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Operas:I Pagliacci , Cavalleria Rusticana
Compositor:Pietro Mascagni, Ruggiero Leoncavallo.
Director: Gabriele Santini, Lovro von Matacic.
Singer: Gianni Lazzari, Norberto Mola, Franco Corelli, Victoria de Los Angeles,Lucine Amara, Adriana Lazzarini, Mario Sereni,Tito Gobbi
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Compositor: Giuseppe Verdi, Amilcare Ponchielli, Giacomo Puccini, Riccardo Zandonai, Charles Gounod.
Director: Karl Bohm, Anton Guadagno, Lorin Maazel, Richard Bonynge.
Singer: Franco Corelli
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Bravissimo!
Rudolf Bing once said that Franco Corelli, with his handsome look and grandiose voice, in his time was opera incarnated. Yes, after listening to this electrified version of Pagliacci, it would be hard to disagree. When you listen to it you actually can see the drama goes on. In the highlights Maestro von Matacic push the orchestra to the edge and Corelli gives his all. It's unbelievable.
It will be hard to find any other versions with more theatrical intensity. This is a firstchoice among all versions of Pagliacci.
The Cavalleria rusticana is not so good, it`s too unbalanced with bad sound. And I think the maincause for this is the mixing of two very different singers like de los Angeles and Corelli. Sounds like Corelli are standining twenty meters away from the microphone while she is just few centimeters away from it. And of course I don`t mean the intro for the tenor: ...O Lola..., that is sung off stage.
It is the Pagliacci I give five stars and three for the Cavalleria rusticana.
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The Angel Records debut of Franco Corelli from LaScala, San Carlo, and Rome who made his long-awaited Met debut in 1961 as Canio. Lucine Amara as Nedda and Tito Gobbi as Tonio, conducted by Lovro Von Matacic. The 2 LP Angel Records #3618 B/L are in excellent condition as well as the box. The original booklet is included. A great find for the opera buff.
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This recording "kills"!!!!!
This recording is just brimming with excitement. Franco Corelli is phenomenal as both Turridu in Cav and Canio in Pagliacci. Mario Sereni gives a very excellent reading of Alfio, the jealous husband in Cavalleria Rusticana. Victoria De los Angeles is a very fine Santuzza, though, possibly, a bit to light voiced for the role. Though her interpretation may not be as interesting as Maria Callas, Lucine Amara turns in a very credible and fine performance as Nedda, the unfaithful wife of Canio. Tito Gobbi is probably, to my ears, the finest and most believable Tonio on record, realizing both the lyric and dramatic moments in the score, flawlessly. Gobbi's "Prologo" is equal to none in this performance, singing the interpolated High A flat magnificently in this recording (he sings the written F in the Callas/Di Stefano recording). Corelli, especially in the I Pagliacci, simply exudes animal magnetism and his voice is so virile and fresh. This recording (the Pagliacci) was the one that heralded in the great Corelli to the American public as this was his debut recording to a major recording company. His "Vesti la giubba" and "No Pagliaccio non son" are both show stoppers. Both Santini, in Cavalleria Rusticana, and Matacic, in I Pagliacci, conduct very exciting and energized performances. This recording has all the spark and excitement of a live performance, but without "theater noise". This recording IS verissimo opera at its very finest. The stereo sound is excellent. Any lover of true Italian opera should own this recording.
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Dear Franco Corelli, we miss you so VERY much.
This is one of the finest I Pagliacci of the stereo era. The star is obviously the great Franco Corelli, whose voice is nothing short of a miracle. His Canio is very humane and moving. Lucine Amara is only O.K., but Tito Gobbi is a real presence as Tonio. The late great conductor Lovro von Matacic makes everything that can be done for this opera. EMI of course has the earlier Di Stefano/ Callas recording, the classic version of I Pagliacci, but this 1961 recording is important and well worth having. If you want digital sound, the finest I Pagliacci is a BMG recording featuring Vladimir Atlantov, Bernd Weikl and Lucia Popp. It was recorded by Eurodisc in the mid-eighties and now is in the Ariola budget label. It is certainly superior to both the Domingo and the Pavarotti more recent efforts.
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Amazing Corelli Rarities!
The real of joy of this recording, and what makes it different than most other Corelli recordings, is that it is largely material that he never performed live on stage. So while it's a joy to listen to it, one can't help but be sad by the fact that he never chose to perform these roles live.
On this disc, only Tosca and La Gioconda were in Corelli's repetoire, and they are well represented here. The disc opens with the famous love duet from Otello in which Corelli is partnered with the excellent Teresa Zylis-Gara. The audience goes wild- and no wonder why! All the elements are there- the romance, the passion, the heroism. Without a doubt, Corelli would have been an incredible Otello!
He is partnered with Renata Tebaldi, past her prime, in two duets. The first, from Manon Lescaut, finds Tebaldi trying to keep up with Corelli. There is, however, magic when the two of them sing together. The second is the challenging, but beautiful duet from Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini. Listen to Corelli's diminuendo when he sings "Francesca" at the end! You will have goosebumps.
He is heard also in Faust. Though his French was less than ideal, he still creates an excellent Faust and is well partnered by Nicolai Ghiarouv.
All in all, this disc is a must for any Corelli fan, or any opera fan.
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Another masterpiece from Franco CORELLI
It is always a great pleasure hearing Franco Corelli singing, specially because he will never record again. Whatever we can find out recorded by him, studio or live performances, is wellcome. Once Franco Corelli stated that his live performances recording were far better than studio recording, which I absolutely agree with him. On live performances one can feel and hear how Franco Corelli set himself FREE when singing. In my modest opinion, there is no other opera singer like him. His voice, the way he performed when singing is absolutely outstanding. The beautiful pianissimos he introduced on his singing will assure to him and to everybody that he will never be forgotten for that achievement. No comparison with anyone else. He is unique. He changed the way Opera use to be sang and performed. Although no one is perfect, Franco Corelli did his best and made all the efforts possible to be almost perfect in what he was great: singing for us, all those who enjoy Bel Canto, Canto Lirico. Highly recommended.
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Thank You Decca
Franco Corelli fans should be so grateful. At last a recording company is releasing some wonderful classical material. Along with several of Franco Corelli's most loved arias this CD is a fabulous remastering of some of Franco Corelli's best (and least often heard) singing. There was, and never will be, a more exciting and thrilling tenor voice. I thought I had at least one example of every song that Maestro Corelli had recorded, but here is a fabulous duet from Francesca da Rimini - magnificent. The pairings with Renata Tebaldi sear the soul and heart as well as the ears. We will not hear voices like this again. The "Gia nella notte densa with Zylis-Gara has been restored beautifully and is a sad reminder of what we missed when Corelli chose not to record this Verdi masterpiece.
With some fairly unusual track selections, this is not the CD to buy if you are going to have only one Corelli recording. However, as NO ONE ever has just one Corelli recording, go get this as quickly as possible. The price is amazing considering this is an "enhanced" CD with a photo gallery, discography and other feature included.
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FRANCO CORELLI: SINGS GRANADA & OTHER ROMANTIC SONGS; Capitol Records Stereo 8661 Record vg++ Cover mint (in-shrink). I Love Thee, Because, Carrettiere. 12 cuts in all
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