, she handles the heavy Verdi parts impressively. "O patria mia" and especially Desdemona's scene are magnificient.

This collection has increased my admiration for this wonderful artist. If all the sopranos were flowers in a garden, Freni would be a lovely daisy.

I fell in love with opera because of Mirella Freni. I heard her sing Mimi to Pavarotti's Rodolfo in La Boheme about 30 years ago. Hearing this CD was like seeing a long-lost love, and appreciating them even more this time around.

Freni was a Puccini specialist, and you get an embarrasment of Puccini riches on this CD. Of course, you get the arias "Si, mi chiamano Mimi" and "Addio...D'Onde lieta usci" from La Boheme. Those also feature the incredible Niccolai Gedda. I sure would have liked it if they threw in "O soave fanciulla" as well. You also get arias from Tosca, Madama Butterfly, La Rondine, Gianni Schicci, Suor Angelica, and Turandot.

But wait, there's more! I had not heard Freni sing Micaela until this CD. Wait until you hear the "Je dis que rien ne m'epouvant". It will set you free. Then she throws in "Comme autrefois" from Pearl Fishers. Donizetti, Cilea, Mascagni, Massenet, Bellini, Gounod, Mozart, even Verdi(!)...all here.

There was one thing I found unusual about this compilation, and that was the noticeable absence of "Dove sono" and/or "Porgi amor". I mean, those roles are clearly in the reach of any lyric soprano. I did a little research, and found that she really didn't sing the Countess role in Figaro, she sang Susanna! OK, so let's just say her voice was on the light end of the lyric fach. If that's the case, it makes selections from Tosca, Butterfly, Traviata, Turandot, and Forza kind of curious, doesn't it?

In the end, it doesn't matter. This is an awesome compilation from one of the greatest sopranos of all time. No one is like Freni, and no opera lover should be without this performance record.

Highly recommended.

Mirella Freni's singing even today when she's over sixty still teaches all the young sopranos a lesson how a voice can be preserved. Her singing is lovely, creamy and colourful. She's by far my favourite Liu and part of the Mimi-Triumvirate: Victoria de los Angeles, Maria Callas and Mirella Freni. Her first Mimi with Nicolai Gedda was a revelation, the complete set is a must for ever Puccini-Lover. And despite its not being idiomatic and her poor French her Juliette is riveting and lovely. But my favourite Freni-role will always be Elisabetta in Verdi's "Don Carlo" which she sang to perfection on a live-recording from La Scala (Abbado) featuring Carreras, Ghiaurov, Obraszowa etc. etc. An amazing set for those who want to know why Mirella is still adored today!

I'm a casual opera fan and I admit that until a few days ago I didn't even know who Mirella Freni was. Then a friend, whose taste I respect mentioned that an Italian lady named Freni was the second greatest Violetta he'd ever heard. He went into raptures and I decided that I had to hear this woman. This morning I bought the CD, put it in my player and was astounded and delighted to hear one of the sweetest voices I have ever heard in my life. Mirella Freni's singing is simply beautiful.

I first heard Mirella Freni singing at a movie theater in downtown Peoria, Illinois in the mid-1960s; it was a theatrical version of "La Boheme," with Nicolai Gedda singing the tenor role on screen. I was enchanted! Ms. Freni was born in 1935 and made her debut in her home town in 1955 (according to the notes accompanying the two CD set). Her singing cuts across a number of styles--from Mozart to Gounod to Puccini and Verdi, with a stopover with Bellini and Donizetti. She chose her roles carefully, to preserve her voice. Results are most satisfying!

Some cuts well depict her singing.

"Si mi chiamano Mimi": This hallmark aria from "La Boheme" captures her vocal skills well. She exhibits a lovely voice and suits Mimi beautifully. She catches the pathos--and hope--of the character. This rendition is smoothly sung, with no problems as she moves from one register to another.

"Addio. . .Dionde lieta usci": This affecting work from Scene III of "La Boheme" is ravishingly and poignantly sung. Her voice is lush and free of affectation.

"Un bel di": From "Madame Butterfly," she essays this famous aria. Well rendered. Her voice suits Puccini nicely. Again, smooth progression from one register to another.

"O rendetemi la speme. . .Qui la voce. . .Vien diletto": I had never thought of Freni as singing the bel canto repertoire, but she does a nice take of this redoubtable coloratura piece. The early aria is well sung. Just so, "Qui la voce." Her effort at "Vien diletto," the wonderful cabaletta, is wonderfully musical. There is some ornamentation, but no trills or other tools of the standard coloratura repertoire. If ytou want the "real deal" coloratura version, listen to Joan Sutherland or Sumi Jo. Nonetheless, a touching version.

"E strano. . .Ah! fors' e lui. . .Sempre libera": A well sung version from Verdi's "La Traviata." There are many approaches to this piece--from Sutherland's heavily coloratura version to Scotto's and Moffo's more musical, more character-rich versions. Freni tends more to the latter than the former and compares well with both.

In fine, a nice 2 CD set that well shows off Mirella Freni's work. Anyone interested in this fine soprano's corpus would be well advised to take a listen!

First things first: Freni always gets five stars from me! She has that emotional directness that good Italians have. It's technical, a way to project the text through the voice, and an understanding of the language and the idiom. Tebaldi, Pertile, Focile... there are so many! She also has a sweetness which is very beguiling, and makes her perfect for the Mimi's of the opera. I got this, not quite reading through the listings on the back. I saw Ferraris name, and got it. I have, you see, an old LP from 1965, where Freni sings opera-arias, conducted by Ferraris, and with the Rome Opera Orchestra. It is unsurpassed!!!! Thankfully, many arias from that disc are here. Unfortunately, my absolute favourite piece from that disc is NOT on here, and that brings down the stars-tally for me. The piece is the Ave Maria from Otello, which she sings so beautifully on my LP, that I cry like a baby each time I hear it. It flows, has a tempo defined by the TEXT, it's a PRAYER, and not an aria!!!!!!! But von "Big-Ego" Karajan, turns it into a piece of artifice, sadly. Don't get me wrong, she sings it beautifully on here to, but if you've heard the Ferraris recording. you'll know what I mean. Von Karajan, had, yes, a love of Italian Opera, but he loved what HE did, and could do with it more. It is so in the famous Boheme, with Freni, and Pavarotti, and it is so here. he's so busy with his "intellectual masturbation", that the piece suffers. sadly. Because she is SO good. The rest is fantastic. Get it anyway!!!

Desccription of this CD set says that "the stars must have been dancing in heaven" in 1935 when Mirella was born; I may add that the angels themselves must have been jealous of her voice. This CD set is a chest full of jewels; I don't know about this being "The Very Best" of Freni but it is undoubtedly superb, no one who appreciates the musical arts will be disappointed. Ever since I discovered Mirella Freni in Madama Butterfly, I get every Opera with her that's on DVD. However, in most DVD operas, with the exception of Don Carlo, the sound is not so good although her beautiful voice and her gracious acting always stand. In this CD set it is another story; you can appreciate her pure crystalline voice in all splendor, the more I hear her voice the more beautiful it sounds, every one of the songs she sings in this CD set is a jewel; it contains highlights from La Boheme, Tosca, Aida, Otello, La Traviata, and others; especially beautifully impressive is, in my opinion, "E strano...Sempre Liberia" from La Traviatta, it is just unbelievable how she performs it; I just wish "Con onor muore" from the final act of Madama Butterfly, had been included, but then again, I could never have enough of Mirella Freni, she is truly a gift to us music lovers, it just pains me so much that I was not one of the lucky ones who had the privilege to see her perform live.