Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Le Nozze Di Figaro

Recorded in Berlin in 1968.

About this opera:
Whatever the merits of sets made since, this one is ensured a revered place in the pantheon of Figaro recordings. Made in 1968, when Bohm was enjoying an Indian summer, it was based on a production by Sellner at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin and indeed the production was supervised by Sellner. Since its premiere under Bohm in 1963, he had led many revivals including some performances with this cast, around the time the recording was made, which surely accounts for this sense of a true ensemble felt all round and of a thought-through interpretation. The crisp, clear, yet spacious recording, seldom matched on more recent versions, only enhances the authority and warmth of the reading. Bohm radiates the wisdom of his years of attendance on the score without any slackening of his rhythmic grip or his demand for precision of execution. It was also part of Bohm’s genius to weld a heterogenous cast into a convincing whole. No need at this stretch of time to commend the singers individually; each has complete command vocally and dramatically of his or her role though one must just mention Janowitz’s dignified yet lively Countess and Mathis’s animated, alluring Susanna.

The Artists:
Chor Und Orchestra Der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Karl Böhm: conductor
+
Dietrich FIscher-Dieskau: Il Comte Di Almaviva
Gundula Janowitz: La Contessa Di Almaviva
Edith Mathis: Sussana
Herman Prey: Figaro
Tatiana Troyanos: Cherubino
Patricia Johnson: Marcellina
Martin Vantin: Don Curzio

Track List:
cd1:
01. Overture (4:14)
02. Act 1, Duetto – Cinque…dieci…venti….trenta… (3:25)
03. Duettino – Se a caso madama la notte ti chiama (4:07)
04. Cavatina – Bravo, signor padrone! (4:27)
05. Aria – La vendetta, oh, la vendetta (3:55)
06. Duettino – Via, resti servita, madama brillante (4:00)
07. Aria – Non so piu cosa son, cosa faccio (6:19)
08. Terzetto – Cosa sento! tosto andante (5:21)
09. Coro – Giovanti liete, fiori spargente (4:37)
10. Aria – Non piu andrai, farfallone amoroso (3:52)
11. Act 2, Cavatina – Porgi, amor (8:47)
12. Canzona – Voi che sapete (4:05)
13. Aria – Venite…inginocchiatevi (3:13)
cd2:
01. Recitativo – Quante buffonerie! (3:28)
02. Terzetto – Susanna, or via, sortite (4:08)
03. Duettino – Aprite, presto, aprite (2:32)
04. Finale – Esci, ormai, garzon malnato (7:54)
05. Signori, di fuori son già i suonatori (9:12)
06. Voi signor, che giusto siete (4:03)
07. Recitativo – Che imbarazzo è mai questo (2:25)
08. Duetto – Crudel! perchè finora farmi languir cosi? (3:30)
09. Recitativo ad Aria – Hai gia vinta la causa! – Vedrò, mentr’io sospiro (6:46)
10. Sestetto – Riconosci in questo amplesso (6:24)
11. Recitativo ed Aria – E Susanna non vien! – Dove sono i bei momenti (7:36)
12. Duettino – Su l’aria / Che soave zeffiretto (3:54)
cd3:
1. Coro – Ricevete, o padroncina (3:35)
2. Finale – Ecco la marcia… andiamo (6:16)
3. Act 4, Cavatina – L’ho perduta (3:56)
4. Aria – Il capro e la capretta (5:28)
5. Aria – In quegli anni in cui val poco (4:04)
6. Recitativa ed Aria – Tutto e disposto – Aprite un po’ quegli occhi (5:01)
7. Recitativo ed Aria – Giunse alfin il momento – Deh vieni, non tardar (5:32)
8. Finale – Pian pianin le andrò più presso (11:35)
9. Gente,gente, all’armi, all’armi (5:07)

Stereo, ADD, mp3 (30 kbps CBR), 421.86 Mb, 173:12 minutes. Full info, synosis & covers included.
Part1 — Part2 — Part3 — Part4 — Part5

Giuseppe Verdi – Don Carlo

Giuseppe Verdi – Don Carlo

Recorded at the Philarmonie, Berlin from 15th to 20th of September 1978.

About this opera:
Don Carlos is a five-act Grand Opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French language libretto  by Camille du Locle and Joseph Méry, based on the dramatic play Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien (“Don Carlos, Infante  of Spain”) by Friedrich Schiller. The story is based on conflicts in the life of Carlos, Prince of Asturias (1545-1568) after his betrothed Elisabeth of Valois was married instead to his father Philip II of Spain as part of the peace treaty ending the Italian War of 1551-1559 between the Houses of Habsburg and Valois. It received its first performance at the Théâtre Impérial de l’Opéra on 11 March 1867. Over the following twenty years, cuts and additions were made to the opera, resulting in a number of versions being available to directors and conductors. No other Verdi opera exists in so many versions. At its full-length (including the ballet and the cuts made before the first performance), it contains about four hours of music, and is Verdi’s longest opera. An Italian translation of this revised French text, re-using much of the original 1866 translation by de Lauzières, was made by Angelo Zanardini. The La Scala, Milan, première of the revision, now re-titled Don Carlo, took place on 10 January 1884. Although Verdi had accepted the need to remove the first act, it seems that he changed his mind and allowed a performance on 29 December 1886 in Modena which presented the “Fontainebleau’’ first act along with the revised 4-act version. This version was published by Ricordi as “a new edition in five acts without ballet”. Performances of Don Carlos/Don Carlo in the first half of the twentieth century were rare, but in the post Second World War period it has been regularly performed, particularly in the four-act 1883 ‘Milanese’ version. Following the notable 1958 staging of the 1886 five-act Italian version at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (director Luchino Visconti), this version has increasingly been performed elsewhere and has been recorded by, among others, Georg Solti and Carlo Maria Giulini. Finally, stagings and recordings of the original five-act French version of the opera have become more frequent, performances having been given at the Teatro alla Scala in 1970 featuring Plácido Domingo with Katia Ricciarelli, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in 1996, with Roberto Alagna as Don Carlos (which has been released on CD and DVD), and at the San Francisco Opera in 2003. A five-act version including the parts not performed in the first Paris première (but omitting the ballet “La Pérégrina”) was staged and conducted by Sarah Caldwell with the Opera Company of Boston in 1973. The complete uncut French version was performed at the Staatsoper in Vienna (2006) and at the Liceu, Barcelona; its conductor was Bertrand de Billy.

The Artists:
Berliner Philharmoniker
Herbert von Karajan: director
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José Carreras: Don Carlo
Mirella Freni: Elisabetta de Valois
Agnes Baltsa: La Principessa d’Eboli
Nicolai Ghiaurov: Filippo II
Piero Cappuccilli: Rodrigo
Ruggero Raimondi: Il Grande Inquisitori
José Van Dam: Un Frate
Edita Gruberova: Tebaldo
Horst Nitsche: Il Comte Di Lerma
Carlo Meletti: Un Araldo Reale
Barbara Hendricks: Una Voce Dal Cielo

Track List:
cd1:
01. Act 1, Scene 1 – Carlo il sommo Imperatore (6:12)
02. Io l’ho perduta! (3:20)
03. Il duolo della terra (1:02)
04. E lui! desso! l’Infante! (3:18)
05. Ascolta! Le porte dell’asil s’apron gia (0:53)
06. Dio, che nell’alma infondere amor (4:46)
07. Act 1, Scene 2 – Sotto ai folti, immensi abeti (2:42)
08. Tra queste mura pie la Regina di Spagna (0:49)
09. Nei giardin del bello saracin ostello (4:49)
10. La Regina!…Un’arcana mestizia (1:55)
11. Che mai si fa nel suol francese (2:24)
12. Carlo, ch’e sol il nostro amore (5:04)
13. Io vengo a domandar (11:22)
14. Il Re!…Perche sola e la Regina (1:18)
15. No pianger, mia compagna (4:55)
16. Restate! Presso alla mio personna (2:14)
17. O Signor, di Fiandra arrivo (3:16)
18. Quest’e la pace che voi date al mondo (3:13)
19. Oso lo sguardo tuo penetrar il mio soglio (3:41)
cd2:
1. Act 2, Scene 1 – A mezzanotte, ai giardin della Regina (10:15)
2. Ed io, che tremava al suo aspetto! (4:52)
3. Act 2, Scene 2 – Spuntato ecco il di d’esultanza (4:02)
4. Cortege (3:21)
5. Or la porta s’apra del tempio! (2:18)
6. Nel posar sul mio capo la corona (6:21)
7. Sire! egli e tempo ch’io viva! (2:08)
8. Ciel! Tu! Rodrigo! (2:46)
cd3:
01. Act 3, Scene 1 – Ella giammai m’amo! (10:00)
02. Il Grand’Inquisitor! (9:10)
03. Giustizia, giustizia, SIre! (3:12)
04. Ardita troppo voi favellate! (1:59)
05. Ah! sii maledetto, sospetto fatale (4:26)
06. Pieta! Pieta! Perdon! (3:56)
07. O don fatale, o don crudel (5:30)
08. Act 3, Scene 2 – Son io, mio Carlo (3:25)
09. Per me giunto e il di supremo (5:51)
10. Il morro ma lieto in core (2:44)
11. Mio Carlo, a te la spada io rendo (3:24)
12. Act 4 – Tu che le vanita (12:05)
13. E dessa!…Un detto, un sol (6:32)
14. Ma lassu ci vedremo (5:51)

Stereo, ADD, mp3 (320 kbps), 420.81 Mb, 118:41 minutes. Info, synopsis & covers included.
Part1 — Part2 — Part3 — Part4 — Part5

George Frideric Händel – Radamisto

Recorded at the Stadthalle, Göttingen, Germany on June 14-18, 1993.

About this opera:
Radamisto (HWV 12) is an opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel. It was Handel’s first opera for the Royal Academy of Music. It was first performed at the King’s Theatre, London on 27 April 1720 and was judged to be a success, resulting in 10 further performances. Its text was adapted in London (probably by Nicola Haym) from L’amor tirannico (Florence, 1712), which is based on Domenico Lalli’s L’amor tirannico (Venice, 1710), whose source was Georges de Scudéry’s L’amour tyrannique (Paris, 1639). Ordinarily, the text adaptor would sign (and profit from) the dedication in a libretto, but “George Frederic Handel” signed the dedication of Radamisto “to the King’s Most Excellent Majesty.” The only prompt copy for any Handel opera known to be extant is for this production, and its annotations imply a lavish affair. There were ten female and perhaps sixteen male supernumeraries, who served as soldiers or companions. During a scene-change (I, viii-ix) accompanied by a sinfonia, at least eight pike-bearing soldiers charged over a practicable bridge. In addition, dancers performed the four-part balli placed at the end of each act. Act I ends in Bb, the key of the ensuing Marche and Rigadon I, which are followed by Rigadon II in the relative minor, then by an Air in Bb. Act II ends in A, the key of a huge Passacaille (21 statements of an 8-bar pattern: 12 in A, 6 in the relative minor, plus 3 more in A) and a binary Gigue. Act III ends in D with a substantial chorus in rondo form (which was presumably danced), a Passepied based on the choral refrain, a Rigadon in the relative minor, a da capo of the Passepied, and a da capo of the choral refrain. Strings, oboes and bassoons play the dance music after acts I and II; two French horns and two trumpets join them to provide a true climax at the end of act III. The only other London operas for which Handel wrote ballets were those of 1734-5, when Marie Sallé danced at Covent Garden. It therefore seems clear that Radamisto was imbued with “Most Excellent Majesty.”
A revised version with different singers was written for a revival on 28 December 1720. More revisions followed for yet another version presented in 1721 and again for further revival in 1728. It was also given in Hamburg. The first modern performance was in Göttingen  on 27 June 1927. The first production in the US, in a semi-staged version, took place on 16 February 1980 in Washington, DC and the first fully-staged presentation was given at Mannes College, New York on 10 January 1992. Productions are fairly rare in modern times. They include the Gottingen Festival production of 1993 given in Zurich and conducted by Nicholas McGegan which was later recorded by Harmonia Mundi; Opera McGill in Montreal presented the 1720 revision in May 2006; and the Santa Fe Opera presented it with counter tenor David Daniels as part of its 2008 season.

The Artists:
Freiburger Barockorchester
Nicholas McGegan: conductor
Ralph Popken (countertenor): Radamisto
Juliana Gondek (soprano): Zenobia
Lisa Saffer (soprano): Polissena
Dana Hanchard (soprano): Tigrane
Monika Frimmer (soprano): Fraarte
Michael Dean (bass-baritone): Tiridarte
Nicloas Cavallier (bass): Farasmane

Track List:
cd1:
01. Overture (3:50)
02. Cavatina (2:14)
03. Recitativo (1:31)
04. Aria (Fraarte) (3:30)
05. Recitativo (0:42)
06. Aria (Tigrane) (4:08)
07. Recitativo (1:06)
08. Aria(Polissena) (4:14)
09. Recitativo (1:40)
10. Aria (Tiridate) (4:17)
11. Recitativo (0:59)
12. Aria (Radamisto) (4:13)
13. Recitativo (2:16)
14. Aria (Zenobia) (4:45)
15. Recitativo (0:38)
16. Aria (Radamisto) (4:08)
17. Recitativo (0:32)
18. aria (Farasmane) (4:12)
19. Recitativo-Sinfonia (0:47)
20. Recitativo (2:24)
22. Aria (Tigrane) (4:50)
22. Recitativo (0:27)
23. Aria (Polissena) (4:42)
cd2:
01. Sposo, vien meno il piè (0:39)
02. Quando mai, spietata sorte (2:42)
03. Oh crudo ciel! (3:41)
04. Vuol ch’io serva (5:41)
05. Prencipe generoso (0:22)
06. Ombra cara di mia sposa (8:07)
07. Mitiga il grave affanno (1:06)
08. Lascia pur amica spene (4:59)
09. Oh senza esempio dispietata sorte! (0:26)
10. Già che morir non posso (4:13)
11. Signor….E che mi rechi?. (2:16)
12. Si che ti renderai (4:03)
13. Nulla già di speranza (0:38)
14. Fatemi, o cieli, almen (5:40)
15. Questo vago giardin (0:46)
16. La sorte, il ciel, amor (4:40)
17. Adorato german, quanto più lieta (1:23)
18. Vanne, sorella ingrata (2:30)
19. Trà il german, trà lo sposo (0:23)
20. Che farà quest’alma mia (3:52)
21. Troppo sofferse (3:05)
22. Due seggi, olà! (3:48)
23. Empio, perverso cor! (2:14)
24. Ascolta, Ismen (1:24)
25. Se teco vive il cor (3:29)
cd3:
01. Stanco di più soffrir (0:54)
02. S’adopri il braccio armato (3:22)
03. So ben che nel mio amore (0:27)
04. So ch’è vana la speranza (2:21)
05. Non temo, idolo mio (0:46)
06. Dolce bene di quest’alma (6:16)
07. O della Tracia, o dell’Armenia (2:56)
08. Vieni, d’empietà (1:02)
09. Vile! se mi dai vita (3:43)
10. Mio Rè, mi Tiridate, ascolta (1:04)
11. Barbaro! partirò (3:43)
12. Rarasmane la segua (0:55)
13. Alzo al volo (4:38)
14. Di Radamisto il capo? (0:49)
15. Deggio dunque, oh Dio (4:09)
16. Oh Dio! parte Zenobia (0:28)
17. Qual nave smarrita (5:34)
18. In questo tempio (2:04)
19. O cedere o perir (2:55)
20. Arrestatevi, o fidi! (1:48)
21. Non ho più affanni (1:54)
22. Festeggi omai la reggia (0:12)
23. Un dì più felice (3:22)

Stereo, DDD, mp3 (320 kbps), 448.43 Mb, 3 hours 11 minutes. Covers, info & synopsis included.

Part1 — Part2 — Part3 — Part4 — Part5

George Frideric Händel – Faramondo

Recorded at the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Paul, New York City in 1996 (world premiere recording)

About this work:
Faramondo (Pharamond, HWV  39) is an opera  in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian text adapted from Apostolo Zeno’s Faramondo. This opera drew a blank with its first audiences in 1738. At the start of the 21st century, we can perhaps be more receptive to its quirky, schematic dramaturgy and its complex equation of sexual and military conquest. We are in the middle of a war, in which the armies of kings Faramondo and Gernando are allied against those of Gustavo and his son Adolfo. On each side, the leaders are rivals for the love of a woman in the opposite camp: Faramondo and Gernando are besotted with Gustavo’s daughter Rosimonda, while Gustavo and Adolfo have the hots for Faramondo’s sister Clotilde. There’s no real plot. What Handel gives us is an exploration of an emotional gridlock in which the dramatic tension is dependent on our growing awareness of the characters’ shifting perspectives. A cool, brilliant operatic game, it’s devastatingly realised by Diego Fasolis and I Barocchisti in a recording that for many will seem like countertenor heaven. Most people will probably want to hear it for either Max Emanual Cencic in the title role or Philippe Jaroussky’s Adolfo. The star turns, however, come from Xavier Sabata’s chameleon-like Gernando and from Marina de Liso as firebrand Rosimonda and Sophie Karthäuser as the irritatingly virtuous Clotilde. The whole thing is a revelation.

The Artists:
Brewer Chamber Orchestra
Rudolph Palmer: conductor
D’Anna Fortunato: Faramondo
Julianne Baird: Clotilde
Drew Minter: Gernando
Jennifer Lane: Rosimonda
Mary Ellen Callahan: Adolfo
Peter Castaldi: Gustavo
Lorie Gratis: Childerico
Mark Singer: Teobaldo

Track List:
cd1:
01. Act I. Overture (6:33)
02. Act I. Accompanied Recitative: Popolo, figlio (1:11)
03. Act I. Chorus: Pera, pera (0:21)
04. Act I. Recitative: Chiede l’ombra (0:53)
05. Act I. Aria: Viva, si (3:37)
06. Act I. Recitative: Siam pur fuori (0:54)
07. Act I. Aria: Conoscero (4:17)
08. Act I. Recitative/Aria: Perdoni all’amor mio (6:31)
09. Act I. Recitative: A me dunque (1:31)
10. Act I. Aria: Vanne (4:06)
11. Act I. Recitative: Faramondo infelice (0:43)
12. Act I. Aria: Rival si tono (3:59)
13. Act I. Recitative/Aria: Va pur (4:59)
14. Act I. Recitative: Sino ad ora (1:27)
15. Act I. Arioso: Si, tornero (2:20)
16. Act I. Recitative/Aria: Quel nemico (4:19)
17. Act I. Recitative: Si, Clotilde (1:09)
18. Act I. Aria: Vado a recar (2:01)
19. Act I. Recitative: Dalla cittade (0:19)
20. Act I. Aria: Mi parto lieta (5:27)
21. Act I. Recitative: Fra quest’ombre (1:23)
22. Act I. Aria: Se ben (5:43)
cd2:
01. Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 4 in A Minor: I. Larghetto affetuoso (2:37)
02. Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 4 in A Minor: II. Allegro (2:43)
03. Act II. Sinfonia (2:23)
04. Act II. Recitative: Gia udisti (1:44)
05. Act II. Aria: Si, l’intendesti (3:55)
06. Act II. Recitative/Aria: Si sdegna (4:53)
07. Act II. Recitative: Misero (0:37)
08. Act II. Aria: Poi che pria (5:58)
09. Act II. Aria: Combattuta (6:00)
10. Act II. Recitative: Faramondo in catene (1:05)
11. Act II. Aria: Se a piedi (3:58)
12. Act II. Recitative: Signor, umil (1:22)
13. Act II. Aria: Sol la brama (3:17)
14. Act II. Recitative: Tentai d’aver (0:39)
15. Act II. Aria: Nella terra (4:40)
16. Act II. Recitative: Childerico (1:03)
17. Act II. Duet: Vado e vivo (2:33)
cd3:
01. Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 4 in A Minor: III. Largo, e piano (2:20)
02. Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 4 in A Minor: IV. Allegro (2:52)
03. Act III. Sinfonia (2:46)
04. Act III. Recitative: Mi tradiscono (1:13)
05. Act III. Duet: Caro, cara (5:14)
06. Act III. Recitative: Gia nel campo (0:27)
07. Act III. Aria: Cosi suole (4:30)
08. Act III. Recitative: Ritorna pu (0:39)
09. Act III. Aria: Voglio che sia (7:51)
10. Act III. Recitative: D’un oltraggiato (1:38)
11. Act III. Aria: Se ria procella (4:46)
12. Act III. Recitative: Non isdegnar (2:00)
13. Act III. Aria: Sappi, crudel (5:40)
14. Act III. Recitative: Clotilde, il tuo dolor (1:42)
15. Act III. Aria: Un’aura placida (6:01)
16. Act III. Recitative: Reggi il mio brando (1:53)
17. Act III. Aria/Chorus: Virtu che rende (5:23)

Stereo, DDD, mp3 (320 kbps), 397.49, 170:14 minutes. Full info & covers included.
Part1 — Part2 — Part3 — Part4

George Frideric Händel – Amadigi Di Gaula (Highlights)

Recorded at the Maison De La Radio, Studio 103, Paris between November & December 1989

About this work:
Amadigi di Gaula (HWV  11) is an opera with music by George Frideric Handel. The identity of the librettist is not known for certain. Previous consensus had been that John Jacob Heidegger was the librettist, but more recent research has indicated that that the librettist was more likely to be Giacomo Rossi, with Nicola Francesco Haym as another candidate. In addition to Handel, André Destouches wrote an opera based on this story, and David Kimbell has compared in detail the treatments of the story by Handel and Destouches. The origin of the story is a 1699 treatment of the knight-errantry  romance Amadis de Gaula by Antoine Houdar de la Motte. The opera received its first performance in London at the King’s Theatre in the Haymarket on 25 May 1715. The original cast included the celebrated castrato Nicolo Grimaldi. The opera was a success and received a known minimum of 17 further performances in London through 1717, and a similar number in Hamburg from 1717–1720, with a different title, Oriana. The opera then fell into neglect and was not revived until 1929 in Osnabrück and subsequently in England in 1968, by Unicorn Opera at the Abbey Hall, Abingdon. The original manuscript of Amadigi has disappeared, along with sections of the music. Only one edition of the libretto is known, dating from 1715. Two published editions of the opera exist, the Händelgesellschaft edition of 1874, and the first critical edition, by J. Merrill Knapp, which Bärenreiter published in 1971. Winton Dean has examined the history of various manuscripts which contain alternative selections for the score.

The Artists:
Les Musicienes Du Louvre
Marc Minkowski: conductor
Nathalie Stutzmann: Amadigi (contralto)
Jennifer Smith: Oriana (soprano)
Eiddwen Harrhy: Melissa (soprano)
Bernarda Fink: Dardano (contralto)
Pascal Bertin: Orgando (mezzo-soprano)

Track List:
01. Ouverture (4:36)
02. Atto primo – Aria (Amadigi) (3:36)
03. Atto primo – Aria (melissa) (5:03)
04. Atto primo – Aria (Dardano) (4:13)
05. Atto primo – Aria (Melissa) (3:34)
06. Atto secondo – Aria (Amadigi) (3:10)
07. Atto secondo – Aria (Oriana) (7:03)
08. Atto secondo – Aria (Oriana, Amadigi) (4:18)
09. Atto secondo – Duetto (Melissa, Amadigi) (4:31)
10. Atto secondo – Aria (Dardano) (5:39)
11. Atto secondo – Aria (dardano) (3:20)
12. Atto secondo – Aria (Oriana) (3:31)
13. Atto terzo – Aria (Oriana) (4:18)
14. Atto terzo – Aria (Melissa) (2:20)
15. Atto terzo – Duetto (Oriana, Amadigi) (4:15)
16. Atto terzo – Accompagnato (Ombra) (1:29)
17. Atto terzo – Aria (Amadigi) (4:41)
18. Atto terzo – Coro (2:40)

Stereo, DDD, mp3 (320 kbps), 169.49Mb, 72:23 minutes. Info, synopsis & covers included.
Part1 — Part2

Éste es para Christelle: una pequeña introducción a la ópera barroca.

Various Artists – Italian Opera Arias

Italian Opera Arias

Recorded between 1958 & 1992

About these works:
This album contains a collection of probably the most famous italian opera arias by composers like Puccini, Donizetti, Verdi, etc. performed by several great singers of all time. A good oportunity to get familiar with  songs that built the history of italian opera.

Track List & Artists:
01. Verdi: La Traviata, Prelude (3:34)
02. Donizetti: L’Elisir d’Amore, Una furtiva lagrima – (4:59) – Plácido Domingo (tenor)
03. Verdi: Rigoletto, Questa o quella (1:48) – Alfredo Kraus (tenor)
04. Puccini: Madama Butterfly, Un bel di vedremo (4:21) – Leontyne Price (soprano)
05. Verdi: Rigoletto, La donna e mobile (2:16) – Plácido Domingo (tenor)
06. Puccini: La Rondine, Chi il bel sogno di Doretta (2:17) – Anna Moffo (soprano)
07. Giordano: Andrea Chenier, Come un bel di di maggio (3:14) – Plácido Domingo (tenor)
08. Puccini: La Bohème, Mi chiamano Mimi (4:43) – Monserrat Caballé (soprano)
09. Puccini: Tosca, Recondita armonia (3:02) – Jussi Bjoerling (tenor)
10. Verdi: Rigoletto, Caro nome (6:56) – Anna Moffo (soprano)
11. Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia, Largo al factotum (4:58) – Robert Merrill (baritone)
12. Puccini: La Bohème, Che gelida manina (4:20) – Richard Tucker (tenor)
13. Verdi: Aida, Celeste Aida (4:32) – Plácido Domingo (tenor)
14. Puccini: Tosca, Vissi d’arte (3:13) – Leontyne Price (soprano)
15. Puccini: Tosca, E lucevan le stelle (3:07) – Plácido Domingo (tenor)
16. Puccini: Gianni Scicchi, O mio babbino caro (2:28) – Leontyne Price (soprano)
17. Leoncavallo: Pagliacci, Vesti la giubba (3:51) – Plácido Domingo (tenor)
18. Verdi: La forza del destino, Pace, pace, mio Dio (5:47) – Leontyne Price (soprano)
19. Puccini: Turandot, Nessun dorma (3:05) – Ben Heppner (tenor)

Stereo, ADD, mp3, 320 kbps, 187.98 Mb. Full info & covers are included

Part1 — Part2

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

George Frideric Händel – Imeneo

Recorded in 1986.

About this opera:
Imeneo (Hymen, HWV 41) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was adapted from Silvio Stampiglia’s Imeneo. Handel had begun composition in September 1738, but did not complete the score until 1740. The opera received its first performance at the Lincoln’s Inn Fields in London on 22 November 1740, and received another performance on 13 December. Handel then revised the score, and this revised version received concert performances in Dublin, on 24 and 31 March 1742. The first modern production was in Halle on 13 March 1960. The work was soon after performed in Birmingham in 1961, under the direction of Anthony Lewis. Lewis also led the first London revival of the opera since Handel’s time, in 1972 at the Royal Academy of Music. Lewis has prepared a performing edition of the opera.

Synopsis:
The opera opens with Tirinto’s lamentation of his lost love, Rosmene, to barbaric pirates. Another girl has been abducted, Clomiri. Together he grieves with Clomiri’s father, Argenio. But they learn that a brave, strong man named Imeneo had killed every pirate while they were sleeping. Everyone rejoices, and Imeneo, along with the rest of the country and Rosmene’s parents, expects Rosmene to marry him, though her true feelings are for Tirinto. Thus Rosmene is caught in a painfully awkward love triangle. Additionally, Clomiri has amorous feelings for Imeneo. Clomiri helps Imeneo realize that Rosmene is hesitant because of her relationship with Tirinto, and that she is putting his contentment before hers. When Imeneo, who insists that Rosmene is ungrateful, and Tirinto, who calls her unfaithful, tell her to decide who she will marry, she feigns a nervous breakdown in front of the characters. Eventually, she marries Imeneo. She learns that true love is not as important as honor and duty. Rosmene asks Tirinto to be happy for her. Her decision leaves Clomiri and Tirinto to cry at the end. The chorus at the end of the opera restates that one must not bow down to one’s desire, but to reason; one must not follow true feelings and fidelity, but gratitude and honor.

The Artists:
Brewer Chamber Orchestra
Rudolph Palmer: conductor
John Ostendorf: Imeneo
Julianne Baird: Rosmene
D’Anna Fortunato: Tirinto
Beverly Hoch: Clomiri
Jan Opalach: Argeno

Track List:
cd1:
1. Act I, Overture/Prelude (5:17)
2. Act I, Scene 1 (12:06)
3. Act I, Scene 2 (10:31)
4. Act I, Scenes 3-4 (9:05)
5. Act I, Scenes 5-6 (11:54)
6. Act II, Scene 1 (8:54)
cd2:
1. Act II, Scenes 2-3 (9:13)
2. Act II, Scenes 4-5 (8:36)
3. Act II, Scene 6 (8:22)
4. Act III, Scenes 1-2 (7:51)
5. Act III, Scenes 3-6 (9:43)
6. Act III, Conclusion (11:07)

Stereo, DDD, mp3, 320 kbps, 295.42 Mb, 82:39 minutes. Covers & info included.

Part1 — Part2 — Part3

George Frideric Händel – Arias for Cuzzoni, Durastani, Senesimo & Montagnana

Recorded between November 1986 and October 1991 in California.

About these works:
This bargain-priced box set is a must-have for anyone who loves Handel’s operas. Whilst Nicholas McGegan has had his critics over some of his Goettingen recordings, it cannot be denied that he has rescued some of Handel’s finest arias and operas from the dustbin of History. And here (87 arias later), he has a fine cast of singers all re-living the repertoire of some of the best singers of the 18th century – Lisa Saffer sings arias by Cuzzoni, Drew Minter arias by Senesino, David Thomas arias for Montagnana, and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson arias by Durastanti.
The excellent Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra provide superb accompaniment for each singer, and the sound quality is very good across all four discs. The whole comes with a very informative and exhaustive booklet containing introductory essays for each singer, as well as full libretti.
Highlights include Lisa Saffer’s ravishing account of Falsa Imagine (Ottone) which Cuzzoni allegedly refused to sing as it was too plain – until Handel threatened to throw her out of the window..! Lorraine Hunt’s re-enaction of Durastanti’s Sesto role from Giulio Cesare sees a committed ‘L’angue offenso mai riposa’. Drew Minter’s coppery and languid countertenor gives delight in little-known arias from Riccardo Primo (Agitato da fiere tempeste) and Tolomeo (Stille Amare). Whilst David Thomas’ cavernous bass voice ranges across opera and oratorio roles for Montagnana.
In all this is a superb collection that illustrates what a genius Handel was at characterisation and word-painting. No Handel lover will want to miss it.

The Artists:

Track List:

cd1:
01. Spietati (Rodelinda) (4:17)
02. Ombre, piante, urne funeste! (Rodelinda) (4:46)
03. Il volo cosi fido (Riccardo Primo) (5:10)
04. Se pieta di me non senti (Giulio Cesare) (10:56)
05. Piangero la sorte mia (Giulio Cesare) (6:03)
06. Da tempeste il legno infranto (Giulio Cesare) (6:17)
07. Scoglio d’immota fronte (Scipione) (5:27)
08. False immagine (Ottone) (7:17)
09. Affani del pansier (Ottone) (7:34)
10. Se non mi vuol amar (Tamerlano) (7:14)
11. L’Amor che per te sento (Alessandro) (4:42)
12. Amante stravagante (Flavio) (4:24)
cd2:
01. Ogni vento (Agrippina) (5:21)
02. Pensieri, voi mi tormentate (Agrippina) (4:47)
03. Ombra cara di mia sposa (Radamisto) (8:02)
04. Qual nave (Radamisto) (6:16)
05. Dimmi, crudele Amore (Muzio Scevola) (6:30)
06. Vieni, o figlio (Ottone) (7:55)
07. Svegliatevi nel core (Giulio Cesare) (5:12)
08. Cara speme (Giulio Cesare) (4:54)
09. L’angue offeso mai riposa (Giulio Cesare) (5:47)
10. L’aure che spira (Giulio Cesare) (5:17)
11. La giustizia (Giulio Cesare) (4:22)
12. Mirami altero in volto (Arianna) (3:54)
13. Qual leon (Arianna) (5:56)
cd3:
01. Va tacito (Giulio Cesare) (6:17)
02. Non e vago e bello (Giulio Cesare) (3:02)
03. Vivi, tiranno (Rodelinda) (5:33)
04. Che piu si tarda omai (Tolomeo) (6:36)
05. Nube che il Sole (Riccardo Primo) (6:14)
06. Agitato da fiere tempeste (Orlando) (4:38)
07. Ah Stigie larve! (Orlando) (7:50)
08. Gia per la man (Orlando) (5:45)
09. T’ubbidiro, crudele (Orlando) (3:35)
10. E queste la Mercede (Orlando) (5:04)
11. Amor, nel mio penar (Flavio) (6:06)
cd4:
01. Se un bell’ardire (Ezio) (3:29)
02. Nasce al bosco (Ezio) (5:39)
03. Già risonar (Ezio) (5:37)
04. Fra l’ombre e gli orrori (Sosarme) (5:07)
05. Sento il cor (Sosarme) (5:05)
06. Tiene Giove (Sosarme) (3:06)
07. Pluck root and branch (Esther) (2:26)
08. Turn not, O Queen (Esther) (2:35)
09. How art thou fall’n (Esther) (4:21)
10. Ferito son d’Amore (Acis & Galatea) (3:47)
11. Piangi pur (Tolomeo) (2:34)
12. Lascia Amor (Orlando) (4:10)
13. Sorge infausta una procella (Orlando) (6:42)
14. Awake the ardour (Deborah) (3:33)
15. Swift inundation (Deborah) (3:26)
16. Tears, such as tender fathers shed (Deborah) (2:39)
17. Ah, canst thou but prove me! (Athalia) (3:23)

Stereo, DDD, mp3, 320 kbps, 240:35 minutes, 756.19 Mb (music) + 97.22 Mb (scans). Full info included.

Part1 —  Part2 —Part3 —Part4 —Part5 —Part6 —Part7
Scans

Joseph Haydn – Orlando Paladino

Recorded at the Grande Salle, Epalinges, Switzerland in June 1976

About this opera:
The Philips series, conducted by Antal Dorati, was an eye-opener and by general consent Orlando Paladino was the masterpiece. It is an opera in three acts by Joseph Haydn which was first performed at Eszterháza on 6 December 1782. The libretto by Nunziano Porta is based on another libretto, Le pazzie d’Orlando, by Carlo Francesco Badini (set by the composer P.A. Guglielmi in 1771), itself inspired by Ariosto’s epic poem Orlando furioso. The opera was described as a dramma eroicomico and the plot mixes heroic and comic elements. It was Haydn’s most popular opera during his lifetime.
Haydn contributed an exceptionally inventive and varied score to a libretto that was not written specifically for him but for the Italian composer Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi. It is of course built on the “Chanson de Roland”, written around 1100. During the Renaissance Boiardo extended the story in his unfinished poem “Orlando inammorato” and Ariosto went one step further in his “Orlando furioso”. Both Lully and Handel wrote operas on the subject, in 1685 and 1733 and so came Guglielmi’s “Le pazzie di Orlando”, performed in London in 1771, where he explored the humorous side of the subject. The text Haydn set was further developed but is in the main the same story as Guglielmi’s. It was performed at Esterháza in 1782, 1783 and 1784 and after that was a resounding success in Central Europe, being played during the composer’s lifetime in Bratislava, Prague, Brünn (Brno), Vienna, Budapest, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Cologne, Graz, Nuremberg, Berlin, Hanover, Bremen, Leipzig, Munich, Augsburg, Königsberg, Hamburg, Breslau and Dresden. Eventually it disappeared from view, only to be revived in our time. There is no evidence that Mozart or Da Ponte knew the work but there are similarities between Orlando and Don Giovanni. Don Ottavio could be modelled on Medoro, Donna Anna could be a younger sister of Angelica and Leporello has learnt a thing or two from Pasquale, who boasts about his travels around Europe in a kind of catalogue aria, Ho viaggiato in Francia, in Spagna. This buffo character has another aria, demonstrating his musical capacity, imitating instruments in the Maestro di Cappella manner, known from works by both Cimarosa and Paër.

The Artists:

Track List:

cd1:
01. Sinfonia (3:53)
02. 1. Akt – (Introduzione) Eurilla, Licone, Rodomonte – Il lavorar l’e pur la brutta cosa (3:27)
03. 1. Akt – (Recitativo) Rodomonte, Licone, Eurilla – Presto rispondi, indegno (1:53)
04. 1. Akt – (Aria) Eurilla – Ah se dire io vi potessi (3:28)
05. 1. Akt – (Recitativo) Rodomonte, Licone – Non perdiamo piu tempo (0:40)
06. 1. Akt – (Aria) Rodomonte – Temerario, senti e trema (3:05)
07. 1. Akt – (cavatina) Angelica – Palpita ad ogni istante (5:11)
08. 1. Akt – (Recitativo) Angelica – Angelica infelice (1:30)
09. 1. Akt – Sinfonia (0:28)
10. 1. Akt – (Recitativo) Alcina, Angelica – Che brami dalla fata¿ (1:49)
11. 1. Akt – (Aria) Alcina – Ad un guardo, a un cenno solo (3:48)
12. 1. Akt – (Recitativo) Angelica, Medoro – D’Alcina i detti (1:35)
13. 1. Akt – (Aria) Medoro – Parto. Mah, oh dio, non posso (6:30)
14. 1. Akt – (Cavatina) Pasquale – La mia bella m’ha detto di no (1:35)
15. 1. Akt – (Recitativo) Pasquale, Rodomonte, Eurilla – Pasquale disgraziato (1:50)
16. 1. Akt – (Aria) Pasquale – Ho viaggiato in Francia, in Spagna (3:04)
17. 1. Akt – (Recitativo) Medoro, Angelica – Si, regina, ho deciso (0:47)
18. 1. Akt – (Aria) Angelica – Non partir, mia bella face (5:10)
19. 1. Akt – (Recitativo) Medoro – In odio al mio bel nume (0:34)
20. 1. Akt – (Recitativo, accompagnato) Orlando – Angelica, mio ben (5:06)
21. 1. Akt – (Aria) Orlando – D’Angelica il nome (3:30)
22. 1. Akt – (Recitativo) Pasquale, Rodomonte, Orlando, Eurilla – D’evitare i rumor dicea Catone (1:44)
23. 1. Akt – (Finale I) Orlando, Eurilla, Pasquale – Presto rispondi, indegna (2:08)
24. 1. Akt – (Finale I) Angelica, Pasquale, Eurilla, Rodomonte – Sento nel seno, oh dio (4:15)
25. 1. Akt – (Finale I) Medoro, Angelica, Eurilla, Pasquale – Chi mi salva o tien nascoso (3:42)
26. 1. Akt – (Finale I) Alcina, Rodomonte, Angelica, Eurilla, Medoro, Pasquale – Van timore il cor ti muove (2:00)
27. 1. Akt – (Finale I) Angelica, Eurilla, Medoro, Pasquale, Alcina, Rodomonte – Ferma, ferma Belzebu! (3:35)
cd2:
01. (Recitativo) Orlando, Rodomonte, Eurilla – Sempre, sempre presente (1:27)
02. (Aria) Rodomonte – Mille lampi d’accese faville (2:04)
03. (Recitativo) Medoro, Eurilla – In questo solitario orrido luogo (1:48)
04. (Aria) Medoro – Dille che un infelice (5:20)
05. (Cavatina) Pasquale – Vittoria, vittoria! (1:36)
06. (Recitativo) Eurilla, Pasquale – Vuo divertirmi adesso (1:28)
07. (Duetto) Eurilla, Pasquale – Quel tuo visetto amabile (3:24)
08. (Aria) Angelica – Aure chete (5:16)
09. (Recitativo) Alcino – D’Angelica le smanie (1:01)
10. (Recitatico accompagnato) Angelica, Medoro – Fra queste selve invan (5:11)
11. (Duetto) Medoro, Angelica – Qual contento io provo in seno (3:56)
12. (Recitativo)Medoro, Angelica, Orlando, Alcina – Ma no perdiamo, oh cara (3:45)
13. (Aria) Orlando – Cosa vedo, cosa sento (3:04)
14. (Recitativo) Pasquale, Eurilla – Con quest’abito addosso (1:45)
15. (Aria) Pasquale – Ecco spiano (4:26)
16. (Recitativo) Rodomonte, Alcina, Eurilla – Angelica, dov’e (1:18)
17. (Finale II) Orlando, Pasquale, Alcino – Nel solitario speco (5:50)
18. (Finale II) Angelica, Medoro, Eurilla, Rodomonte, Pasquale, Alcina – Per quest’orrido sentieri! (6:07)
19. (Finale II) Orlando, Rodomonte, Angelica, Alcina, Eurilla, Medoro, Pasquale – Dove son (4:10)
cd3:
01. (Aria) Caronte – Ombre insepolte (2:43)
02. (Recitativo) Alcina, Caronte – Nella mente d’Orlando (1:17)
03. (Recitativo accompaganto) Orlando – Sogno¿ veglio¿ cos’e¿ (2:20)
04. (Aria) Orlando – Miei pensieri, dove siete (3:34)
05. (Recitativo accompagnato) Caronte, Orlando – L’irremeabil onda: (Recitativo) Angelica, Medoro, Orlando, Rodomonte, Pas (1:36)
06. Combattimento (1:03)
07. (Recitatico accompagnato) Angelica – Implacabili numi (4:13)
08. (Aria) Angelica – Dell’estreme sue voci dolenti (4:26)
09. (Recitativo) Alcina, Angelica, Rodomonte, Orlando, Medoro, Pasquale, Eurilla – Non tormentari piu (3:44)
10. (Coro) Tutti – Son confuso e stupefatto (2:43)

Stereo, ADD, mp3, 320 kbps, 147:58 minutes, 513.89 Mb. Covers, info & synopsis included.

Part1 —  Part2 —  Part3 —  Part4 —  Part5