Bellini: (I) Puritani

Two great recordings of this famous opera

Advantages: about equal!
Disadvantages: high price of the Sutherland set

Keen opera fans may sometimes be puzzled by the choice available on the shelves of the larger record shops, especially when trying to compare two stellar casts. Bellini's last (and arguably greatest) opera, I Puritani, is a case in point, with recordings by Callas and Sutherland heading the list. Personally I bought both, to avoid having to choose, but each has it's merits. Callas, as always, brings greater warmth and fire to the usually pallid role of Elvira, but Sutherland's effortless roulades and trills are a joy to hear, and a young Pavarotti has a flawless technique in the infamous tenor role which defeated Caruso, complete with a hair-raising top F in his final aria. The Sutherland set also avoids the cuts made in the earlier recording, but is handicapped by Decca's greedy pricing - still at full-price after 30 years? Come on ...

StephenWeaver 14.08.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Bellini: I Puritani

The Apple Of My i

Advantages: Full Internet, Massive storage, Great design, Superb battery life.
Disadvantages: The Megapixel of the camera is put to shame by other phones available.

I had been waiting for this day for some time. My 18 month contract with T-Mobile is coming up for renewal next week, however having had problems gaining reception in my area I'd opted to look elsewhere for a new contract. A few weeks back my problems were solved when I was shopping around to try and find the best mobile contract, and discovered that O2 would be stocking the Apple iPhone as of November the 9th. Not only was I looking for a new mobile contract, but also a replacement MP3 player so the Apple iPhone seemed ideal. I made plans to purchase the iPhone and on the evening of release made my way down to the nearest O2 store upon finishing work, bagging myself my very own iPhone at a price of £269. Although the price did seem a little steep, especially considering that I would be paying out a further £35 a month for the contract ...

RazzaLazza 11.11.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Apple iPhone

A toast to Bellini's BET200

Advantages: Nice Italian design, crumb tray, good value
Disadvantages: Metal casing gets a little hot while toasting

Introduction I bought this toaster from the electricals and appliances superstore up the road from me after I moved about a year ago. If you are looking for something to go with, say, a stainless steel kettle, and are as much a bargain-hunter as style-conscious, then you might want to opt for this - an absolute bargain at £19.99. Look & Feel This Bellini toaster stuck out from the rest on the shelf because of its nice brushed steel finish and nicely-rounded design. It is a standard 2-slice toaster size, with slots both big enough to accomodate a longer-than-average white bread, and wide enough to take unusually-shaped bread. Setting the timer is just a case of twisting a dial until you get the number for your desired toast shade displayed on top. You can go from 1 through to 6, with 2-4 certainly sufficient for what most ...

cwb1 30.10.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Bellini BET200