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1.Haydn: Lord Nelson Mass / Willcocks, King's College Choir from: Decca March 14, 2000
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: $11.98 Off The Bookshelf's Price: $10.99 You Save: $0.99 ( 8%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: $9.64
I really like another reviewer's comment that when it came to his liturgical music, Hayden did not mess around with the almighty, and this work, to my ear, stands up to even the greatest masses of Mozart, approaching (if not quite reaching) the heights of J. S. Bach's great masses. This is the first recording of the Nelson mass I have audited with a critical ear, and although other reviewers have noted noisome extraneous sounds on the ADD recording, they bother me not. If I have any reservations about the recording at all, it's the fact that it mixes works by Hayden and Vivaldi, and I prefer CDs with all material from one composer, although the two masses do go well toghether, in spite of the 80 years and the continent of Europe which separate the composers. If you can get ... Read More

2.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. ... Read More

3.Haydn Masses - Nelsonmesse ~ Harmoniemesse ~ Paukenmesse ~ Kleine Orgelmesse from: Decca August 12, 1997
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: $17.98 Prices subject to change. Used Price: $8.96
These are very majestic performance, with lots of pomp. But for the very reason that they do have pomp, I did not enjoy these performances. I know they are classic, and they do have their moments, but they did not satisfy. Leonard Bernstein's performances on sony of the two major Masses here are special. While Willcocks and Guest put a lot on pomp and loundness, the works seem understated. What Bernstein does is give very vigorous, driving performances. He really fleshes out the drama. Haydn may not have been as fantastical as Mozart, but he wasn't a bore. His music really drives in the right hands. I have respect for the Willcocks/Guest vision, but I far prefer Bernstein, and you just might agree with me.

4.Bellini: La Sonnambula from: Decca Import July 29, 1996
Average Rating: >>More Details		Used Price: $125.43
Joan Sutherland recorded her first Sonnambula in 1962 when at her utmost peak - for sheer tonal beauty and virtuosity her Amina is unlikely to be equaled let alone surpassed and despite her mushy diction her portrayal is full of gentle pathos and girlish charm. Nicola Monti has a light and attractive voice and though he cannot go all way at the top he sings with charm and elegance. Fernando Corena - better known in buffo roles - has a big colorful voice and portrays a good-natured Count with a twinkle in the eyes. Sylvia Stahlman and Margrete Elkins offer excellent support. Chorus and orchestra under Richard Bonynge are splendid and this was the first recording to offer the score complete. A classic !!!

5.Verdi: Un Ballo in Maschera from: Decca April 10, 2007
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: $23.98 Prices subject to change. Used Price: $16.99
The recent released of this Ballo from 1961 is very welcome indeed and offers many vocal and musical rewards. What can one say about Carlo Ber- gonzi except that he is perfect - singing beautifully and with rare ele- gance and intelligence. Cornell MacNeil - perhaps not the most imagina- tive of singer - has a glorious voice at his disposal and cannot help but impress. The great Wagnerian soprano Birgit Nilsson has made a few succes- ful recordings of italian operas for DECCA such as Macbeth and Tosca and this one - for all its power and laser beam accuracy her voice could also be surprisingly beautiful and feminine and so it is in this recording. Simionato and Sathlmann acquit themselves of their respective roles very well and Solti conducts with ... Read More

6.Haydn: The Masses from: Decca June 24, 1997
Average Rating: >>More Details		Used Price: $153.72
I concur with the first reviewer about everything in this Box-Set, except the Lord Nelson-Mass, I find it superbly done. Arguably, the 6 Late Masses are the finest ever written. I can't think of another composer's Masses which are better, maybe Mozart or Beethoven, but neither have 6 as fine as Haydn. As for this set, I have listened to excrepts of the Gardiner set and this set seems much better. The soloists seem to sing exactly on cue and the music is perfectly synchronized. Good Luck finding a reasonably priced set. Found my set on the Amazon UK-site. At that time, the currency converison was much cheaper than the US price.

7.Haydn: Nelson Mass/Vivaldi: Gloria in D major, RV589 from: Polygram Records October 25, 1990
Average Rating: >>More Details		Used Price: $4.89
I concur with the first reviewer about everything in this Box-Set, except the Lord Nelson-Mass, I find it superbly done. Arguably, the 6 Late Masses are the finest ever written. I can't think of another composer's Masses which are better, maybe Mozart or Beethoven, but neither have 6 as fine as Haydn. As for this set, I have listened to excrepts of the Gardiner set and this set seems much better. The soloists seem to sing exactly on cue and the music is perfectly synchronized. Good Luck finding a reasonably priced set. Found my set on the Amazon UK-site. At that time, the currency converison was much cheaper than the US price.

8.Bellini: Norma; I puritani; La sonnambula; Beatrice di Tenda from: Decca May 14, 2002
Average Rating: >>More Details		Used Price: $215.98
All of these recordings are well known. The "Norma" has never been out of the catalogue, but the "Puritani" and "Sonnambula" have not been generally available in this country (I ordered my two sets from Amazon in UK) while the "Beatrice di Tenda" has shown up in shops here in the U.S. Here, all of them are packaged together. Of course, Sutherland later re-recorded "Puritani" and "Sonnambula" with Luciano Pavarotti (not, in my opinion anyway, an especially great improvement over Pierre Duval and Nicola Monti, respectively). I have always had a preference for these earlier versions of "Puritani" and "Sonnambula". Sutherland was, plain and simple, a spectacular singing machine, and she was in the full bloom of her prime on both of them. True, her diction is very strange and vague --- it's hard to hear one single ... Read More

9.The Great History of English Classical Music from: Columbia River Ent. March 17, 1998
Average Rating: >>More Details		Used Price: $20.68
All of these recordings are well known. The "Norma" has never been out of the catalogue, but the "Puritani" and "Sonnambula" have not been generally available in this country (I ordered my two sets from Amazon in UK) while the "Beatrice di Tenda" has shown up in shops here in the U.S. Here, all of them are packaged together. Of course, Sutherland later re-recorded "Puritani" and "Sonnambula" with Luciano Pavarotti (not, in my opinion anyway, an especially great improvement over Pierre Duval and Nicola Monti, respectively). I have always had a preference for these earlier versions of "Puritani" and "Sonnambula". Sutherland was, plain and simple, a spectacular singing machine, and she was in the full bloom of her prime on both of them. True, her diction is very strange and vague --- it's hard to hear one single ... Read More

10.Sultry Classics from: Columbia River Ent. October 07, 1997
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: $6.98 Prices subject to change. Used Price: $0.99
All of these recordings are well known. The "Norma" has never been out of the catalogue, but the "Puritani" and "Sonnambula" have not been generally available in this country (I ordered my two sets from Amazon in UK) while the "Beatrice di Tenda" has shown up in shops here in the U.S. Here, all of them are packaged together. Of course, Sutherland later re-recorded "Puritani" and "Sonnambula" with Luciano Pavarotti (not, in my opinion anyway, an especially great improvement over Pierre Duval and Nicola Monti, respectively). I have always had a preference for these earlier versions of "Puritani" and "Sonnambula". Sutherland was, plain and simple, a spectacular singing machine, and she was in the full bloom of her prime on both of them. True, her diction is very strange and vague --- it's hard to hear one single ... Read More

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