Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Giulio Cesare: Svegliatevi Nel Cor
2. Don Giovanni: Il Mio Tesoro
3. Duca d'Alba: Inosservata, Penetrava; Angelo Casto E Bel
4. Juive: Rachel, Quand du Seigneur
5. Luisa Miller: Oh! Fede Negar Potessi; Quando le Sere Al Placido
6. Lohengrin: In Fernem Land
7. Simon Boccanegra: O Inferno! Sento Avvampar
8. Eugene Onegin: Lenski's Aria
9. Villi: Torna Ai Felici Di
10. Iris: Apri la Tua Finestra!
11. Werther: Pourquoi Me Réveiller?
12. Pagliacci: Recitar! Mentre Preso; Vesti la Giubba
13. Elisir d'Amore -- Una Furtiva Lagrima
14. Musette! O Gioia Della Mia Dimora; Testa Adorata [La Bohème]
15. Manon: Je Suis Seul!; Ah! Fuyez, Douce Image
16. Forza del Destino: La Vita E Inferno; O, Tu Che in Seno Agli Angeli
17. Adrian Lecouvreur: l'Anima Ho Stanca
18. Turandot: Non Piangere, Liu
19. Fanciulla del West: Una Parola Sola; or Son Sei Mesi
20. Gianni Schicchi: Avete Tort!; Firenze E Come un Albero Fiorito
21. Pecheurs de Perles: A Cette Voix Quel Trouble; Ja Crois Entendre ...
22. Ballo in Maschera: Barcarola: Di Tu Se Fedele Il Flutto M'Aspetta
23. Romeo et Juliette: l'Amour! l'Amour!; Ah! Leve-Toi, Soleil
24. Boheme: Non Parlate Cosi!; Io Non Ho Che Una Povera Stanzetta
25. Chatteron: Non Saria Meglio; Tu Sola a Me

Disc 2:

1. Lamento Di Federico E la Solita Storia [L'Arlesiana]
2. Martha: M'Appari
3. Fanciulla del West: Ch'ell Mi Creda Libero
4. Rigoletto: La Donna É Mobile
5. Cid: Ah! Tout Est Bien Fini!; O Souverain, O Juge, O Pere
6. Africana: Mi Batte Il Cor/O Paradiso/Deh! Ch'io Ritorni
7. Cavalleria Rusticana: Intanto, Amici, Qua; Viva Il Vino Spumeggiante
8. Faust: Quel Trouble Inconnu; Salut! Demeure Chaste et Pure
9. Rigoletto (Questa O Quella)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #169926 in Music
• Brand: RCA
• Released on: 1999-08-10
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .28 pounds

Customer Reviews

Great CD for the young Placido!
This CD features Placido Domingo, the best tenor of the world today, in his youth. It contains in their entirety the three opera aria recordings made by the big maestro for RCA:Romantic Arias (1968); Domingo Sings Caruso (1971) and La Voce d'Oro(1972). The CD includes then some of the greatest arias of the repertoire, including Wagner's "In fernem Land" from Lohengrin.

Domingo was less than 30 years old when he made these recordings. The high notes weren't that good especially the high C in "Salut demeure chaste et pure" from Faust. However, you can already be amazed by Domingo's wonderful technique in breathing control, which has now become a legend.

Overall, the CD is a must in every Operatic collection. It contains 35 arias, 2 Cds for about 15$! Don't Look, however, for Nessun Dorma or the 2 Tosca Arias...they're just not there!

And if you're looking for great arias by Domingo, I strongly recommend Bravo Domingo release by Deutshe Grammophon. You will really see this great tenor at his best.

A Star on the rise
This is a truly lovely set, beautifully presented by RCA. My favorite tenor, Domingo dominates my opera collection. I also have about a dozen compilations, operatic and otherwise and find myself returning again and again to this goldmine. Yes, he's young (28-32) and when I hear his later work I like that best, but then I come back and listen to this and it's awfully good, too! Must have both. He pours that passionately musical soul of his into these arias with an eager abandonment that, in a way, nearly equals the mature intensity that he continues to develop and deepen to this day. Here that fire is already blazing like an inferno in "O inferno!... Sento avvampar nel anima". There is stunning power and, as the liner notes put it, `temperament' in this and many others like "Musette! O gioia della mia dimora", "Torna ai felici dì"and "Non saria meglio . . . Tu sola a me". Some of these arias may be as unfamiliar to you as they were to me and that is another reason I value this set. I simply don't hear these lesser-known arias elsewhere.

These two discs bring together three of Domingo's albums for RCA (plus `Pourquoi me reveiller' and the two final Leoncavallo selections); `Romantic Arias' 1969 fills disc 1, then `Domingo Sings Caruso' 1972 and `La Voce d'Oro' 1973. It is an interesting mix with everything from Mozart to Wagner to verismo and French opera but it works and they are ordered tastefully, unlike some compilations which artlessly lump arias together by language or composer regardless of how rough the transitions might be.

This `Young Domingo' release reflects the love that must have gone into making those original records. The booklet is excellent- clear track listing with full information; a thorough note on the source recordings; the original liner notes from `Romantic Arias' titled `New Star in the Operatic Firmament' (very fun!); all texts in English and original language.

Of interest- `O Paradiso' (usually `Pays merveilleux . . . Ô paradis!') is indeed sung in Italian and after the usual 3 min aria goes on for another 4 min with `Deh, ch'io ritorni alla mia nave'. Wonderfully dramatic music as Vasco rails against the prospect of death without the glory of his name being remembered. Wish this were included more often!

All these goodies considered, along with the overall quality of presentation, this album is among my most treasured by Domingo. It provides a thoroughly enjoyable opportunity to look back at the early stage of what must surely be one of the most comprehensively amazing careers in operatic history- a career that continues to expand...

For further young Domingo listening check out a thrilling `live' performance of Ernani in Milan 1969 with Domingo/Kabaivanska/Ghiaurov and Votto conducting Verdi: Ernani. Good as he is in studio I think there is always that extra level of intensity that he gives when on the stage. Another marvelous performance, of Massenet's Werther, was captured on December 18, 1977 (a good month to hear that opera, no?) with Fassbaender, Jesus Lopez Cobos conducting Massenet: Werther [Fassbaender, Domingo, 1977].

VERY GOOD - VERY WELL RECEIVED
Wonderful recordings. We hear Domingo in great form en in some opera treasures which are very unknown (Example : Chatterton by Leoncavallo).
When you are an opera lover, you need certainly these CD's.