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1.Puccini: Madama Butterfly from: Polygram Records March 09, 1999
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: $17.98 Prices subject to change. Used Price: $9.00
My mother, who never saw an opera in her life, had the London LP "Highlights" version of this performance. Each time she played it, she cried unashamedly. I have seen 4 Butterfly's performed live. None matches this recording for its sheer power. Brava, Renata, brava.

2.Bellini: Beatrice Di Tenda from: Bella Voce Records December 17, 1996
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: $12.98 Prices subject to change. Used Price: $6.95
I'LL TAKE A LIVE RECORDING ANY DAY OVER A STUDIO RECORDING. OK, THE SOUND IS DISTANT, SO BRING IT CLOSER WITH HEADPHONES. AND THEN LAY BACK AND IMAGINE WHAT THAT MAGIC EVENING'S "WALL OF SOUND" MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE. LIKE MANY OTHERS, I AVOID SUTHERLAND'S STUDIO RECORDINGS (WELL, NOT ALL--I LOVE HER LAKME AND HER ESCLARMONDE) IF I CAN FIND LIVE PERFORMANCES. HORNE IS SIMPLY AMAZING. YOU CAN OWN A PIECE OF MUSICAL HISTORY FOR PEANUTS!

3.Carlo Bergonzi - The Sublime Voice ~ 40 Tracks from the Legendary Tenor by: Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Pietro Mascagni, Amilcare Ponchielli, Tullio Serafin, Herbert von Karajan, Georg Solti, Rafael Kubelik, Nello Santi, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Lamberto Gardelli, Sir John Pritchard, Carlo Bergonzi, Renata Tebaldi, Ettore Bastianini, Fiorenza Cossotto, Enzo Sordello, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Tugomir Franc, Renata Scotto, Libero Arbace, Fernando Corena, Birgit Nilsson, Giulietta Simionato, Sylvia Stahlman, Joan Sutherland, Dora Carral, Piero de Palma June 12, 2001
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: $17.98 Prices subject to change. Used Price: $9.00
Wow! What a voice! This 2 CD set features 40 of Carlo Bergonzi's works. It represents a remarkable portrait of his body of work. The "liner notes" observe that he had a reputation "as a singer of rare refinement, exemplary style, and impeccable taste. . . ." Some examples of his work: "Che gelida manina": This exquisite work from Puccini's "La Boheme" is superbly sung. There is, to be sure, an occasional affectation, but his rich, smooth voice renders this a trifling concern. Listen to the power and richness of his voice on such words as "millionaria," "forziere," and "la speranza" (hope I came close to spelling the words right!). What a lustrous voice. . . . "O soave fanciulla": This duet with Renata Tebaldi (talk about a "dream duo") is exquisite. Bergonzi's ... Read More

4.Puccini: La fanciulla del West from: EMI Classics June 26, 2007
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: $23.98 Off The Bookshelf's Price: $17.97 You Save: $6.01 (25%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: $12.99
La Fanciulla has long been my favorite Puccini opera for it's beauty and color of orchestral and vocal writing. The glory of this recording is the joy of hearing a young Nilsson at "full sail" as Minnie, the Italian Valkyrie! And the glory of the 1958 La Scala Orchestra under the estimable Von Matacic and EMI's famous producer Walter Legge. Nice to have this recording available on CD.

5.Madame Butterfly (Dig) by: Puccini, Tebaldi, Bergonzi, Scrc, Serafin August 20, 2002
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: $17.98 Prices subject to change. Used Price: $4.45
This recording is well-balanced and the singers are all competent and strong. I can't say that I find it particularly exciting, but it's not one of my favorite operas either, even though I'm quite a Puccini fan. Since the recording is ADD, you won't have quite the feeling of being there that a good DDD recording will provide. But I think it's worth the money to add it to your collection.

6.Giordano: Andrea Chenier (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Mario del Monaco, Antonino Votto, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan by: Maria Callas, Giordano, Lsc, Votto November 05, 2002
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: $23.98 Off The Bookshelf's Price: $16.97 You Save: $7.01 (29%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: $17.56
Terrible sound, it's true, but a great performance! Del Monaco is superb! And Callas is Callas!

7.Puccini: La fanciulla del West from: Opera D'oro September 04, 2001
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: $13.98 Prices subject to change. Used Price: $7.99
SOURCE: Live performance from Teatro alla Scala, Milano, April 4, 1956. SOUND: The sound on this set is fairly typical of live recordings of slightly questionable provenance of Italian operas in the 1950s. Listen to any one of several Callas performances of the same vintage and you will hear something similar. It sounds, in short, like something heard on an AM radio in a 1956 Chevy--not actually awful but hardly the thing to delight an audiophile. Anyone who purchases this recording should do it for the fine performance, not the sound reproduction. CAST: THE TOWNSFOLK: Minnie, the girl of the golden west, and proprietor of the Polka Saloon - Gigliola Frazzoni (soprano); Jack Rance, the sheriff who loves Minnie - Tito Gobbi (baritone); Ashby, the Wells Fargo agent - Ugo Novelli ... Read More

8.Puccini: La Fanciulla del West from: Opera D'oro April 10, 2007
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: $27.98 Prices subject to change. Used Price: $20.96
SOURCE: Live performance from Teatro alla Scala, Milano, April 4, 1956. SOUND: The sound on this set is fairly typical of live recordings of slightly questionable provenance of Italian operas in the 1950s. Listen to any one of several Callas performances of the same vintage and you will hear something similar. It sounds, in short, like something heard on an AM radio in a 1956 Chevy--not actually awful but hardly the thing to delight an audiophile. Anyone who purchases this recording should do it for the fine performance, not the sound reproduction. CAST: THE TOWNSFOLK: Minnie, the girl of the golden west, and proprietor of the Polka Saloon - Gigliola Frazzoni (soprano); Jack Rance, the sheriff who loves Minnie - Tito Gobbi (baritone); Ashby, the Wells Fargo agent - Ugo Novelli ... Read More

9.Giacomo Puccini: Madama Butterfly from: Polygram Records April 05, 1991
Average Rating: >>More Details		Used Price: $3.95
I agree with the other reviewer-- Tebaldi's Butterfly just doesn't do it for me. I've heard both of her recordings of it and her appeal doesn't come through the way it does in her stunning Forza (buy the highlight disc immediately!), her truly magnificent Fanciulla del West, even her Wally (and who else could make something memorable out of that questionable piece?).The illusion of innocense is totally shattered after the wedding when the chorus ladies sing "Madama Butterfly" and Tebaldi answers "Madama F. B. Pikerton" and cuts loose with a huge, lusty laugh that's less appropriate for a shy 15-year-old than for a Sicilian fish wife. Perhaps the Butterflys suffer by comparison, because there's no denying that her singing is still on a higher level than just about anyone else- and that includes her flatness at G and higher. ... Read More

10.Pavarotti's Opera Made Easy: My Favorite Moments from Madame Butterfly from: Decca August 23, 1994
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: $7.98 Prices subject to change. Used Price: $1.59
I agree with the other reviewer-- Tebaldi's Butterfly just doesn't do it for me. I've heard both of her recordings of it and her appeal doesn't come through the way it does in her stunning Forza (buy the highlight disc immediately!), her truly magnificent Fanciulla del West, even her Wally (and who else could make something memorable out of that questionable piece?).The illusion of innocense is totally shattered after the wedding when the chorus ladies sing "Madama Butterfly" and Tebaldi answers "Madama F. B. Pikerton" and cuts loose with a huge, lusty laugh that's less appropriate for a shy 15-year-old than for a Sicilian fish wife. Perhaps the Butterflys suffer by comparison, because there's no denying that her singing is still on a higher level than just about anyone else- and that includes her flatness at G and higher. ... Read More

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