Sylvius Leopold Weiss – Partitas Pour Luth

Sylvius Leopold Weiss – Partitas Pour Luth

Recorded in Mandelsloh, Germany, between 24 and 27/09/1997

About these works:
Sylvius Leopold Weiss probably did not worry much about posterity; few 18th-century musicians did. And posterity duly ignored Weiss, partly because there was nothing suitable on which to play his music. It was tailored for the Baroque lute, a sonorous but difficult instrument that largely disappeared within a generation of his death. Weiss was a star performer in his day, but even then his music was hard to find, by his own choice. He published only one movement in his lifetime. ”When you keep a piece only for yourself,” he explained, ”it always stays nice and new.” But that attitude, a common one among itinerant Baroque virtuosos, did not stop Weiss and his students from writing down hundreds of his pieces. Most of them are still unpublished, although a complete edition is in process.
That edition is timely. Today we have something suitable on which to play Weiss, thanks to the modern revival of the Baroque lute. And the Weiss record catalog continues to grow. This release comes from a notable figure in the Baroque lute revival, Hopkinson Smith. Mr. Smith’s mastery is reason enough to listen; he extracts a beautiful sound from his lute and plays it with an improvisatory flair and a wealth of nuance. Just as important, the music is rich and wide-ranging. It is hard to imagine a more attractive introduction to Weiss’s music. A high point is the G major Partita, whose eight movements include an impressive Toccata and Fugue. Such music should keep posterity from forgetting Weiss any time soon.

Track List:
1. Partita in Ré Mineur – Fantasia (1:37)
2. Partita in Ré Mineur – Allemande (4:26)
3. Partita in Ré Mineur – Courante (3:31)
4. Partita in Ré Mineur – Gavotte (1:50)
5. Partita in Ré Mineur – Sarabande (3:19)
6. Partita in Ré Mineur – Menuett (2:51)
7. Partita in Ré Mineur – Giga (3:49)
8. Partita in Sol Majeur – Prélude (1:03)
9. Partita in Sol Majeur – Toccata (1:53)
10. Partita in Sol Majeur – Fuga (2:53)
11. Partita in Sol Majeur – Courante (4:18)
12. Partita in Sol Majeur – Bourrée (3:20)
13. Partita in Sol Majeur – Sarabande, un poco andante (6:19)
14. Partita in Sol Majeur – Menuet (3:31)
15. Partita in Sol Majeur – Allegro (5:22)
16. Piéces in Ré Majeur – Prélude (3:10)
17. Piéces in Ré Majeur – Passacaille (3:26)
18. Piéces in Ré Majeur – Giga (3:11)

Hopkinson Smith: baroque lute (13 string Joel Van Lennep, Boston)

Stereo, DDD, mp3, 320 kbps, 162.22 Mb, 59:49 minutes. Full info & covers included.

Part1 —  Part2

Para el flequillo más precioso y rebelde de todo el Sur.

Various Artists – Great Opera Arias

Recorded between 1979 & 1988

About these works:
The fourteen extracts recorded here are among the best-loved arias from the worlds’s most famous operas. All of them were recorded with the most famous and reputed singers and orchestras, in some cases during live performances. This recording is a good opportunity for those prefering short pieces, to get familiar with the greatest arias.

Track List & Artists:
01. Puccini – Tosca – E Lucevan Le Stelle (3:14)
Giacomo Aragall: Cavaradossi
National Philharmonic Orchestra – Sir Georg Solti
Recorded in 1984

02. Puccini – Manon Lescaut – In quelle Trine Morbide (2:17)
Kiri Te Kanawa: Manon
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna – Riccardo Chailly
Recorded in 1987

03. Mozart – Le Nozze Di Figaro – Voi Che Sapete (2:57)
Frederica Von Stade: Cherubino
London Philharmonic Orchestra – Sir Georg Solti
Recorded in 1981

04. Rossini – Il Barbiere Di Siviglia – Largo Al facotum (5:06)
Leo Nucci: Figaro
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna – Giuseppe Patanè
Recorded in 1988

05. Verdi – Ernani – Surta È La Notte (6:06)
Susan Sunn: Elvira
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna – Riccardo Chailly
Recorded in 1987

06. Massenet – Werther – Pourquoi Me Réveiller (3:06)
Luciano Pavarotti: Werther
National Philharmonic Orchestra – Oliviero de Fabrittis
Recorded in 1979

07. Beethoven – Fidelio – Abscheulicher, Komm, Hoffung (8:03)
Hildegard Behrens: Leonore
Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Sir Georg Solti
Recorded in 1979

08. Boito – Mefistofele -Sono Lo Spirito Che Nega (3:32)
Nicolai Ghiaurov: Mefistofele
National Philharmonic Orchestra – Oliviero de Fabrittis
Recorded in 1980

09. Boito – Mefistofele – L’altra Notte In Fondo Al Mare (6:56)
Mirella Freni: Margherita
National Philharmonic Orchestra – Oliviero de Fabrittis
Recorded in 1980

10. Puccini – Manon Lescaut – Donna Non Vidi Mai (2:14)
José Carreras: Des Grieux
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna – Riccardo Chailly
Recorded in 1987

11. Giordano – Andrea Chénier – La Mamma Morta (5:15)
Monserrat Caballé: Maddalena
National Philharmonic Orchestra – Riccardo Chailly
Recorded in 1984

12. Rossini – La Donna Del Lago – Mura Felici (9:57)
Marylin Horne: Malcolm
New York City Orchestra: Richard Bonynge
Recorded in 1981

13. Puccini – La Bohème – Che Gelida Manina (4:34)
Luciano Pavarotti: Rodolfo
New York City Orchestra: Richard Bonynge

14. Verdi – Il Masnadieri – Tu Del Mio Carlo..Carlo Vive (8:20)
Joan Sutherland: Amalia
New York City Orchestra: Richard Bonynge
Recorded in 1981

Stereo, DDD, mp3, 320 kbps, 188.99 Mb, 71:43 minutes

Part1 —  Part2