Various Composers - 40 Most Beautiful Arias

Information

CD1:

1. Puccini - Turandot: "Nessun dorma!" - Plácido Domingo
2. Bizet - Carmen: "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" (Habanera) - Julia Migenes
3. Donizetti - L'elisir d'amore: "Una furtiva lagrima" - Roberto Alagna
4. Bizet - Carmen: "Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante" (Micaëla's aria) - Angela Gheorghiu
5. Bizet - Les pêcheurs de perles: "Au fond du temple saint" (The Pearl Fishers' Duet) - Jerry Hadley & Thomas Hampson
6. Handel - Xerxes, HWV 40: "Ombra mai fù" (Handel's Largo) - Jennifer Larmore
7. Purcell - Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626: "When I am laid in earth" (Dido's Lament) - Véronique Gens
8. Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro: "Voi che sapete" - Cecilia Bartoli
9. Mozart - Così fan tutte: "Soave sia il vento" - Kiri Te Kanawa & Frederica von Stade
10. Saint-Saëns - Samson et Dalila: "Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix" - Olga Borodina & José Cura
11. Massenet - Werther: "Pourquoi me réveiller?" - Jerry Hadley & Anne Sofie von Otter
12. Verdi - Rigoletto: "La donna è mobile" - Richard Leech
13. Dvořák - Rusalka, Op. 114: "Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém" - Eva Urbanová
14. Puccini - Madama Butterfly: "Un bel dì vedremo" - Cristina Gallardo-Domâs
15. Puccini - Manon Lescaut: "Donna non vidi mai" - José Cura
16. Verdi - La traviata: "Libiamo ne'lieti calici (Brindisi) - Neil Shicoff & Edita Gruberová
17. Puccini - Tosca: "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore" - Kiri Te Kanawa
18. Puccini - La Bohème: "Che gelida manina" - José Carreras
19. Puccini - La Bohème: "Sì. Mi chiamano Mimì" - Barbara Hendricks
20. Puccini - La Bohème: "O soave fanciulla" - José Carreras & Barbara Hendricks

CD2:

1. Puccini - Gianni Schicchi: "O mio babbino caro" - Cristina Gallardo-Domâs
2. Catalani - La Wally: "Ebben? Ne andrò lontana" - Cristina Gallardo-Domâs
3. Offenbach - Les Contes d'Hoffmann: "Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour" - Jennifer Larmore & Hei-Kyung Hong
4. Bizet - Carmen: "La fleur que tu m'avais jetée" (Flower Song) - Plácido Domingo
5. Puccini - Turandot: "Signore, ascolta" - Kiri Te Kanawa
6. Verdi - La Traviata:  "Un dì, felice, eterea" - Neil Shicoff & Edith Gruberova
7. Delibes - Lakmé: "Viens, Mallika, ... Dôme épais" (Flower Duet) - Jennifer Larmore & Hong Hei-Kyung
8. Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro: "Porgi, amor, qualche ristoro" - Lella Cuberli
9. Mozart - Don Giovanni, K. 527: "Dalla sua pace" - Hans Peter Blochwitz
10. Bellini - Norma: "Casta diva" - Maria Callas
11. Handel - Rinaldo, HWV 7a: "Lascia ch'io pianga" - Marilyn Horne
12. Gluck - Orfeo ed Euridice, Wq. 30: "J’ai perdu mon Euridice" - Susan Graham
13. Mozart - Die Zauberflöte, K. 620: "Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen" - Rosa Mannion & Anton Scharinger
14. Verdi - Aida: "Celeste Aida" - Plácido Domingo
15. Puccini - La Rondine: "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" (Doretta's Dream Song) - Kiri Te Kanawa
16. Giordano - Fedora: "Amor ti Vieta" - Plácido Domingo
17. Lehár - Die lustige Witwe: "Es lebt' eine Vilja, ein Waldmägdelein" (Vilja-lied) - Karita Mattila
18. Puccini - Tosca: "E lucevan le stelle" - Plácido Domingo
19. Verdi - Otello: "Ave Maria" - Cristina Gallardo-Domâs
20. Rossini - La Cenerentola: "Non piu mesta" - Jennifer Larmore

Date: 2006
Label: Warner Classics

http://old.warnerclassics.com/release,40MostBeautifulArias_4843.htm

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Review

As an introduction to opera that really covers the basics, Warner's 40 Most Beautiful Arias is a terrific package to give to beginners, though aficionados of the vocal arts may find some sparkling gems here, too. The selections are drawn from the most popular works in the repertoire, such as Le nozze di Figaro, Carmen, La bohème, and La Traviata, and examples from the operas of Mozart, Bizet, Puccini, Verdi, and other masters of the genre combine to make this a well-rounded and satisfying program. The performers are representative of the best in the field, and such world-renowned stars as Plácido Domingo, Kiri Te Kanawa, José Carreras, Barbara Hendricks, Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, and Jennifer Larmore, among many other great singers, lend this double-disc compilation an attractive luster. About the only complaint that can be made about this collection is the occasional variability of sound quality, which is usually clear and present, but sometimes a bit distant or out of balance; this can be expected in any survey of performances recorded on various dates between 1950 and 2001, with analog or digital reproduction, and at numerous venues from around the globe. But this really takes nothing away from the many musical riches this twofer offers, and most listeners will find the best-sounding arias outweigh the problems of the few hazy historical tracks.

-- Blair Sanderson, AllMusic

More reviews:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Most-Beautiful-Arias-Various-Artists/dp/B000IFSDAG
http://www.amazon.com/40-Most-Beautiful-Arias-2cd/dp/B0012908F0

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