Bizet: Carmen

Advantages: Smooth voiced protagonists, nice sound
Disadvantages: Slightly tame Escamillo, maybe lacking in some french style

Arguably the best recording of Carmen in the past 30 years. Teresa Berganza has a smooth and warm voice here, rather darker than Victoria de los Angeles (Thomas Beecham conducts, EMI) but smoother and lighter than Maria Callas (Georges Pretre conducts, EMI) and Regine Resnik (Schippers conducts, Decca). Her performance is similarly balanced - dramatic without being too vampish and with that sultry latin quality (a little bit lacking in Victoria de ...
...in the runs and leaps than Resnik and her voice seems like balm after the altogether different instrument of Maria Callas (even at the later's best she growls rather more than Berganaza which you either love or hate). Placido Domingo is a king amongst recent Don Joses on record. Jose Carreras with Karajan may bring more passion to the role but his voice is not in as fine form as Domingo's was in the late 70s and Domingo has a more powerful and arguably ... Read review

Advantages: The best album yet, fanastic choice of songs
Disadvantages: Alubum cover picture does not do Katherine any justice.

...To date this is my favourite Katherine Jenkins album. It has a great mx of both classical and modern songs on it. My favourite being (Quello Che Faro) Sara Per Te (Everything I Do) I Do It For You. This is the Bryan Adams song from the film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. It has rewritten in Italian and sound fab. Bryan Adams plays the guitar during the song. I also believe that he took the pictures for the album cover. Hopefully this album will win her, a third classical Brit Award in 2007. The track list is as follows:- 1. (Quello Che Faro) Sara Per Te (Everything I Do) I Do It For You 2. Nella Fantasia 3. Chanson Boheme (from Bizet's Carmen) 4. Green Green Grass Of Home 5. O Mio Babbino Caro 6. Be My Love 7. The Flower Duet (featuring Kiri Te Kanawa) 8. Pachelbel's Canon 9. Granada 10. Lisa Lan 11. The Prayer 12. Dear Lord... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Callas in one of her best studio performances, Great Sound
Disadvantages: Some fans might not like Callas' voice

...This was Callas' first complete studio recording for years and it was a big step- some would say that it proves she should have sung mezzo roles all along. The voice is dark and powerful, without the flappy high notes she had singing higher soprano roles by this late stage in her career. She has lots of character and, despite her reputation as a 'tigress', lots of subtlety as well. She had sung french arias in the studio for about four or five years before recording this carmen and she has very good diction and a good awareness of style. She is most effective in her duets with Gedda, that most stylish of tenors. His smooth voice lacks the virility of say Domingo but Gedda is very french sounding and can be exciting. The conducting is very effective with Pretre being more successful here than in some of his other opera recordings... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: easy to find the piece of music you want
Disadvantages: maybe too familiar for the expert listener

...from and the point in the story when it is sung. This can be invaluable to show you know a little bit of the subject around opera afficiandos! As I am a relative newcomer to opera, I thought this cd was excellent, as it gave such variety, but also only gives you the best bits (no offence, but sometimes the stories can lag a little or become confusing!). This would be a great gift to anyone with a curiosity for opera, as well as for regular listeners who can't be bothered sifting through their entire collections to find one aria! Track Listing CD1 Verdi - Brindisi (La Traviata) Puccini - Un Bel Di (Madam Butterfly) Handel - Ombra a Mai Fu (Serse) Bizet - Toreador Song (Carmen) Catalini - Ebben? Ne Andro Lontano (La Wally) Gershwin - Summertime (Porgy and Bess) Puccini - O Soave Fanciulla ( La Boheme) Dvorak - Song to the Moon (Rusalka... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful