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Compositor: Giuseppe Verdi.
Director:Herbert von Karajan.
Singer: Leontyne Price, Ettore Bastianini, Franco Corelli, Laurence Dutoit, Kurt Equiluz, Siegfried Rudolf Frese, Giulietta Simionato, Nicola Zaccaria.
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THE DEFINITIVE TROVATORE
This has nothing to do with the late Thomas Schippers, and thats a good thing. Conducting the esteemed Vienna Philharmonic is the great Maestro Karajan. He takes the tempi with dramatic precision, and the pacing is very well done, unlike the horrendous Decca set with Pavarotti, Sutherland and Horne, conducted by Boynge. Karajan makes the sound come alive.
Speaking of the sound, although this is a live recording for Austrian Radio, the sound quality is excellant. The recording has almost inaudible hiss, it's clear and clean, and will appeal to even those used to digital stereo quality. And of course as a live recording, the passion and drama is almost palpable. It is cut, but then most Trovatore were too, and the cutting does NOT remove any of the thrill.
This Trovatore has four of the best singers collected on the same stage, a truely priceless gem of an occasion! Corelli is stupendous : big, heroic, at times heartbreakingly tender, at others fiery and passionate. Di Quella Pira, though taken down a half tone, is still viscerally thrilling, and will delight all (as the prolonged applause after the aria shows) who are tired of Pavarotti's mere high notes, uninspired phrasing, and generic vocal emotion. Simionato is THE definitive Azucena, words cannot describe her...well go listen to her. IMHO, only Barbieri comes anywhere close. Price is wonderfull, she is also the definitive Leonara, and what a BEAUTIFUL VOICE! Flawless technique combined with an uncanny awareness of dramatic need produce the best Leonara I have ever heard. Bastianini is the BEST di Luna, Merril, Warren, Milnes are close but not quite his standard here. Which is superlative and Im running out of superlatives.
This is the only set where you can get all FOUR of the BEST singers in the same production, combined with the Great Karajan. The RCA set with Cellini and Bjorling and Warren is let down by the rather inept conducting, Pavarotti's several attempts are practically unlistenable, always not having an inspired choice of singers. And Domingo ...well always great but not quite in the class of this SUPERLATIVE TROVATORE!
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Hot, Hot, Hot!
This is one of the hottest live Opera sets in existence! The principals don't sing they pour out molten streams of gold. Von Karajan conducts with sure-handed brilliance making the orchestra seem to speak for itself. Simionato taunts us with solid, solid bravada, creamy and exclamatory in her upper register, and theatrically dark in her lower depths. Corelli's lower voice is huge, and his high phrases are so great it's incomprehensible that all this sound is coming from one person. Price tosses off phrases of exquisite smoldering beauty. Her upper register must be heard to be believed, it's not just her floating stratospheric highs that are fantastic but her fluid development of the arias. In D'amor sull'ali rosee she unfolds ream after ream of silken phrases, and then launches the most vibrant, thrilling high note I have ever heard, and from there wafts to a smoky low. Bastianini and Zaccaria fill out the furnace! The sound is...good.
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Compositor:Giacomo Meyerbeer.
Director:Gianandrea Gavazzeni.
Singer: Joan Sutherland, Franco Corelli, Fiorenza Cossotto, Vladimiro Ganzarolli, Giulietta Simionato, Giorgio Tozzi.
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IS IT POSSIBLE?
Is it possible for a soprano with a sound so rich and beautiful, yet so large, even, and ultra powerful? That is La Stupenda. And although she is only on the stage for about half an hour in this long opera. This half an hour contained some of the most difficult music ever written for the coloratura soprano. Sutherland simply tossed the rediculously taxing coloratura as if it was child's play, taking runs and scales so fast that the orchestra had a hard time catching her. And the high notes are unbelievable.These high D's and E's are so effectless and gigantic that they seem to drown out the orchestra!! She is truly the "voice of the Century".
But not to take away from Franco Corelli's vocal powers - which was stunning. You will never in your life time hear a tenor with so much power and ring in his upper, and downer voice. He is the greatest tenor of our century, and as Raul, this was his greatest role. Simionato is also fabulous - an enormous voice, but not quite in the class of Joan Sutherland, but then no one is...
This is a historical recording. Just the scenes with Sutherland is worth whatever costs. And the scenes with Simionato and Corelli are also fantastic! The spinto singing with Franco Corelli and Simionato are electrifying - the most thrilling and powerful grand duet I've ever heard. And yes...there are some extremely high notes - notes that Corelli holds and holds and holds...with that distinct ring of his famed throbbing vibrato...
This is a grand opera to show off the glories of the world's most spectacular voices.
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THE COLORATURA STEALS THE SHOW.
This is a favorite opera of mine. The highlights are too numerous to name here. The soprano, Joan Sutherland steals the show under the feet of two of the greatest singers of that period - Corelli and Simionato. The young Joan Sutherland does this by trilling through the entire second act, tossing high C's, D's, E's here and there and everywhere. These high notes are enormous, and hair-rising in its extreme beauty. She simply takes 64th notes just like a violin or a piano. Her scales are so accurate that every note is separate from it's neighbor like pearls in a necklace. A master of the art of bel canto.
But...Corelli and Simionato sings the most stunning display of spinto singing in the entire recording catalog. The "Grand duet" between Corelli and Simionato is about 20 minutes of glorious music, highlighted by countless high notes. The B,C's, and above were all held by Corelli, and to some degree, the mezzo Simionato. ELECTRIFYING! Corelli's high notes still ring in my ears!
A truly legendary performance. No, the sound is not great, but very listenable. You are not going to find a performance on this level in your lifetime. Just for that, it's worth a listen.
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WOW
The history of the annals of opera notes that La Stupenda (Joan Sutherland) received 28 curtain calls in a role that has only one big scene for Joan's role - as Marguerite. Sutherland, the queen of coloratura sopranos was awesome. Corelli - known to be a jealous type of singer, never sang with her on stage again. However, Corelli was fantastic - he match Sutheland's huge high notes, but he battles not Sutherland in this opera. His duets are with Simionato. And the two of them are wonderful in the grand duet. Corelli hits a several high D's in this opera. Live sound of 1962, but not bad. This is the most vintage recording in the books by Sutherland, Corelli, and Simionato - who were three of the greatest singers of the 20th century.
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This is a new 2-CD compilation taken from tapes of the last public performances of Franco Corelli from June, 1980 through November 1981 Sound quality is variable, typical of live performances.
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