Famous Operatic Arias

Advantages: Good background listening
Disadvantages: Odd mixture of music on the Uplifting disc

...CD to the one on the Uplifting CD. I would be happy with the Relaxing one in the background at home or in the car. The Uplifting CD seems to have an odd mixture on it, a jumble of tunes that don't belong together. My own tastes are more towards the choral kind of music anyway so I don't really enjoy all the operatic arias on this CD. Overall there are some good recordings by famous artists on both of the 2 CDs. The set is good value and would make a nice present for someone with a broad enjoyment of choral music and opera. If the Uplifting CD had been as good as the Relaxing CD I would have given this set 4 stars, but it's the odd concoction of music on the Uplifting CD which has led me to only give it 3.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: All the hero's in one
Disadvantages: Mixed sound recordings Sound louder and quieter in places

...fois à la cour d'Eisenach by Alfredo Kraus Very Dramatic interpretation. I'll frustrate the potential buyer by letting this one "sing" for itself!!! Track 7 :Recondita armonia sung by Alfredo Mariotti, Franco Corelli Again this is a mind-boggling performance with Corelli seeming to power away and Mariotti holding him in check. Another example of sprit and soul working together to create this superb collection of sound! Track 8: Mein Herz voll Treue bis zum Sterben sung by Wolfgang Windgassen An interesting rendition of this famous Wagner Piece. Windgassen uses the language to create great warmth throughout the aria. Track 9: Ella mi fu rapita! sung by Carlo Bergonzi An aria from one of the most popular operas (Rigoletto) is sung to perfection by one of my favourite technical tenors. Track 10: Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön sung... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

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... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Easy on the ear. Very professional performance
Disadvantages: Already released in a different form on 2 separate CD's

...This album of two cd's is really a compilation of two other previously released albums by Bryn Terfel. If you have already got "Handel Arias" and "Operatic Arias" then do not waste money on this. They are more or less identical.Terfel is in top form in all the arias. His voice was at it's peak when the Handel parts were recorded. I bought it because I happen to like bass and bass-baritone singers.I was not disappointed because Terfels voice, although not truly bass, has the deep and warm quality that I know from the American Bass Samuel Ramey. If you get this CD and expect to hear something like his ghastly performance in the Proms in recent years where he looked like a rugby supporter, then you will be surprised. Here we have a master at work . His diction is good and the range and sheer beauty of his craft is fully evident... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful