Track Listing

1. La Dame Blanche, opera: Viens, gentille Dame
2. Faust, opera: quel trouble inconnu me p�n�tre! - Salut! demeure chaste et pure
3. Rom�o et Juliette, opera: Ah! L�ve-toi, soleil
4. Les Huguenots, grand opera in 5 acts: Nonloin des vieilles tours - Plus blache que la blanche hermine
5. Carmen, opera: La fleur que tu m'avais jet�e
6. Lakm�, opera: Prendre le dessin - Fantaisie aux divins mensonges
7. La Damnation de Faust, for mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass, chorus and orchestra, ('l�gende dramatique') H. 111 (Op. 24): Merci,
8. Les Troyens, opera, H. 133a: Inutiles regrets! - Ah! quand viendra l'instant des supr�mes adieux
9. Prince Igor, opera (completed by Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov): Is it thou, Vladimir (in Russian)
10. Eugene Onegin, opera, Op. 24: Where, oh where have you gone
11. Where art thou, little Star? (Gde t�, zvezdochka?), song for voice & piano
12. The Garden by the Don (Po nad Donom sad tsvetyot), song for voice & piano (edited by Rimsky-Korsakov)
13. A Society Tale: The Goat (Svetskaya skazochka: kozyol), song for voice & piano
14. In this moonlight, song for voice & piano, Op. 73/3
15. Amid the noise of the ball, song for voice and piano, Op. 38/3
16. Legend (When Jesus Christ was but a child), song for voice & piano or orchestra (16 Children's Songs), Op. 54/5
17. Don Juan's Serenade, song for voice & piano, Op. 38/1
18. Aleko, opera, TN ii/70: The song of the young Gypsy
19. How fair this spot, song for voice & piano, Op. 21/7

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #263629 in Music
• Released on: 2000-06-06
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Customer Reviews

This is some of the finest singing ever recorded
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.)

What a master singer!!!
This is a truly wonderful recording of the tenor, who I feel, is the greatest in the second half of the 20th Century. Maestro Gedda sings repetoire from the lyric Gerrard in Lakme to the dramatic Raoul in Les Hugeunots all with stylish ease and elan. Gedda had the most beautiful high notes in the business. These are all live performances and the span of time is from 1954 (Carmen, with von Karajan) to 1972 (Les Hugeunots). Finally, on CD, one gets to hear Maestro Gedda sing Lenski's Aria from Eugene Onegin, more beautiful and sumptuous than any other Tenor before or since. Also the last 9 tracks are Russian songs and this is some of the most beautiful singing heard anywhere (also done live).

Gedda in 60's and early 70's
Nicolai Gedda, a vocal wonder of the post-WWII Europe is in great form in live selections presented on this CD.
The French opera arias, particularly Berlioz and Gounod, required stellar high B's and C's plus ability to shift the registers seemlessly. Well, Gedda dispite his accent, was indeed perfect for this material. He will make you hold your breath every time he hits those high notes and each of these notes is crystal clear and dead-center on pitch.
For me personally, the best part of the disc is a 1971 recital of Russian art songs by Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. Gedda sings with a lot of feeling and is not afraid to "invent" -- check out the messa voce, or rubato that he adds. "Where art thou, little star" is heart-gripping in its beauty.
Unfortunately, the recital is clearly not presented in its entirety. I just hope Gala will release the full version some time soon.
Of course, all the selections are "live". But that's not a serious problem here (unlike many other Gala CDs made almost unlistenable by caughs and other noises). Yes, there are a few distractions, but not enough to take away from pure joy of Gedda's singing.