Three Mo' Tenors Review

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(More customer reviews)After listening to my Three Mo' Tenors CD, I didn't want to waste any time letting the WORLD know about this extraordinary, amazing concert CD. I've long appreciated the Three Tenors...but watch out, move over, stand aside! Three Mo' Tenors rocks! With fabulously polished voices they span 400 years of music paying tribute to African American tenors. From opera, to spirituals, blues, r and b, showtunes, gospel and jazz -- they had me jumping, singing along, crying and feeling oh so good! What a moving concert CD....something all ages would enjoy. If you want a CD you can play morning, noon, night, when you're happy, when your'e blue, when you want to just feel good...then you'll love Three Mo' Tenors in Concert. Check out the rendition of "Twisted" -- one of my all time favorties...and the Ellington Medley, and the opera. Bravo! Three Mo' Tenors in Concert, I predict, will be America's next musical sensation!

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Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi Review

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(More customer reviews)Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi
This recording of Bellini's masterpiece, with Anna Netrebko & Elina Garanco, is destined to become one of the jewels of my operatic collection. It is beautiful in every respect, from the masterful recording, to the flawless arias and duets of Anna Netrebko/Elina Garanco.
I know of no recent recording of operatic arias that can compare with the clarity and delivery of these two beautiful, both in voice and looks, leading operatic stars. I listen enthralled at this operatic gem, completely enchanced and thrilled by such emotional performances. A recording for the ages.

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I Capuleti e i Montecchi is one of the loveliest and most moving of bel canto operas, though not among the more frequently performed. When Anna Netrebko and El na Garan a sang Giulietta and Romeo in Vienna last year at the performances documented in this recording, critics were enthusiastic. They found that Giulietta suited Anna Netrebko especially well, and she could show to full advantage her rounded tone and creamy timbre in every register. The German opera magazine Das Opernglas wrote: She concentrates on shaping individual phrases seemingly without effort and with unerring security, never sacrificing tonal beauty and flexibility. Anna clearly loves singing the role as much as Bellini did composing it: There s a lot of piangere cantando [weeping while singing] in Giulietta s beautiful melodies , she says. Her music is so sad in this opera, even tragic, not at all like Gounod s Je veux vivre Juliette. El na Garan a s velvety timbre with its hint of noble metal made the character of the young Romeo Montecchi come vividly to life. The Opernglas reviewer wrote: Her interpretation of the role is exemplary and has such elegance. And, indeed, the Latvian mezzo has a particular affinity with this trouser role: At the moment that I go into the theatre and put the costume on, I become Romeo. Every woman has a masculine side and every man a feminine side, and it s fun to test that part of myself onstage, to try to imagine how a young man might react in this situation. He s a young guy, so there are the hormones and the pride. There are basically two different aspects to the character: his love of Giulietta is very naïve, very enthusiastic, bright and sunny, but when he and Tebaldo are suddenly going against each other, there s also great courage and energy. It s a fantastic role. Verdi praised the broad curves of Bellini s unprecedented long melodies , and so does Fabio Luisi, who conducts Deutsche Grammophon s star-studded new recording of I Capuleti e i Montecchi. Luisi singles out Bellini as the composer who did most for the development of the voice and of melody. Nobody before him and probably nobody after him has equalled this achievement. Vincenzo Bellini was the supreme melodist of the great bel canto triumvirate that also included Gioacchino Rossini and Gaetano Donizetti: the three outstanding representatives of the early 19th-century Italian style whose name literally means beautiful singing . Singers have always loved Bellini s long-breathed vocal writing, and I Capuleti is the first example of that style we know so well from his later, more famous masterpieces La sonnambula, Norma and I Puritani. Shakespeare s star-crossed lovers would seem ideal for a composer with Bellini s unique gift for tender, elegiac melody, but, in fact, the subject wasn t the composer s choice: Venice s Teatro la Fenice commission in January 1830 required him to set a libretto called Giulietta Capellio. Nor is Bellini s opera based on Shakespeare s tragedy, then still unknown in Italy, but rather on an 1818 Italian play that shared its 16th-century source. That explains divergences from Shakespeare in the opera s title, plot and characters. He was given only a few weeks to produce I Capuleti, which premiered on 11 March, so it isn t surprising that the habitually slow-working composer borrowed heavily from his unsuccessful opera of the previous year, Zaira. In recycling that opera s finest music, Bellini was also hoping to give it a longer shelf-life: Zaira, hissed at Parma , he quipped, got its revenge in I Capuleti. Throughout the rest of the century, Bellini could still be heard regularly at all the great opera houses. Then his music fell out of favour. In 1935, a few works were brought out of mothballs in Italy to mark the

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Symphony Review

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(More customer reviews)I simply love the CD. Picked up my copy this morning and popped it into the CD player. Wow, totally worth the 4-year wait! I was more than thrilled to hear the eclectic array of songs Sarah has chosen for Symphony. There's an edge to the album, which was coming sooner or later, and I'm relieved to finally hear something a little more close to home, rather than her fully themed albums from before. Symphony offers a little something for everyone. The songs which caught my attention are: Gothica, Symphony, Sanvean, Attesa and, surprisingly, Running. "Sanvean" is a Dead Can Dance cover tune, which is beautiful. Even though I reviewed the MP3 of "Running" and bashed it, I've grown to liking it because of that tribal beat which pops up around the middle of the song. I still think that Gustav Holst's original (Jupiter, from "The Planets") should've been left untouched, but Sarah has put her touch on that such classic just the same.
Symphony is voluptuous and living proof that Sarah is truly the best-selling Soprano of all time. Sarah uses a lot more of her higher, not necessarily operatic range on the album, which is pleasing to the ears, cos she's got a really lovely pop voice too. I haven't heard some notes she belts out, in a long time! The whole ethereality of the photos throughout the digipack & booklet are really nice, though some clever editing & airbrushing has been done, giving Sarah a truly different appearance in the photos. Her blonde wig is interesting with that braid across the front top portion of her head. I don't think she makes a great blonde, compared to her long, cascading raven tresses. And the backdrops...how ethereal and lofty everything seems. I like it. It's theatrical and playful at the same time. Sarah has picked up on a totally different fashion style. I love that white angelic number she wears, looking down upon her altar ego in the red dress down below.
Glad to know that Andrea Bocelli has been brought back to Duet with Sarah on "Canto Della Terra". So pretty and breathy and really packs a wallop of sound! I don't really care for Paul Stanley's voice on "I Will Be With You", compared to the original SB version, sung with Chris Thompson. His is a more soothing, smooth voice. But I realize Sarah was going for something a little more edgier, so I presume that is why they settled with the Paul Stanley version for the album.
Tracklisting is as follows:
01. Gothica - 1:20
02. Fleurs Du Mai - 4:10
03. Symphony - 4:47
04. Canto Della Terra - featuring Andrea Bocelli 3:59
05. Sanvean - 3:50
06. I Will Be With You (Where The Lost Ones Go) - featuring Paul Stanley - 04:31
07. Schwere Träume - 3:22
08. Sarai Qui - featuring Alessandro Safina 3:56
09. Storia d'Amore - 4:03
10. Let It Rain - 4:17
11. Attesa - 4:26
12. Pasión - featuring Fernando Lima
13. Running - 6:09
I don't know about the American edition, but my Canadian edition (the cd itself) is glossy red with silver lettering. It's very pretty and unlike any of Sarah's previous discs. I highly recommend purchasing Symphony, because it's really a wonderful album with a lot to offer.
Bonus material is available, through visiting Sarah's official website, once you've purchased the CD.


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Japanese pressing of the famed vocalist's 2008 featuring one bonus track: 'Forbidden Colours'. Symphony is Sarah Brightman's firststudio album for five years. Recorded in Germany, Symphony features all new songs and is created with Sarah's long-time producer Frank Peterson. The repertoire ranges from beautiful ballads 'Symphony', 'Fleur du Mal' and epic power rock scores 'I Will Be With You' to interpretations of the work 'Jupiter' from Holst's The Planets on 'Running' to Faith Hill's 'There You'll Be' sung in Italian as 'Sarai Qui' and many more.On this album Sarah reunites with Andrea Bocelli to sing 'Canto Della Terra', as well as singing duets with Fernando Lima (Mexican tenor) on 'Passion' and Paul Stanley (Kiss) on 'I Will Be With You (Where The Lost Ones Go) '. The album showcases Sarah linguistic vocal skills by singing in Spanish, Italian, French and for the first time German.EMI.--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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Eden Review

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(More customer reviews)I, like many, discovered Sarah through Phantom. After she left the show, I followed her solo efforts. From "Dive" on, she has made some very interesting choices during her solo career. Every one knows of her breakthrough smash, "Time to Say Goodbye" with Andrea Bocelli. The album with the same name was also very special for Sarah fans. We finally heard her go back to the heights of her voice that so wooed us in Phantom. As good as "Time" is however, "Eden" is better. If you are looking for an album that truly showcases Sarah and her magnificant instrument, that clear soprano, buy "Eden".
"Eden" is a journey into a wonderous world of beautiful music. Frank Patterson, her producer, understand how to blend Sarah unique styles into a collage of beauty. From the very beginning of the cd, Sarah begins to draw you into her world. Her "Eden". From the covers of some popular artist, Hooverphonic and Kansas, to the use of opera in Puccini, Sarah shows you why she is one of the finest sopranos in music today. My personal favorites on the cd are "Lascia Ch'lo Pianga" and "Deliver Me." Also, she gives great "girl power" to "Nessun Dorma" a song made for tenors. The only curious selection on the cd is her rendition of "My Heart Will Go On" in italian. However, that is the only weak point on the entire album. The duet with Richard Marx is another very fine high point, added only to the US version of the cd.
If you are just starting out with Brightman, buy this cd first. It is a better feel of her. She shows you more of her "pop" side, but that side of her in no way takes away from her operatic appeal. "Time to Say Goodbye" should be included in your purchase of Sarah, but if you are going one at a time, get this one first.

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Symphony: Live in Vienna (CD & DVD) (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's great to finally have the opportunity to review this spectacular concert DVD and CD. The clarity of the audio recording and the picture itself is amazing, and they didn't hack the concert in the editing room when it was put from DVD to CD. You get almost the entire audio recording on the CD, including most of the verbal contact Sarah has with the audience. I think this CD is 100 times better than the Harem World Tour CD recording, which makes this package a totally worthwhile purchase. The photos are stunning and the printing of the glossy booklet make everything look so nice. The DVD is purple and the CD is black, with silver lettering on both. As for the artwork of the DVD insert, there is silver lettering on both front and back. The interview with some of the Cathedral's staff is really nice and they show just how appreiative they were of having Sarah perform in their majestic historical building.
Sarah's costumes and hair are gorgeous and she is definitely glowing and looking more pretty than ever. There is one small difference from the studio recording of "Fleurs Du Mal" and the recording in this package. What I'm saying is...Sarah doesn't do that high-pitched vocalise while the violin solo comes in in the intro of the song, compared to the studio album recording. I wonder if it would've wrecked the intro to the song if she did sing it while moving down the middle aisle.
"Sanvean" written by Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance) is a beautiful vocalise consisting of no lyrics but just sounds. That is what I love about this song. It's just so haunting and original, and Sarah does it very well, even if some say she's too breathy. "Canto Della Terra" is beautiful and Alessandro Safina looks and sounds amazing as Sarah's duet partner. Together, they blow everyone away with their breathtaking live rendition of the song. "Atessa" is very pretty and much better than expected. It really doesn't appear they used any playback for this concert, meaning Sarah used her own voice for the whole recording. I was actually expecting Atessa to be dubbed from the studio recording because of that very outstanding high note at th end, which is incredibly hard to do without screaming it.
"POTO" turned out to be quite nice, although it was a little too fast-paced compared to the original version. But the rock concert edge gives it a totally new edge and Sarah was still able to sing over the volume of the rock band and the pipe organ high above her and Chris Thompson. Oh, that reminds me, my only negative comment would be....Chris Thompson looks like someone they dragged off the street to duet with Sarah. He sounded a little tired in "I will be with you". He sounded winded although he still had a rock edge to his voice...and to his style. But, on "POTO" he and Sarah really blew me away when I watched the performance for the 1st time.
It's really wonderful to have this beautiful DVD&CD package and I'll cherish it for many years to come. This is by far, Sarah's best live performance on DVD, to date...although there are some really amazing live performances on her other live DVDs. But this one really showcases Sarah's live singing voice, and how well she can work with a rock band. Get this item and you'll agree, it's totally worth the wait and the money.

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In January 2008, Sarah Brightman recorded and filmed Symphony -- Live in Vienna within the mystical walls of Stephansdome Cathedral in the heart of where classical music evolved -- Vienna, Austria. Renowned for its awe-inspiring Gothic architecture, the cathedral was the perfect setting to enter the magical world of Symphony lead by the voice of the beautiful, gothic-angel. The concert includes repertoire from her album Symphony and some of her most popular songs ("Phantom of the Opera," "Time to Say Goodbye"). COMBO PACKAGES TRACKLISTING* 1. Pie Jesu 2. Fleurs du Mal 3. Symphony 4. Sanvean 5. Canto della Terra (duet w/Alessandro Safina) 6. Sarai Qui (duet w/Alessandro Safina) 7. Attesa 8. I Will Be with You (Where the Lost Ones Go) (duet w/Chris Thompson) 9. Storia d'Amore 10. Pasión (duet w/Fernando Lima) 11. Running 12. Let It Rain 13. The Phantom of the Opera (duet w/Chris Thompson) 14. Time to Say Goodbye 15. Ave Maria 16. Vide Cor Meum (*bonus track) DVD extras: The Production (interview with Sarah Brightman) The Songs (interview with Sarah Brightman) The Location (interview with Father Anthony Faber and historian Elisabeth Lloyd-Davis) Photo Gallery Extras RT approx. 45 minutes Total RT for combo pkgs approx. 75 minutes

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Legendary Baritones Review

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(More customer reviews)This easy to enjoy CD offers a fine cross section of a large number of baritones (19) singing during the first two decades of the 20th Century. Most of these recordings are accessible to modern ears - the baritone voice did not suffer the cut-offs inflicted on soprano and some tenor high notes, and the acoustic recordings and handful of early electrics are here well transferred by Nimbus. Much of the music is standard stuff, but a listener should be able to appreciate from any of the selctions the qualities that made these singers major stars.
Although a few singers, such as Maurel, are caught at the end of their careers, most of the singers are quite triumphant and impress without reservations. If you have never heard a Battistini, a Ruffo, a de Luca, an Amato; a fabulous French baritone like Renaud; or one of the great German baritones such as Husch, Schwarz or Schlusnus, you owe it to yourself to try this recording. These are really fabulous singers with marvelous skills, many of whom were involved in premieres of operas still in today's repetoire.
This is a sensational example of just what one looks for in a sampler - an opera lover's version of a Whitman's super-sampler of chocolates, only far less filling. (Though possibly just as habit-forming!) The best part is that should you find yourself impressed with a particular singer - or several - in these days of reissues it's possible to follow up and purchase CDs devoted singly or primarily to practically all these singers.
Nimbus provides very thorough notes by Roland Vernon. Each artist is given a full paragraph biography and a follow up note on the musical selection on the selection chosen to represent the baritone.
If you've heard that old singers are all terrible and/or bad musicians this album may offer a correction!

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Bizet: Carmen Review

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(More customer reviews)What a find!!!! Here you have two great sopranos (Simionato and Gueden) in the midst of their glorious careers and one of the greatest tenors of all time at the beginning of his (the great Nicolai Gedda, at 29 and only 3 years into his magnificent singing career). Simionato and Gedda are just magnificent here. Gedda sings a Flower Song so virile and impassioned, it has yet to be equaled. Simionato sings a very beautiful, sexy effortless Carmen. One comment about the Viennans in the audience, there is very little applause (or noise of any kind, for that matter), Maestro Von Karajan must have had the audience sitting on their hands. The Maestro Von Karajan turns his customary great performance, with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. This is such a great performance. Everyone sings so beautifully and their French style in this music is impeccable. Once again, the accoustics on this Gala recording are great. As an extra bonus, you get great performances of Nicolai Gedda singing excerpts from Les Hugeunots and Le Prophete (both by Meyerbeer and both in French). A perfect performance of the opera Carmen. After listening to this performance of Carmen, all others pale in comparison. A must have!

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Prima Voce: Leonard Warren Review

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(More customer reviews)About 25 years ago, I went to a local record store that was owned by a nice elderly couple. They had been in the business since the 1920s and they still had some 78 rpm recordings that I bought out of curiousity. One such record was Leonard Warren singing "Blow the Man Down". I immediately became interested in Leonard Warren. However, for years could not find any other recordings on LP or later CDs, until I started ordering music on line.
This collection gives you over two hours of the great Leonard Warren, focusing in on his recordings of Verdi, but also includes more popular songs including "Blow the Man Down", "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "America the Beautiful".
Despite the fact that these recordings were done during the 1940s and 50s, the sound quality is good (much better that my 78 recording). The CD comes with very informative and educational liner notes that gives the listener some basis to understanding an outstanding artist that can be considered relatively remote and obscure.

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"Leonard Warren was the great Verdi baritone of our times." --Tony RandallLeonard Warren (1911-1960) was the acknowledged MetropolitanOpera successor to the previous leading baritone, Lawrence Tibbett. Hedominated the Met stage, especially in Verdi roles, from 1938 until hisdeath. Warren had one of the most operatic deaths in Met history. He wasappearing in 1960 in Verdi's La forza del destino and had just begunto sing the aria "Urna fatale" ("Fatal urn of my destiny") when he suffereda heart attack and died on stage in front of a packed hall of horrifiedspectators. This two-disc compilation is the definitive overview of thisgreat artist's legacy.

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On Tour in Russia Review

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(More customer reviews)Leonard Warren was a baritone noted mostly for the power of his dark baritone voice, but he could also sing quite sensitively as this collection proves. Unfortunately, he does NOT sing sensitively in the heavy-handed, old-fashioned readings of Handel, Bach, "Aamarilli" or "O del mio amato ben," but his performances of tracks 3, 7, 9, 10, 13, 17-22 and 24 are superb. Especially interesting is his baritone version of the tenor specialty "Mattinata," which he turns into an intimate love ballad...I have never heard the like, and it is surprisingly effective. In the arias, of course, Warren is in his element; the "Faust" is sung much like Alexandru Agache in the Rizzi recording, and "Nemico della patria" is a predictable tour-de-force. William Sektberg's pianism is competent and perfunctory, nothing more. American-based singers of this era (among them Steber, Merrill and Bjorling) didn't exactly use the best pianists most of the time; the singing was the focus of things. Recommended, then, with a few reservations.

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Tenors on Tour Review

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(More customer reviews)Tenors on Tour is a CD which will live forever. The opening songs by Placido Domingo, His arrangement of Blue Moon and Moon River, set the tone for the CD. To hear Richard Tucker do "Climb every Mountain" was a wonderful trip down memory lane. Who will ever forget him? Placido continues with Broadway..Maria from West Side Story and a Beatles song "Yesterday". Mandy Patinkin's "Over the Rainbow" is classic and wonderful! But in my opinion Jose Carreras has the most "goose bumping" production on the entire CD. His Ave (Maria) is so beautifully done it may just bring tears to your eyes. The "King" Pavarotti is the "clean-up Hitter with selections from LaBoheme,and he does "O Sole Mio" as only He can do it. This CD is a treat for anyone who enjoys fine music. You will play it over and over again.

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Nicolai Gedda - French and Russian Arias & Songs Review

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(More customer reviews)Although strangely forgotten by the opera world and overshadowed by the overwhelming publicity surrounding the three tenors (Carreras, Domingo, and Pavoroti), Gedda ought to be recognized as the greatest living tenor. His artistry, technique, musicianship, and individuality are second to none. Buy this CD and delight in some of his best work. There are presently no singers that even approach the mastery of the repetoire recorded on this album which Gedda sings perfectly and easily.His refinement and power are unexcelled. (No, the three tenors don't hold a candle to him. In fact, comparing Gedda to them is a bit like comparing a halogen bulb to a candle. Very nice candles, yes, but no match for an artist of his caliber.)

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Luciano Pavarotti: The Best (Farewell Tour) Review

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(More customer reviews)I can't speak more highly of this collection of Pavrotti's songs. I keep this two CD pack in my car so I can enjoy it on my way to and from work. Even after I have arrived, I find myself sitting in my car waiting for a song to end. Walking out on a song seems sacriligious. While I grew up listening to Caruso and Lanza, there is no question that Pavrotti is the Master! Although, I do have to admit Pavrotti has the greater advantage of modern recording technology to better present his talent than Caruso and Lanza had. However, Lanza definitely didn't have the power that Pavrotti has. With Caruso, we will never know... I highly recommend this collection of Pavrotti's, if you are a Pavrotti fan. If you aren't, buy it anyway and become one:)

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