The Most Famous Opera Duets
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Performer: Eberhard W?chterComposer: Georges Bizet
Composer: Leo Delibes
Composer: Gaetano Donizetti
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Composer: Richard Strauss
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Composer: Richard Wagner
Conductor: Alain Lombard
Conductor: Bernard Haitink
Conductor: Carlo Maria Giulini
Conductor: Daniel Barenboim
Conductor: Francesco Molinari Pradelli
Conductor: Francesco Molinari-Pradelli
Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
Conductor: John Barbirolli
Conductor: Nicola Rescigno
Conductor: Pierre Dervaux
Conductor: Thomas Beecham
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1994-04-12
Music Label: EMI Classics
Soundtracks:
- Act I: Au Fond Du Temple Saint
- Act I: Vogliatemi Bene, Un Bene Piccolino
- Act 3: Sull'aria
- Act I: Un Di, Felice, Eterea
- Act II: O Sink Hernieder, Nacht Der Lieb
- Act I: Parle-Moi De Ma M?re
- Act I: Bei M?nnern, welche Liebe f?hlen
- Act 1: Viens, Mallika...Sous Dome Epais (flower duet)
- Act I: ? Il Sol Dell'Anima
- Act II: Mir Ist Die Ehre Widerfahren
- Act 1: L? Ci Darem La Mano
- Act 4: O Mimi, Tu Pi? Non Torni
- Act I: Ah! Verranna A Te Sull'Aure
- Act IV: Miserere...Quel Suon, Quelle Preci
Music reviews of The Most Famous Opera Duets
Music Review: A fine portfolio of operatic duets!
Rating: 4 Stars
Maybe these don't represent absolutely the greatest duets in all opera. But they represent some awfully good ones! The CD begins with a duet from "Les Pecheurs des Perles" (Puccini) and ends with the gloomy Miserere (from "Il Trovatore," by Verdi). In between are many more operas, from Donizetti and Mozart to Strauss and Wagner. Some of the finer singers of the past half century appear in various of these duets.
A bit more detail on a handful of these to illustrate.
"Sull'aria" from Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro." Heather Harper and Judith Blegen sing the parts here. This is a sweet duet from the opera. The singer's voices meld well together and this represents a poignantly sung piece.
"Ah! Verrana a tell sull'aure," from Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor." Alfredo Kraus and Edita Gruberova sing this lively duet, playing the roles of Edgardo and Lucia. Gruberova's voice is fresh here, as is Kraus', although there are a few rough moments in his singing. Still and all, though, he sings well.
"Viens Mallika" from Delibes' "Lakme." Whenever I hear this beautiful duet, I can't get the Catherine Deneuve movie, "The Hunger," out of my mind (it was a theme throughout that movie!). Mady Mesple plays Lakme and Danielle Millet sings the part of Mallika. This duet, to me, has a hypnotic sound to it that I find irresistible. It's a theme that one cannot get out of one's mind!
In "La ci darem la mano," we see Don Giovanni (sung by the redoubtable Eberhard Wachter) put his moves on the young woman Zerlina (sung by Graziella Sciutti). This is a luscious duet. In the end, Don Giovanni's lecherous efforts go singularly unrewarded. There is a wonderful intertwining of voices in this duet.
Finally, from Puccini's "La Boheme," the poignant 4th Act duet between Rodolfo (sung by the wonderful tenor Nicolai Gedda) and Marcello (sung by Mario Sereni). They are bemoaning the fact that each has seen his love leave, and the loss is central to their duet. Well performed by both. As I recall, this cut is from the highlights version of "La Boheme" that I bought (in vinyl, of course) 40 years ago when I was an undergraduate at Bradley University. So, a personal favorite. Gedda remains one of my favorite Rodolfos.
So, if you like opera and enjoy duets, this CD will give you a most pleasant evening, listening to some nice works.
Description of The Most Famous Opera Duets
This is a misnomer--not all of these duets are all that famous--but it's a fine compilation nonetheless. You'll hear selections from Bizet's The Pearl Fishers (Nicolai Gedda and Ernest Blanc at their most elegant French), Madama Butterfly (Carlo Bergonzi and Renata Scotto--an impassioned pair), Lucia di Lammermoor (a classy Alfredo Kraus and Edita Gruberova), the lovely Lakme duet, The Presentation of the Silver Rose from Der Rosenkavalier (with the earnest Christa Ludwig and the other-worldly Teresa Stich-Randall), and a fine Trovatore "Miserere" (with Leontyne Price and Franco Bonisolli singing up a storm). There are many others, too--a veritable cornucopia of couplings--and a treat for the opera lover. --Robert LevineDelibes, Leo CDs
- Styles > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( D )
- Donizetti, Gaetano
- ( M ) > Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
- ( P ) > Puccini, Giacomo
- ( S ) > Strauss, Richard
- ( V ) > Verdi, Giuseppe
- ( W ) > Wagner, Richard
- Historical Periods > Classical (c.1770-1830) > General
- Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > General Modern
- Opera & Vocal > Historical Periods > Classical (c.1770-1830)
- Romantic (c.1820-1910)
- Arias
- General
- Languages > French
- German
- Italian
- Operettas
- Divas > Ludwig, Christa
- Price, Leontyne
- Scotto, Renata
- Featured Performers, A-Z > ( B ) > Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
- ( L ) > London Philharmonic Orchestra
- ( N ) > National Philharmonic Orchestra London
- General
- Classical - Featured Composers, A-Z - ( D ) - Delibes, L?o - General
- Donizetti, Gaetano - Works by Donizetti
- Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Puccini, Giacomo - Works by Puccini
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