Elisabeth Schwarzkopf - Arias, Duets & Lieder

Advantages: One of the finest casts ever
Disadvantages: Mono Sound, that's all

...MOZART - COSI FAN TUTTE - KARJAN EMI PLEASE COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW SO I CAN IMPROVE MY REVIEWS IN THE FUTURE!!! When critics line up the best available recordings of Mozart's superb comic opera "Così fan tutte" two recordings are almost invariably up there, Karl Böhm's second recording from 1962 (EMI - Stereo) and Herbert von Karajan's recording from 1954 (EMI - Mono). The remarkable Elisabeth Schwarzkopf is present in both recording as the charming Fiordiligi. I prefer her fresher voice in 1954 but she, like the other artists in the Böhm recording, benefit from the fresh stereo sound. One of the glories of the gramophone is Schwarzkopf, Merriman and Bruscantini in "Soave sia il vento" - simply breathtaking as regards phrasing, beauty of tone and the organic feeling to the ensemble. Giuseppe Taddei (Böhm) and Rolando Panerai (Karajan... Read review

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Advantages: Bonney's gorgeous voice; intelligent singing; great selection of songs
Disadvantages: No translations included

...‘Deh vieni non tardar’ from The Marriage of Figaro and ‘Ach ich fuhls’ from The Magic Flute are both sublime, full of lyricism and emotional vulnerability, making it easy to see why her Mozart roles have been so celebrated. The Donezetti ‘Chiedi all’aura lusingiera’ marks a move away from Bonney’s traditional Mozart roles, but the result is a stunning duet with the tenor Gosta Winbergh, which makes a fascinating contrast to the Mozart arias and shows Bonney’s versatility. But Bonney has always described herself as ‘a lieder singer who happens to do opera’ and this is reflected in her superb rendition of Schumann’s ‘Mondnacht’. Her lightness of tone ensures that her voice seems to float effortlessly above the gorgeous piano (played by Vladimir Ashkenazy... Read review

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Advantages: Great Opera with Techno
Disadvantages: Miss the orchestra

...I was recently in a local music outlet here in the Los Angeles,CA area where I heard the sounds of angelic angels playing through their speaker system. When I asked about the music I was told it was an accompliation called ARIA. I asked if they had another copy of this unusual accompliation. I was told, they had 2 more copies left. I then purchased the CD. I was surprised to find out the CD was produced by a company in West Hollywood, CA in conjunction with a British recording studio. The CD has 14 tracks, 3 tracks in english, 3 tracks in french, 3 tracks in german, 3 tracks in latin, and 2 tracks in italian. The whole CD are Aria's from the major Verdi Operetta's, but the twist is that the production company has the opera's set to new age and techno music, a far cry from the orchestral music we all love to here. The 2 women on the CD... Read review

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