Arie da: Manon, Werther, Romeo et Juliette, La Favorita, Lucia, Traviata e Rigoletto
Al pianoforte José Tordesillas
MANON Je suis seul… Ah! Fuyez, douce image WERTHER Pourquoi me réveiller? ROMÈO ET JULIETTE L’amour, l’amour… Ah! lève-toi, soleil! LA FAVORITA Una vergine, un angel di Dio LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Tombe degl’avi miei… Fra poco a me ricovero LA TRAVIATA Lunge da lei… De’ miei bollenti spiriti LOS EMIGRANTES Adiós, Granada Roig - Quiéreme mucho Quintero - Morucha RIGOLETTO La donna è mobile
José Tordesillas, pianoforte
Registrazione dal vivo, Teatro Real di Madrid, 1984
Adriana Lecouvreur: Montserrat Caballé Princess de Bouillon: Fiorenza Cossotto Maurizio: José Carreras Michonnet: Attilio d'Orazi Prince de Bouillon: Ivo Vinco Abbé: Piero De Palma
The NHK Symphony Orchestra Union of Japan Professional Choruses
Gianfranco Masini, direzione
Live performance September 20, 1976 NHK Hall, Tokyo
Anna Bolena - Joan Sutherland Enrico VIII - James Morris Jane Seymour - Judith Forst Lord Percy - Michael Myers Smenton - Janet Stubbs Lord Rochefort - Gidon Saks Hervey - Ben Heppner
Orchestra And Chorus Of The Canadian Opera Company Dirige: Richard Bonynge
Live Performance, 1984 Video Produced By The Cbc, Toronto Stage Production Directed By Lotfi Mansouri Audio: Pcm Stereo Sottotitoli: Inglese 1 Dvd Ntsc 157' Codice Regione "0"
Donizetti - La Fille Du Regiment (The Daughter Of The Regiment) Sung In English
Marie - Beverly Sills Tonio - William McDonald Sulplice - Spiro Malas La Maquise - Muriel Costa-Greenspon Hortensius - Stanley Wexler Caporale - Raeder Anderson La Duchesse - Evelyn Freyman
Wolf Trap Festival
Charles Wendelken Wilson
118 minutes, color
***
"At the center, of course, is Miss Sills, in supremely confident form, vocally and histrionically... (Her) zest and vivacity prove infectious with the other performers and the entire audience." (New York Times)
"In a brief interview, Sills describes Daughter of the Regiment as “a silly little story, one long episode of Lucille Ball. I play [Marie] as Lucille Ball with high notes.” That may tell you what to expect here. Except for one or two unavoidably poignant moments, the opera is milked for laughs. The characters ham it up shamelessly the acting is often cartoonish–an effect emphasized by the flat, painted sets and the colorful costumes. Sourpuss that I am, I would prefer the comedy to be less broad; but maybe it didn’t seem so overdone in the theater. The characters’ heavy makeup and exaggerated facial expressions need also to be seen at a greater distance.
The performance is in English, a great advantage in the spoken dialog, but the level of clarity is remarkable even in the sung passages. The supporting players act well, especially Costa-Greenspon, who has the vocal strength to back up her more frenzied effusions. Malas made something of a specialty of Sulpice (he recorded it for Decca with Sutherland and Pavarotti and sang a couple of performances at the Met), and he moves comfortably on stage. McDonald is a stiffer actor, though amiable enough. His voice is bright and keenly focussed, with the timbre we associate with the typical Irish tenor. He sings his high Cs without breaking a sweat, articulating the words cleanly even in the stratosphere. He lacks something in tonal variety and strength, sounding too feeble in the final scene when the regiment rushes in to rescue Mane.
The heroine herself is sometimes fluttery and pallid, but the trills are wonderful, the coloratura is dazzling, the high notes are in place, and the acting is enthusiastic. I can imagine better orchestral playing and more dynamic conducting, but you won’t notice all that much: it’s the singers’ show, and everyone is having a great time.
The sound is not perfect. The voices are recorded at too low a level; when you boost the volume to bring them closer, the thumping stage noises become deafening. No subtitles–you probably won’t miss them." (Ralph V. Lucano, American Record Guide)
Rigoletto - Aldo Protti Gilda - Gabriella Tucci The Duke - Gianni Poggi Sparafucile - Paolo Washington Countess Ceprano / Maddalena - Anna Di Stasio Monterone - Silvano Pagliuca Giovanna - Amalia Pini Borsa - Athos Cesarini Marullo - Arturo La Porta Count Ceprano - Giorgio Onesti A Page - Kazuko Matsuuchi A Guard - Hiroshi Sakamoto
NHK Symphony Orchestra, Nikikai Chorus Group, Fujiwara Opera Chorus & Tokyo Choraliers Arturo Basile
LA SONNAMBULA, I PURITANI, LA TRAVIATA, SEMIRAMIDE, DON PASQUALE etc. SONGS
"This disc presents Dame Joan Sutherland in two historic telecasts from the archives of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In the first program, originally telecast in 1963, Dame Joan pays tribute to some of her illustrious predecessors, performing arias from La Traviata, Semiramide, I Puritani, and more. In duets from La Sonnambula and Don Pasquale she is joined by tenor Richard Conrad. The second program is a recital, taped live in Toronto in 1969, with Dame Joan performing songs and arias by Bononcini, Handel, Bellini, Rossini, Gretchaninoff, Alabiev, Abt, Gounod, Bizet, Massenet, Delibes, and Balfe. Sir Richard Bonynge conducts the CBC Symphony Orchestra in the operatic program, and accompanies on piano for the recital."
Optional English subtitles; Color/B&W, 110 minutes, 4:3, All regions
From the archives of Japanese Television (NHK) comes this magnificent document of tenor Mario Del Monaco and soprano Renata Tebaldi in a live 1961 performance of Giordano's verismo classic. The supporting cast includes baritone Aldo Protti, and the performance is conducted by Franco Capuana.
GIORDANO - ANDREA CHÉNIER
Tokyo 1961
Andrea Chénier - Mario Del Monaco Carlo Gérard - Aldo Protti Madeleine di Coigny - Renata Tebaldi La mulatta Bersi - Anna Di Stasio La Contessa di Coigny - Amalia Pini Madelon - Amalia Pini Roucher - Silvano Pagliuca
NHK Symphony Orchestra, NHK Italian Opera Chorus - Fujiwara Opera Chorus - Tokyo Choraliers
Franco Capuana
Optional subtitles in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Black & White, mono, 132 minutes.
"This 1973 Aida stars two of the most celebrated singers of their time, tenor Carlo Bergonzi and Fiorenza Cossotto, both in prime form here. In true Italian tradition, their voices are as affective in the lyrical passages calling for velvety beauty of tone as in the fiery dramatic sections of the opera. The title role is sung by Orianna Santunione, a dramatic soprano of remarkable power, evenness, and intensity. The other principal singers in this performance are Giampiero Mastromei, a commanding Amonasro, and Ivo Vinco, an imposing and dignified Ramfis, The forces of the NHK Symphony Orchestra are under the direction of conductor Oliviero De Fabritiis, who backs up the singers with an emotionally charged account of the masterful score. The beautiful and lavish sets and costumes are by the renowned designer Pier Luigi Pizzi." (VAI)
VERDI - AIDA
Aida: Orianna Santunione Radamès: Carlo Berganzi Amneris: Fiorenza Cossotto Amonasro: Giampiero Mastromei Ramfis: Ivo Vinco Il Re: Franco Pugliese Messenger: Fernando Iacopucci Priestess: Anna Di Stasio
NHK Symphony Orchestra, NHK Italian Opera Chorus
Oliviero De Fabritiis
Live Performance: September, 1973 - NHK Hall, Tokyo
Embedded Japanese subtitles with optional subtitles in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Color, Stereo, 161 minutes, 4:3, All regions
Otello - Mario Del Monaco Desdemona - Gabriella Tucci Iago - Tito Gobbi Emilia - Anna Di Stasio Cassio - Mariano Caruso Roderigo - Gabriele De Julis Lodovico - Plinio Clabassi Montano - Takao Okamura A Herald - Giorgio Onesti