VERDI King of Italian Opera

Started by marvinbrown, April 20, 2007, 12:50:59 PM

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springrite

Thanks to Tim of GMG I picked up a few more Verdi operas while I was in the US and am starting to listen to them. I have heard most if not all Verdi operas, but about half of them only once and half-heartedly. Now I am giving them the attention they deserve. Maybe being a father now draws me more towards Verdi with all the father-daughter storylines.

Today I listened to Simon Bocanegra attentively. What a magnificent opera, even minus celebrated arias. Maybe I love it because of the lack of those trademark arias. It is more total drama as it should be. A celebrated aria would be more of a distraction in a way.

Last week it was Louisa Miller. Next up: Nabucco.
Do what I must do, and let what must happen happen.

Jaakko Keskinen

And let's not forget, both Wagner and Verdi (or Wagner-Verdi) lovers, that next year is gonna be their 200th anniversary. But I'm sure no-one needs a reminder  ;)
"Javert, though frightful, had nothing ignoble about him. Probity, sincerity, candor, conviction, the sense of duty, are things which may become hideous when wrongly directed; but which, even when hideous, remain grand."

- Victor Hugo

Tsaraslondon

#402
Quote from: zamyrabyrd on October 31, 2012, 11:28:17 PM
Is this the reason that Rigoletto (1851) is supposed to be the landmark for his most developed period? Or the fact that the most popular operas occur after that date? Before Rigoletto there were Nabucco (1842), Ernani (1844) and Macbeth (1847), not anything to sneeze at either, dramatically.  He would have been nearly 30 when working on Nabucco, so he was certainly a mature composer by then.  I understood that Othello (1887) and Falstaff (1893) were as in the case of late Beethoven, encursions into entirely new terrority.

ZB

Surely the days of thinking Verdi's last two operas were a complete change of direction are well over, as are those of thinking Verdi wrote nothing of consequence before Rigoletto. If, as I stated in one of my posts above, one listens to all the operas he wrote in chronological order, one can trace his development from the sub Donizetti style of Oberto and Un Giorno di Regno to the mature genius of Otello and Falstaff. Those steps were faltering, and on occasions he stumbled, but there is a always a sense of him striving towards greater dramatic veracity.

If, in the operas post Rigoletto, his path and gait became ever surer, that is, in part, due to the circumstances of their composition. By the time he wrote Rigoletto he was a man of property and had amassed a considerable fortune. He could, like Rossini, have retired early and never written another note. Fortunately for us he continued to write, but now less and less at the mercy of powerful opera impresarios and star singers, and more able to compose how he wanted, though his power struggles with the censor and also with commissions for the Paris Opera are well documented. By the time he came to write Otello he was one of the most revered men in Italy and was free to compose in the more through composed style he had been striving towards for years. That said, though it is certainly more elastic than it once was, the form of the opera often pays tribute to earlier forms. Otello and Iago's Si pel ciel is surely none other than a clinching cabaletta, a device he used all through his composing career.

I would never for one moment suggest that those early works, the operas of his galley years, are all undiscovered masterpieces. I would, though, argue that they contain the seeds of his genius, and, if one loves Verdi as I do, then how is it possible to ignore them?

"Starting with a technique cruder and more primitive than that of any young composer of comparative stature the provincial from Busseto achieved a refinement of musical craftsmanship and thought that has never been surpassed and rearely equalled. The upward path can be traced in detail from opera to opera, but no amount of foresight could have deduced the end from the beginning. Looking back from the vantage point of 1893 we can discern the seeds of Falstaff even in the most unpromising moments of, say, Il Corsaro. That the mechanical commonplaces of 1848 should have been fanned into such magnificent life forty-five years later is a miracle of regeneration difficult to parallel in the history of music."
Julian Budden, writing in The Operas of Verdi, vol 3



\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

Tsaraslondon

#403
This is a list of my recommendations for all the Verdi operas. Those who know me, know that Callas is always likely to be my first choice in the operas she recorded, but I am aware there are those who have a total antipathy to her voice, so have also listed alternatives. When it comes to the role of Violetta, I don't think any soprano has come anywhere near her achievement, which is why I list no less than three live versions, all of which have their merits. Callas's only studio recording, though it has marginally better sound, is not really in the same class, and the other singers and conducting in all three live versions are much better.

I have stuck with audio only, as I still tend to listen to music more than watch DVDs. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I can let my imagination fill in the stage picture, unfettered by the quirks of some stage director and less distracted by the physical appearance of the singers in question. All the recordings on the list are, or have been at one time, commercially available, so I only list live recordings that have been issued officially (the Callas Covent Garden la Traviata now available on ICA Classics).

•   Oberto – Guleghina, Urmana, Neill, Ramey; Marriner
•   Un Giorno di Regno – Pagliughi, Cozzi, Oncina, Bruscantini, Capecchi; Simonetto
•   Nabucco – Suliotis, Carrall, Prevedi, Gobbi, Cava; Gardelli
•   I Lombardi – Deutekom, Domingo, Raimondi; Gardelli
•   Ernani – Price, Bergonzi , Sereni, Flagello; Schippers
•   I Due Foscari – Ricciarelli, Carreras, Cappuccilli, Ramey; Gardelli
•   Giovanna d’Arco – Caballe, Domingo, Milnes; Levine
•   Alzira – Cotrubas, Araiza, Bruson; Gardelli
•   Attila – Deutekom, Bergonzi, Milnes, Raimondi; Gardelli
•   Macbeth – Verrett, Domingo, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov; Abbado, but also Callas, Penno, Mascherini, Tajo; De Sabata
•   I Masnadieri – Caballe, Bergonzi, Milnes, Raimondi; Gardelli
•   Jersualem –Mescheriakova, Giordani, Scandiuzzi; Luisi
•   Il Corsaro – Caballe, Norman, Carreras, Mastromei; Gardelli
•   La Battagalia di Legnano – Ricciarelli, Carreras, Manugerra, Ghiuselev; Gardelli
•   Luisa Miller – Moffo, Verrett, Bergonzi, MacNeil, Tozzi; Cleva or Caballe, Reynolds, Pavarotti, Milnes, Giaotti; Maag
•   Stiffelio – Sass, Carreras, Manuguerra, Ganzarolli; Gardelli
•   Rigoletto – Callas, Di Stefano, Gobbi; Serafin or Cotrubas, Domingo, Cappuccilli; Giulini
•   Il Trovatore – Callas, Barbieri, Di Stefano, Panerai, Zaccaria; Karajan or Price, Cossotto, Domingo, Milnes; Mehta or Plowright, Fassbaender, Domingo, Zancanaro; Giulini
•   La Traviata – Callas, Valetti, Zanasi; Rescigno or Callas, Kraus, Sereni; Ghione or Callas, Di Stefano, Bastianini, Giulini or Cotrubas, Domingo, Milnes; Kleiber
•   Les Vepres Siciliennes – Arroyo, Domingo, Milnes, Raimondi; Levine
•   Simon Boccanegra – Freni, Carreras, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov; Abbado
•   Aroldo – Caballe, Cecchele, Pons, Lebherz; Queler
•   Un Ballo in Maschera – Callas, Ratti, Barbieri, Di Stefano, Gobbi; Votto or Callas, Ratti, Simionato, Bastianini; Gavazzeni or Arroyo, Grist, Cossoto, Domingo, Cappuccilli; Muti
•   La Forza Del Destino – Callas, Nicolai, Tucker, Tagliabue, Rossi-Lemeni; Serafin or Price, Cossotto, Domingo, Milnes, Giaotti; Levine
•   Don Carlos – Caballe, Verrett, Domingo, Milnes, Raimiondi; Giulini or (in French) Ricciarelli, Valentini-Terrani, Domingo, Nucci, Raimondi; Abbado
•   Aida – Caballe, Cossotto, Domingo, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov; Muti or Callas, Barbieri, Tucker, Gobbi, Modesti; Serafin
•   Otello – Rysanek, Vickers, Gobbi; Serafin and Scotto, Domingo, Milnes; Levine
•   Falstaff – Schwarzkopf, Moffo, Merriman, Barbieri, Alva, Gobbi, Panerai, Zaccaria; Karajan

The most glaring omission for some will no doubt be the Solti Aida with Price, Vickers and Gorr, all superb, but I'm afraid I can't bear Solti in Verdi, so didn't include it. Those that don't mind his vulgar, less than lyrical, barnstorming approach will no doubt prefer it to the two I listed, and with such superb singing, I can hardly blame them.



\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

mc ukrneal

#404
Quote from: Tsaraslondon on November 06, 2012, 09:18:18 AM
This is a list of my recommendations for all the Verdi operas. Those who know me, know that Callas is always likely to be my first choice in the operas she recorded, but I am aware there are those who have a total antipathy to her voice, so have also listed alternatives. When it comes to the role of Violetta, I don't think any soprano has come anywhere near her achievement, which is why I list no less than three live versions, all of which have their merits. Callas's only studio recording, though it has marginally better sound, is not really in the same class, and the other singers and conducting in all three live versions are much better.

I have stuck with audio only, as I still tend to listen to music more than watch DVDs. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I can let my imagination fill in the stage picture, unfettered by the quirks of some stage director and less distracted by the physical appearance of the singers in question. All the recordings on the list are, or have been at one time, commercially available, so I only list live recordings that have been issued officially (the Callas Covent Garden la Traviata now available on ICA Classics).

•   Oberto – Guleghina, Urmana, Neill, Ramey; Marriner
•   Un Giorno di Regno – Pagliughi, Cozzi, Oncina, Bruscantini, Capecchi; Simonetto
•   Nabucco – Suliotis, Carrall, Prevedi, Gobbi, Cava; Gardelli
•   I Lombardi – Deutekom, Domingo, Raimondi; Gardelli
•   Ernani – Price, Bergonzi , Sereni, Flagello; Schippers
•   I Due Foscari – Ricciarelli, Carreras, Cappuccilli, Ramey; Gardelli
•   Giovanna d'Arco – Caballe, Domingo, Milnes; Levine
•   Alzira – Cotrubas, Araiza, Bruson; Gardelli
•   Attila – Deutekom, Bergonzi, Milnes, Raimondi; Gardelli
•   Macbeth – Verrett, Domingo, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov; Abbado, but also Callas, Penno, Mascherini, Tajo; De Sabata
•   I Masnadieri – Caballe, Bergonzi, Milnes, Raimondi; Gardelli
•   Jersualem –Mescheriakova, Giordani, Scandiuzzi; Luisi
•   Il Corsaro – Caballe, Norman, Carreras, Mastromei; Gardelli
•   La Battagalia di Legnano – Ricciarelli, Carreras, Manugerra, Ghiuselev; Gardelli
•   Luisa Miller – Moffo, Verrett, Bergonzi, MacNeil, Tozzi; Cleva or Caballe, Reynolds, Pavarotti, Milnes, Giaotti; Maag
•   Stiffelio – Sass, Carreras, Manuguerra, Ganzarolli; Gardelli
•   Rigoletto – Callas, Di Stefano, Gobbi; Serafin or Cotrubas, Domingo, Cappuccilli; Giulini
•   Il Trovatore – Callas, Barbieri, Di Stefano, Panerai, Zaccaria; Karajan or Price, Cossotto, Domingo, Milnes; Mehta or Plowright, Fassbaender, Domingo, Zancanaro; Giulini
•   La Traviata – Callas, Valetti, Zanasi; Rescigno or Callas, Kraus, Sereni; Ghione or Callas, Di Stefano, Bastianini, Giulini or Cotrubas, Domingo, Milnes; Kleiber
•   Les Vepres Siciliennes – Arroyo, Domingo, Milnes, Raimondi; Levine
•   Simon Boccanegra – Freni, Carreras, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov; Abbado
•   Aroldo – Caballe, Cecchele, Pons, Lebherz; Queler
•   Un Ballo in Maschera – Callas, Ratti, Barbieri, Di Stefano, Gobbi; Votto or Callas, Ratti, Simionato, Bastianini; Gavazzeni or Arroyo, Grist, Cossoto, Domingo, Cappuccilli; Muti
•   La Forza Del Destino – Callas, Nicolai, Tucker, Tagliabue, Rossi-Lemeni; Serafin or Price, Cossotto, Domingo, Milnes, Giaotti; Levine
•   Don Carlos – Caballe, Verrett, Domingo, Milnes, Raimiondi; Giulini or (in French) Ricciarelli, Valentini-Terrani, Domingo, Nucci, Raimondi; Giulini
•   Aida – Caballe, Cossotto, Domingo, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov; Muti or Callas, Barbieri, Tucker, Gobbi, Modesti; Serafin
•   Otello – Rysanek, Vickers, Gobbi; Serafin and Scotto, Domingo, Milnes; Levine
•   Falstaff – Schwarzkopf, Moffo, Merriman, Barbieri, Alva, Gobbi, Panerai, Zaccaria; Karajan

The most glaring omission for some will no doubt be the Solti Aida with Price, Vickers and Gorr, all superb, but I'm afraid I can't bear Solti in Verdi, so didn't include it. Those that don't mind his vulgar, less than lyrical, barnstorming approach will no doubt prefer it to the two I listed, and with such superb singing, I can hardly blame them.
What a great list, especially for someone just starting out and not sure where to begin. I won't travel the road to Callas and Solti Aida - we've been over there more than once. But I did think you might have picked the RCA Aida with Milanov, Bjorling etc. I suppose the sound is still poor, but the singing is pretty special. Aroldo is one I keep hoping they will re-issue - the only one I haven't ever heard I think.
Be kind to your fellow posters!!

Tsaraslondon

Quote from: mc ukrneal on November 06, 2012, 09:27:36 AM
But I did think you might have picked the RCA Aida with Milanov, Bjorling etc.

Love Bjoerling, but somewhat allergic to Milanov I'm afraid - a bit of a blind spot for me  :(
\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

Wendell_E

Quote from: Tsaraslondon on November 06, 2012, 09:18:18 AM
•   Macbeth – Verrett, Pavarotti, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov; Abbado,


Agreed, wonderful list.  I own and love almost all those recordings.  One small correction.  Unless there's another recording I don't know about, the tenor on that Macbeth is Domingo.  Pavarotti is the Macduff on Gardelli's Decca recording, with Souliotis and Fischer-Dieskau.
"Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." ― Mark Twain

Tsaraslondon

Quote from: Wendell_E on November 06, 2012, 09:43:46 AM
  One small correction.  Unless there's another recording I don't know about, the tenor on that Macbeth is Domingo.  Pavarotti is the Macduff on Gardelli's Decca recording, with Souliotis and Fischer-Dieskau.

You are absolutely right. I will amend immediately
\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

nico1616

#408
Quote from: Tsaraslondon on November 06, 2012, 09:18:18 AM
This is a list of my recommendations for all the Verdi opera's

•   Nabucco – Suliotis, Carrall, Prevedi, Gobbi, Cava; Gardelli
•   Ernani – Price, Bergonzi , Sereni, Flagello; Schippers
•   I Due Foscari – Ricciarelli, Carreras, Cappuccilli, Ramey; Gardelli
•   Giovanna d'Arco – Caballe, Domingo, Milnes; Levine
•   Attila – Deutekom, Bergonzi, Milnes, Raimondi; Gardelli
•   Macbeth – Verrett, Domingo, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov; Abbado
•   I Masnadieri – Caballe, Bergonzi, Milnes, Raimondi; Gardelli
•   Il Corsaro – Caballe, Norman, Carreras, Mastromei; Gardelli
•   Luisa Miller – Moffo, Verrett, Bergonzi, MacNeil, Tozzi; Cleva
•   Rigoletto – Callas, Di Stefano, Gobbi; Serafin or Cotrubas, Domingo, Cappuccilli; Giulini
•   Il Trovatore – Callas, Barbieri, Di Stefano, Panerai, Zaccaria; Karajan or Plowright, Fassbaender, Domingo, Zancanaro; Giulini
•   Un Ballo in Maschera – Callas, Ratti, Barbieri, Di Stefano, Gobbi
•   La Forza Del Destino – Price, Cossotto, Domingo, Milnes, Giaotti; Levine
•   Don Carlos – Caballe, Verrett, Domingo, Milnes, Raimiondi; Giulini

The most glaring omission for some will no doubt be the Solti Aida with Price, Vickers and Gorr

I absolutely agree with all those copied above, we have a lot of shared favorites :)
I would add the Price/Vickers/Gorr/Solti Aida on Decca (surprise!), very dramatic - not vulgar - and a cast that can not be bettered. Muti sounds boring in comparison.
For Don Carlo also Solti on Decca with Tebaldi/Bergonzi/Bumbry/Ghiaurov (and let us just forget F-D)
The Otello I prefer is the Domingo/Studer/Chung on DG and for Traviata I go for Sutherland/Bergonzi/Pritchard on Decca.
Falstaff is also a Giulini opera for me: the Bruson/Ricciarelli on DG.

The rest of the operas are not so familiar to me.
The first half of life is spent in longing for the second, the second half in regretting the first.

Tsaraslondon

#409
Quote from: nico1616 on November 06, 2012, 01:01:29 PM
I absolutely agree with all those copied above, we have a lot of shared favorites :)
I would add the Price/Vickers/Gorr/Solti Aida on Decca (surprise!), very dramatic - not vulgar - and a cast that can not be bettered. Muti sounds boring in comparison.
For Don Carlo also Solti on Decca with Tebaldi/Bergonzi/Bumbry/Ghiaurov (and let us just forget F-D)
The Otello I prefer is the Domingo/Studer/Chung on DG and for Traviata I go for Sutherland/Bergonzi/Pritchard on Decca.
Falstaff is also a Giulini opera for me: the Bruson/Ricciarelli on DG.

The rest of the operas are not so familiar to me.

Well my antipathy for Solti puts his Don Carlo out of the running for me (and Tebaldi is just past her best). I don't like Studer much, which is the reason I plump for Domingo I, and I find Scotto a most affecting and involving Desdemona, despite the occasional hardness. I just can't respond to Sutherland as Violetta in either of her recordings, but she is not a singer who ever really speaks to me, despite the technique and the beauty of her voice. De Los Angeles is another of my favourites for this role. I like Gheorghiu too, but she has to contend with Solti's unlyrical conducting and Nucci's dry old stick of a Germont.
My feelings on Solti's Aida are well known. I find his conducting brash and overweening. I actually prefer Karajan's second on EMI, odd orchestral balances and all, but I don't find the Muti in the least bit dull (and Caballe takes some beating too).
As for Giulini's Falstaff, I find it a little unsmiling, whilst Karajan's brims with high spirits.

I do find it interesting, though, how different people respond to different recordings.




\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

wagnernn

#410
The Rysanek-Vickers-Gobbi-Serafin is gorgeous, though Rysanek is miscast  Sometimes I enjoy the Scotto-Domingo-Milnes-Levine one, but frankly I cant stand Domingo. The best Otello ever, for me, is this one (DVD)
http://www.amazon.com/Verdi-Otello-Metropolitan-Jon-Vickers/dp/B00579EKXC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjtKkulTLPw



Tsaraslondon

Quote from: wagnernn on November 06, 2012, 08:23:03 PM
The Rysanek-Vickers-Gobbi-Serafin is gorgeous, though Rysanek is miscast  Sometimes I enjoy the Scotto-Domingo-Milnes-Levine one, but frankly I cant stand Domingo. The best Otello ever, for me, is this one (DVD)
http://www.amazon.com/Verdi-Otello-Metropolitan-Jon-Vickers/dp/B00579EKXC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjtKkulTLPw

I have that DVD too, and it is indeed a wonderful performance. Would that Scotto were on the Vickers/Serafin recording (but it would have been a little early for her).

\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

wagnernn

My problem with Rysanek is not that she doesnt sound enough Italian for me, but because she can't capture the character of Desdemona. The German Schwarzkopf executes it much better:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5_RGv9KXEw&playnext=1&list=PLD35CC65FBFAB9AAB&feature=results_video

Tsaraslondon

Quote from: wagnernn on November 07, 2012, 04:31:24 AM
My problem with Rysanek is not that she doesnt sound enough Italian for me, but because she can't capture the character of Desdemona. The German Schwarzkopf executes it much better:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5_RGv9KXEw&playnext=1&list=PLD35CC65FBFAB9AAB&feature=results_video

I've known this performance a very long time, and I think Schwarzkopf sings it superbly. I don't think she ever sang the role on stage, though I believe it would have suited her well.

One of the best Desdemonas I ever came across, was Victoria De Los Angeles, on a live recording from the Met, with Del Monaco. Maybe we should not be surprised, considering she is also an excellent Amelia on the Gobbi recording of Simon Boccanegra. The two roles make less demands on the voice than most of Verdi's  other lead soprano roles, excluding Alice in Falstaff.

\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

nico1616

Quote from: Tsaraslondon on November 06, 2012, 01:34:55 PM
Well my antipathy for Solti puts his Don Carlo out of the running for me (and Tebaldi is just past her best). I don't like Studer much, which is the reason I plump for Domingo I, and I find Scotto a most affecting and involving Desdemona, despite the occasional hardness. I just can't respond to Sutherland as Violetta in either of her recordings, but she is not a singer who ever really speaks to me, despite the technique and the beauty of her voice. De Los Angeles is another of my favourites for this role. I like Gheorghiu too, but she has to contend with Solti's unlyrical conducting and Nucci's dry old stick of a Germont.
My feelings on Solti's Aida are well known. I find his conducting brash and overweening. I actually prefer Karajan's second on EMI, odd orchestral balances and all, but I don't find the Muti in the least bit dull (and Caballe takes some beating too).
As for Giulini's Falstaff, I find it a little unsmiling, whilst Karajan's brims with high spirits.

I do find it interesting, though, how different people respond to different recordings.

Interesting indeed.
In the Solti Don Carlo, Tebaldi still has her golden tone and Bergonzi is just the perfect Verdi tenor.
Another asset of this recording are the basses: Ghiaurov and Talvela, how can that ever be bettered?

Bergonzi is also the reason why I think so high of the Pritchard Traviata, and I always love Sutherland and find her complementary to the Callas interpretation. In the belcanto repertoire this is even more the case, I could never be without the Callas and the Sutherland Norma, Puritani, Lucia,... Even when they are so different.

As to Giulini, it is the sound of the orchestra that puts him on top of the list: neither his Rigoletto, Trovatore or Falstaff are the best sung, but he brings out so much beauty and detail of the score that you almost forget about the voices. He always surprises, after hearing so much Trovatores, this summer I finally discovered his and he made me hear something completely new!

Studer's voice is certainly an acquired taste, a beautiful tone but always problems with the pitch. Her Desdemona however is perfectly vulnerable to me, I even like it more than Tebaldi's and certainly more than Scotto's shrill voice.

This is of course all highly subjective and again, I find it amazing how much we like in common.
The first half of life is spent in longing for the second, the second half in regretting the first.

Tsaraslondon

#415
Quote from: nico1616 on November 07, 2012, 03:07:46 PM
Interesting indeed.
In the Solti Don Carlo, Tebaldi still has her golden tone and Bergonzi is just the perfect Verdi tenor.
Another asset of this recording are the basses: Ghiaurov and Talvela, how can that ever be bettered?

Bergonzi is also the reason why I think so high of the Pritchard Traviata, and I always love Sutherland and find her complementary to the Callas interpretation. In the belcanto repertoire this is even more the case, I could never be without the Callas and the Sutherland Norma, Puritani, Lucia,... Even when they are so different.

As to Giulini, it is the sound of the orchestra that puts him on top of the list: neither his Rigoletto, Trovatore or Falstaff are the best sung, but he brings out so much beauty and detail of the score that you almost forget about the voices. He always surprises, after hearing so much Trovatores, this summer I finally discovered his and he made me hear something completely new!

Studer's voice is certainly an acquired taste, a beautiful tone but always problems with the pitch. Her Desdemona however is perfectly vulnerable to me, I even like it more than Tebaldi's and certainly more than Scotto's shrill voice.

This is of course all highly subjective and again, I find it amazing how much we like in common.

Well I did say Tebaldi was just past her best. I agree with you re Bergonzi, but, as you yourself pointed out, Fischer-Dieskau is a problem. Milnes is preferable, and Gobbi probably best of all, though his recording is not otherwise particularly recommendable, except for Christoff. Fortunately they are both better represented in the live performance from Covent Garden with Brouwenstijn and Vickers, and conducted of course by Giulini. It's not perfect by any means, Barbieri ducks some of her high notes and is no match for either Verrertt or Bumbry, but it is a great reminder of a historical night that started the re-evaluation of this great Verdi opera.

I do love Giulini's conducting, and did recommend his Il Trovatore as an alternative to the Callas, which is also superbly conducted by Karajan, but, as I said, I find his Falstaff a little lacking in high spirits. The Philharmonia play spectacularly well for Karajan, and Karajan also has the stronger line up of soloists, so his remains my top recommendation.

We will have to agree to disagree about Sutherland. She is a singer I admire rather than love. I'm often knocked out by the vocalism, but that's about as far as it goes. Oddly enough I find her debut Lucia di Lammermoor, recorded live at Covent Garden under Callas's conductor Tullio Serafin, more convincing than either of her studio recordings, the voice much more forwardly produced and the diction, for once, crisp and clear. As an alternative to Callas, I am more likely to turn to Caballe (especially at Orange) as Norma and also as Elvira in I Puritani.

\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

nico1616

Quote from: Tsaraslondon on November 08, 2012, 01:32:29 AM
Well I did say Tebaldi was just past her best. I agree with you re Bergonzi, but, as you yourself pointed out, Fischer-Dieskau is a problem. Milnes is preferable, and Gobbi probably best of all, though his recording is not otherwise particularly recommendable, except for Christoff. Fortunately they are both better represented in the live performance from Covent Garden with Brouwenstijn and Vickers, and conducted of course by Giulini. It's not perfect by any means, Barbieri ducks some of her high notes and is no match for either Verrertt or Bumbry, but it is a great reminder of a historical night that started the re-evaluation of this great Verdi opera.

I do love Giulini's conducting, and did recommend his Il Trovatore as an alternative to the Callas, which is also superbly conducted by Karajan, but, as I said, I find his Falstaff a little lacking in high spirits. The Philharmonia play spectacularly well for Karajan, and Karajan also has the stronger line up of soloists, so his remains my top recommendation.

We will have to agree to disagree about Sutherland. She is a singer I admire rather than love. I'm often knocked out by the vocalism, but that's about as far as it goes. Oddly enough I find her debut Lucia di Lammermoor, recorded live at Covent Garden under Callas's conductor Tullio Serafin, more convincing than either of her studio recordings, the voice much more forwardly produced and the diction, for once, crisp and clear. As an alternative to Callas, I am more likely to turn to Caballe (especially at Orange) as Norma and also as Elvira in I Puritani.

The Don Carlo on EMI with Christoff and Gobbi is also on my shelf, but I only listen to parts of it. The rest of the cast is not remarkable. I am very interested in the Giulini live you mention, is it in somewhat decent sound?
I have an other live recording with a great cast: Corelli, Janowitz, Verrett, Wächter, Ghiaurov and Talvela conducted by Horst Stein. It is a dreamcast but alas, the sound (on the label Opera d'oro) is just horrible. I find it almost unlistenable, which is often the case with live recordings. I can only stand a certain amount of audience coughs in one aria, however great the performance...

Von Karajan's Falstaff never gets under my skin, as for example his Trovatore with Callas does. It is also the opera, I would never place Falstaff in my top 10 of Verdi operas, I have problems holding my attention during the last act.

That leaves us with Sutherland, and I can agree with you on some point. She was probably at her best live. I have a live Maria Stuarda recording that makes her studio effort sound dull. However, for me, belcanto does not get any better than in the Sutherland/Pavarotti/Cappuccilli/Bonynge Puritani on Decca.
I have problems with Caballé, a very beautiful voice, but she shows it off too much and lacks vocal acting. I hardly find her ever believable in a role. I just hear a diva who is very pleased with herself.



The first half of life is spent in longing for the second, the second half in regretting the first.

Tsaraslondon

Quote from: nico1616 on November 08, 2012, 08:11:03 AM
The Don Carlo on EMI with Christoff and Gobbi is also on my shelf, but I only listen to parts of it. The rest of the cast is not remarkable. I am very interested in the Giulini live you mention, is it in somewhat decent sound?
I have an other live recording with a great cast: Corelli, Janowitz, Verrett, Wächter, Ghiaurov and Talvela conducted by Horst Stein. It is a dreamcast but alas, the sound (on the label Opera d'oro) is just horrible. I find it almost unlistenable, which is often the case with live recordings. I can only stand a certain amount of audience coughs in one aria, however great the performance...

Von Karajan's Falstaff never gets under my skin, as for example his Trovatore with Callas does. It is also the opera, I would never place Falstaff in my top 10 of Verdi operas, I have problems holding my attention during the last act.

That leaves us with Sutherland, and I can agree with you on some point. She was probably at her best live. I have a live Maria Stuarda recording that makes her studio effort sound dull. However, for me, belcanto does not get any better than in the Sutherland/Pavarotti/Cappuccilli/Bonynge Puritani on Decca.
I have problems with Caballé, a very beautiful voice, but she shows it off too much and lacks vocal acting. I hardly find her ever believable in a role. I just hear a diva who is very pleased with herself.

Like Sutherland's debut as Lucia, the live Giulini Don Carlo was issued on the Royal Opera House's own label. It is available from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Verdi-Don-Carlo-Boris-Christoff/dp/B000CHYH3C/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1352403974&sr=1-3

I do know what you mean about Caballe. There are times when I too feel she just lays out the voice and her technique for admiration, but I find her a better vocal actor than Sutherland, though neither of them is great shakes in that department. Have you seen the Norma she did in Orange with Jon Vickers and Josephine Veasey? A bit stately to be sure, but the singing is spectacular.

\"A beautiful voice is not enough.\" Maria Callas

nico1616

Quote from: Tsaraslondon on November 08, 2012, 10:55:45 AM
Like Sutherland's debut as Lucia, the live Giulini Don Carlo was issued on the Royal Opera House's own label. It is available from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Verdi-Don-Carlo-Boris-Christoff/dp/B000CHYH3C/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1352403974&sr=1-3

I do know what you mean about Caballe. There are times when I too feel she just lays out the voice and her technique for admiration, but I find her a better vocal actor than Sutherland, though neither of them is great shakes in that department. Have you seen the Norma she did in Orange with Jon Vickers and Josephine Veasey? A bit stately to be sure, but the singing is spectacular.

Thanks for the link!
I never saw that Norma dvd, but I see it is on youtube and I will check it out.
In general I almost never watch opera on dvd, I like my cds more...
The first half of life is spent in longing for the second, the second half in regretting the first.

Octave

#419
My thanks to participants of this thread for their discussion.  Recent lists and discussion of favorites by Tsaraslondon and others has also been very helpful.

I don't want to bumble into shillery, but on the whole, but how do the GMG Verdians rate the selections included in this COMPLETE WORKS megalith?  I'm going to do my Verdi homework, I promise; but I am curious how many of the recordings in this box might rate as credible, say, first-or-second-or-so choices, and conversely how many are not really very good at all, if any.  I know the man's work very little; the only operas I've spent some real time with are the half-dozen in that EMI Callas studio megabox (Santini, Serafin, Votto, Karajan) and also Karajan's AIDA, DON CARLO, FALSTAFF, OTELLO).  And Giulini's and Reiner's REQUIEM.


Verdi: THE COMPLETE WORKS (Decca, 75cd, 2013)

I'm not sure how much it duplicates the European (?) edition published perhaps a couple years ago:
[asin]B0032CJ37E[/asin]

Presto's contents listing is probably the most legible; here's a link and I will reproduce the links and contents for the new edition.  I'm not editing the pasted contents here, so you might save your vision and visit the link, where everything is much easier to read.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Decca/4784916
QuoteOberto

recorded in 1996

Stuart Neill (Riccardo), Samuel Ramey (Oberto), Maria Guleghina (Leonora), Violeta Urmana (Cuniza), Sara Fulgoni (Imelda)

Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner

Un giorno di regno

recorded in 1973

Fiorenza Cossotto (Marquise del Poggio), Jessye Norman (Giulietta), José Carreras (Edoardo de Sanval), Ingvar Wixell (Chevalier Belfiore), Vincenzo Sardinero (Gasparo Antonio della Rocca), Wladimiro Ganzarolli (Baron de Kelbar), William Elvin (Delmonte), Ricardo Cassinelli (Comte Ivrea)

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Ambrosian Singers, Lamberto Gardelli

Nabucco

recorded in 1965

Tito Gobbi (Nabucco), Bruno Prevedi (Ismaele), Carlo Cava (Zaccaria), Elena Souliotis (Abigaille), Dora Carral (Fenena), Anna D' Auria (Anna), Giovanni Foiani (Gran Sacerdote), Walter Kräutler (Abdallo)

Wiener Staatsopernorchester, Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor, Lamberto Gardelli

I Lombardi alla prima crociata

recorded in 1996

June Anderson (Giselda), Luciano Pavarotti (Oronte), Samuel Ramey (Pagano), Richard Leech (Arvino), Patricia Racette (Viclinda), Ildebrando d' Arcangelo (Pirro), Yanni Yannissis (Acciano), Jane Shaulis (Sofia)

Orchestra & Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, James Levine

Ernani

recorded in 1987

Luciano Pavarotti (Ernani), Joan Sutherland (Elvira), Leo Nucci (Carlo), Paata Burchuladze (Silva), Richard Morton (Riccardo), Alastair Miles (Iago), Linda McLeod (Giovanna)

Orchestra & Chorus of Welsh National Opera, Richard Bonynge

I Due Foscari

recorded in 1977

Piero Cappuccilli (Francesco Foscari), José Carreras (Jacopo Foscari), Katia Ricciarelli (Lucrezia Contarini), Samuel Ramey (Jacopo Loredano), Vincenzo Bello (Barbarigo), Elizabeth Connell (Pisana), Mieczlaw Antoniak (Fante del Consiglio de' Dieci), Franz Handlos (Servo de Doge)

ORF-Symphonie-Orchester, Chor des Österreichischen Rundfunks, Lamberto Gardelli

Giovanna d'Arco

recorded in 1972

Montserrat Caballé (Giovanna), Plácido Domingo (Carlo VII), Sherrill Milnes (Giacono), Keith Erwen (Delil), Robert Lloyd (Talbot)

London Symphony Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus, James Levine

Alzira

recorded in 1999

Marina Mescheriakova (Alzira), Ramón Vargas (Zamoro), Paolo Gavanelli (Gusmano), Iana Iliev (Zuma), Jovo Reljin (Ovando), Wolfgang Barta (Ataliba), Torsten Kerl (Otumbo), Slobodan Stankovic (Alvaro)

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Le Choeur du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Fabio Luisi

Attila

recorded in 1972

Ruggero Raimondi (Attila), Sherrill Milnes (Ezio), Cristina Deutekom (Odabella), Carlo Bergonzi (Foresto), Ricardo Cassinelli (Uldino), Jules Bastin (Leone)

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Ambrosian Singers, Lamberto Gardelli

Macbeth

recorded in 1975

Piero Cappuccilli (Macbeth), Shirley Verrett (Lady Macbeth), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Banco), Franco Tagliavini (Macduff), Nicola Martinucci (Malcolm), Stefania Malagù (Dama), Carlo Zardo (Medico)

Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala, Claudio Abbado

I Masnadieri

recorded in 1982

Samuel Ramey (Massimiliano), Franco Bonisolli (Carlo), Matteo Manuguerra (Francesco), Joan Sutherland (Amalia), Arthur Davies (Armino), Simone Alaimo (Moser), John Harris (Rolla)

Orchestra & Chorus of Welsh National Opera, Richard Bonynge

Gerusalemme

recorded in 1998

Marcello Giordani (Gaston), Philippe Rouillon (Le comte de Toulouse), Roberto Scandiuzzi (Roger), Daniel Borowski (Ademar), Simon Edwards (Raymond), Marina Mescheriakova (Hélène), Hélène Le Corre (Isaure), Wolfgang Barta (Un soldat), Slobodan Stankovic (Un Héraut/L'Émir de Ramla), Jovo Reljin (Un officier de l'Émir)

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Le Choeur du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Fabio Luisi

Il Corsaro

recorded in 1975

José Carreras (Corrado), Clifford Grant (Giovanni), Jessye Norman (Medora), Montserrat Caballé (Gulnara), Giampietro Mastromei (Seid), John Noble (Selimo), Alexander Oliver (Eunuco)

New Philharmonia Orchestra, Ambrosian Singers, Lamberto Gardelli

La Battaglia di Legnano

recorded in 1977

Katia Ricciarelli (Lida), José Carreras (Arrigo), Matteo Manuguerra (Rolando), Nicola Ghiuselev (Federico Barbarossa), Hannes Lichtenberger (Primo Console), Dimitri Kavrakos (Secondo Console), Jonathan Summers (Marcovaldo), Franz Handlos (Il Podesta di Como), Ann Murray (Imelda), Mieczlaw Antoniak (Un Araldo)

ORF-Symphonie-Orchester und -Chor Wien, Lamberto Gardelli

Luisa Miller

recorded in 1975

Montserrat Caballé (Luisa), Luciano Pavarotti (Rodolfo), Sherrill Milnes (Miller), Bonaldo Giaiotti (Walter), Richard Van Allan (Wurm), Anna Reynolds (Federica), Annette Céline (Laura), Fernando Pavarotti (Contadino)

London Opera Chorus & National Philharmonic Orchestra, Peter Maag

Stiffelio

recorded in 1979

José Carreras (Stiffelio), Sylvia Sass (Lina), Matteo Manuguerra (Stankar), Wladimiro Ganzarolli (Jorg), Ezio Di Cesare (Raffaele), Maria Venuti (Dorotea), Thomas Moser (Federico)

ORF-Symphonie-Orchester Wien, Chor des Österreichischen Rundfunks, Lamberto Gardelli

Rigoletto

recorded in 1979

Piero Cappuccilli (Rigoletto), Ileana Cotrubas (Gilda), Plácido Domingo (Il Duca), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Sparafucile), Elena Obraztsova (Maddalena), Hanna Schwarz (Giovanna), Kurt Moll (Monterone), Luigi De Corato (Marullo), Walter Gullino (Borsa), Dirk Sagemuller (Conte di Ceprano), Olive Fredricks (Contessa di Ceprano), Audrey Michael (Un paggio)

Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Staatsopernchor, Carlo Maria Giulini

Il Trovatore

recorded in 1983

Plácido Domingo (Manrico), Rosalind Plowright (Leonora), Brigitte Fassbaender (Azucena), Giorgio Zancanaro (Luna), Evgeny Nesterenko (Ferrando)

Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Carlo Maria Giulini

I Vespri Siciliani

recorded in 1989

Cheryl Studer (Elena), Chris Merritt (Arrigo), Giorgio Zancanaro (Monforte), Ferruccio Furlanetto (Procida), Gloria Banditelli (Ninetta), Ernesto Gavazzi (Danieli), Enzo Capuano (Bethune), Francesco Musinu (Vaudemont), Paolo Barbacini (Tebaldo), Marco Chingari (Roberto) & Ferrero Poggi (Manfredo)

Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Riccardo Muti

Simon Boccanegra

recorded in 1977

Piero Cappuccilli (Boccanegra), Mirella Freni (Amelia/Maria), José van Dam (Paolo), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Jacopo Fiesco), José Carreras (Gabriele)

Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Claudio Abbado

Aroldo

recorded in 1997

Neil Shicoff (Aroldo), Roberto Scandiuzzi (Briano), Carol Vaness (Mina), Anthony Michaels-Moore (Egberto), Julian Gavin (Godvino), Sergio Spina (Enrico), Marina Comparato (Elena)

Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Fabio Luisi

Un ballo in maschera

recorded in 1982-3

Luciano Pavarotti (Riccardo), Renato Bruson (Renato), Margaret Price (Amelia), Christa Ludwig (Ulrica), Kathleen Battle (Oscar), Peter Weber (Silvano), Robert Lloyd (Samuele), Malcolm King (Tom), Alexander Oliver (Un Giudice)

National Philharmonic Orchestra, London Opera Chorus, Junior Chorus of the Royal College of Music, Sir Georg Solti

La Forza del Destino Preludio (St Petersburg version 1862)

recorded in 1998

Galina Gorchakova (Leonora), Nikolai Putilin (Don Carlo), Gegam Grigorian (Don Alvaro), Marianna Tarasova (Preziosilla), Grigory Karasev (Marchese di Calatrava), Sergei Alexashkin (Padre Guardiano), Lia Shevtzova (Curra), Nikolai Gassiev (Mastro Trabuco), Yuri Laptev (Un Chirurgo), Evgeny Nikitin (Un Alcalde)

Orchestra & Chorus of the Kirov Theatre, Valery Gergiev

La forza del destino

recorded in 1985

José Carreras (Don Alvaro), Rosalind Plowright (Leonora di Vargas), Renato Bruson (Don Carlo), Agnes Baltsa (Preziosilla), Jean Rigby (Curra), Paata Burchuladze (Padre Guardiano), John Tomlinson (Il Marchese di Calatrava), Richard Van Allan (Un Alcalde), Mark Curtis (Mastro Trabuco), Petteri Salomaa (Un Chirurgo)

Philharmonia Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Giuseppe Sinopoli

Don Carlos (Five-act French version)

recorded in 1983-4

Katia Ricciarelli (Elisabeth), Lucia Valentini Terrani (Eboli), Plácido Domingo (Carlos), Leo Nucci (Rodrigue), Ruggero Raimondi (Philippe II), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Le Grand Inquisiteur), Nikita Storojew (Un Moine), Ann Murray (Thibault), Tibère Raffalli (Le Compte de Lerme), Antonio Savastano (Un Hérault Royal), Arleen Auger (Un Voix d'en haut)

Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Claudio Abbado

Don Carlo

recorded in 1965

Carlo Bergonzi (Don Carlo), Renata Tebaldi (Elisabetta), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Filippo II), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Rodrigo), Grace Bumbry (Eboli), Martti Talvela (Il Grande Inquisitore), Jeannette Sinclair (Tebaldo), Kenneth MacDonald (Il Conte di Lerma), John Wakefield (Un Araldo Reale), Joan Carlyle (Una voce dal cielo)

Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Sir Georg Solti

Aida

recorded in 1959

Renata Tebaldi (Aida), Giulietta Simionato (Amneris), Carlo Bergonzi (Radamès), Cornell MacNeil (Amonasro), Arnold van Mill (Ramfis), Fernando Corena (Il Re di Egitto), Piero de Palma (Un Messaggero), Eugenia Ratti (Una Sacerdotessa)

Wiener Philharmoniker, Singerverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde Wien, Herbert von Karajan

Otello

recorded in 1993

Plácido Domingo (Otello), Cheryl Studer (Desdemona), Sergei Leiferkus (Iago), Ramón Vargas (Cassio), Michael Schade (Rodrigo), Ildebrando D'Arcangelo (Lodovico), Giacomo Prestia (Montano), Denyce Graves (Emilia), Philippe Duminy (Un Araldo)

Orchestra & Chorus of Bastille Opera, Myung-Whun Chung

Falstaff

recorded in 1982

Renato Bruson (Falstaff), Leo Nucci (Ford), Katia Ricciarelli (Alice Ford), Barbara Hendricks (Nannetta), Brenda Boozer (Meg Page), Lucia Valentini-Terrani (Mistress Quickly), Michael Sells (Dr. Cajus), Dalmacio González (Fenton), Francis Egerton (Bardolfo), William Wilderman (Pistola)

os Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Carlo Maria Giulini

Requiem

Joan Sutherland (soprano), Marilyn Horne (mezzo-soprano), Luciano Pavarotti (tenor) & Martti Talvela (bass)

Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Staatsopernchor, Sir Georg Solti

Quattro Pezzi Sacri

Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Sir Georg Solti

Messa solenne

Orchestra e Coro Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Qui tollis

Juan Diego Flórez (tenor), Raffaella Ciapponi (clarinet)

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Laudate pueri

Juan Diego Flórez (tenor), Kenneth Tarver (tenor)

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Tantum ergo in G major

Kenneth Tarver (tenor)

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Pater noster

Coro Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Ave Maria in B minor

Orchestra e Coro Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Tantum ergo in F major

Michele Pertusi (baritone)

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Libera me, Domine from 'Messa per Rossini'

Cristina Gallardo-Domâs (soprano)

Orchestra e Coro Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Variazioni for piano and orchestra on the Romanza 'Caro Suono Lusinghiero

reconstructed Fortunato Ortombina; revised Riccardo Chailly

Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano)

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

La Forza del Destino Preludio (St Petersburg version 1862)

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Adagio for trumpet and orchestra

Gianluigi Petrarulo (trumpet)

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Aida, Sinfonia 1872

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Canto di Virginia variations for oboe and orchestra

Alessandro Potenza (oboe)

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Otello, Preludio

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Prelude to Act III from I Lombardi alla prima crociata

Luca Santaniello (violin)

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Simon Boccanegra: Prelude (1st version, 1857)

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Capriccio for bassoon and orchestra

Andrea Magnani (bassoon)

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Il tramonto

La seduzione

Ad una stella

Lo spazzacamino

Perduta ho lo pace

Deh pietoso oh Addolorata

Chi i bei dì m'adduce ancora

La Zingara

L'esule

Non t'accostare all'urna

In solitaria stanza

Nell'orror di notte oscura

Il poveretto

Stornello

Ave Maria, for voice & strings or piano

Margaret Price (soprano), Geoffrey Parsons (piano)

La preghiera del poeta

Al tuo bambino

Renata Scotto, Vincenzo Scalera

Il brigidino

Paolo Washington, Vincenzo Scalera

E' la vita un mar d'affanni

Pietà, Signor

Renata Scotto, Vincenzo Scalera

More, Elisa, lo stanco poeta

Paolo Washington, Vincenzo Scalera

L'Abandonee

Sgombra o gentil

Il mistero

Brindisi I

Renata Scotto, Vincenzo Scalera

Brindisi II (No. 6 from 6 Romanze, 1845)

Paolo Washington, Vincenzo Scalera

Romanza senza parole

Waltz in F Major

Roberto Galletto

Cupo è il sepolcro e mutolo

Bruce Ford, David Harper

Guarda che bianca luna (Notturno)

Jennifer Larmore, Bruce Ford, Alastair Miles, Jaime Martin, Antoine Palloc

A toi, que j'ai cherie (from Les vêpres siciliennes)

Oh, dolore (from Attila)

Si, lo sento, Iddio mi chiama (from I Due Foscari)

Plácido Domingo (tenor)

Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, Valery Gergiev

O madra mia ... Come poteva un angelo (from I Lombardi)

Plácido Domingo (tenor), Marjorie Dix (mezzo)

Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, Valery Gergiev

Io la vidi e a quell'aspetto (from I Lombardi)

Luciano Pavarotti (tenor)

Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, Claudio Abbado

Inno delle nazioni

Luciano Pavarotti (tenor)

Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus, James Levine

String Quartet in E minor

Quartetto Italiano

Gerusalemme: Ballet Music

Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Antonio de Almeida

Il Trovatore: Ballet Music, Act III

National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge

Otello: Ballet Music

Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Riccardo Chailly

Ballo della Regina

Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Riccardo Chailly

Grand March from Aida

Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Riccardo Chailly

Macbeth: Ballet Music

Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Riccardo Chailly

Le Quattro Stagioni (I vespri siciliani Act III)

Guido Toschi, Giovanni Tedeschi

Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologn, Riccardo Chailly

La Traviata

Ileana Cotrubas (Violetta), Plácido Domingo (Alfredo), Sherrill Milnes (Giorgio Germont), Stefania Malagù (Flora), Helena Jungwirth (Annina), Walter Gullino (Gastone), Giovanni Foiani (Dottore Grenvil), Bruno Grella (Barone Douphol), Alfredo Giacomotti (Marchese d'Obigny)

Bayerischer Staatsopernchor & Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Carlos Kleiber
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