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Displaying records 61 through 70 of 2579 |
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Price: $11.98
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Sale: $7.71
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Manufacturer: Decca
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Price: $16.98
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Sale: $10.97
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Manufacturer: EMI Classics
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Price: $26.98
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Sale: $24.93
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Manufacturer: EMI Classics France
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Description: Lucia was another one of Callas's signature roles; in fact, one might argue that she made people listen to it in a manner they had neglected since its inception. Long the territory of canary-like high sopranos with no interest in drama (e.g., Lily Pons), Callas brought the role into the same dramatic focus it had been created for. At its premiere in 1835, members of the audience wept audibly at Lucia's lunacy. With her darker tone and psychological probing, Callas made us hear what was in the poor girl's soul--she was an innocent, tricked, abandoned, and driven mad. This live performance, in so-so sound (but absolutely worth it), is staggering in its musical and dramatic potency; something between Callas and Karajan was in the air that made them think, breathe, and create music as one. Callas ducks the first big E-flat in the Mad Scene for dramatic effect; the second one is all the more special for making us wait for it. And elsewhere Callas's "rightness" within the role is never in doubt. Costar Giuseppe di Stefano, too, is at his best, singing with ardor and gorgeous streams of sound, and the ensemble work is so spectacular that the audience demands--and gets--an encore of the 2nd Act sextet. Any collection of great opera recordings without this set is incomplete. --Robert Levine
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Price: $16.99
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Sale: $9.98
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Manufacturer: Erato
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Description: This program seems designed primarily to display soprano Sumi Jo's fabulous singing and famous stylistic eclecticism. However, it also exhibits an admirable religious inclusiveness, encompassing expressions of faith from the Latin liturgy to Negro spirituals; there is even a Richard Strauss song that is essentially a paean to love. An incongruous note is struck by a nun's song from an operetta by Benatzky that is a corny Viennese waltz and by a soundtracklike arrangement of a 16th-century Ave Maria. Ranging from Mozart to Broadway, this musical mix is held together by Sumi Jo's ravishingly beautiful, pure, warm voice and the way she can color and inflect it, and by her mastery of every style (though not every language; her German in particular is unintelligible). Her intonation is impeccable, her breath control incredible. Jo's top notes soar triumphantly, and she can sustain them indefinitely, with enough power left to make a crescendo at the end. Highlights include Ravel's "Kaddisch," which sends shivers down the spine; arias from operas by Rossini and Donizetti; and arias from sacred works by Gounod and Fauré. Of two spirituals, the second one is simpler and more convincing. The accompanying forces are excellent; James Conlon doubles as pianist when not conducting. Susan Graham also makes an appearance in the moving invocation "Take Care of This House" from Bernstein's 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. --Edith Eisler
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Price: $16.99
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Sale: $7.68
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Manufacturer: Erato
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Price: $59.99
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Sale: $19.03
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Manufacturer: Emd Int'l
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Price: $16.98
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Sale: $8.00
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Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
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Price: $16.98
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Sale: $5.00
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Manufacturer: EMI Classics
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Description: What's the reason for all the fuss about soprano Maria Callas, whose life story is like a study in Greek tragedy? Her great gift was not purity of tone or emission, reliability, or sheer loveliness; it was, rather, her ability to change her vocal color and style to suit not only particular periods of opera but to get under the skin of the individual characters she portrayed: Bellini's priestess Norma performing a sacred rite; Puccini's sweetly hopeful Mimí from La Bohème and his innocent Butterfly; Verdi's courtesan Violetta; Bizet's sultry, adult Carmen; Donizetti's raving Lucia, and many others--and you'll believe them all. Much--though not all--of the program is identical to the 1993 anthology La Divina, though there has been some remastering since then. It's a perfect way to sample the art of Callas and begin to understand why, decades after her death, she remains one of the opera world's most revered performers. --Robert Levine
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Price: $16.98
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Sale: $10.00
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Manufacturer: Decca
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Description: Nicole Cabell, the winner of the 2005 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, is a full-voiced lyric soprano with ease of production, a free top, and a basically lovely sound. This ambitious recital – we get chestnuts (Musetta's Waltz, "O mio babbino caro," "Je veux vivre," "Summertime," etc) as well as rarities (the selections from The Old Maid and the Thief and Tippett's A Child of our Time as well as Teresa's big aria from Benvenuto Cellini) – shows a curious mind and versatility. On the technical side, her prominent vibrato occasionally sounds like the start of a beat in the voice that could cause trouble, and her diction can be mushy. In addition, as of now, Cabell isn't much of an interpreter. "Les filles de Cadix" exhibits a strange lack of either Latin flavor or flirtatiousness; Musetta's Waltz is straightforward and lacks an individual stamp. On the plus side, as mentioned, the sound of her voice itself is very appealing. "Depuis le jour" and Doretta's Dream (from Rondine) are beautifully floated, even if they don't erase memories of Price, Fleming, or several other singers. The Menotti aria is well-articulated and makes its point. Conversely, "O mio babbino caro" is simply boring, lacking in girlish charm. "Summertime" is deliciously sung, and Norina's aria from Don Pasquale has plenty of flavor. It will be interesting to see how she develops; at the moment some troublesome traits are mixed in with great promise. Sir Andrew Davis lends fine support. --Robert Levine
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Price: $52.98
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Sale: $33.99
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Manufacturer: Testament UK
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Displaying records 61 through 70 of 2579
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