CD1
1. Mefistofele / Prologue - Preludio	5:38
2. Mefistofele / Prologue - Ave, Signor degli angeli e dei santi!	3:59
3. Mefistofele / Prologue - Ave Signor!	4:07	
4. Mefistofele / Prologue - T'è noto Faust?	3:03
5. Mefistofele / Prologue - Siam nimbi volanti dai limbi		2:11
6. Mefistofele / Prologue - Salve Regina!	6:22	
7. Mefistofele / Act 1 - Perchè di là?	4:29
8. Mefistofele / Act 1 - Al soave raggiar di primavera	5:15
9. Mefistofele / Act 1 - Sediam sovra quel sasso	6:33
10. Mefistofele / Act 1 - Dai campi, dai prati	3:18	
11. Mefistofele / Act 1 - Che baccano!	1:22
12. Mefistofele / Act 1 - Sono lo spirito che nega	4:48	
13. Mefistofele / Act 1 - Se tu mi doni un'ora di riposo	3:53
14. Mefistofele / Act 2 - Cavaliero illustre e saggio	5:20
15. Mefistofele / Act 2 - Dimmi se credi, Enrico  4:54	
16. Mefistofele / Act 2 - Dio clemente, nuova, ignara	1:57	

CD2
1. Mefistofele / Act 2 - Su, cammina, cammina, cammina (La notte del sabba)	2:56
2. Mefistofele / Act 2 - Folletto		1:23	
3. Mefistofele / Act 2 - Ascolta!		3:29	
4. Mefistofele / Act 2 - Popoli! E scettro e clamide	2:35
5. Mefistofele / Act 2 - Ecco il mondo	5:50
6. Mefistofele / Act 2 - Ah! su! riddiamo, riddiamo	3:39	
7. Mefistofele / Act 3 - L'altra notte in fondo al mare	7:48
8. Mefistofele / Act 3 - Dio di pietà! son essi!	5:25
9. Mefistofele / Act 3 - Lontano, lontano, lontano	2:51	
10. Mefistofele / Act 3 - Sorge il dì	2:01
11. Mefistofele / Act 3 - Spunta l'aurora pallida	3:43	
12. Mefistofele / Act 4 - La luna immobile	3:59
13. Mefistofele / Act 4 - Ecco la notte del classico Sabba	2:35	
14. Mefistofele / Act 4 - Danza	2:18
15. Mefistofele / Act 4 - Ah! Trionfi ad Elena	1:01
16. Mefistofele / Act 4 - Notte cupa, truce	3:58
17. Mefistofele / Act 4 - Forma ideal, purissima	3:39
18. Mefistofele / Act 4 - O incantesimo! parla! parla!	5:54
19. Mefistofele / Epilogue - Cammina, cammina ...	4:56	
20. Mefistofele / Epilogue - Giunto sul passo estremo	5:17	
21. Mefistofele / Epilogue - Ave Signor, Signor degli angeli	3:30

Montserrat Caballé – soprano
Mirella Freni – soprano
Nucci Condo – mezzo-soprano
Della Jones - mezzo-soprano
Nicolai Ghiaurov – bass
Robin Leggate – tenor
Piero de Palma – tenor
Luciano Pavarotti – tenor

London Opera Chorus
Trinity Boys Choir
National Philharmonic Orchestra
Oliviero de Fabritiis - conductor

This clearly underrated opera is at last given fair justice in the CD catalogue. For, with this specific recording at this price, one needs no longer hesitate, this is now the top recommendation.

It's primary strengths are the conducting of Maestro de Fabritiis and the Faust of Pavarotti. de Fabritiis here manages, unlike for example, Serafin and Rudel, to achieve a great sounding whole performance, of a piece in which there is always the risk of just presenting many great sounding numbers/moments in a row. The spaciousness in tempi may not appeal all, but it largely contribute to the feeling of a spirited whole. The only conductor to partially present a threat to de Fabritiis is in my opinion the almost totally unknown Ivan Marinov on a hard to find recording from the Bulgarian State opera on the Capriccio label. Marinovs singers though, are less notable, although the "lontano, lontano" duet is the best I've ever heard, and the coro of the prologue is just - heavenly. That recording has some flaws though, but at half the price of this, still a good bargain for those on a budget.

Pavarotti, not always one of my favorite tenors, is in glorious voice and presents the true poetry of Faust's character and music. His 'Dai campi', the second act duet with Margerita on believing (or not) in religion, the duet with Elena beginning with "Notte cupa, truce", and the "Giunto sul passo estremo" just before the closing of the opera are just a few mentioned highlights of a great performance. Where Domingo (normally my choice before Pavarotti) for Rudel sounds totally uniform and bland, Pavarotti expresses. And where del Monaco for Serafin is rather hard on the border to coarse, Pavarotti is thoughtful. The only tenor to make a portrayal that comes in the class of Pavarotti's is di Stefano, also for Serafin (but only as highlights of the opera).

Ghiaurov's Devil is rather noble and well-sounding, compared to for example Treigle (Rudel) or Christoff (Gui). Lacking something of pure evil, as you find in Christoff (Gui), Siepi (Serafin) and Ramey (Muti), he still is mightily impressive. Freni is as always, well inside her role and beautiful in voice, which naturally also goes for the luxury casting of Caballe as Elena - Her duet with Pavarotti is especially fine. The rest of the cast is very good, and it's nice to hear Piero de Palma sing the role of Wagner again, as he did 25 years earlier on the Serafin/Siepi/Tebaldi/del Monaco set, still sounding fresh and urgent.

The rivals then? Well, if thinking of this as a showcase for a bass, I must say Siepi (Serafin) and Christoff (Gui) are the best - good fun, and both have darker voices, preferable in a opera such as this. Ramey (Muti) is also good fun, but he's almost the only listenable singer in that set. Ghiaurov is not the first choice devil, nor in timbre, nor in character, but his voice and projection is first class, none the less.

As for the ladies, Freni also has stiff competition, in Tebaldi (Serafin) & Caballé (Rudel) primarily. Her greatest point is in presenting a woman more obviously troubled than both Caballé and Tebaldi - the former almost too sweet, the latter slightly detached though beautiful on the ear. Fans of either of the women will like their special performances. Having all, I slightly prefer Freni. Caballé though, has no match in the catalogue as Elena, with her magically spun tone.

So this set has 3 top of the list performances from it's leads, and the most fluent & sensitive conducting. So, only if the Devil's role is of the greatest importance to you, you might want to look elsewhere, even though you wouldn't go far wrong with Ghiaurov. As for myself, this set is now the one I will come back too for the over-all performance, still keeping the Siepi/Tebaldi/di Stefano/Serafin highlights close to my heart, definately so for the devil.

Last, for those who pays interest in useless detail - the Decca people, has choosen to give this release of the recording a catalogue number that ends with 666! --- Mr JB (Karlskrona Sweden)

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CD1
1. The Appian Way: Canto D'amore
2. The Appian Way: Ti Copra L'altro Vei
3. The Appian Way: Sei Colta
4. The Appian Way: Padre Nostro
5. The Appian Way: Fanuel!
6. The Appian Way: Poiche Un Periglio
7. The Appian Way: Nessun Ci Segue?
8. The Temple Of Simon Magus: Stupor! Portento!
9. The Temple Of Simon Magus: Su Quell'altar
10. The Temple Of Simon Magus: Sparisci
11. The Temple Of Simon Magus: Spiato Son La

CD2
1. The Orchard: El Verdendo Le Turbe
2. The Orchard: Viene Il Signore
3. The Orchard: Di Pace... Una Dolente
4. The Orchard: Fanuel!... Fanuel!
5. The Orchard: Va Guardingo
6. The Orchard: Furar Tentai
7. The Circus Maximus: Part I. The Oppidum: Vittoria!
8. The Circus Maximus: Part I. The Oppidum: Che Vuoi Dir
9. The Circus Maximus: Part I. The Oppidum: Cio Ch'io Struggo
10. The Circus Maximus: Part I. The Oppidum: Chi, La Dov'io
11. The Circus Maximus: Part I. The Oppidum: E Tu Non Voli?
12. The Circus Maximus: Part II. The Spoliarium: Scendi
13. The Circus Maximus: Part II. The Spoliarium: Ah!/Non Temer

Nero - János B Nagy
Simon Mago - József Dene
Fanuel - Lajos Miller
Asteria - Ilona Tokody
Rubria - Klára Takács
Tigellino - József Gregor
Gobrias - Péter Korcsmáros
Dositeo - Pál Kovács
Perside - Mária Takács
Cerinto - Tamara Takács

Hungarian Radio & TV Chorus
Hungarian State Opera Orchestra
Eve Queler – conductor

Nerone (Nero) is an opera in four acts composed by Arrigo Boito, to a libretto in Italian written by the composer. The work is a series of scenes from Imperial Rome at the time of Emperor Nero depicting tensions between the Imperial religion and Christianity, and ends with the Great Fire of Rome. Boito died in 1918 before finishing the work.

It was eventually premiered posthumously at La Scala on May 1, 1924, conducted by Arturo Toscanini in a version of the score completed by Toscanini, Vincenzo Tommasini, and Antonio Smareglia. The role of Nero was first performed by Aureliano Pertile. The role of Asteria, a young woman torn between her love for Nero and her Christian sympathies, was created by Rosa Raisa.

The opera was very well received at its premiere, and the newly rebuilt Rome Opera House inaugurated its first season with Nerone in 1928. However, it has only been rarely performed since that time, even in Italy. It did not receive its US premiere until April 12, 1982, when it was performed in a concert version by the Opera Orchestra of New York in Carnegie Hall. ---wikipedia

Arrigo Boito (1842-1918) struggled with "Nerone" over parts of five decades. He never finished it. He conceived the opera in true Grand Opera fashion with five acts. For the fifth act, only a few vague musical sketches were found, not enough for any posthumous reconstruction of what Boito had in mind. For the rest of the opera, Boito left enough for Toscanini to commission two composers, Tommasini and Smareglia, to cobble together the four act version that appears on this set. Toscanini conducted the premiere of this "Nerone" at La Scala in 1924.

Although this opera is called "Nerone," it pretty much starts with Simon Magus, is driven by his plots and schemes, and ends not long after his death. Nero, by comparison, is a subordinate character. I suppose that Boito's intended five act version might have devoted much of the last act to the demented emperor and thus justified the opera's title. As it stands now, the piece should be called "Simon Mago."

Overall, the music of "Nerone" exhibits a high level of competence. On the other hand, after listening to the opera a couple of times and to some parts of it more than that, I am at a loss to identify any highpoints. Throughout "Nerone" I found myself being reminded of those overblown, wide-screen, Hollywood epics set in imperial Rome: "The Robe," "Ben Hur" and the others of that ilk. There is nothing in "Nerone" that manages to match even the lackluster impact of "Polliuto," an opera of similar setting that was very much the run of Donizetti's mill.

I regard the performance as basically sound. There is a certain lack of energy, but I attribute that more to the composer than the performers. Giangiacomo Guelfi is the only member of the cast that I would place among the top rank of singers, but he is joined by the ever-reliable comprimario Piero de Palma and a solid group of B-list performers, right across the board. I'd be perfectly happy to attend a performance with this cast at any opera house today.

This is an opera and a recording for the more serious fan and dedicated collector. For that kind of person, I give this "Nerone" four stars rather than the much lower rating I'd otherwise slap on it. --- L. E. Cantrell, amazon.com

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