Essential Pavarotti

This is one of the better introductions you could have to Pavarotti. This selection is good because all of them come from the middle region of his career (the pop songs are a little later but as they are not full out opera pieces this is not a problem) it also has earlier composers such as Donizetti and Rossini as well as later greats such as Bizet (not a big figure in Pavarotti's career but beautifully sung) and Puccini with Nessun Dorma taking ...
...fun and very well sung, listen to the high notes in the mattinata, but there are not any of Pavarotti's collaborations with celebrities like Sinatra etc which for me is a major plus but to others may be a bit of a let down depending how much you enjoy his 'pop' music output. His major early success are here including his performance of the Duke in Rigoletto and Rodolfo in La Boheme the role he debuted in in very early 1960s. The roles are lyrical ... more

This is one of the better introductions you could have to Pavarotti. This selection is good because all of them come from the middle region of his career (the pop songs are a little later but as they are not full out opera pieces this is not a problem) it also has earlier composers such as Donizetti and Rossini as well as later greats such as Bizet (not a big figure in Pavarotti's career but beautifully sung) and Puccini with Nessun Dorma taking pride of place. The inclusion of Italian songs is good fun and very well sung, listen to the high notes in the mattinata, but there are not any of Pavarotti's collaborations with celebrities like Sinatra etc which for me is a major plus but to others may be a bit of a let down depending how much you enjoy his 'pop' music output. His major early success are here including his performance of the Duke in Rigoletto and Rodolfo in La Boheme the role he debuted in in very early 1960s. The roles are lyrical (Nemorino in Elisir d'amore) , middle weight (Boheme, Tosca) and quite heavy roles (Turandot and Il Trovatore) so there is a good variety of work, probably the lyrical is more successful but that is really just my preference (probably relates to the fact I like bel canto music which he sang so well in the 60s and 70s - His recordings here of M'appari and Una furtiva lagrima reflect his lyrical best)

To conclude lots to enjoy and a good buy from various retailers - I would maybe suggest that the albums called "Pavarotti's Greatest Hits" (search ciao and you can find them and see the shops where they are cheapest) are superior in that they have 2cds for a very (very!) good price and they have a broader selection of repertoire including Aida and I Puritani and the glorious recording of La Fille du Regiment which is probably one of his very best records. Having, said that, if you can get this album at the ridiculously low price charged by some retailers (especially it seems on amazon marketplace) grab it with both hands!

1. Rigoletto / Act 3 - "La Donna è Mobile" 2:25
2. La Bohème / Act 1 - "Che gelida manina" 4:45 
3. Tosca / Act 3 - "E lucevan le stelle" 3:18 
4. Turandot / Act 3 - Nessun Dorma! 3:06 
5. L'elisir d'amore / Act 2 - "Una furtiva lagrima" 4:51 
6. Martha / Act 3 - "M'appari" 3:36 
7. Carmen / Act 2 - "La fleur que tu m'avais jetée" 4:35 
8. Pagliacci / Act 1 - "Vesti la giubba" 3:44 
9. Il Trovatore / Act 3 - "Di quella pira" 2:19 
10. Caruso 5:23
11. Mattinata 2:06 
12. Aprile 3:31 
13. Core 'ngrato 5:00 
14. Soirées Musicales - La Danza 3:15
15. Volare 4:41 
16. Funiculì, Funiculà 2:50
17. Torna A Surriento 4:32
18. 'O Sole Mio 3:30 

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