Classics Live [Import]

Classics Live [Import]

Track Listings

1. Easy Blues

2. May You Never

3. Dealer

4. Outside In

5. Never Let Me Go

6. Sapphire

7. Could Not Love You More

8. Deny This Love

9. Fisherman's Dream

10. Big Muff

11. Angeline

12. Sweet Little Mystery

13. River

14. Income Time

15. Apprentice

16. John Wayne

17. Look At That Girl

18. Looking On

19. Johnny Too Bad

20. One World

Classics Live,John Martyn,Universal,Folk

Verdi: La Traviata (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Carlo Maria Giulini, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan
Average customer rating:

Verdi: Opera LaTraviata

The Sound is very listenable

Come closer to Maria Callas

Best of La Traviata and Maria Callas

Simply the best...

Verdi: La Traviata (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Carlo Maria Giulini, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan
Giuseppe Verdi , Orchestra e coro del Teatro alla Scala , Carlo Maria Giulini , Maria Callas , Giuseppe di Stefano , Ettore Bastianini , Silvio Maionica , Luisa Mandelli , and Arturo La Porta
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Puccini: Tosca (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, Victor de Sabata, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

Verdi: Rigoletto (Complete Opera); Maria Callas; Tito Gobbi; Giuseppe di Stefano

Puccini: Madama Butterfly (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Lucia Danieli, Nicolai Gedda, Herbert von Karajan, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

Bizet: Carmen (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Nicolai Gedda, Georges Pretre, Paris Opera Orchestra

Puccini: La Boheme (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Anna Moffo, Antonino Votto, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

ASIN: B00000630Y
Release Date: 1998-03-17

Tracks:

La Traviata: Preludio (Orchestra)
La Traviata: Act One: Dell'invito trascorsa e gia l'lora
La Traviata: Act One: Libiamo, ne' lieti calici
La Traviata: Act One: Che e cio (coro/Violetta/Flora/Marchese/Barone/Dottore/Gaston/Alfredo)
La Traviata: Act One: Un di felice, eterea (Alfredo/Violetta)
La Traviata: Act One: Ebben? Che diavol fate? (Gastone/Violetta/Alfredo)
La Traviata: Act One: Si ridesta in ciel l'aurora (Flora/Gastone/Barone/Dottore/Marchese/Coro)
La Traviata: Act One: E strano! E strano!
La Traviata: Act One: Ah, fors'e lui che l'anima
La Traviata: Act One: Follie! follie! Delirio vano e questo! (Violetta)
La Traviata: Act One: Sempre libera (Violetta - Alfredo)
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Lunge da lei
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: De' miei bollenti spiriti (Alfredo)
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Annina, donde vieni?...Alfredo?...Per Parigi or or partiva (Alfredo/Annina/Violetta/Germont)
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Pura siccome un angelo
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Non sapete quale affetto
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Un di, quando le veneri
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Ah! dite alla giovine
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Imponete...Non amarlo ditegli
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Morro! La mia memoria (Germont/Violetta)
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Dammi tu forza, o cielo! (Violetta/Annina)
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Che fai?...Nulla (Alfredo/Violetta)
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Ah, vive sol quel core all'amore mio! (Alfredo/Commissionario/Germont)
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Di Provenza il mar (Germont /Alfredo)

Tracks:

La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Avram lieta di maschere la notte (Flora/Marchese/Dottore)
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Noi siamo zingarelle (Coro/Flora/Marchese/Dottore)
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Di Madride noi siam mattadori (Coro/Gastone/Flora/Dottore/Marchese)
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Alfredo! Voi!
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Invitato a qui seguirmi
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Ogni suo aver tal femmina (Flora/Gastone/Barone/Dottore/Marchese/Coro)
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Di sprezzo degno se stesso rende (Germont/Alfredo/Flora/Gastone/Barone/Dottore/Marchese/Coro)
La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Alfredo, Alfredo, di questo core (Violetta/Germont/Alfredo/Gastone/Barone/Dottore/Marchese/Coro)
La Traviata: Act Three: Preludio (Orchestra)
La Traviata: Act Three: Annina? ...Comandate? (Violetta/Annina/Dottore)
La Traviata: Act Three: Teneste la promessa
La Traviata: Act Three: Addio, del passato (Violetta)
La Traviata: Act Three: Largo al quadrupede (Coro)
La Traviata: Act Three: Signora!... Che t'accadde?
La Traviata: Act Three: Parigi, o cara (Annina/Violetta/Alfredo)
La Traviata: Act Three: Ah, non piu, a un tempio
La Traviata: Act Three: Ah! gran Dio! Morir si giovine (Violetta/Alfredo)
La Traviata: Act Three: Ah! Violetta...Voi, signor!
La Traviata: Act Three: Prendi, quest'e l'immagine (Germont/Violetta/Alfredo)
La Traviata: Act Three: Se una pudica vergine (Violetta/Germont/Alfredo/Annina/Dottore)

Amazon.com essential recording

This live recording of the 1955 Visconti production at La Scala is the best of the available Maria Callas Traviatas. Aside from a minor pitch problem or two, she's in great voice, coloring phrases to reveal character and investing the coloratura with variety and passion. Her "Addio del passato" is heart-breaking. She fully captures Violetta's pride and vulnerability in the scene with Germont, though her partner, Ettore Bastianini, sings insensitively, if beautifully. Giuseppe Di Stefano is all one could ask for as Alfredo. Carlo Giulini conducts a performance that delivers all the lyricism and drama of the score. The recorded sound is primitive, but in EMI's latest transfer you can listen through it to a wondrous performance. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Verdi: Opera LaTraviata.......2007-07-04

Enjoyable recording,singers Maria Callas, DiStefano,Bastianini surperb. Clarity as if recently recorded. Orchestra and chorus fantastic.

The Sound is very listenable.......2007-01-05

Don't be put off by other reviewers' rants on the sound of this superb performance. If you're comfortable listening to some of the better Opera D'Oro sets, you'll find this more than satisfactory. I ordered it recently despite those complaints and am VERY glad I did. If you want to hear truly unforgivable EMI sound of a pirate Callas, listen to the MACBETH; you'll then see what a good job EMI did with this Callas performance. But if you decide you want the Lisbon TRAVIATA instead of this one, just about everyone says the Pearl is far superior to EMI in their remastering job.

Come closer to Maria Callas.......2007-01-03

This CD is a master piece of Maria Callas' performance. Together with Stefano, they created a milestone that their followers are difficult to overpass. Listen to this live, you feel you were back in 1955. The atmosphere it produced is fresh and new to the later generations. But because the record technique as mono, not stereo, if you feel untolerable for the mono, it will cut your expectation little bit. But generally, if you are really a fans of Maria Callas, you will definately like it.

Best of La Traviata and Maria Callas.......2006-11-13

Even though this recording is not stereophonic, you can still enjoy the marvelous voice of Maria Callas. You don't have to see her performance to understand how artistic she was. With her voice she was not actually singing, but she was acting as well. Not many singers could portrait Violetta's character like Maria Callas portraits in this particular recording. I would definitely recommend everyone who is interested in operas or not interested at all. La Traviata in general is a very light opera, so you do not have to be an opera buff to like it.

Simply the best..........2006-03-19

This recording of one of the greatest Verdi's opera is surely the best I've ever heard. Callas was at her top, others interprets are excellent also. A great historical piece of art.

Martha Argerich and Friends: Live from the Lugano Festival, 2006

Average customer rating:

Lots of Schumann, not much Argerich, plus some real oddities

Martha Argerich and Friends: Live from the Lugano Festival, 2006

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Martha Argerich and Friends Live from the Lugano Festival 2005: Chamber Music
Piano Quintet in F Min / Complete String Quartets (1, 2, 3)
Volodos Plays Liszt

ASIN: B000PFU9OM
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Tracks:

I: Sostenuto Assai/Allegro Ma Non Troppo
II: Scherzo: Molto Vivace
III: Andante Cantabile
IV: Finale: Vivace
I: Allegro Assai Vivace
II: Allegretto Scherzando
III: Adagio
IV: Molto Allegro E Vivace
I: Zart Und Mit Ausdruck
II: Lebhaft, Leicht
III: Rasch Und Mit Feuer

Tracks:

I: Mit Energie Und Leidenschaft
II: Lebhaf, Doch Nicht Zu Rasch
III: Langsam, Mit Inniger Empfindung
IV: Mit Feuer
I: Introduzione: Adagio Mest/Allegro
II: Scherzo
III: Largo
IV: Finale: Allegro Vivace

Tracks:

I: Nauges
II: Fetes
I: Andante
II: Allegretto
III: Largo
IV: Allegretto Scherzando
I: Overture
II: Idylie
III: Cadenza
IV: Menuet
V: Finale Alla Marcia

Amazon.com

This inexpensively priced 3-CD set of music from the 2006 Lugano Festival with pianist Martha Argerich at its center presents a fascinating cross-section of chamber music, expertly performed. In addition to Argerich, we hear from 15 other instrumentalists - pianists, cellists, violinists, violists, a flugelhorn player (who plays along with Argerich in three of Schumann's Fantasiestücke, to very strange and not very welcome effect), and a wind ensemble made up of members of the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana that plays with cellist Gautier Caupcon in Friedrich Gulda's Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra: a jazzy, definitely eclectic, and playful finale to the third CD. The infrequently played but rapturous Schumann Piano Quartet is a particular treat. Ravel's transcriptions of two Debussy Nocturnes for two pianos played by Sergio Tiempo and Karin Lechner are a delight as well. This is an off-the-beaten-track collection that will fascinate true devotees of chamber music. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Lots of Schumann, not much Argerich, plus some real oddities.......2007-06-08

EMI has gotten into the pleasanat habit of issuing a 3-CD bargain box of Martha Argerich's summer music from Lugano, and they are caviar for chamber music lovers, mixing familiar and unfamiliar works in sterling live performances. It's hard to think of any comparable series meeting such high standards since the heyday of the Marlboro Festival under Rudolf Serkin in the Fifties and Sixties. This 2006 edition is no exception, my only disappointment being the absence of Argerich herself in so many works. She even gives up her place in the two-piano arrangement of Debussy's Nocturnes to her protege Sergio Tiempo (she has been a long-time devotee, if not addict, of two-piano arrangements that almost every other serious musician eschews).

The dominance of works by Schumann reflects Ms. Argerich's personal fondness for him, and she appears in the Piano Quartet, which has enjoyed a wonderful, highly personal reading by Glenn Gould and the Juilliard Qt. (Sony), among others. This one displays every virtue of live musicmaking, with Argerich's fervent, spontaneous playing leading the way. Compared to earlier sets, the 2006 collection contains more rarities and because of all the sSchumann, less representation by great composers. The flugelhorn arrangement of Schumann's Fantasiestucke for clarinet sounds like a joke. The once unknown Tanayev Piano Quintet gets a committed reading that should help to boost its popularity. The Debbusy Nocturnes actually bring pleasure in the two-piano arrangement. You won't be prepared for Gulda's concerto for Cello and Piano, which sounds like three-beer night at your local German jazz club. But its worth a smile and a listen.

In the end, however, this installment might be best left to connoisseurs while newcomers to Argerich's summer festivities should begin with the earlier, more conventional editions.

Here's the listing of works and personnel since Amazon doesn't supply it:

Martha Argerich / Renaud Capucon / Lida Chen / Gautier Capucon - Piano Quartet in Eb op.47 (Schumann).

Gautier Capucon / Gabriela Montero - Sonata for cello and piano No.2 in D op.58 (Mendelssohn).

Sergei Nakariakov / Martha Argerich - Fantasiestucke op.73 - version for flugelhorn and piano (Schumann).

Nicholas Angelich / Renaud Capucon / Gautier Capucon - Piano Trio in D minor op.63 (Schumann).

Lilya Zilberstein / Dora Schwarzberg / Lucy Hall / Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg / Jorge Bosso - Piano Quintet in G minor op.30 (Taneyev).

Sergio Tiempo / Karin Lechner - Three Nocturnes : Nuages / Fetes (Debussy transcribed for two piano Ravel).

Alissa Margulis / Polina Leschenko - Sonata for violin and piano No.1 (Schnittke).

Gautier Capucon / Alexander Rabinovich-Barakovsky - Concerto for cello and windband (Gulda).

Average customer rating:

Oh My God!
Absolutely, Positively UNBELIEVABLE

Live in Boston 1 (Dig)
Fleetwood Mac
Manufacturer: Snapper Classics UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Live in Boston 2 (Dig)
Shrine '69
Then Play On
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Biggest Thing Since Colossus (Sony)

ASIN: B00007FZGA
Release Date: 2003-03-18

Tracks:

Black Magic Woman
Jumping At Shadows
Like It This Way
Only You
Rattlesnake Shake (Previously Unreleased)
I Cant Hold Out
Got To Move (Previously Unreleased)
Green Manalishi

Album Description

Subtitled - The Boston Tea Party. Remastered reissue of 1970 recording repackaged in a gatefold digipak sleeve recreating the look & feel of the original vinyl album. Eight tracks including the previously unreleased 'Rattlesnake Shake'. Snapper. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

Oh My God!.......2007-05-02

To say that Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac is an understated jewel in the blues/rock world is too dismissive. They have a raw energy that could only be matched by only a few, and I can't really even think of who they are. I got Then Play On when I was 15 in 79. I have replaced the album 3 or 4 times, and still listen to it at least once a month. It is a staple in my home, car, and ipod.

I have heard, but not owned Albatross, and somewhere have two Peter Green cassette tapes. I never heard them live. What a shallow existance I have lived. I just got Live in Boston 1 and 2 today (from Amazon) and can not beleive what I am hearing. Truely some of the greatest music I have ever heard.

If you know the early works of Fleetwood Mac or Peter Green, then this is the creme de la creme. Words can not describe how absorbing the music is. I am addicted to Jam Bands (the Dead, Garcia, moe., the cheese...) and see many similarities, but mellower and bluesier.

Buy it, listen to it, fall in love with the lost art of Fleetwood Mac / Peter green et al.

Absolutely, Positively UNBELIEVABLE.......2005-04-12

This is impossible to describe in words. It defies logic. It's like asking to describe Pearl Harbor in words. It can't be done. But I will try.

This is, simply put, the most raw, intense blues-rock ever recorded. The original Fleetwood Mac. Sure, the later lineup was cool with "The Chain" and all that, but this is something else. This is pure, unbridled jamming with a capital 'J'. These performances are so intense, so rocking and so devastating that it seems futile to even compare anything else to it. Peter Green and Danny Kirwan are amazing individually. But when they actually duel and play together, it's beyond description. Case in point - "Like It This Way". Easily the most ass-kicking blues rocker I've ever heard in my life. This is a boogie that's sure to blow your mind, believe me. The groove is intoxicating, and the duelling of Green/Kirwan on this song is so good it almost reduced me to tears. You thought Duane Allman and Dickey Betts were good? Forget it, Green and Kirwan blow them out of the water. No question. In fact, the Allmans in general could not compete with Mac's jams on this album. Don't say I didn't warn you.

One listen to this version of "Black Magic Woman" and you'll be saying "Santana who?". Green's tone here is stunning, and the second half is a boogie where he and Kirwan battle it out again. Frightening stuff.
"Jumping At Shadows" is a unique cover of a blues classic. Awesome melody.
Already mentioned "Like It This Way". It's enough to tear the roof off TWO buildings!
"Only You" has a very unusual melody and riff, almost Dick Dale-ish surf rock. Great song though.
And then you have a 25-minute "Rattlesnake Shake" that takes you to places you never knew existed. Unreal. An improv jam that defies normality. If that's not enough, I've heard that the version on Volume 2 is even BETTER!! I shudder to think...
"I Can't Hold Out" features Jeremy Spencer joining in on slide guitar, and he's damn good at it. Most people don't seem to care for his Elmore James schtick, but this guy can really play, believe me.
"Got To Move" is the only song here that isn't amazing. It's not bad, though.
"Green Manalishi" really can't be categorized. Part psychedelic, part blues, it's interesting. Also features Green playing some killer six-string bass at the end.

If you haven't already noticed, this album is breath-taking. It also has the most amazing sound quality I've ever heard on a live album. It literally sounds like you're there in the front row, watching these guys tear the house down.

Better than Allmans, better than Grateful Dead, and at least equal to Cream. This is the Holy Grail of blues-rock jamming.

Average customer rating:

Oh My God!
Awesome
BOSTON TEA PARTY!

Live in Boston 2 (Dig)
Fleetwood Mac
Manufacturer: Snapper Classics UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Live Albums | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
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Live in Boston 1 (Dig)
Shrine '69
The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions
Then Play On
Biggest Thing Since Colossus (Sony)

ASIN: B000086EOF
Release Date: 2003-03-18

Tracks:

World In Harmony
Oh Well
Rattlesnake Shake
Stranger Blues
Red Hot Mamma
Teenate Darling
Keep A Knocking
Jenny Jenny
Encore Jam (Previously Unreleased)

Album Description

2003 remastered reissue of 1970 live album, packaged in a digipak. Includes one previously unreleased track, 'Encore Jam'. Nine tracks. Snapper.

Customer Reviews:

Oh My God!.......2007-05-02

Awesome.......2005-12-14

The Live in Boston 3 volulme set is a reissue that has been remastered from the original 8 track master tapes. I almost bought the original releases some years ago but passed up on it after reading about the poor sound quality. I'm glad I waited for this reissue because the sound quality is awesome. Volume II rattles and shakes! The version of Rattlesnake Shake on Volume II is better than on Volume I and that is saying a heck of a lot. Buy all 3 volumes and you'll be happy you did.
The guitar jamming is so fine .... the interplay between Kirwin and Green and the underated slide work of Jeremy Spencer on these live perfomamces makes it clear why Fleetwood Mac in the late 60s and early 70s were the best live performing band of this genre ... better than the Stones, the Who or anyone else playing electric blues based music. Buy them, take em home or put them on your car stereo, crank it up and boogie.

BOSTON TEA PARTY!.......2005-06-07

This Album, together with LIVE IN BOSTON VOL.1 and VOL.3, contains most of the tracks originally intended for release as a live album by Fleetwood Mac. This was one of a number of projects curtailed by the sudden departure from the band of Peter Green in April 1970. The recording was done at the Tea Party Club in Boston whilst the band was on it's second American tour in 1969.
Of particular interest in this set are the rock'n roll cuts ("Keep A Knocking" and "Jenny Jenny" on VOL.2, "Great Balls Of Fire" and "Tutti Frutti" on VOL.3) performed by 'Earl Vince & the Valiants' - a pseudonym for a gold lamé suited Mac fronted by Jeremy Spencer - and a tongue-in-cheek tribute to their rock forebears. Contrasted with this are the straight Chicago style blues that were the band's hallmark ("Madison Blues" and "Got To Move" on VOL.3, "Red Hot Mama" and "The Sun Is Shining" on VOL.2) highlighted by some of Peter Green's last and greatest songs ("Oh Well" and "Rattlesnake Shake" on VOL.2, "Green Manalishi" on VOL.1) with Fleetwood Mac. Highly recommended!

Average customer rating:

Handel: The Masterworks (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00062FLI8
Release Date: 2004-11-30

Verdi: Macbeth (complete opera live 1952) with Maria Callas, Enzo Mascherini, Victor de Sabata, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan

Average customer rating:

Verdi: Macbeth
The Goddess
An Observation of Gino Penno's Macduff!
MARIA ONCE AGAIN
Bone-chilling and Evil

Verdi: Macbeth (complete opera live 1952) with Maria Callas, Enzo Mascherini, Victor de Sabata, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan
Giuseppe Verdi , Victor De Sabata , Maria Callas , Enzo Mascherini , Orchestra e coro del Teatro alla Scala , Italo Tajo , Gino Penno , Andrea Maffei , Dario Caselli , and Attilio Barbesi
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Callas, Maria | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Donizetti: Anna Bolena (complete opera live 1957) with Maria Callas, Gianni Raimondi, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan
Verdi: La Traviata (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Carlo Maria Giulini, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan
Bellini: La Sonnambula (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe Modesti, Leonard Bernstein, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan
Bellini: I Puritani
Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana & Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (complete operas) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, Tullio Serafin, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

ASIN: B00000630X
Release Date: 1998-03-17

Tracks:

Macbeth: Preludio
Macbeth: Act One: Scene One - Che faceste? Dite su!
Macbeth: Act One: Scene One - Giorno non vidi mai (Macbeth - Banco)
Macbeth: Act One: Scene One - Pro Macbetto! Il tuo signore
Macbeth: Act One: Scene One - Due vaticini compiuti or sono (Macbeth - Banco)
Macbeth: Act One: Scene One - S'allontanarono!
Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Nel di della vittoria io le incontrai
Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Vien! t'affretta! (Lady Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Al cader della sera il re qui giunge (Lady Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Or tutti sorgete, ministri infernali (Lady Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Oh, donna mia! (Macbeth - Lady Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Sappia la sposa mia (Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Regna il sonno su tutti
Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Fatal mia donna! un murmure
Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Allor questa voce m'intesi nel petto
Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Il pugnal la riportate (Lady Macbeth - Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Di destarlo per tempo il re m'impose
Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Schiudi, inferno (Macduff - Banco - Lady Macbeth - Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act Two: Scene One - Perche mi sfuggi (Lady Macbeth - Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act Two: Scene One - La luce langue (Lady Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Two - Chi v'impose unirvi a noi?
Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Two - Studia il passo, o mio figlio!
Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Two - Come dal ciel precipita (Banco)
Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Three - Salve, o re! (Macbeth - Lady Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Three - Si colmi il calice (Lady Macbeth - Macduff)
Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Three - Tu di sangue hai brutto il volto (Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Three - Che ti scosta, o re mio sposo (Lady Macbeth - Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Three - Si colmi il calice
Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Three - Sangue a me quell'ombra chiede (Lady Macbeth - Macduff - Macbeth)

Tracks:

Macbeth: Act Three - Tre volte miagola la gatta in fregola
Macbeth: Act Three - Ballo
Macbeth: Act Three - Finche appelli (Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act Three - Fuggi, regal fantasima (Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act Three - Ondine e silfidi dall'ali candide
Macbeth: Act Three - Ove son io? (Macbeth - Lady Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act Four: Scene One - Patria oppressa!
Macbeth: Act Four: Scene One - O figli miei!
Macbeth: Act Four: Scene One - Ah, la paterna mano (Macduff)
Macbeth: Act Four: Scene One - Dove siam? che bosco e quello? (Macduff)
Macbeth: Act Four: Scene Two - Vegliammo invan due notti
Macbeth: Act Four: Scene Two - Una macchia e qui tuttora (Lady Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act Four: Scene Three - Perfidi! All'Anglo contro me v'unite!
Macbeth: Act Four: Scene Three - Pieta, rispetto, amore (Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act Four: Scene Three - Ella e morta!
Macbeth: Act Four: Scene Four - All'armi! all'armi! (Macduff - Macbeth)
Macbeth: Act Four: Scene Four - Vittoria! (Macduff)

Customer Reviews:

Verdi: Macbeth.......2007-03-11

While not on the level on the level of the sound quality of a recent digital recording, it is good, and its historic value makes up for the sound quality. I am glad I bought it.

The Goddess.......2006-01-17

I have to say that Callas, for me, despite all her versatility, has a voice that reminds me of these kinds of roles- Lady Macbeth, Abigaila or Tosca. "Hard and shouting roles". This recording proves me right, because rarely her voice sounds so adequately casted. She is absolutely brilliant. Baritone Macbeth is very expressive vocally as well, and the tenor is of a very interesting dramatic voice color. The quality of sound can be disapointing for those who are looking for an opportunity to enjoy the grand energy of "Macbeth", but that is not the prime purpose of this recording. Value it as a fantastic opportunity to expirience atmosphere in which a real diva and real opera lovers spent a wonderful and memorable night.

An Observation of Gino Penno's Macduff!.......2005-09-16

A great historical Macduff, Penno is available on two recordings in this role; very rare for this role and even more rare that his career lasted less then 8 years. I never "got" the role of Macduff, even though many famous tenors have spoken of its importance, they never have seemed to imbue this character with the excruciating pain and bereavement he endures. That was before I heard Gino Penno.

Penno's sound had been a mystery to me because it seemed too vacuous and throaty. I did not like it then, but I found out that he had one of the largest voices, if not the THE largest voice on the stage at that time, not just among tenors but all voices. Gruadually, I understood the unique timbre and grew to respect his tendency to hold back his voice and protect his musicality, which is quite careful and delicate.

In this performance, he brings Macduff to a Shakespearean level. His "innigkeit" is a surpassing experience. His plea "O figli, miei" is a sympathetic outpouring of pure pity and affection. He says it the way a real man and father would do. It is touching, of course, as it should be.

Penno is easy to ignore, especially when the Callasian volcano is erupting about him, but listen intently with a libretto in one hand and a hankerchief in the other ... to dry your tears.

MARIA ONCE AGAIN.......2005-08-26

I fell under Maria Callas' "spell" very early in my teens which coincided with the conclusion of her performing career. It was a time long before she was the legend that she is today. In fact, at that time (late 50's early 60's) for a person to even state in public that they liked (or in my case adored) Maria Callas put that person at risk of receiving a lot of ridicule which could very easily turn to scorn. At the time, she was either loved or hated. I'm afraid that during my teen years I, alas, seemed to find more hate than love for her. Therefore, being the nerdy kid that I was I retreated into my own private world which consisted mainly of my record player and the recordings of Maria Callas. I eventually succeeded in procuring all of her commercial recordings-which were my prized possessions. However, I avoided (mainly due to their poor sound quality) the (what was known at that time as) "pirated" recordings.
Now that I, again, have reached a time in my life that I am, sort of, retreating into my own private world, I find myself turning, once again, to Maria Callas and to her singing for some solace. This time, my emphasis is (and will be) her "live" recordings--what used to be called the "pirated" recordings. After all, the technology restoring these live recordings has advanced unbelievably far. This recording of Maria's complete Lady Macbeth is a prime example. It is stupendous to hear Maria tackle the entire opera and to hear it in reasonably good sound. This performance catches her at her vocal peak! There is nothing Verdi throws at her that she can't do. In addition, even at the young age that she was during these La Scala performances, she was a very mature artist and was dramatically awesome-no wonder she became a legend. At this time she was vocally able to do anything. WOW, what a performance!!
Do yourself a favor by purchasing this recording to hear WHY Maria Callas is the operatic legend that she is today

Bone-chilling and Evil.......2005-01-26

When Arturo Toscanini was making plans to conduct a performance of Verdi's Macbeth at La Scala, he had one singer in mind--Maria Meneghini Callas. For more than a hundred years, this Verdi opera was much neglected by hundreds of great artist because of the composer's demands for the voice--choked, evil, not even singing. Of course, with the passing of time, a great artist with the genius of bel canto singing, the ability to color each and every phrase accurately, and with the most powerful stage and dramatic presence, came along the scene. Such a soprano was Maria Callas. Of course, because of her disputes with the damned Antonio Ghirangelli, the head of La Scala at the time, the Toscanini Macbeth never took place. How fortunate we truly are, however, to have Callas sing the role in La Scala a few years later with the great Victor de Sabata conducting. Here, we hear a totally different Callas, an antiheroine bent on achieving her goals without care for moral justice. No other soprano or mezzo for that matter could have captured the Lady Macbeth that Callas poured out on La Scala for the audiences that she mesmerized with her ability to portray such a despicable character. What a brilliant artist she truly was! Her letter scene is undoubtedly the benchmark for any other letter scene read by successive ladies after her career. Her La Luce Langue is simply amazing. Her sleepwalking scene caused only her to gain more legions of fans. Her colleagues weren't too bad either. Enzo Mascherini was evil yet cowardly as Macbeth. Truly a great performance that night. Do not miss out on this recording.

Martha Argerich and Friends Live from the Lugano Festival 2005: Chamber Music

Average customer rating:

Bravo!
PASSING IT ON TO THE YOUNG
Stars and some lesser lights (for now) shining
Encore
Argerich in most congenial company

Martha Argerich and Friends Live from the Lugano Festival 2005: Chamber Music

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Martha Argerich and Friends: Live from the Lugano Festival
Bach & Beyond - Gabriela Montero
Gabriela Montero plays Chopin, Falla, Ginestera, etc. [Includes Bonus CD]
Chamber Music-Haydn/Rachmanin
Reflection

ASIN: B000FHYI3S
Release Date: 2006-07-18

Tracks:

I: Allegro Energico - Renaud Capucon
II: Andante Espressivo - Renaud Capucon
III: Sherzo: Molto Allegro Quasi Presto - Renaud Capucon
IV: Finale: Allegro Appassionato - Renaud Capucon
I: Allegro Vivace
II: Adagio Con Espressione
III: Finale: Allegro
I: Allegro
II: Andante
III: Rondo: Allegretto

Tracks:

I: Lento-Allegro Moderato - Mischa Maisky
II: Allegro Scherzando - Mischa Maisky
III: Andante - Mischa Maisky
IV: Allegro Mosso - Mischa Maisky
I: Introduction
II: Valse
III: Romance
IV: Tarantella
I: Ritmo - Sergio Tiempo
II: Sentimiento - Sergio Tiempo
III: Gracia (El Vito) - Sergio Tiempo

Tracks:

Chorale 'St Anthony': Andante
Variation I. Andante Con Moto
Variation II. Vivace
Variation III. Con Moto
Variation IV. Andante
Variation V. Poco Presto
Variation VI. Vivace
Variation VII. Grazioso
Variation VIII. Poco Presto
Finale: Andante
I: Allegro Non Troppo - Lilya Zilberstein
II: Andante, Un Poco Adagio - Lilya Zilberstein
III: Scherzo: Allegro - Lilya Zilberstein
IV: Finale: Poco Sostenuto-Allegro Non Troppo-Presto, Non Troppo - Lilya Zilberstein
I: Las Ninas De Sante Fe
II: Muchacho Jujeno
III: Baile En Cuyo

Amazon.com

Since Martha Argerich has abandoned solo recitals and studio recordings, her new CDs feature concert collaborations with like-minded friends and protégés. Whatever the negatives of such live recordings may be, the upside trumps them handily since, if we're lucky, some of the sparks generated by musicians in a concert venue will be captured. With this set drawn from the 2005 Lugano Festival we're decidedly lucky, for musical electricity courses through all three discs. There are nine works by eight composers ranging from Mendelssohn to Guastavino, all played with spontaneity and full-blooded Romanticism. Argerich is onstage for five of them, including such rarities as Brahms' two-piano version of his Variations on a theme of Haydn, where she's partnered by Polina Leschenko, and, with Piotr Anderszewski, Grieg's full-dress arrangement for two pianos of Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16, an oddity whose curiosity value outweighs the sacrilege. There's also the sensuous Argentine and Andalucian encores and the teenage Beethoven's Piano Quartet set alongside masterpieces such as the Brahms Piano Quintet, Op. 34 and Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No.2, both played with a captivating blend of sensitivity and fervor. For many the highlight will be two big Rachmaninoff works on Disc Two - Mischa Maisky's big-toned cello in the master's G minor Cello Sonata, whose episodic qualities the soloist turns into virtues, and the Suite No. 2 for two pianos, passionately played by Argerich and Gabriela Montero. Get this, put it in your player, and be transported to Festival-level performances by established masters and a new generation of stars. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Bravo!.......2007-06-06

I felt like standing up and clapping with the audience after each piece. This CD is absolutely wonderful, in all aspects. The musicanship is impeccable and the production and sound quality couldn't be better.

I picked it out to hear the Mendelssohn Piano Trio No. 2, and that piece is done so vibrantly and ecstatically that it's surely one of the best on record. Not to say that the other pieces aren't on an equally high level.

I can't imagine any classical music fan, and especially chamber music fans, being disappointed with this CD.

PASSING IT ON TO THE YOUNG.......2007-03-06

In this three disc set of the 2005 Lugano festival. A festival as evidenced by this recording that was filled with great music making and reeking of Martha Argerich's talents and too of her musical generosity. She plays on this recording in about every other number introducing, for the most part, some rather unfamiliar works (i.e. the Beethoven VERY early Piano quartet which is wonderful sounding a little like some Haydn and Mozart with the unmistakable stamp of dear Ludwig) Most of the time, she let her young friends and/or colleagues have the "Juicier" numbers--Mendelssohn's 2nd trio(the performers therein particularly shine in the effervescent 3rd movement and the religiously inclined 4th movement), Rachmaninov's cello sonata, etc. Her influence, however, I'm sure was very heavy indeed inspiring the "young ones" on to wonderful performances. They do give some wonderful performances. When she does join in (as in the Brahms' two piano version of the Haydn variations) the sparks DO fly--she and Gabriela Montero (sp?)do a splendid Rachmaninov Suite for two pianos #2! One hears the fact that one is listening to a "master Pianist" from the very start of the piece that she is playing in--wow! Mischa Maisky also lends his talents in the wonderful Rachmaninov's cello sonata.

I enjoyed this recording of this Lugano festival very much; I felt that I was experiencing the festivities myself--wonderful music performed by great talents, I, in future intend to purchase more recordings of Martha Argerich's Lugano festival. It's delightful in every way. By the way, EMI's sound is superb!

Stars and some lesser lights (for now) shining.......2006-12-15

'Martha Argerich and Friends Live from the Lugano Festival 2005: Chamber Music' is bound to collect awards when the Grammies come out. This 3 CD set of a live concert is a filled with joy, impassioned playing, variation in repertoire and exuberant music making as any set on the market.

Martha Argerich holds the throne here but as is her manner she shares the stage with such gifted young artists as Polina Leschenko, Piotr Anderszewski, Gabriela Montero, Mark Dobrinsky, Mischa Maisky, Lilya Zilberstein, Gautier and Renaud Capuçon, Lida Chen and Nicholas Angelich. The repertoire is wonderfully varied and includes fine works by Rachmaninov, Beethoven, Brahms, Carlos Guastavino, Manuel Infante, Mendelssohn and Mozart. The artists obviously share not only some behind the scenes training (!) but they all seem to enjoy the act of music making with like minds/friends.

One of the many marks on music that Martha Argerich will leave is her boundless enthusiasm for concerts such as this. With her appearances on the solo stage and in concerti diminishing due to health, it is particularly fortunate for us that she continues to engage in the magic of live recordings, especially when they glow with the light that this one does. This set is a tremendous bargain. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 06

Encore.......2006-11-10

Another very interesting & high quality, live performance. All the artists are superb. One or two performers & pieces I was not familiar with but I wasn't disappointed. Next best thing to going to Lugano!

Argerich in most congenial company.......2006-10-18

EMI has made a small business out of live recordings by Martha Argerich, and one of the most congenial aspects is the box sets from the Lugano Festival where Argerich is the star draw. She is at her most relaxed in this setting, as one can hear from the Rachmaninov Suite #2, which is vigorous and declamatory but nowhere close to her brutal studio recording. The Amazon reviewer has listed what one can expect from this 2005 installment, sold at bargain price but full of treasures. For me the revelation was Mendelssohn's Piano Trio #2, which bids fair to be considered an overlooked masterpiece. One should also note the extremely attractive Three Argentine Romances by Carlos Gustavino, spectauclarly played by Argerich with vibrant rhtyhms and exotic atmosphere.

My only disappointment is that Argerich doesn't appear in this work or in the set's other masterpiece, the Brahms F minor Piano Quintet. However, the other pianists are wonderful in their own right--Nicholas Angelich in the Mendelsson and Lilya Zilberstein in the Brahms. One is grateful for them, given that Argerich--rahter neurotically, I think--has a quirk of restricting herself very often to two-piano music. The Rachmaninov is welcome, but for those of us who aren't fans of four-hand music, the arrangements of the Mozart K. 545 sonata and Brahms Haydn Variations feel like too much of a good thing. Even so, this is a highly recommended bargain for chamber music lovers.

Bellini: La Sonnambula (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe Modesti, Leonard Bernstein, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

Average customer rating:

The best Callas "Sonnambula"
One of the two Greatest Sonnambulas in history!
Callas - The greatest Amina
Legendary Sonnambula
A 'SONNAMBULA" TO CHERISH

Bellini: La Sonnambula (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe Modesti, Leonard Bernstein, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan
Maria Callas , Bellini , Lsc , and Bernstein
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Donizetti: Anna Bolena (complete opera live 1957) with Maria Callas, Gianni Raimondi, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan
Cherubini: Medea (complete opera live 1953) with Maria Callas, Fedora Barbieri, Leonard Bernstein, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan
Verdi: Macbeth (complete opera live 1952) with Maria Callas, Enzo Mascherini, Victor de Sabata, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan
Verdi: La Traviata (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Carlo Maria Giulini, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan
Bellini: I Puritani / Callas, di Stefano, Rossi-Lemeni, Panerai; Serafin

ASIN: B000069V7N
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Tracks:

Viva! Viva! Amina!...Tutto E Gioia, Tutto E Festa - Eugenia Ratti
In Elvezia Non V'ha Rosa - Eugenia Ratti
Care Compagne
Come Per Me Sereno...Sempre, O Felice Amina
Sovra Il Sen La Man Mi Posa
Il Piu Di Tutti, O Amina
Perdona, O Mia Diletta
Prendi: L'anel Ti Dono - Cesare Valletti
Scritti Nel Ciel Gia Sono...Ah! Vorrei Trovar Parole
Domani, Appena Aggiorni
Come Noioso E Lungo Il Cammin...Vi Ravviso, O Luoghi Ameni...E Gentil, Leggiadra Molto - Giuseppe Modesti
Contezza Del Paese - Cesare Valletti
A Fosco Cielo, A Notte Bruna - Cesare Valletti
Basta Cosi, Ciascuno Si Attenga - Cesare Valletti
Elvino! E Me Tu Lasci
Son Geloso Del Zefiro Errante
Davver, Non Mi Dispiace - Giuseppe Modesti
Che Veggio?
O Ciel! Che Tento?
Osservate: L'uscio E Aperto - Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala, Milano
E Menzogna

Tracks:

D'un Pensiero E D'un Accento
Non Piu Nozze
Qui La Selva E Piu Folta Ed Ombrosa - Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala, Milano
Reggimi, O Buona Madre
Vedi, O Madre...E Afflitto E Mesto
Viva Il Conte!
Ah! Perche Non Posso Odiarti - Cesare Valletti
Lasciami: Aver Compreso - Eugenia Ratti
De' Lieti Auguri - Eugenia Ratti
E Fia Pur Vero, Elvino - Cesare Valletti
Signor Conte, Agli Occhi Miei - Cesare Valletti
Lisa! Mendace Anch'essa! - Cesare Valletti
Signor?...Che Creder Deggio? - Cesare Valletti
Oh! Se Una Volta Sola
Ah! Non Credea Mirarti
No, Piu Non Reggo
Ah! Non Giunge Uman Pensiero

Amazon.com

Maria Callas had worked with Leonard Bernstein at La Scala on Medea in 1953. Here, in '55, they were together again for a very different heroine. While Medea is all vengeance and rage, Amina in Sonnambula is a delicate, sweet, village girl whose sleepwalking confuses the locals into thinking she's unfaithful to her fiancé. Of course, she's exonerated and all ends happily. This role is one of the tests of a great bel canto soprano. There are miles of coloratura, grand leaps, long-breathed melodies, and high notes galore. Callas is at her peak here, singing with delicacy and girlish tone, with fine filigree and sheer loveliness. She makes us care about this character--quite a feat. Tenor Cesare Valletti is her elegant, sweet-toned, and expressive fiancé, and the rest of the cast is fine. Bernstein knows which parts of the score to race through and which to linger over. The remastering of this once-quite-terrible-sounding recording has rendered it acceptable. But even if it weren't (and if you own Callas's other EMI recording of this opera), the wonders of this set--at midprice--are worth hearing. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

The best Callas "Sonnambula".......2006-11-25

SOURCE: Live performance from La Scala in Milan, March 5, 1955.

SOUND: Weak, inadequate, antiquated, muffled, limited and frustrating. I am reminded of the output of the first generation of pocket-sized transistor radios that were such a craze when I was in junior high school--the ones that made the Bakelite-cased, table model AM radios at home sound so resonantly mellifluous. Audiophiles who suffer the vapors on hearing digital recordings made with last week's equipment, walk away right now. This is not for you. The only reason for listening to this recording is the performance. Live with its technical inadequacies.

CAST: Amina - Maria Callas (soprano); Elvino - Cesare Valletti (tenor); Teresa - Gabriella Carurani (mezzo-soprano); Il Conte Rodolfo - Giuseppe Modesti (bass); Lisa - Eugenia Ratti (soprano); Alessio - Pierluigi Latinucci (bass); Un Notario - Giuseppe Nessi (tenor). CONDUCTOR: Leonard Bernstein with the Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro alla Scala, Milano.

TEXT: The standard cuts that were traditional for a century or more are observed.

COMMENTARY: In 1955 La Scala presented "Sonnambula" in an expensive new production overseen by Luchino Visconti, who served as producer, director and all-around prop for Maria Callas. It marked the second occasion in which Callas and Leonard Bernstein worked together in an opera house. Callas was still at her peak, but not long before, a bobbled high note during a performance of "Andrea Chenier" had occasioned an outburst of boos and whistles, something that Maria Callas would remember far more clearly than the cheers she had also earned that night. Callas believed that the sharks were beginning to circle--and she was probably right. Not long after that, Callas, being Callas, had managed to get into an unseemly tussle with Boris Christoff over bows in a "Medea." And the feud with Renata Tebaldi had come to a nice, sour boil.

By the time Callas arrived in Milan, she was in a state. Her doctor ordered complete rest. The opening of "La Sonnambula" was postponed for two weeks. Bernstein was not entirely unhappy at the delay, for it allowed him to get in an almost unprecedented eighteen orchestral rehearsals for an opera that La Scala habitually performed after only a single run-through.

At the time, Callas seems to have been going through an infatuation with Visconti. When she finally turned up at rehearsals, she was unusually pliant before his direction. However, so the story goes, one Visconti-ism proved too much for her. Although the opera is set in a humble Tyrolean village, the director insisted that Callas wear her best personal jewelry during all rehearsals. "But Luchino," she is supposed to have said, "I'm only a village girl." "No," Visconti replied, "you are MARIA CALLAS playing a village girl, and don't you forget it!"

Callas sings extremely well here, lightening her voice to portray the simple village girl, Amina (pace Luchino), but nevertheless in full La Divina mode with wonderful high notes and breathtaking vocal decorations. For Callas fans, that fully justifies a five-star rating for this set.

This is one of the relatively few Callas live recordings that can also boast of a first-class tenor and conductor. Cesare Valletti was a true, indeed a classic tenore di grazia. He was Tito Schipa's student and in some ways he surpassed that charming old musical con man. Because of him, the glorious Amina-Elvino duets are first-rate. (Such was not the case in Callas' studio recording and her second live recording, both made with the utterly useless Nicola Monti.) Bernstein was at his most Bernsteinly. He put his well-rehearsed orchestra through their paces and injected drama, fire and electricity into the music. (Perhaps more drama, fire and electricity than sweetly melodious Bellini ever intended--but that's another subject.)

The rest of the cast is pretty good, also unusual for a live Callas recording. Eugenia Ratti is a little too hard-edged for my taste but she is effective as the hard-edged Lisa. Giuseppe Modesti is fine as Count Rodolfo. The only fault I can find with him is that he is not Cesare Siepi.

Callas at her best, a good supporting cast and a top conductor, all of these demand and deserve five stars.

BUT--this is not at all the best performance of "La Sonnambula" available. In 1952 CETRA issued a recording with Lina Pagliughi and Ferruccio Tagliavini which is currently available in various editions. Pagliughi was good, even though she was never the vocal technician that Callas was. Nevertheless, she was a better Amina, singing in the old melodic way. Excellent as Valletti was, Tagliavini was even better. Overall, I think the Pagliughi-Tagliavini performance is the one Bellini would have said most closely matched his intentions.

One of the two Greatest Sonnambulas in history!.......2004-12-06

This recording of La Sonnambula is a necessity in any opera lover's collection. Featuring Maria Callas at the prime of her career, one cannot ignore the fact that despite the quality of this live recording, the sheer interpretation of Bellini's Swiss village girl in this Sonnambula should never be condoned. At 1955, Callas' voice was at its peak form, fresh without the many characteristics that would detract non-fans from her recordings. It was during this time too that she worked with the famed American conductor Leonard Bernstein, one of the most dexterous and passionate interpreters of the score. Also included in this collaboration was the famed film director Luchino Visconti, and it was this trio that brought the spotlights of opera into this rare gem of a Sonnambula. The other Sonnambula, the live Koln Sonnambula with Votto, comes with a much superior cast and an even more superior sound, but this Sonnambula should never be overlooked for the numerous trills and embellishments that Bernstein had designed for Callas' voice in this performance. Overall, I'd give it a six stars for the magic of her interpretation, but minus one star for the mediocre sound.

Callas - The greatest Amina.......2004-07-15

Callas sounding OLD? Sutherland is the one with the matronly sound while Callas sang Amina with a bright, innocent voice, something even severe critics noticed. Meowing the coloratura? Who are you listening to? To some silly chirper like Pons or Robin? Callas was a dramatic coloratura with incredible squillo! If you dislike Callas, fine, but to invent LIES and to PLAGIARIZE is a crime and REPULSIVE. Shame on you!

Legendary Sonnambula.......2004-07-10

This live-recording is, even in an illustrious discography as Callas', a wonder. A wonder of sheer perfection, love and beauty. Callas who could sing a blood-curdling Medea and Lady Macbeth sang the purest, most touching and tearful Amina. Just listen to Amina's first aria to hear a voice of airy beauty, lucid warmth and tenderness. The duets with Elvino (The WONDERFUL Valletti, a true belcanto-tenor in the tradition of Schipa) soar to heaven rivalling the stars! And her madscene is unrivalled with the ornaments and incredible coloratura! A keeper!

A 'SONNAMBULA" TO CHERISH.......2004-05-23

The very few ignorant people on these pages who dismiss this performance of "Sonnambula" are not to be taken seriously. They don't understand music OR Bellini. 1955 was probably Callas' greatest year as an artist, and she was in stupendous voice. This "Sonnambula" is in the Malibran-Pasta tradition. Callas uses Bellini's harmonies to their greatest advantage - her two and a half downward cadenza to low A flat in the first cabaletta is in the words of John Ardoin, "rooted in Bellini's harmonic structure". Her coloratura here is astounding ---- and at breakneck speed -- yet her lyrical singing is so beautiful that it's painful. Cesare Valletti is a priceless Elvino, and in the duets, both he and Callas sound like a violin and a viola. Bernstein is an outstanding Bellini conductor, and the entire performance is one never likely to be bettered anywhere by anybody. The sound is decent, except for some distortion in one of Valletti's arias in the second half of the opera, as well as some more just before Callas' superlative final cabaletta. But this is not nearly enough to make you not enjoy this set. It's a jewel.

Average customer rating:

a terrific compilation for beginners
"Classical heartbreakers" broke my heart
A Fantastic Compilation

Classical Heartbreakers

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000B09Z9
Release Date: 2004-01-13

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No. 1 - Andre Previn
Intermezzo - Philharmonia Orchestra
Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini - Sir Simon Rattle
O Mio Babbino Caro - London Symphony Orchestra
Viola Da Bamba Sonata In G Minor - Ton Koopman
Beim Schlafengehen - London Philharmonic Orchestra
Schindler's List Theme - Tasmin Little
Clair De Lune - Dame Moura Lympany
Symphony No. 5 - New Philharmonia Orchestra
Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana - Philharmonia Orchestra
Moonlight Sonata - Dame Moura Lympany
Violin Concerto No. 1 In G Minor - Yehudi Menuhin
E Lucevan Le Stelle - Georges Pretre
Nocturne In C Sharp Minor - Maria Tipo
Adagio For Strings - Philadelphia Orchestra
Cello Concerto - English Chamber Orchestra
Piano Concerto No. 2 In F - English Chamber Orchestra
Va Pensiero - Bernard Haitink

Tracks:

Adagio In G Minor - Sir Neville Marriner
The Heart Asks Pleasure First / The Promise - Michael Nyman
Time To Say Goodbye - Orchestra
Goldberg Variations - Maria Tipo
Barcarolle - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Piano Concerto No. 2 - Sir Simon Rattle
Nimrod - London Symphony Orchestra
Vissi D'art - Maria Callas
Cavatina - Manuel Barrueco & Steve Morse
String Quintet In C - Laszlo Varga
J'ai Perdu Mon Eurydice - John Eliot Gardiner
Etude In E 'Tristesse' - John Ogdon
Addio Del Passato - London Symphony Orchestra
Double Violin Concerto - Bath Festival Orchestra
Queen Symphony - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Piano Concerto No. 1 - Garrick Ohlsson
In Paradisum - English Chamber Orchestra
My Heart Will Go On - Orchestra
Rhapsody In Blue - Andre Previn

Customer Reviews:

a terrific compilation for beginners.......2006-02-07

I agree with P. Grupe-for classical music lovers, it is a let down to listen to cut tracks of well-performed classical greats, like Chopin's 1st piano concerto in this collection. Nonetheless, this is a terrific compilation for people beginning to get interested in classical music. This compilation is an eclectic mix of the familiar (Beethoven's moonlight sonata, Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini variation no. 18, Myer's Cavatina, Barber's "Adagio for Strings, etc.), the contemporary (Michael Nyman's The Promise, Horner's My Heart Will Go On), and the truly moving (Bach's Double Violin Concerto, Bruch's Violin Concerto, Schubert's String Quintet in C)-relatively obscure pieces usually left out in less inspired and mediocre classical music compilations. It is gratifying to see that opera music has not been left out. Get this cd if only for the Maria Callas tracks, Lucia Popp's performance of Strauss' Beim Schlafengehen, and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's Addio del passato.

"Classical heartbreakers" broke my heart.......2004-06-27

I am an avid listener of classical music, and I purchased this CD expecting to get some of the best classical music ever composed. I guess I expected a bit much though. Although the recording is filled with high quality performances of fantastic pieces, I was disappointed to find that only about half of the pieces are contained in their entirety on this 2-disc set. Songs such as Rhapsody in Blue and Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata were not recorded in full for this album, which caught me off guard and bothered me quite a bit.

Anybody who is unfamiliar with classical music will appreciate this album. Since it features some of the most moving classical pieces ever written, it is sure to entrance listeners. And by not placing entire 10-minute pieces on the CDs, it will not run on and bore those unaccustomed to the length of most classical music. However, if you are already well-versed in classical music and can listen to entire symphonies with ease, I would advise against buying this album. I now feel a desire to go out again and find the full versions of some of these pieces, since I feel I was cheated by only getting introductions or short movements on most of the album. Guess I should have paid a little more attention to what I was buying.

A Fantastic Compilation.......2004-05-01

Most of the musical pieces in this compilation are from versions as they appear in various movies. This is Classical music from classic movies such as: Somewhere in Time, Schindler's List, English Patient, The Piano, Platoon, et al. But make no mistake; the music is what's really worth mentioning here.

The title says it all. It claims to have "the most moving Classical music of all time," and they certainly have a case, as it is chock full of the kind of emotional pieces that can easily bring you to tears. This double CD compilation with 37 passionately beautiful pieces is a steal at $16.99.

If you've ever recorded your favorite songs on to tape, or burned them on to a CD, you'll see that this compilation is exactly what EMI Records has done. It is like a greatest hits, volume 1, of poignant Classical music. Almost all of the musical pieces are classic favorites, though there are a few contemporary ones also.

I found the music on this CD powerful and moving as advertised, and I think that Classical music fans should truly enjoy it. It is well worth the price it's being sold for, and I highly recommend it.

Since there is some missing information as to who the composers and artists are, here they are:

Disk 1

Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor Op.23: I. Allegro Non Troppo E Mol; Andre Previn; Horacio Gutierrez; The London Symphony Orchestra

Mascagni - Intermezzo (Cavalleria Rusticana) {Raging Bull}; Riccardo Muti; The Philharmonia Orchestra

Rachmaninov - Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini - Variation #18 {Somewhere in Time}; Cecile Ousset; City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; Sir Simon Rattle

Puccini - O Mio Babbino Caro (Gianni Schicchi) {A Room with a View};
Montserrat Caballe; The London Symphony Orchestra; Sir Charles Mackerras

Bach - Viola da Gamba Sonata in G Minor BWV1029 - II. Adagio (Opening) {Truly, Madly, Deeply}; Jordi Savall; Ton Koopman

Richard Strauss - Beim Schlafengehen (Vier Letzte Lieder) {The Hours}; Klaus Tennstedt; London Philharmonic Orchestra; Lucia Popp

Williams - Schindler's List (Theme) {Schlinder's List}; Iain Sutherland; New World Philharmonic; Tasmin Little

Debussy - Clair de Lune {Frankie and Johnnie}; Dame Moura Lympany

Mahler - Symphony No. 5 in C Sharp Minor: IV. Adagietto (Conclusion) {Death in Venice}; New Philharmonia Orchestra; Sir John Barbirolli

Catalani - Ebben? Ne Andrò Lontana (La Wally) {Diva}; Maria Callas; The Philharmonia Orchestra; Tullio Serafin

Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Sharp Minor "Moonlight" Op. 27/2 - I. Adagio S; Dame Moura Lympany

Bruch - Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor - II. Adagio (Opening) Sir Yehudi Menuhin; The Philharmonia Orchestra; Walter Susskind

Puccini - E Lucevan le Stelle (Tosca) {The Man Who Cried}; Carlo Bergonzi; Georges Pretre; Orchestre De La Societe` Des Concerts Du Conservatoire

Chopin - Nocturne in C Sharp Minor Op. Posth {The Pianist}; Maria Tipo

Barber - Adagio for Strings {Platoon} Eugene Ormandy; Philadelphia Orchestra

Elgar - Cello Concerto in E Minor Op. 85 - I. Adagio - Moderato (Opening) {Hilary and Jackie}; London Philharmonic Orchestra; Norman Del Mar; Robert Cohen

Shostakovich - Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Op.102 - II. Andante Dmitri Alexeev; English Chamber Orchestra; Jerzy Maksymiuk

Verdi - Va, Pensiero (Chorus of Hebrew Slaves) (Nabucco) {The Godfather, Pt. 3}; Bernard Haitink; Covent Garden Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Disk 2

Albinoni - Adagio in G Minor (Realised Giazotto) [Extract] {Gallipoli}; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields; Sir Neville Marriner

Nyman - Heart Asks Pleasure First/The Promise {The Piano}; Unknown artist

Quarantotto & Sartori - Time to Say Goodbye; David Abel

J.S. Bach - Goldberg Variations - Aria {The English Patient}; Maria Tipo

Offenbach - Barcarolle (Les Contes d'Hoffmann) {Life Is Beautiful}; Choeurs Rene Ducios; Clu; Elisabeth Schwartskopf; Jeannine Collard; Orchestre De La Societe` Des Concerts Du Conservatoire

Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor - II. Adagio Sostenuto (Opening) {Brief Encounter}; Cecile Ousset; City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; Sir Simon Rattle

Elgar - Nimrod ("Enigma" Variations) {Elizabeth}; The London Symphony Orchestra; Sir Adrian Boult

Puccini - Vissi d'Arte (Tosca); Georges Pretre; Maria Callas; Orchestre De La Societe` Des Concerts Du Conservatoire

Myers - Cavatina {The Deer Hunter}; Manuel Barrueco; Steve Morse

Schubert - String Quintet in C D956 - II. Adagio (Opening) {Carrington}; Hungarian Quartet; Laszlo Varga

Gluck - J'Ai Perdu Mon Eurydice (Orphée et Eurydice); Anne Sofie Von Otter; John Eliot Gardiner; Orchestre De L'Opera De Lyon

Chopin - Étude in E "Tristesse" Op.10/3; John Ogden

Verdi - Attendo, Attendo...Addio del Passato (La Traviata); Dame Kiri Te Kanawa; Myung-Whun Chung; The London Symphony Orchestra

Bach - Double Violin Concerto in D Minor BWV 1043 - II. Largo Ma Non Tanto {Children of a Lesser God}; Bath Festial Orchestra; Christian Ferras; Sir Yehudi Menuhin

Kashif - Queen Symphony - III. Adagio {Who Wants to Live Forever - Save Me}; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Tolga Kashif

Chopin - Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor - II. Romance (Larghetto) (Opening) {The Truman Show}; Garrick Ohlsson; Jerzy Maksymiuk; Polish National Symphony Orchestra

Faure - In Paradisum (Requiem) {The Thin Red Line}; Cambridge Choir of Kings Choir; English Chamber Orchestra; Stephen Cleobury

Horner - My Heart Will Go On {Titanic}; David Abel

Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue (Conclusion) {Manhattan}; Andre Previn; The London Symphony Orchestra

Verdi: Aida (complete opera live 1951) with Maria Callas, Mario del Monaco, Oliviero de Fabritis, Orchestra & Chorus of del Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City
Average customer rating:

Why 5... Find Out!

Callas Aida, Mex. City, 1951

Callas's most famous Aida -- all I can say is wow

All hail to the E Flat Goddess

Nuclear Aida!!!

Verdi: Aida (complete opera live 1951) with Maria Callas, Mario del Monaco, Oliviero de Fabritis, Orchestra & Chorus of del Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Verdi: La Traviata (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Carlo Maria Giulini, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan

Puccini: Madama Butterfly (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Lucia Danieli, Nicolai Gedda, Herbert von Karajan, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

Verdi: Macbeth (complete opera live 1952) with Maria Callas, Enzo Mascherini, Victor de Sabata, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan

Donizetti: Anna Bolena (complete opera live 1957) with Maria Callas, Gianni Raimondi, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan

Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (complete opera) EMI's Great Recordings of the Century with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, Tullio Serafin

ASIN: B0000BWTKC
Release Date: 2003-11-04

Tracks:

Preludio
Si, Corre Voce Che L'Etiope Ardisca
Se Quel Guerriero Io Fossi!
Celeste Aida
Quale Insolita Gioia Nel Tuo Sguardo!
Vieni, O Diletta, Appressati
Alta Cagion V'aduna
Su! Del Nilo Al Sacro Lido
Ritorna Vincitor!
Possente Ftha...Tu Che Dal Nulia Hai Tratto
Immenso Ftha!...Mortal, Diletto Ai Numi
Nume, Custode E Vindice
Chi Mai Fra Gl'inni E I Plausi
Dance Of The Moorish Slaves
Vieni, Sul Crin Ti Piovano
Fu La Sorte Dell'armi A' Tuoi Funesta
Pieta Ti Prenda Del Mio Dolor
Su! Del Nilo Al Sacro Lido...Numi, Pieta
Gloria All'Egitto, Ad Iside
Triumphal March
Ballet
Vieni, O Guerriero Vindice
Salvator Della Patria
Che Veggo! Egli? Mio Padre!...Anch'io Pugnai...Ma Tu, Re, Tu Signore Possente
Il Dolor Che In Quel Volto Favella
O Re, Pei Sacri Numi...Gloria All'Egitto

Tracks:

O Tu Che Sei D'Osiride
Vieni D'Iside Al Tempio
Qui Radames Verra!
O Patria Mia
Ciel! Mio Padre!
Rivedrai Le Foreste Imbalsamate
Pur Ti Riveggo, Mia Dolce Aida
Nel Fiero Anelito Di Nuova Guerra
Fuggiam Gli Ardori Inospiti...La, Tra Foreste Vergini
Ma Dimmi: Per Qual Via
L'aborrita Rivale A Me Sfuggia
Gia I Sacerdoti Adunansi
Ohime! Morir Mi Sento!
Spirto Del Nume
A Lui Vivo, La Tomba!...Sacerdoti: Compiste Un Delitto!
La Fatal Pietra Sovra Me Si Chiuse
Vedi? Di Morte L'angelo...Immenso Ftha
O Terra, Addio

Customer Reviews:

Why 5... Find Out!.......2006-10-12

This Aida is perhaps the best I've ever heard. Even in the libretto it states that it is a full-blooded performance. I whole-heartedly agree. Callas, once again giving her exciting performances in Mexico City, turns her Aida into the stuff of legend. Again. Del Monaco is the best of any Radames. Yes, Domingo had the dramatic capability, but Del Monaco's overpowering voice should well be the trademark of the overpowering Egyptian military leader. Dominguez is the best of any Amneris I've heard, and also is mentioned in the libretto as having "opulent" tones. The word "opulent" doesn't begin to describe the effect she had on me in "L'aborrita rivale a me sfuggia". In the "Rivedrai le foreste imbalsamate" duet with Aida and Amonasro, Giuseppe Taddei tops all expectations, blowing back even Tito Gobbi. Altogether, this recording is a must even for people who hate Callas. 5 stars.

Callas Aida, Mex. City, 1951.......2006-07-21

Everyone is on fire in this performance. Singers today do not have that "fuoco". Thanks to recordings like these, opera fans of the post Callas era, like myself, can get a "glimpse" into her glorious past. Callas and Del Monaco soar over everything else in the second act! And of course, the famous E flat! O. Dominguez as Amneris! I became an instant fan; hard to find other recordings of her. Some of the reviewers refer to Anmeris as Simionato, it is Dominguez! Taddei is perfect as Amonasro - great visceral singing- no baritones like him around anymore. Who cares if the sound is not perfect? I like all the environmental sounds, it makes me feel like I am right there. I only listen to live stuff anyway, because it is the real deal; I find most studio recordings boring. It is the best AIDA I have heard. Get it!

Callas's most famous Aida -- all I can say is wow.......2006-02-17

This 1951 Mexico City performance of Aida has become legendary, largely due to Callas's unbelievable performance in the title role. Aida was not a role strongly associated with Callas (the way, say, Norma was). She dropped it from her repertoire in 1953, only making a studio recording in 1955, which I always found to be a disappointment.
But in this 1951 Mexico City performance, Callas was on fire. Her voice of course never had the glowing beauty of a Tebaldi or Price, but Callas makes her Aida a firy princess. Her "Ritorna vincitor" might be the best sung version I've ever heard. Rosa Ponselle and Giannina Arangi-Lombardi and Renata Tebaldi may sound more beauty but Callas inflects the text to great emotional effect. Her "O patria mia" is a rough moment -- high C was always a rough note for Callas, and she can't sing it "dolce" as marked in the score. But her Act 3 duets with del Monaco and Taddei are remarkable, as is her "O terra addio." And of course, she caps off the Triumphal Scene with the famous E-flat that lasts 7 seconds (yes I've counted). Legend has it that in 1950, when she sang Aida at Mex City with Kurt Baum, she was so annoyed with the tenor that she did the E-flat at the Triumphal Scene. It worked so well that the next year she tried the same stunt.
The rest of the cast is strong. I prefer a Radames who is better able to control dynamics like Franco Corelli or Carlo Bergonzi. Mario del Monaco seems to sing in two ways -- loud and louder. But del Monaco is certainly stentorian and heroic and there just aren't voices like him anymore. Giuseppe Taddei is a wonderfully nasty Amonasoro. His voice practically drips hatred and bitterness. And Oralia Dominguez is not as well-known as the rest of the cast but she's terrific nonetheless, with a beautiful, powerful mezzo voice.
The sound is admittedly bad, but the performance more than makes up for it.

All hail to the E Flat Goddess.......2005-08-23

I have always love Aida I have heard 3 versions but nothing can compare to this. Although the recording quality is terrible, this 1951 gala captures The La Divina in the prime of her vocal prowess. The first time I heard the e flat in the Triumphant schene, my jaw dropped.I could not describe the feeling I had that time. I just closed my eyes and thank the Creator above for giving the world "Maria Callas the greatest suprano in living memory".

Nuclear Aida!!!.......2005-03-18

Ever imagine a large voiced Callas singing Aida? Here it is! Ever wanted her paired with an amazing Radames with a large, robust voice? You have it here! What about an explosive Amneris? Oralia Dominguez is also cast in this performance! What about a 12-second, interpolated E-flat? Callas sings it, and with a huge blazing voice too! Very unlike the standard canary E-flats you hear today! What about a great performance and a dramatically convincing Aida with Giuseppe Taddei as Amonasro? Well, this is it! Although her fabulous studio Aida wasn't as accepted as the Price Aida, this live recording from Mexico puts Leontyne's recording to second place. No other Aida will be able to achieve such a miraculous job of singing the role with that kind of forza, and with that kind of passion. The studio recording with Callas is recommended too, if you want to hear the several colors of Aida.

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