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

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

Giuseppe Verdi – From La Scala: Aida

Recorded in 1982.

About this collection of operas from La Scala:
Between 1960 and 1981, the music label Deutsche Grammophon recorded the eight greatest operas composed by Verdi at La Scala in Milan, the home of Italian operas. World’s leading singers and conductors were involved in the recording. The result provides you with the best possible way to get familiar with Verdi’s operas.

About this opera:
Aida, an Arabic female name meaning “visitor” or “returning”) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette. Aida was first performed at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo on 24 December 1871, conducted by Giovanni Bottesini. Ismail Pasha, Khedive of Egypt, commissioned Verdi to write the opera for performance in January 1871, paying him 150,000 francs, but the premiere was delayed because of the Franco-Prussian War. One scholar has argued that the scenario was written by Temistocle Solera and not by Auguste Mariette. Contrary to popular belief, the opera was not written to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, nor that of the Khedivial Opera House (which opened with Verdi’s Rigoletto) in the same year. (Verdi had been asked to compose an ode for the opening of the Canal, but declined on the grounds that he did not write “occasional pieces”.) Verdi originally chose not to write an overture for the opera, but merely a brief orchestral prelude. He then composed an overture of the “potpourri” variety to replace the original prelude. However, in the end he decided not to have the overture performed because of its – his own words – ‘pretentious insipidity’. Aida met with great acclaim when it finally opened in Cairo on 24 December 1871. The costumes, accessories and stages for the premiere were designed by Auguste Mariette. Although Verdi did not attend the premiere in Cairo, he was most dissatisfied with the fact that the audience consisted of invited dignitaries, politicians and critics, but no members of the general public. He therefore considered the Italian (and European) premiere, held at La Scala, Milan on 8 February 1872, and in which he was heavily involved at every stage, to be its real premiere. Verdi had also written the role of Aida for the voice of Teresa Stolz, who sang it for the first time at the Milan premiere. Verdi had asked her fiancé, Angelo Mariani, to conduct the Cairo premiere, but he declined, so Giovanni Bottesini filled the gap. The Milan Amneris, Maria Waldmann, was his favourite in the role and she repeated it a number of times at his request. Aida was received with great enthusiasm at its Milan premiere. The opera was soon mounted at major opera houses throughout Italy, including the Teatro Regio di Parma (20 April 1872), the Teatro di San Carlo (30 March 1873), La Fenice (11 June 1873), the Teatro Regio di Torino (26 December 1874), the Teatro Comunale di Bologna (30 September 1877, with Giuseppina Pasqua as Amneris and Franco Novara as the King), and the Teatro Costanzi (8 October 1881, with Theresia Singer as Aida and Giulia Novelli as Amneris) among others. As of 2007, the Metropolitan Opera of New York alone has given more than 1,100 performances of the opera, making it the second most frequently performed work by the company behind La Bohème.

The Players:

Track List:

Stereo, ADD, mp3, 320 kbps, 340.71 Mb, 2 hours 20 minutes. Covers, info & synopsis included.

Part1 —–   Part2 —–   Part3 —–   Part4

Giuseppe Verdi – From La Scala. Simon Boccanegra

Recorded in January 1977.

About this collection of operas from La Scala:
Between 1960 and 1981, the music label Deutsche Grammophon recorded the eight greatest operas composed by Verdi at La Scala in Milan, the home of Italian operas. World’s leading singers and conductors were involved in the recording. The result provides you with the best possible way to get familiar with Verdi’s operas.

About this Opera:
In 1855, the Fenice Theatre of Venice asked Verdi for a new opera, but the contract was signed only a year later, when the composer had already seen the outline of a work by the playwright Antonio Garcia Gutiérrez: Simon Boccanegra. The Maestro started writing his own version while in Paris, where he got Giuseppe Montanelli to shave down and model the libretto Francesco Maria Piave had already finished, communicating to Piave his modifications by letter, fait accompli. The opera opened on March 12th, 1857, with baritone Leone Gilardoni as Simon Boccanegra, bass Giuseppe Etcheverry as Fiesco, baritone Giacomo Vercellini as Paolo, and soprano Luigia Bendazzi as Maria/Amalia. The opera was a clamorous flop, almost as bad as La traviata four years earlier. Twenty-two years later, urged by his publisher and friend Ricordi, Verdi took the old score of Simon Boccanegra in hand once again, turning to Arrigo Boito for the modifications to Piave’s libretto. The first act was completely revised; Verdi was inspired by two letters of Francesco Petrarca, one to the Doge of Genoa, Boccanegra himself, and the other to the Doge of Venice, condemning the fratricidal wars between the two republics; Petrarca’s letter was to be used not only in the libretto, it was to appear on the stage as well. With this and other modifications Simon Boccanegra was presented to the public at the Scala Theatre in Milan on March 24th, 1881.

The Artists:

Track List:

cd1:
01. Prologue -[Preludio] Che dicesti? (7:03)
02. L’altra magion vedete? (3:29)
03. A te l’estremo addio…Il lacerato spirito (5:09)
04. Suona ogni labbro il mio nome (6:21)
05. Oh, de’ Fieschi implacata (4:04)
06. [Preludio: L’aurora] (2:26)
07. Come in quest’ ora bruna (3:52)
08. Cielo di stelle orbato… Vieni a mirar la cerula marina tremolante (7:25)
09. Propizio ei giunge! (5:00)
10. Paolo/Signor (3:24)
11. Orfanella il tetto umile…Figlia! a tal nome io palpito (9:35)
12. Che rispose (1:16)
13. Messeri, il re di Tararia vi porge (6:59)
14. Ferisci! / Amelia! (0:58)
cd2:
01. Amelia, di’ come fosti rapita (2:34)
02. Plebe! Patrizi! Popolo…Piango su voi (5:02)
03. Ecco la spada… Sia maledetto! (4:37)
04. Quei due vedesti (2:33)
05. Prigioniero in qual loco m’adduci? (1:50)
06. Udisti? / Vil disegno!… Sento avvampar nell’anima… Cielo pietoso, rendila (5:47)
07. Tu qui? / Amelia (4:33)
08. Figlia! / Si afflitto, o padre mio? (5:54)
09. Oh, Amelia, ami un nemico… Perdon, Amelia (6:55)
10. All’armi, all’armi, o Liguri (1:20)
11. Evviva il Doge (6:49)
12. M’ardon le tempia…Come un fantasima Fiesco t’appar (7:15)
13. Piango, perche mi parla in te (3:47)
14. Chi veggo! (2:43)
15. Gran Dio, li benedici (7:20)

Stereo, ADD, mp3, 320 kbps, 317.07 Mb, 137 minutes. Covers, info & synopsis included.

Part1 —–   Part2 —–   Part3 —–   Part4

Giuseppe Verdi – From La Scala: Macbeth

Recorded in January 1976.

About this collection of operas from La Scala:
Between 1960 and 1981, the music label Deutsche Grammophon recorded the eight greatest operas composed by Verdi at La Scala in Milan, the home of Italian operas. World’s leading singers and conductors were involved in the recording. The result provides you with the best possible way to get familiar with Verdi’s operas.

About this opera:
Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on Shakespeare’s play of the same name. It was Verdi’s tenth opera and also the first of Shakespeare’s plays which he adapted for the operatic stage.
Written after the success of Atilla in 1846 by which time the composer had become well established, it was before the great successes of 1850 to 1853, Rigoletto, Il trovatore and La traviata which propelled him into universal fame. As sources, Shakespeare’s plays provided Verdi with lifelong inspiration: some, such as King Lear were never realized but he wrote his two final operas using Othello as the basis for Otello (1887) and The Merry Wives of Windsor as the basis for Falstaff (1893).
The first version of Macbeth was completed during the middle of what Verdi was to describe as his “galley years”. Ranging from 1842 to 1850, this period saw the composer produce 14 operas, but by the standards of the subject matter of almost all Italian operas during the first fifty years of the 19th century, Macbeth was highly unusual. The 1847 version was very successful and it was presented widely. Pleased with his opera and with its reception, Verdi wrote to Antonio Barezzi, his former father-in-law and long-time supporter, on 25 March 1847 just about two weeks after the premiere: “I have long intended to dedicate an opera to you, who have been father, benefactor, and friend to me. It was a duty I should have fulfilled sooner if imperious circumstances had not prevented me. Now, I send you Macbeth which I prize above all my other operas, and therefore deem worthier to present to you”.
The 1865 revision, produced for Paris in a French translation and with several additions, was less successful and the opera largely faded from public view until the mid-20th century revivals.
In 1864 Verdi was asked to provide additional music – a ballet and a final chorus – for a production at the Théâtre Lyrique (Théâtre-Lyrique Impérial du Châtelet) in Paris. Initially thinking these additions were all that was needed, he realized that an overhaul of the opera was required. Advising the impresario of the Lyrique that more time was needed, he took the opportunity to revise the entire opera, in particular by adding music for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in Acts 1 and 3; the addition of a ballet in Act 3; and changing the endings of Acts 3 and 4, in the latter case by dropping Macbeth’s aria Mal per me che m’affidai – “Trusting in the prophesies of Hell” and adding the triumphal choral ending.
Once again Piave was called into service and the new version was first performed on April 21, 1865. Overall, the first performance was poorly received, something which puzzled the composer: “I thought I had done quite well with it…it appears I was mistaken”. It remains the preferred version for modern performances.
The 1847 version was successful and was performed all over Italy until the revised version appeared in 1865. The first version was given its US premiere in April 1850 in New York and its UK premiere took place in October 1860 in Manchester. After the 1865 premiere of the revised version, which was followed by only 13 more performances, the opera generally fell from popularity. It was given in Paris in April 1865 and up to about 1900, it was rarely performed until after World War II. The US premiere of this version did not take place until 24 October 1941 in New York.
Two European productions, in Berlin in the 1930s and at Glyndebourne in 1938 and 1939, were important in helping the 20th Century revival. The 1938 production was the UK premiere of the revised version and the first to combine the death of Macbeth from the 1847 version with the triumphal ending from the 1865 version, something totally against Verdi’s wishes. Glydebourne revived it in the 1950s but it was not until 1959 that it appeared on the Metropolitan Opera’s roster for the first time. (It has been given 91 performances between 1959 and the 2008 revival). Similarly, the first presentations at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, with Tito Gobbi and then others in the title role, took place only in 1960.
In recent times, the opera has appeared more frequently in the repertories of the Washington National Opera (2007) and the San Francisco Opera (Nov/Dec 2007) and many other opera houses worldwide, but almost all productions stage the revised version with the exception of both the original and the revised versions which were presented in 2003 as part of the Sarasota Opera’s “Verdi Cycle” of all the composer’s operas in their different versions.

The Players:

Track List:

Stereo, ADD, mp3, 320 kbps, 353.747 Mb, 2 hours 33 minutes. Covers, info & synopsis included.

Part1 —–   Part2 —–   Part3 —–   Part4

Giuseppe Verdi – From La Scala: Don Carlo

Recorded between July and September 1961.

About this collection of operas from La Scala:
Between 1960 and 1981, the music label Deutsche Grammophon recorded the eight greatest operas composed by Verdi at La Scala in Milan, the home of Italian operas. World’s leading singers and conductors were involved in the recording. The result provides you with the best possible way to get familiar with Verdi’s operas.

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 next 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.
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 with the parts not performed in the first Paris première (all the pre-première cuts) was staged at Staatsoper, Vienna (2006) and at Liceu, Barcelona; its conductor was Bertrand de Billy.

The Artists:

Track  List:

Stereo, ADD, mp3, 320 kbps, 461.17 Mb, 3 hours 9 minutes. Covers, info & synopsis included.

Part1 —–   Part2 —–   Part3 —–   Part4 —–   Part5

Giuseppe Verdi – From La Scala. Un Ballo In Maschera

Recorded in 1961.

About this collection of operas from La Scala:
Between 1960 and 1981, the music label Deutsche Grammophon recorded the eight greatest operas composed by Verdi at La Scala in Milan, the home of Italian operas. World’s leading singers and conductors were involved in the recording. The result provides you with the best possible way to get familiar with Verdi’s operas.

About this opera:
Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball), is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi with text by Antonio Somma. The opera’s first production was at the Teatro Apollo, Rome, 17 February 1859.
The opera is based on the assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden, but is not historically accurate. During its composition, Verdi was asked by government censors to make many changes to the opera due to its politically sensitive subject matter. Among these changes is a transportation of the setting to Boston, Massachusetts. Despite its tragic conclusion, Un ballo in maschera has many moments of the brilliance and irony associated with comedy — a mixture which has led critics to label it “Shakespearean.”
In 1792, the King of Sweden, Gustav III, was killed, the result of a political conspiracy against him. He was shot while attending a masked ball and died 13 days later from his wounds. It is on this episode that Verdi’s Masked Ball is loosely based; however, very little historical truth is contained in Verdi’s opera.
In 1833, the French playwright Eugène Scribe wrote about Gustav in a play called Gustave III. He retained the names of some of the historical figures involved, the conspiracy, and the killing at the masked ball. The rest of the play — the characterizations, the romance, the fortune-telling, etc. — is Scribe’s invention; and it is Scribe’s play that is the source of the story in Verdi’s opera.
Scribe’s play was well known and had been used by other composers, including Auber, as the basis for operas. However, the censors were still wary of it, since it showed the assassination of a king in a recent period of European history. During composition, the censors in Naples, where Verdi’s opera was to be performed, required extensive changes, eventually demanding more alterations than the composer was willing to make. Therefore, he broke his contract and was sued by the management of the Teatro San Carlo, thus provoking him to lodge a counter-claim against the theater for damages. Eventually, the legal fight ended with the house’s charges being withdrawn, freeing Verdi to offer the opera to the Rome Opera house.
But the Roman censors also wanted to make changes. Finally it was agreed that the setting would be moved from Europe, and the rank of the leading character would be reduced from king to colonial governor. So it was that the setting of the opera is Boston during the British colonial period, and the leading character is Riccardo, the Count (or Earl) of Warwick.
This opera was first seen in New York its US premiere on 11 February 1861 and in the UK on 15 June of that year. In the 20th century, especially after a 1935 production in Copenhagen, many modern stagings have restored the original Swedish setting and characters´ names. On 7 January 1955, Marian Anderson, singing the role of Ulrica, broke the “color barrier” at the Metropolitan Opera, becoming the first African-American artist ever to appear with that company. Today, the opera is performed regularly.

The Players:

Track List:

Stereo, ADD, mp3, 320 kbps, 304.65 Mb, 2 hours 4 minutes. Covers, info & synopsis included.

Part1 —–   Part2 —–   Part3 —–   Part4

Giuseppe Verdi – From La Scala: La Traviata

About this collection of operas from La Scala:
Between 1960 and 1981, the music label Deutsche Grammophon recorded the eight greatest operas composed by Verdi at La Scala in Milan, the home of Italian operas. World’s leading singers and conductors were involved in the recording. The result provides you with the best possible way to get familiar with Verdi’s operas.

About this opera:
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on the novel La dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils, published in 1848. The title “La Traviata” means literally The Woman Who Strayed, or perhaps more figuratively, The Fallen One. Piave and Verdi wanted to follow Dumas in giving the opera a contemporary setting, but the authorities at La Fenice insisted that it be set in the past, “c. 1700”. It was not until the 1880s that the composer’s and librettist’s original wishes were carried out and “realistic” productions were staged. After some revisions between 1853 and May 1854, mostly affecting Acts 2 and 3, the opera was presented again in Venice, this time at the teatro di San Benedetto. On 24 May 1856 the revised version was presented at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London followed on 3 December of that year by its premiere in New York. Today, the opera has become immensely popular and it is a staple of the standard operatic repertoire.

Another version of this opera can be found in another post of this blog here.

Track List:

The Players:

Stereo, ADD, mp3, 320 kbps, 277.84 Mb, 1 hour 58 minutes. Covers, info & synopsis included.

Part1 —–   Part2 —–   Part3

Giuseppe Verdi From La Scala: Il Trovatore

About this collection of operas from La Scala:
Between 1960 and 1981, the music label Deutsche Grammophon recorded the eight greatest operas composed by Verdi at La Scala in Milan, the home of Italian operas. World’s leading singers and conductors were involved in the recording. The result provides you with the best possible way to get familiar with Verdi’s operas.

About this opera:
Il trovatore (The Troubadour) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Leone Emanuele Bardare and Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El Trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. Il trovatore was first performed in the US on 2 May 1855 at the Academy of Music in New York while its UK premiere took place on 10 May 1855 at Covent Garden in London. Today, almost all performances use the Italian version, although in 2002 the French version, Le trouvere appeared as part of the Sarasota Opera’s “Verdi Cycle” of all the composer’s work by 2013.
Enrico Caruso once said that all it takes for successful performance of Il trovatore is the four greatest singers in the world. On many different occasions, this opera and its music have been featured in various forms of popular culture and entertainment. Scenes of comic chaos play out over a performance of Il trovatore in the Marx Brothers’s film, A Night at the Opera. Luchino Visconti used a performance of Il trovatore at La Fenice opera house for the opening sequence of his 1954 film Senso. As Manrico sings his battle cry in “Di quella pira”, the performance is interrupted by the answering cries of Italian nationalists in the audience. In Italian Film in the Light of Neorealism, Millicent Marcus proposes that Visconti used this operatic paradigm throughout Senso, with parallels between the opera’s protagonists, Manrico and Leonora, and the film’s protagonists, Ussoni and Livia.

Track List:

The Players:

Stereo, ADD, mp3, 320 kbps, 293.58 Mb, 2 hours 25 minutes. Covers, info & synopsis included.

Part1 —–   Part2 —–   Part3

Giuseppe Verdi From La Scala: Rigoletto

About this collection of operas from La Scala:
Between 1960 and 1981, the music label Deutsche Grammophon recorded the eight greatest operas composed by Verdi at La Scala in Milan, the home of Italian operas. World’s leading singers and conductors were involved in the recording. The result provides you with the best possible way to get familiar with Verdi’s operas.

About this opera:
Details about Rigoletto can be found in the previous post here:
https://operaplace.wordpress.com/2009/02/01/giuseppe-verdi-rigoletto

Track List:

The Players:

Stereo, ADD, mp3, 320 kbps, 290.76 Mb, 2 hours 2 minutes. Covers, info & synopsis included.

Part1 —–   Part2 —–   Part3