Various Composers - 'Con Amore' Italian Soprano Opera Arias [Swenson/Rudel-London Symphony Orchestra]

Here's a nice little Opera Aria recital, without a Rossini in sight!, i love these compilations with a theme / programme to it, in this case it's Italian Composers, Swenson isn't the greatest i must admit, but she's very good, had this disc since 2001, and it got a fair play in it's early years, been a little neglected recently, but it's good to hear this again, i don't seem to listen to Opera Arias enough.

Ruth Ann Swenson is American, she's now 55, and she recorded this disc in 1998, the photo is a nice one [by Alex Newhall], nice and sharp, pastel colours, and really good lettering down the right side, so ten Arias in all, although there's 14 tracks, so four are split up into sections, i rubbed on letter transfers A-J to help me see where i am.

Well i guess it's the usual suspects here, the most famous Arias, i certainly enjoyed the Bellini items, he has a certain way with adding wonderful instruments, almost like having a Concerto movement at times, and 'tracks' A-E & J were my favourites, but the Aria that really touched me the most was track 7 / E 'Si, Mi Chiamano Mimi' from Puccini's La Boheme, whatever you think of Puccini, his simple melodies, his simple stories too, there's no doubt that he can move you with his music, this is one of the most touching Arias of his, after Rudolfo introduces himself to Mimi in his Aria, he asks her to tell him about her, and this is the cue for her Aria, she starts hesitatingly, and maybe a bit monotonous at first, but the lyricism soon flows, and those high notes on words of magic / love / spring [1:03-1:24], she then sings of the first rays of April's sunshine, like a kiss are hers [2:50-3:47], the high notes Swenson hits are thrilling, and also about the gentle perfume of her flowers [4:01-4:19], the whole Aria is full of heart tugs galore, you can't fail to be moved. 

Here's on Swenson singing Mimi's Aria on YouTube.

Various Composers - 'Casta Diva' Italian Soprano Opera Arias [Gheorghiu/Pido-London Symphony Orchestra] 

Opera aria recitals have a tendency to either work fantastically, or fall flat on their face, this is definitely in the former category, a recital that is based on Italian Composers, and a nice mix of the big three, not only does Gheorghiu give us the famous aria, but also the 'number' before or after it, to give it a greater coherence / storyline, all coupled with great singing, and and a great visual presentation, it make for a great musical evening of an hour of music, i played this wonderful disc last year also [27th February 2012].

Angela Gheorghiu is Romanian, she's now 47, and she made this disc in 2000 & 2001, the front cover is truly inspired [photo by Uli Weber], a stunning shot of Gheorghiu, in a blue ball gown with sequins of what look like petals, a dark blue background against the milky white skin, hair blowing by some fan, and the lettering is so well done, nicely placed symmetrical across the front, and the red logo sticks out like a sore thumb, but i like that very much, and even the back cover is well done, showing a full length shot of Gheorghiu, notice that i've added 'rub on transfer' letters to the numbers, as this helps me to clearly differentiate each work, this is one of the best visual discs i own.

All of these arias where so inspired, even Rossini's 'Una Voce Poco Fa', which can sometimes grate me with it's continuous repetitions at the end, well it was the title track that i found so compelling, Bellini is the master of creating a truly memorable aria, it's his especial way with using a wind instrument to 'double' as the vocal line that makes his music perform wonders, here's it's the flute that 'sings' the aria as a sort of introduction at first [0:20-1:38], so that when Gheorghiu comes in [1:46+], we're already primed with the melody, and we know what to expect, but only the Singer takes it further, culminating in the most exquisite launch into the treble stratosphere [2:57-3:32], now that's what truly makes an aria, but there's more!, and we're given a second dosage in another verse [4:42+], with Gheorghiu launching off again [5:53-6:28], and i find myself also catapulted into the stratosphere also!, Gheorghiu rounds off the aria with a short cabaletta with the female chorus [the Druid Priestesses], the whole thing is a tremendous of example of everything what an aria should be, i loved it!.

Here's Gheorghiu singing Bellini's 'Casta Diva' on YouTube.

Bellini - Soprano Opera Arias [Anderson/ Rescigno-Orchestre Philharmonique De Monte Carlo] 

Most Opera Singers make recital discs of a selection of Composers, except where such a Composer is prolific [Mozart / Rossini / Verdi / Wagner/ Puccini], but with Bellini you haven't got much to choose from, which is why discs like this are rare, however they're also very welcome, the only gripe i have about this disc is the length, at only 54 minutes long, at least the famous 'Casta Diva' from Norma could have been added?, Bellini had a tendency to write long arias which are spun out really well, and that's one reason that this only contains 5 tracks / arias, you wouldn't get this from Mozart, Bellini's arias are long drawn out, and extremely lyrical, plus he had a penchant to use solo woodwind instruments as almost soloists in a lot of his introductions, and he is a master at creating mood that way, i love the deft way he can at times push aside the Opera stars, and indulge in a nice bit of being an orchestral Composer, elevating an instrumentalist as a star for a short while [consider the Oboist in the middle movement of the Brahms Violin Concerto, almost stealing the show], i played this a couple of years ago, you can read my thoughts in my Blog here [28th September 2010]. 

June Anderson is an American Soprano, she is now 59, she made this disc in 1987, i like the front cover photograph [by Steve Bicknell], a soft focus portrait, there's a certain glow to the face, and the lettering is in red and black, nice swirly writing.

Of all the pieces on this disc, it was the music from La Sonnambula that i loved the most, the closing scene and final aria of Amina is fantastic, it seems to have the lot in its three sections, . 

Here's June Anderson singing the three sections of the finale of La Sonnambula on YouTube, [Oh! Se Una Volta Sola / Ah! Non Credea Mirarti / Ah! Non Giunge].

Various Composers - 'Casta Diva' Italian Soprano Opera Arias [Gheorghiu/Pido-London Symphony Orchestra]

A lovely recital of Opera arias, not a compilation from other recordings cobbled together, but a proper recital with one Conductor, and a well chosen programme also, not just including the arias, but the extra bits either side, creating a greater dialogue with the storyline, and instead of '20 greatest hits', we have only 8 pieces of music, though with over an hour of music, each piece ends up lasting roughly 8 minutes, it's of course filled with the most famous pieces, but that's a good thing for me.

Angela Gheorghiu was born in Romania in 1965, she's now 46, and it's amazing how she continues to look as if she's in her 30's, she made this recording in 2000 and 2001, the photography is fantastic [by Uli Weber], the whole thing is couched in blue, nice background that matches the dress, and those sequins!, very well done, i like the way the lettering goes through the centre of the picture.

I have to admit that i have a real soft spot for Bellini, the tracks that especially touched me were 1, 5, 7 & 13, Bellini is extremely lyrical, a wonderful sense of spinning a great tune, notice how he often uses a solo woodwind instrument to weave a breathtaking vocal line, i guess i have an extra soft spot for the famous number from Bellini's I Puritani, the Qui la voce..., the intro is dominated by flutes singing the main tune to great effect [0:00-0:48], Gheorghiu has a sweet and high voice, a certain innocent tremble to it, it only lasts three and a half minutes, and it doesn't deviate from the simple rapturous tune, it's soothing and sweet, even though for the character Elvira, she sings of the distress of the abandonment of her by her Fiance, it's still touching and enchanting. 

Here's Angela Gheorghiu singing Bellini's 'Qui la voce sua soave'... from I Puritani on YouTube.

Various Composers - 'Bel Sogno' Italian Soprano Opera Arias [Gallardo-Domas/ Barbacini-Munchner Rundfunkorchester]

I love these Opera Aria recitals, this one is dedicated to the Italian repertoire, maybe a bit too much Puccini, and it would have been good to have some more Bellini, but it's still a good variety, one of the best Opera Arias recital discs i own. 

Cristina Gallardo-Domas was born in Chile, at the moment she seems to be a Puccini specialist, and she sings the lighter Bel Canto roles, she has a versatile Soprano voice, easily reaches the high notes, and is lovely and sweet, she recorded this recital in 2001, she certainly isn't a household name, i'm surprised, she's actually really good, the booklet front cover shows a cropped head and shoulders shot [photo by Kasskara], a sepia toned shot, very very nice, and the white lettering in the darker areas really stands out nicely.

I enjoyed every single one of these arias, and it's hard to pick out a highlight, but track 3, the aria 'Ebben, ne andro lontana' from Catalani's La Wally is such a heartfelt gorgeous aria, so full of yearning, about a girl who contemplates moving far away from home, and all the sorrow that that will bring, after a loaded intro of expectant strings and fluttering flutes, Gallardo-Domas / Wally starts to sing her aria with a somewhat monotonous beat, and so it's all the more memorable when she sings 'there, amid the white snow' [0:33-0:43], to a glorious high and sweet tune, the highlight of the whole aria, i like the short woodwind phrase after the first verse [1:19-1:25], a nice dissonant touch, the middle section is sung with a gentle passion [1:34+] where Wally contemplates leaving her Mother, possibly never seeing her again, very loaded with touching regret, the tune at the start comes back, and the high and sweet phrase is now 'like the church bell's echo' [2:53-3:04], the whole thing is short and sweet.

Here's Cristina Gallardo-Domas singing 'Ebben, ne andro lontana' from Catalani's La Wally on YouTube.

Various Composers - Baritone Opera Arias [Skovhus/Conlon-English National Opera Orchestra]

Here's another Opera Aria recital, just last week i was talking about Roberto Alagna [20th November 2010], these Opera Aria discs take a bit more concentration to listen to, instead of just playing a disc and doing something else at the same time, you have to stop and listen, because it's full of vocals, usually in a foreign language, you have to keep track of what is being sung, for that reason i need a bit more 'quiet time' to listen to Opera, and some of these discs have had a tendency to be cast aside somewhat, also several years ago i went on an Opera Aria disc binge, now i'm looking at a few of the rash buys, and sorting quality from quantity, and thinning out these discs.

Bo Skovhus is Danish, born in 1962, he recorded this disc in 1997, i like the booklet cover [photo by Stephen Danelian], a nice stance / pose, lit from the left, probably from a window maybe, a nice soft light, creating soft shadows on the floor, and it's that door behind Skovhus, a nice brown / orange glow to it, very well done.

On this disc i find that Skovhus sings too much from Thomas's Hamlet [4 arias], he could of had a greater mix here, i enjoyed tracks 2, 7 & 9 the most, with the Britten aria from Billy Budd being especially meaningful, it's a touching scene, Billy Budd is condemned to die by hanging, he 'accidently' killed another shipmate [probably termed as manslaughter], and he mourns his life on his last day, but he is strong and has a positive outlook, it starts off on doleful and mournful low strings [0:00+], almost a solemn funeral march, but it's interrupted by the naval piping of the piccolo [0:10+], and it's this constant piping, that interrupts at the end of almost every verse that Billy Budd sings, and it's this wonderful touch that makes the aria, and Britten is so skillful at using a musical idee fixe to create drama and conjure up atmosphere, a satisfying repetition to things, it's for me the moment of moments in this aria, and makes me want to discover some more Britten gems, Billy mourns his last day, very early in the morning as the moon still shines,

Look!, through the port comes the moon shine astray!

It tips the guard's cutlass and silvers this nook

But 'twill die in the dawning of Billy's last day

Ay, ay, all is up, and i must up too

the words are sung in a resigned tone, as he thinks on his death and how it will all unfold, but the second half of the aria Billy thinks on more happier times [5:47+], his life at sea, and how many wonderful things it has brought him, and ends with a contentment and strength, and even a hope beyond death, both parts of the aria end on a very low note from the double bass, it's a poignant aria, full of sadness, perfectly created and caught by Britten, and Bo Skovhus sings it so well, he has acted / sung the part of Billy Budd on stage, you wouldn't think he was Danish from his singing.

Here's Dwayne Croft singing the first half of the aria on YouTube.

Various Composers - Popular Tenor Opera Arias [Alagna/ Armstrong-The London Philharmonic]

I bought this disc in the mid nineties when it first came out, it was one of the very first Opera Aria discs i ever bought, i was new to the medium, and it made an impression on me, and even though i don't listen to this disc as much as in the early days, it still gets wheeled out now and again, and i enjoy the experience.

I have quite an aversion to listening to full Operas, but a bunch of the best bits called Arias are fun, also i have developed a real love for female Opera singers, but the male counterparts not so much, i think Opera Composers [mostly men], gave their best songs to the ladies, men have a greater tendency to be the scoundrels of the Opera.

Roberto Alagna is a superstar Tenor, born in France in 1963, he is now 47 years old, he made this recording in 1995, the booklet is a fairly basic visual shot [by Sheila Rock], this i believe was Alagna's introductory recording, showing off his voice in a bunch of famous Arias.

I like these compilation discs, there's usually a nice variety of Arias, lots of different styles to enjoy, on this listen i liked tracks 3-4, 7 & 10, and especially track 3 'Pourquoi me reveiller?' from Massenet's Werther, it's a gentle yet sad lament, with low sad strings, and a harp motoring quietly in the background, while Werther / Alagna sings,

Why awaken me, o breath of spring?

Why awaken me?

After the first verse / chorus, the quiet harp motors up a slight notch, and the beautiful sweet high violins come in [1:37+], and the second verse starts,

Tomorrow, into the valley, will come the traveller

remembering my former glory

There's just a deep sadness in these words, Werther knows he's lost the love of his life [Charlotte], words and music are touchingly executed, the Aria only lasts 3 minutes, and yet it's packed full of emotion, there's an Aria on this disc for every mood and feeling.

Here's Jonas Kaufmann singing the Massenet Arias 'Pourquoi me reveiller?' on YouTube, from the Opera Werther.