CD1
1. Act One: Preludio	
2. Act One: Se quel guerrier io fossi		
3. Act One: Celeste Aida
4. Act One: Quale insolita fiamma
5. Act One: Alta cagion v'aduna
6. Act One: Ritorna vincitor
7. Act One: Immenso Fthà
8. Act Two: Chi mai, fra gl'inni
9. Act Two: Fu la sorte dell'armi
10. Act Two: Gloria all'Egitto
11. Act Two: Salvator della patria

CD2
1. Act Two: O re, pei sacri numi
2. Act Three: O tu che sei d'Osiride
3. Act Three: Qui Radamès verrà
4. Act Three: O cieli azzurri
5. Act Three: Ciel, mio padre!
6. Act Three: Rivedrai le foreste imbalsamate
7. Act Three: Pur ti riveggo
8. Act Three: Ah no! Fuggiamo
9. Act Four: L'aborrita rivale
10. Act Four: Ohimé, morir mi sento
11. Act Four: La fatal pietra
12. Act Four: O terra addio

Aida: Maria Callas
Amneris: Giulietta Simionato
Radames: Kurt Baum
Amonasro: Robert Weede
Ramfis: Nicola Moscona
Il Re: Ignacio Ruffino
Un messaggero: Carlos Sagarminaga
Una sacerdotessa: Rosita Rodriguez

Orquesta & Coro del Palacio de Bellas Artes
Guido Picco - conductor

Mexico City, May 30, 1950

In late 1869 du Locle, Verdi’s friend and representative in Paris who had been travelling in Egypt, told Verdi that the Khedive (Viceroy) of Egypt wanted Verdi to write an opera. This was required to be on an Egyptian theme and was for performance at the new opera house in Cairo built to celebrate the construction of the Suez Canal. The theatre had opened in November 1869 with a performance of Rigoletto conducted by Verdi’s former pupil Emanuele Muzio. The Suez Canal was officially opened on 17 November 1869. Verdi at first turned down the request repeating his refusal when in Paris the following spring. But Du Locle was not deterred and sent Verdi a synopsis by Mariette, a French national and renowned Egyptologist in the employ of the Khedive. Stimulated by the synopsis, and also, perhaps, by the fact that Du Locle had been authorised to approach Gounod or Wagner if he continued to prove reluctant, Verdi wrote to Du Locle on 2 June 1870 setting out his terms. These included a fee of 150,000 Francs, payable at the Rothschild Bank in Paris on delivery of the work. His terms were accepted making Verdi the highest paid composer ever.

Throughout the process Verdi was keen to achieve the greatest historical accuracy. He asked Du Locle to gather information from Mariette about the sacred dances of the Egyptian priestesses. He was intent on a Grand Opera of spectacle and ballet following the Paris Opéra pattern. Aida is one of Verdi’s most popular of operas with its blend of musical invention and dramatic expression. It is a work of pageant with its Grand March (Gloria all’Egitto) and ballet interludes. It is also a work involving various personal relationships. Of these relationships, the rivalry between Aida, daughter of the King of Ethiopia working incognito as a captured slave of Amneris, daughter of the King of Egypt, is intense. Both love Radames, victorious leader of the Egyptian army. He loves Aida but is given the hand of Amneris in reward for his exploits as army commander. But even more complex is the relationship of Aida with her father who arrives as an unrecognised prisoner. A range and variety of complex possibilities of the father-daughter relationship occur throughout Verdi’s operas, but nowhere more starkly than here where the father puts tremendous emotional pressure on his daughter to cajole her lover into betraying a state secret. This betrayal will cost the lives of the two lovers.

Verdi had Aida ready in time for the premiere in Egypt in January 1871, but Bismarck had engineered a Franco-Prussian confrontation in autumn 1870. The French army was defeated at the Battle of Sedan and the Emperor Napoleon III captured. With the siege of Paris by the Prussians the scenery constructed there could not be got out and shipped to Cairo. Aida was not premiered until Christmas Eve 1871. It is an opera requiring big spinto voices with the capacity to convey the drama and emotion through the voice. ---Robert J Farr, musicweb-international.com

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1. Ave Maria
2. Stabat Mater
3. Laudi Alla Vergine Maria
4. Te Deum

Vienna PO & State Opera Chorus
Claudio Abbado – director

The two choruses with full orchestra, the Stabat Mater and Te Deum, Verdi’s last compositions, are based on well-known poems. The first, celebrating Mary as she stands by the Cross, was set by many composers. For the Te Deum, written for double chorus, Verdi turned to a text often, though not here, used to celebrate victories and coronations. It quickly became common practice to perform the four pieces together, with a chorus singing the unaccompanied, but moving, Ave Maria and Laudi alla Vergine Maria, originally composed for solo voices.

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1. Giovanna d'Arco (Jeanne d’Arc)	2:01:41

Francesco Meli (Carlo VII)
Anna Netrebko (Giovanna)
Devid Cecconi (Giacomo)
	
Dmitry Beloselskyi - (Talbot)
Michele Mauro (Delil)

Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala 
Riccardo Chailly - conductor

07 December 2015, La Scala de Milan

Verdi chose another Schiller play as a basis for this opera, and like most Schiller plays, The Maid of Orleans is almost 100 percent free of historical fact. However, for Verdi, as for Schiller, the figure of a woman leading her oppressed country to freedom contained enough dramatic truth to make up for any lack of historical accuracy. In Verdi's hands, the story was made into yet another rallying cry for Italian independence in a unified kingdom. The music reflects this in its stirring ensembles and Giovanna's (Joan's) moving music as she prays for the strength needed to save France.

Giovanna is a shepherdess who has visions of forcing the invading English out of France, at the point when Carlo (Charles), the king, is ready to surrender, in order to stop the endless deaths the war is causing. Giovanna's visions and a dream Carlo has lead them to meet, and she tells him she will lead his armies to victory. However, she is troubled by the heavenly message that if she yields to earthly love, she will be destroyed. Her father, however, suspects her of witchcraft.

She has led the army to victory, and Carlo is about to be crowned, except that the two have fallen in love. She finally yields to Carlo's pleading, but is deeply upset when she hears the angel voices again warning her against earthly love. When her father denounces her for what he believes to be her witchery, she is so distraught by her guilty feelings that she follows him to be taken prisoner and killed by the English. In the last act, when her father overhears her praying, he realizes she is innocent, and frees her to rejoin the fighting. However, she is mortally wounded, and dies after the battle is won.

The opera has many thrilling moments as well as many of musical beauty. Carlo's aria in the last act as he mourns Giovanna's impending death is deeply moving and has a hint of Otello's music as he mourns Desdemona. The duet for Carlo and Giovanna as she admits her love for him is lovely, and the contrast of his sensual phrases about love and her perturbation as she hears the angelic voices is particularly effective. The first-act trio for Giovanna, Carlo, and her father is an excellent example of a cappella composition, as well. But what is perhaps most impressive in the opera is the spirit Verdi infused it with, as yet another one of his expressions of the ideals of freedom. ---Anne Feeney, Rovi

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1. Overture
2. Silenzio
3. Ecco la mia Venezia!
4. No... mi lasciate
5. Tacque il reo!
6. Eccomi solo alfine
7. Figlia... t'avanza...
8. Notte! Perpetua notte che qui regni!
9. Ah, sposo mio!
10. Là si ride, qui si muor
11. Ah, padre!
12. Che piu si tarda
13. O patrizi... il voleste
14. Alla gioia!
15. Donna infelice, sol per me infelice
16. Egli ora parte!
17. O nobili signori, che si chiede da me
18. Quel bronzo ferale

Francesco Foscari, Doge di Venezia - Mario Zanasi
Jacopo Foscari - Renato Cioni
Lucrezia Contarini - Luisa Maragliano
Jacopo Loredano - Franco Pugliese
Barbarigo - Fernando Iacopucci
Pisana - Vera Magrini
Fante del Consiglio de' Dieci - Mario Carlin
Servo de Doge - Giorgio Onesti

Chorus - Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Orchestra - Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Bruno Bartoletti – conductor

The operas of Giuseppe Verdi fall into two sharply divided categories: popular works, such as La Traviata and Aïda, which have dominated the schedules of opera houses virtually since their composition, and those less fortunate dramas which maintain only a foothold in the repertory. Perhaps undeservedly, I due Foscari falls into the latter camp, having enjoyed only a modest success in its time and seeing only occasional modern revivals. This is certainly due, at least in part, to the "downer" effect of its plot: the son of an aged and morally upright ruler is falsely accused and put to death, and the ruler himself is eventually deposed, only to die of a broken heart. However, I due Foscari contains a great deal of attractive music and some features that are rare -- even unique -- in Verdi's creative universe; the work as a whole shines an interesting spotlight on this period of the composer's stylistic evolution.

Verdi composed I due Foscari in the latter half of 1844, directly after the premiere of his highly successful Ernani; the commission came from the Teatro Argentina in Rome. As was the case with many of his works, the subject of the libretto -- written by the ever-reliable Francesco Maria Piave -- was dictated to some extent by government censorship; in this instance, they felt the original subject, that of the powerful Medici family, to be inappropriate, and so the Foscaris were substituted in their place. Piave and Verdi collaborated for a period of four months, and the finished work was premiered at the Teatro Argentina on November 3.

The score for I due Foscari is relatively short by Verdi's standards (usually running about one and a half hours), and its scenic and chorus requirements are modest, leaving it within the reach of even smaller companies. The orchestration is fairly typical of operas of this period, but the clarinet is elevated to unusual prominence. The composer's harmonic language is richer than that employed in Ernani; likewise the orchestral strings play a much greater dramatic role. However, the most interesting feature of the score is Verdi's association of a specific theme with each of the three principal characters in the manner of a Wagnerian leitmotiv. The use of this technique was something of a false start for Verdi since he did not turn to it again until La forza del destino of 1862.

Verdi went to great lengths to infuse I due Foscari with local color. Set against such Venetian landmarks such as the Doge's Palace and the Piazza di San Marco, much of the music is influenced by the rolling meter and chromatic inflections of gondolier's songs (such as Jacopo's first-act cavatina, "Dal più remoto esilio"). At the close of the opera, we hear the bell of St. Marks' Basilica. While often attractive by themselves, these moments do not often jell convincingly with the rest of the score, and Verdi was less inclined to try such local touches in his future works.

The relationships between the main characters, and Verdi's musical responses to them, will remind some of his later, more famous, examples. Here -- between the elder Francesco, the son Jacopo, and Jacopo's wife, Lucrezia -- there are shades of both father and son Germont, Violetta (all from La traviata), King Phillip (Don Carlo), and even Otello and Desdemona (Otello). In fact, the greatest strength of I due Foscari is the degree to which the composer focused his music around these sympathetic (if still relatively undeveloped) characters, and his ability to do so within the standard formal conventions of the time. ---allmusic.com

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CD1
1. Atto 1 – Preludio
2. Scena 1 Quando Io Leggo In Plutarco (Carlo)
3. O Mio Castel Paterno (Carlo)
4. Scena 2 Vecchio! (Francesco)
5. La Sua Lampada Vitale Langue (Francesco)
6. Scena 3 Vererabile O Padre (Amalia)
7. Lo Sguardo Avea (Amalia)
8. Mio Carlo (Massimiliano, Amalia)
9. Un Messagero (Francesco)
10. Sul Capo Mio Colvepole (Massimiliano)		play
11. Atto 2 Scena 1 – Dall’infame Banchetto (Amalia)
12. Tu Del Mio Carlo (Amalia)
13. Perche Fuggisti Al Canto (Francesco)
14. Io T’amo Amalia (Francesco)
15. Scena 2 Tutto Quest’oggi Le Mani (Masnadieri)
16 Come Splendido E Grande (Carlo)
17 Di Ladroni Attorniato (Carlo)
18. Capitano! (Masnadieri)

CD2
1. Atto 3 Scena 1 – Dio Ti Ringrazio (Amalia)
2. Scena 2 Le Rube (Masnadieri)
3. Ben Giunto O Capitano (Masnadieri)
4. Un Ignoto (Massimiliano)
5. Atto 4 Scena 1 – Tradimento (Francesco)
6. Pareami Che Sorto (Francesco)				play
7. M’hai Chiamato (Moser)
8. Scena 2 Francesco Mio Figlio (Massimiliano)
9. Come Il Bacio (Massimiliano)
10. Qui Son Essi (Carlo)
11. Caduto E Il Reprobo (Calo)

Massimiliano, Conte di Moor - Samuel Ramey
Carlo, suo figlio maggiore - Franco Bonisolli
Francesco, suo figlio minore - Matteo Manuguerra
Amalia, orfana, nipote del Conte - Joan Sutherland
Arminio, camerlengo della famiglia - Arthur Davies
Moser, pastore - Simone Alaimo
Roola, compagno di Carlo Moor - John Harris

Orchestra and Chorus of the Welsh National Opera
Richard Bonynge - conductor, 1982

I am always intrigued by the way some of Verdi's earlier operas have remained comparatively neglected both on stage and in the recording studio, although a little close listening and thought will sometimes provide an - if not the - answer.

"I Masnadieri" - Verdi's eleventh, "London" opera - has a lot going for it. Both the two studio recordings so far made are top quality and the opera has many armchair adherents, but the culminating absurdity of our hero stabbing his beloved to spare her the agony of losing him to the bandits (to whom he has sworn eternal fealty) is just too much to swallow. The soprano has much beautiful music written expressly for the vocal talents of Jenny Lind; consequently there is a lot of delicate coloratura and scope for the top end of the voice, but none of those gutsy plunges into the lower register that stiffen the sinews and give a little starch to a rather pale and passive heroine.

As I have said, both recordings are wonderful, if different. One might expect to hear frailties in both Sutherland's and Bergonzi's singing, she being in her mid and he in his early fifties at the times of recording (1982 and 1975 respectively), but both are superb; in fact she is more animated and has a better trill than Caballé and he is more stylish and nuanced than the stentorian Bonisolli. Both sound great, even if he is occasionally a little dry and a hint of a beat obtrudes in Sutherland's top - but these recordings represent the best of their late work. Bonisolli is certainly more exciting than Bergonzi, too; a curiosity is that he and Sutherland are allowed by Bonynge to take ringing top C's (and even a C sharp, in his case) whereas Gardelli has his singers take the rather tame lower, written options all the time. Both baritones are top class, although I prefer Manuguerra's more biting tone to Cappuccilli's woollier production; both basses are splendid: Raimondi sounds much more the starved, weakened old man but Ramey's voice is intrinsically more rotund. (Apparently credibility was strained in the first London performance, as the part of Massimiliano was taken by the celebrated and notoriously rotund bass Lablache.) Both choruses and orchestra are unimpeachable - although in the overture the Welsh National Opera's concertante cellist plays more affectingly and with more tender phrasing than his New Philharmonia counterpart. Conversely, Caballé and Bergonzi make a more moving job of their lovely duet "Ma un'iri di pace". ---Ralph Moore, amazon.com

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1-1 	All'erta! All'erta! 	2:52
1-2 	Die Due Figli Vivea 	7:29
	Part One - Scene 2
1-3 	Che Più T'arresti¿ 	2:19
1-4 	Tacea La Notte Placida 	5:01
1-5 	Di Tale Amor, Che Dirsi 	2:41
1-6 	Tace La Notte! 	1:56
1-7 	Deserto Sulla Terra 	1:24
1-8 	Non M'inganno 	2:07
1-9 	Di Geloso Amor Sprezzato 	2:46
	Part Two - Scene 1
1-10 	Vedi! Le Fosche Notturne Spoglie 	2:51
1-11 	Stride La Vampa! 	4:56
1-12 	Soli Or Siamo! 	1:06
1-13 	Condotta Ell'era In Ceppi 	5:02
1-14 	Non Son Tuo Figlio¿ 	2:28
1-15 	Mal Reggendo All'aspro Assalto 	3:36
1-16 	Inoltra Il Pie 	1:03
1-17 	Perigliarti Ancor Languente 	2:42
	Part Two - Scene 2
1-18 	Tutto E Deserto 	1:28
1-19 	Il Balen Del Suo Sorriso 	3:33
1-20 	Quel Suono! Oh Ciel! 	0:49
1-21 	Per Me Ora Fatale 	2:52
1-22 	Ah! Se L'error T'ingombra 	3:08
1-23 	Perche Piangete¿ 	2:17
1-24 	E Deggio E Posso Crederlo¿ 	4:10
	Part Three - Scene 1
2-1 	Or Co' Dadi 	2:00
2-2 	Squilli, Echeggi La Tromba Guerriera 	2:23
2-3 	In Braccio Al Mio Rival! 	7:35
	Part Three - Scene 2
2-4 	Quale D'armi Fragor Poc'anzi Intesi¿ 	2:16
2-5 	Ah Sì, Ben Mio 	3:16
2-6 	L'onda De' Suoni Mistici 	1:38
2-7 	Di Quella Pira 	3:26
	Part Four - Scene 1
2-8 	Siam Giunti...Ecco La Torre 	3:06
2-9 	D'amor Sull'ali Rosee 	4:25
2-10 	Miserere D'un'alma Già Vicina 	5:37
2-11 	Tu Vedrai Che Amore In Terra 	4:06
2-12 	Udiste¿ Come Albeggi, La Scure Al Figlio 	1:43
2-13 	Mira, Di Acerbe Lagrime 	3:23
2-14 	Vivrà!...Contende Il Giubilo 	2:19
	Part Four - Scene 2
2-15 	Madre, Non Dormi¿ 	6:43
2-16 	Ai Nostri Monti Ritorneremo 	2:04
2-17 	Che!...Non M'inganna! 	9:50

Leontyne Price  - Soprano [Leonora]
Fiorenza Cossotto - Mezzo-soprano [Azucena]
Elizabeth Bainbridge -    Mezzo-soprano [Inez]
Placido Domingo - Tenor [Manrico]
Ryland Davies - Tenor [Ruiz]
Neilson Taylor - Tenor [A Messenger]
Sherrill Milnes - Baritone [Count Di Luna]
Bonaldo Giaiotti - Bass [Ferrando]
Stanley Riley -    Bass [An Old Gypsy]

The Ambrosian Chorus
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Zubin Mehta – conductor

Opera first staged at the Teatro Apollo, Rome, January 19, 1853.

Recorded in Walthamstow Town Hall, London. 1970

In spite of its complicated and unbelievable plot (Gilbert and Sullivan mocked it in two of their light operas), Il Trovatore has been in no danger of neglect ever since its première in 1853. Its characters are kept from dull unidimensionality by the elemental force of Verdi's tunes, and by the driving orchestral accompaniments. Someone once said that the latter function like a giant guitar, and the simile is accurate, given the fact that the Il Trovatore orchestra seems to spend much of the time furiously strumming away.

It's also been said that a performance of this opera requires nothing less than four of the greatest singers in the world. That's a bit of an exaggeration, although it is true that the four principal characters must be wall matched; one weak link, and Il Trovatore falters. Alas, because of contractual limitations and Father Time, no single record company has been able to assemble a dream cast. Some recordings, however, are more satisfying than others, and this is one of them.

Leontyne Price recorded the role of Leonora three times. This version from 1969 or 1970 (RCA's information is contradictory) probably is the best – Price's singing is at its peak, and her interpretation is more mature than it was the first time around. Talk about perfection! I can't forget the glorious sound of her voice in certain phrases, such as at the very end of Part Two when she sings "Sei tu dal ciel disceso, o in ciel son io con te?" (Are you come down from heaven, or am I in heaven with you?) She probably was the greatest Leonora of the 1960s and 70s. Domingo, too, was no stranger to this opera. His voice is at its youthful finest in this recording, and he sings the title role with good taste. Come to think of it, a little bad taste would have been welcome!

Sherrill Milnes's intelligence, and even aspects of the voice itself, remind me of another American baritone, Leonard Warren. Warren was the great Conte di Luna of the 50s, and Milnes wasn't far off from that standard in his own decade. What Milnes does miss, however, is the character's monomaniacal obsessions: vengeance and lust. He depicts a character who is certainly angry, but he needs to sound almost insane. Finally, Fiorenza Cossotto is a robust Azucena. Her healthy singing suggests a gypsy woman who could execute a half-nelson on both of the male leads. An older voice would have helped, but I really can't fault Cossotto for sounding so good.

The supporting roles are done ably, although I've heard more interesting Ferrandos than Giaiotti's. (I have special affection for Giorgio Tozzi in his set with Renata Tebaldi and Mario del Monaco.) Mehta is exciting, but not really Italianate, and perhaps he too is guilty of being just a little too tasteful. The old Italians – men like Erede and Previtali – really knew how to make this score go.

When RCA first reissued this recording on CD, the discs were plagued with distortion at the vocal climaxes. I had hoped that this new reissue would correct that problem. Unfortunately, the peaking still is there, so I assume that the problem lies with the master tape. (Funny that I don't remember this being a problem with the LPs.) At any rate, the new remastering is an improvement in other areas. Now the soundstage has been opened, and the voices bloom a little more. The new packaging puts the discs and a larger libretto in a box.

Except for the sonic problems, this is a recommendable recording – probably among the top handful of Trovatori. ---Raymond Tuttle, classical.net

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CD 1
01 Prelude (Act 1)
02 ‘Dell’invito trascorsa e già l’ora’ (Act 1)
03 ‘Libiamo ne’lieti calici Brindisi (Act 1)
04 ‘Che e ciò_’ (Act 1)
05 ‘Un dì felice, eterea’ (Act 1)
06 Ebben_ che diavol fate_’ (Act 1)
07 ‘Si ridesta in ciel l’aurora’ (Act 1)
08 ‘E strano!’ - ‘Ah, fors’e lui’ (Act 1)				play
09 ‘Follie! Delirio vano e questo!’ - ‘Sempre libera’ (Act 1)
10 ‘Lunge da lei’ - ‘De’ miei bollenti spiriti’ (Act 2)
11 ‘Annina, donde vieni_’ - ‘Oh mio rimorso!’ (Act 2)
12 ‘Alfredo_’ ‘Per Parigi or or partiva’ (Act 2)
13 ‘Pura siccome un angelo’ (Act 2)
14 ‘Non sapete quale affetto’ (Act 2)
15 ‘Un dì, quando le veneri’ (Act 2)
16 ‘Ah! Dite alla giovine’ (Act 2)
17 ‘Imponete’ ‘Non amarlo ditegli’ (Act 2)
18 ‘Dammi tu forza, o cielo!’ (Act 2)
19 ‘Che fai_’ ‘Nulla’ (Act 2)
20 ‘Ah, vive sol quel core’ (Act 2)
21 ‘Di Provenza il mar, il suol’ (Act 2)

Disc: 2
1. Avrem lieta di maschere la notte
2. Noi siamo zingarelle
3. Di Madride noi siam mattadori
4. Alfredo! Voi!
5. Invitato a qui seguirmi
6. Ogni suo aver tal femmina
7. Di sprezzo degno se stesso rende
8. Alfredo, Alfredo, di questo core					play
9. Prelude
10. Annina? “Comandate?”
11. Teneste la promessa…Addio del passato
12. Largo a quadrupede
13. Signora…Che t’accadde…Parigi, o cara
14. Ah, non più! - “Ah! Gran Dio! Morir sì giovine”
15. Ah, Violetta! “Voi? Signor?”
16. Prendi, quest’è l’immagine

Violetta Valery.............ANNA NETREBKO
Flora Bervoix...............HELENE 5CHNEIDERMAN
her friend
Annina......................DIANE PILCHER
her maid
Alfredo Germont.............ROLANDO VILLAZON
Giorgio Germont.............THOMAS HAMPSON
Alfredo's father
Gastone, Visconte de Letorieres.......SALVATORE CORDELLA
Barone Douphol (The Baron) ...........PAUL GAY
Marchese d'Obigny (The Marquis).......HERMAN WALLEN
Dottore Grenvil (The Doctor)..........LUIGI RONI
Giuseppe....................DRITAN LUCA
Violetta's servant
Domestico di Flora..........WOLFRAM IGOR DERNTL
Flora's servant
Commissionario .............FRIEDRICH SPRINGER

Concertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor
Mozarteum Orchester
Wiener Philarmoniker
Carlo Rizzi - Conductor

This new Traviata belongs near the top of the fine recorded versions of the opera despite a serious vocal problem in the middle. The great news is in the casting of the two lovers: Rolando Villazon’s Alfredo is just about perfect. He sings with handsome, shaded tone, great attention to the text–his anger feels as real as his grief and passion–and absolute freedom throughout the range. He partners the stunning Anna Netrebko beautifully in their duets as well. She is breathtaking–delicate, sincere, proud–singing with beautiful tone and intelligent, graceful musicality. They’re an unforgettable couple. Baritone Thomas Hampson, on the other hand, despite his usual attention to detail and wise dramatic choices, is in very poor voice and he sounds strained and out of sorts all the time. Carlo Rizzi leads a very energetic performance and the orchestra and chorus, except for a few moments of being out-of-sync with eachother, are splendid. The rest of the cast are fine and the sound from this live recording is excellent. Very highly recommended. ---Robert Levine, Editorial Reviews

Opera, gratefully, more than any other music form gathers polarized opinions: some aficiandos prefer the old recordings to the new, the 'big' singers to the physically beautiful one somehow postulating that if the singers look credible on stage they simply can't be equally fine as singers, the recordings or performances that rise or fall on the lead and the ensemble makes little impact. Not having been fortunate enough to have been one of the lucky ones that witnessed one of the seven sold out performances of this LA TRAVIATA at this year's Salzburg Festival, I am left only with a live recording probably garnered from several performances to catch a glimpse of what all the clamor from the European audiences was about. But this is enough to believe that this is probably one of the most intelligent and musically correct Traviatas available.

Beginning with a sterling cast - the incomparably beautiful and musically gifted Anna Netrebko as Violetta, the equally handsome and gifted Rolando Villazon as Alfredo, and the always dashing and vocally distinguished Thomas Hampson as Germont - this is as credible as any Traviata staged. The staging in modern dress apparently worked in Salzburg but we have only a few photos in the 2 CD set to prove that. The orchestra is the venerable Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Carlo Rizzi, with no less than the Mozarteum Orchester providing the stage music. But the ingredients only serve as calling cards if the opera does not work as a whole, and here everything is in place.

Anna Netrebko has a very rich lyric soprano voice and has an extraordinary range through which she sings most comfortably. If she does not opt for some of the high climax notes like say, Sutherland and the 'coloraturas', it does not impair the beauty of her interpretation of the beleaguered courtesan and her fall into consumption. But Netrebko is never less than lovely here and the drama of her voice and interpretation are exemplary. Likewise, Rolando Villazon has a tenor voice that grows better with each performance. His Alfredo is all impetuosity, smitten lover, and jealous stag - and his singing is stunningly beautiful. Add the exceptional musicality of Thomas Hampson singing Germont with complete conviction and elegance, and this cast is as fine as one could wish.

If there are problems with this recording they are more focused on the podium where Rossi seems to favor brisk tempi a bit too frequently, not allowing the singers the space to be comfortable with their roulades. But remember this recording is from live performances and not a studio where every aria can be perfected with extra takes. This enhances the drama but does not give as sonorous a recorded sound as could be in a different hall or studio.

The true beauty of this triumphant LA TRAVIATA will be obvious if a DVD of the performance is released. Rarely has a stage been filled with this much beauty of sound coming from such magnetic and attractive performers. Netrebko and Villazon have a wondrous magic as was so very obvious in this past season's LA Opera 'Romeo et Juliette' of Gounod. Let's hope they pair often! Highly recommended. ---Grady Harp, amazon.com

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CD1
1. Preludio 4:16
2. Posa in pace, a' bei sogni ristora 1:34
3. S'avanza il Conte 1:38
4. La rivedrà nell'estasi 1:55
5. Il cenno mio di là con essi attendi 2:33
6. Alla vita che t'arride 2:49
7. Il primo giudice 1:30
8. Volta la terrea 2:37
9. Ogni cura si doni al diletto 2:15
10. Zitti... l'incanto non dèssi turbare 4:01
11. Arrivo il primo! 2:29
12. Su, fatemi largo, saper vo' il mio fato 1:02
13. Rallegrati omai 2:22
14. Che v'agita così? 1:26
15. Della città all'occaso 1:29
16. Consentimi, o Signore 2:00
17. Figlia d'averno, schiudi la chiostra 0:29
18. Su, profetessa, monta il treppiè 0:48
19. Dí' tu se fedele 3:19
20. Chi voi siate, l'audace parola 2:26
21. È scherzo od e follia 3:25
22. Finisci il vaticinio 4:25
23. Preludio 2:23
24. Ecco l'orrido campo ove s'accoppia 1:30
25. Ma dall'arido stelo divulsa 5:12
26. Teco io sto 1:32
27. Non sai tu che se l'anima mia 4:12
28. Oh, qual soave brivido 3:44
Total time: 69:21

CD 2
1. Ahimè! s'appressa alcun 2:09
2. Amico, gelosa t'affido una cura 0:54
3. Odi tu come fremono cupi 1:57
4. Seguitemi 2:38
5. Ve', se di notte qui colla sposa 5:01
6. A tal colpa è nulla il pianto 2:16
7. Morrò, ma prima in grazia 4:31
8. Alzati! là tuo figlio 1:52
9. Eri tu che macchiavi quell'anima 4:19
10. Siam soli. Udite 2:36
11. Dunque l'onta di tutti sol una 0:54
12. D'una grazia vi supplico 3:57
13. Qual è dunque l'eletto? 1:21
14. Il messaggio entri 1:05
15. Ah! Di che fulgor, che musiche 2:44
16. Forse la soglia attinse 2:37
17. Ma se m'è forza perderti 2:45
18. Ah! dessa è là 1:38
19. Fervono amori e danze 2:08
20. Saper vorreste di che si veste 2:02
21. Fervono amori e danze 1:28
22. Ah! perchè qui! fuggite 4:38
23. E tu ricevi il mio! 1:14
24. Ella è pura: in braccio a morte 4:35
Total time: 61:19

Nicola Zaccaria (Bass)
Tito Gobbi (Baritone)
Silvio Maionica (Bass)
Giuseppe Di Stefano (Tenor)
Ezio Giordano (Bass)
Maria Callas (Soprano)
Eugenia Ratti (Soprano)
Renato Ercolani (Tenor)
Fedora Barbieri (Mezzo Soprano)

Milan Teatro alla Scala Chorus, 
Milan Teatro alla Scala Orchestra
Antonino Votto - conductor

Synopsis

Act 1

Scene 1: A public audience at Riccardo’s palace, attended by his supporters, but also by his enemies who hope for his downfall Riccardo reviews the list of guests who will attend an upcoming masked ball. He is elated to see on the list the name of the woman he loves – Amelia, the wife of his friend and advisor, Renato. (Aria: La rivedrà nell'estasi / "With rapture I shall look upon her"). When Renato arrives, he tries to warn Riccardo about the growing conspiracy against him (aria: Alla vita che t'arride / "To the life with which you are favoured"), but Riccardo refuses to listen to his words.

Next, Riccardo is presented with a complaint against a fortune-teller named Ulrica, accused of witchcraft. A magistrate calls for her banishment, but Oscar the page defends her (Aria: Volta la terrea / "That tense countenance"). Riccardo resolves to investigate for himself and tells the members of the court to disguise themselves and to meet him at Ulrica’s lodging later that day. Scene 2: At Ulrica’s dwelling

Ulrica summons her magical powers: Re dell'abisso, affrettati / "King of the abyss make haste". Disguised as a fisherman, Riccardo arrives before the others. He makes the fortune of a sailor named Silvano come true by spiriting a document of promotion into his pouch, convincing the crowd of the truth of Ulrica's powers. When he realizes that Amelia is coming to see Ulrica, he hides and watches. Alone with Ulrica, Amelia confesses that she is tormented by her love for Riccardo, and asks for a means to bring peace to her heart. Ulrica tells her to gather a certain herb with magical powers; Riccardo resolves to be there when she does so. Amelia leaves. Now Riccardo presents himself again, along with all of the courtiers, and asks to have his fortune told. (Aria: Di' tu se fedele / "Say whether the sea Awaits me faithfully"). Ulrica reveals that he will be killed by the next man who shakes his hand. He laughingly dismisses her prophecy and offers his hand to the courtiers, who refuse to take it. Renato arrives and shakes Riccardo's hand in greeting. Riccardo’s true identity is now revealed and he is acclaimed by the people.

Act 2

On the outskirts of the town, at the gallows-place. Midnight Amelia, conquering her fears, has come here alone to pick the herb of which Ulrica told her (Aria: Ma dall'arido stelo divulsa / " If through the arid stalks"). She is surprised by Riccardo, who has come to meet her. Now the two finally declare their love for each other. Unexpectedly, Renato arrives, and Amelia covers her face with her veil before he can recognize her. Renato explains to Riccardo that the conspirators are pursuing him, and his life is in danger. Riccardo leaves, making Renato promise to escort the veiled woman safely back to town, not asking her identity. When the conspirators arrive, they confront Renato; in the struggle, Amelia’s veil drops. Renato assumes that Amelia and Riccardo have been involved in an adulterous love affair. He asks the two leaders of the conspiracy, Samuel and Tom, to meet him the next day.

Act 3

Scene 1: Renato’s house Renato has resolved to kill Amelia for the dishonor she has brought on him. She protests her innocence and begs to see her son one last time. (Aria: Morrò, ma prima in grazia / "I shall die - but one last wish"). Renato relents, and declares that it is Riccardo, not Amelia, who deserves to die (Aria: Eri tu che macchiavi quell'anima / "It was you who stained this soul"). Samuel and Tom arrive, and Renato asks to join their plot, pledging the life of his son as proof of his sincerity. They agree to draw lots to decide who will kill Riccardo. Amelia is forced to draw the winning name – Renato. Oscar, the page, arrives with invitations to the masked ball; Samuel, Tom and Renato agree that this is where the assassination will take place.

Scene 2: The ball Riccardo, torn between love and duty, has resolved to renounce his love for Amelia and send her and Renato back to England (Aria: Ma se m'è forza perderti / "But if I am forced to lose you"). At the ball, Renato tries to learn from Oscar what costume Riccardo is wearing. Oscar at first refuses to tell (Aria: Saper vorreste / "You want to know How he is dressed"), but finally answers: a black cloak and a red ribbon. Riccardo manages to identify Amelia and tells her of the decision he has made. As they say goodbye, Renato stabs Riccardo. The wounded Riccardo discloses that though he loved Amelia, she never broke her marriage vows. He pardons all the conspirators, bidding farewell to his friends and his country as he dies.

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1. Preludio 03:03
Act 1, Scene 1
2. Si: corre voce che lEtiope ardisca 01:21
3. Se quel guerrier io fossi!..Celeste Aida 04:38
4. Quale insolita gioia 06:18
5. Alta cagion vaduna 06:00
6. Ritorna vincitor! 06:27
Act 1, Scene 2
7. Possente, possente Ftha 05:45
8. Mortal, diletto ai Numi 05:01
Act 2, Scene 1
9. Chi mai fra glinni e i plausi 06:02
10. Fu la sorte dellarmi atuoi funesta 07:32
11. Su! del Nilo al sacro lido 02:47
Act 2, Scene 2
12. Gloria allEgitto, ad Iside 03:42
13. Marcia 06:29
14. Vieni, o guerriero vindice 02:34
15. Salvator della patria, io ti saluto 02:08
16. Che veggo!…Egli?…Mio padre! 00:51
17. Questassisa chio vesto vi dica 01:31
18. Ma tu, Re, tu signore possente 03:53
19. O Re: pei sacri Numi 02:25
20. Gloria allEgitto, ad Iside 03:19
Act 3
21. O tu che sei dOsiride 04:02
22. Qui Radames verra!…O Patria mia 06:29
23. Ciel! mio padre! 07:49
24. Pur ti riveggo, mia dolce Aida 03:11
25. Fuggiam gli ardori inospiti 06:54
26. Tu…Amonasro!…tu!…il Re? 02:53
Act 4, Scene 1
27. Laborrita rivale a me sfuggia 03:07
28. Gia i Sacerdoti adunansi 07:11
29. Ohime!…morir mi sento! Oh! chi lo salva? 05:57
30. Radames! Radames! Radames! 05:01
Act 4, Scene 2
31. La fatal pietra sovra me si chiuse 02:27
32. Presago il core della tua condonna 04:04
33. O terra, addio 05:01

Andrea Bocelli (Radamès)
Kristin Lewis (Aida)
Veronica Simeoni (Amneris)
Giorgio Giuseppini (Il Re)
Ambrogio Maestri (Amonasro)
Carlo Colombara (Ramfis)
Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Zubin Mehta - conductor

Andrea Bocelli has recently released his 39th album, a recording of Verdi’s Aida, on the Decca label (483 0075). Aida is Bocelli’s 13th opera album and his second recording of a single Verdian opera – the first was Il Trovatore in 2004 conducted by Steven Mercurio. Other explorations of Verdi’s repertoire include an album of arias with Zubin Mehta conducting the Israel Philharmonic in 2000 and the Requiem in 2001 with the formidable forces of Valery Gergiev, Renee Fleming, Olga Borodina and Ildebrando D’Arcangelo.

For Aida, Bocelli has reprised his collaboration with Zubin Mehta who this time, conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Bocelli of course sings the role of Radamès with American soprano Kristin Lewis as Aida and Italian mezzo-soprano Veronica Simeoni as Amneris. Giorgio Giuseppini sings the role of Il Re (the Egyptian King), Ambrogio Maestri is Amonasro and Carlo Colombara sings Ramfis. It has been twelve years since Bocelli’s last Verdi recording and there is a sense that Bocelli, born in 1958, has bided his time to take on this repertoire; that it is something he has always wanted to achieve as a personal and professional milestone.

Aida is a tale of fierce drama, passion and ultimately, tragedy. Devoid of visual input, the performers who commit opera to disc have to work extra hard to engage the listener and convey the intensity of the narrative. The powerhouse cast sings with musical integrity and indeed draws us into the story of the doomed lovers. Maestri has a rich and reverberant bass sound; Simeoni is a compelling Amneris; Bocelli sings a noble Radamès with a lighter timbre than is usually heard; however, there are moments when he has to summon more heft than seems comfortable to achieve his higher notes. The ensemble singing is well balanced and blended.

Award winning soprano Kristin Lewis is the real find of the project, singing with an effortless shimmer that tints the various colours she achieves throughout her range. She has sung the role at the Teatro alla Scala, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Staatsoper im Schiller Theatre, Berlin and the Wiener Staatsoper. She brings a practiced ease and an exciting young voice to the role.

The chorus and orchestra are superb and Mehta’s direction is impeccable. It is the fifth recording collaboration between Mehta and Bocelli and if the recording partnerships are a yardstick, it is a relationship that has clearly matured along the way from the early Verdi anthology of 2000 to Turandot in 2015 and now, Aida.

Recorded at the Opera di Firenze, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in April 2015, the slightly edited opera is spread over two discs. The CD liner contains the Italian libretto with English translation, synopsis and historical notes by writer and Bocelli chronicler Giorgio De Martino.

There are many excellent recording of Aida from which to choose. However, Bocelli’s Aida has several points of distinction, chief among them, the musical direction of Zubin Mehta and the performance of Kristin Lewis. Most importantly, this will be an indispensible addition to the collection for fans of Bocelli and collectors of his recordings. ---Shamistha de Soysa, soundslikesydney.com.au

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CD1
1. Side A
2. Side B

CD2
3. Side C
4. Side D

CD3
5. Side E
6. Side F

Aida - Leontyne Price (soprano)
Amneris – Rita Gorr (mezzo-soprano)
Radames - Jon Vickers (tenor)
Amonasro - Robert Merrill (baritone)
Ramfis - Giorgio Tozzi (bass)
The King of Egypt - Plinio Clabassi (bass)
Messenger - Franco Ricciardi (tenor)
Priestess – Mietta Sighele (soprano)

Rome Opera Theater Orchestra & Chorus
Georg Solti - conductor

In June and July 1961, Georg Solti led the orchestra and chorus of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma in a recording of Verdi’s Aida. A dream cast had been assembled, including: Leontyne Price, Rita Gorr, Jon Vickers, Robert Merrill, and Giorgio Tozzi.

Giuseppe Conca was the chorus master, and Luigi Ricci, Ugo Catania, and Fernando Cavaniglia were assistant conductors. For RCA, Richard Mohr was the producer, and Lewis Layton and René Boux were the engineers.

The recording won the 1962 Grammy Award — Solti’s first award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences — for Best Opera Recording. --- csoarchives.wordpress.com

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