Advantages: In original French! Kasarova, Vargas, Furmansky Disadvantages: They don't pronounce French well. A bit under-rehearsed
La Favorite is one of 3 French grand opera written by the bel canto master Gaetano Donizetti (though it is often performed in Italian under the title 'La Favorita'). The story is based on Royer's and Vaez's play 'L'Ange de Nisida'.
SYNOPSIS:
The novice monk Fernand is dismissed from the monastery in Castile by his prior Balthazar due to his attraction to an unknown beauty whose hand he had touched during a service. Fernand takes off to Leon, where he meets the courtesan Inez and her colleagues in the service of Leonor de Guzman, the mistress of King Alphonse XI, who turns out to be the unknown beauty he met in Castile). Having mistaken her for a royalty, Fernand joins the army vowing to earn glory in battle deserving of her attention.
After showing his valor in a victorious battle with the Moors, Fernand is praised by the happy ...
Advantages: Kasarova's personal touch. Virtuosic without showing off Disadvantages: She doesn't keep singing forever
This CD is a compilation of 10 operatic arias for the mezzo soprano voice. The line up ranges from the Baroque opening number to the Classical Mozart to the late Romantic Bel Canto Donizetti opera numbers. All are gloriously sung by the Bulgarian mezzo Vesselina Kasarova, and beautifully accompanied by maestro Friedrich Haider and the Munich Radio Orchestra/ Chorus of the Bavarian Radio.
Vesselina Kasarova is known for her multi-coloured deep and melancholy voice (a very distinctly identifiable one at that!) and her interpretative intensity. Every note that she sings is a part of the story she is telling. Her florid coloratura (virtuoso decoration of the main melodic line) is legendary, and yet they are never gratuitous. This is a dream singer for anyone who likes drama and theatrically involved singing..... and she doesn't compromize ...
Advantages: Classic recordings from a master of his trade. Disadvantages: Mono recordings, Crackly in parts.
imagine it could be bought much more cheaper if you shop around. It has 2 CD's with around 41 tracks and gives more than 21/2 hours listening pleasure. It is recorded in Mono which I know is a totally alien concept for today's music lovers. The sepia photograph of Caruso on the front cover has him looking like a gangster from the Untouchables time period and the list of Italian composers could certainly be a Mafia list.
Here is the general information relating to this two CD set:
Release Date 15th June 1999
Label: RCA Victor
There are various composers featured such as :
Bizet, Donizetti, Franchetti, Giordano, Goldmark, Gounod, Handel, Massenet, Meyerbeer, Ponchieli, Puccini, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Leoncavallo, Rossini
The performers are: Enrico Caruso, Josephine Jacoby, Pasquale Amato, Luisa Tetrazzini, Angelo Bada, Marcel Journet ...
