Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1: Preludio
2. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1: Introduzione - Della Mia Bella... Questa O Quella
3. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1: Partite? Crudele!
4. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1: Gran Nuova, Gran Nuova!
5. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1: Ch'io Gli Parli
6. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1: Quel Vecchio Maledivami!
7. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1: Pari Siamo!
8. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1: Figlia! Mio Padre!
9. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1: Deh Non Parlare Al Misero
10. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1: Gi� Tre Lune Son Qui Venuta
11. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1: Giovanna, Ho Dei Rimorsi
12. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1: Ah Inseparabile D'amore Il Dio
13. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1: Che M'ami, Deh, Ripetimi
14. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1: Gualtier Mald�... Caro Nome
15. Rigoletto, opera: Act 1: Zitti, Zitti Moviano A Vendetta
16. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2: Ella Mi Fu Rapita
17. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2: Parmi Veder Le Lagrime
18. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2: Duca, Duca? Ebben?
19. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2: Povero Rigoletto!
20. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2: Cortigiani, Vil Razza Dannata
21. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2: Mio Padre! Dio Mia Gilda!
22. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2: Parla, Siam Soli
23. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2: Ah! Solo Per Me L'infamia
24. Rigoletto, opera: Act 2: Compiuto Pur Quanto A Fare Mi Resta

Disc 2:

1. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3: E L'ami? Sempre
2. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3: La Donna � Mobile
3. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3: Un D�, Se Ben Rammemtomi
4. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3: Bella Figlia Dell'amore
5. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3: M'odi, Ritorna A Casa
6. La forza del destino, opera: Morir! Tremenda cosa
7. La Traviata, opera: Di Provenza il mar
8. Simon Boccanegra, opera: Dinne, perch� in quest' eremo
9. Otello, opera: Inaffia l'ugola!
10. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3: Piet� D'un Mendico; Asil Per La Notte
11. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3: Della Vendetta Alfin Giunge L'istante!
12. Rigoletto, opera: Act 3: Chi � Mai, Che � Qui In Sua Vece?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #384481 in Music
• Released on: 2001-01-30
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Customer Reviews

A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART
When I was in high school, my music teacher used this recording (on RCA LP's at the time) to teach us about Verdi's perfect operatic writing and how a great cast will, all too rarely, come together and illuminate an already wonderful score. This was also the first complete operatic recording I ever purchased. I have a special place in my heart for "Rigoletto" and for this performance which has now finally been released on CD. Leonard Warren stands head and shoulders above all of the other "Rigolettos" on record. He is fierce and sly and, finally, tragic. He plays the wicked clown and the over-protective father perfectly. In every single scene, he manages to effortlessly combine the ugliness of the character with the beauty of the music and of his once-in-a-lifetime baritone. Your heart breaks for him at the opera's conclusion. Erna Berger is excellent as his daughter, "Gilda" and Jan Peerce, a tenor one does not hear too much about these days, is in great voice as the "Duke." Even though the sound is not up to current standards, it is more than adequate enough to hear that my music teacher was right.

THE GRANDDADDY "RIGOLETTO" OF THEM ALL!!
I must concur with the previous reviewers on the quality of this performance. It's one of the great ones and its brilliance is not diminished in the least by the fact that it is now 50 years old. I don't have the problems with the sonics and sound
that was noted by my previous counterparts on these pages. The sound, of course, is state-of-the-art mono for 1950 --- which is actually quite listenable and agreeable.
The only other Rigoletto on record that comes close to Leonard Warren is Tito Gobbi (on EMI with Callas), who is also
quite spectacular in the great role. Warren, however, had the
superior vocal instrument, and his dramatic histrionics in this role were right on target. His Rigoletto is truly a classic operatic interpretation. The role of Gilda is so beautifully realized by Erna Berger that one cannot imagine anyone else who sounds as young and as virginial. With all due respect to Callas and Sutherland, "girlishness" was not in their line, though both did make good accounts of the role on their respective recordings. Jan Peerce was never a tenor I especially cared for, but on this recording, he actually sounds very, very good. Somehow the nasal quality in his voice which I find so noticeable in many of his recordings is all but absent here, and he sings with much lyricism and real beauty. I find this "Rigoletto" to be Renato Cellini's greatest work as a conductor -- he creates a taut, dramatic, and very compelling performance.
Many will be overjoyed that this outstanding performance is once again available. Why RCA didn't choose to reissue it on their own label is beyond me, and accordingly, a very heartfelt "thank-you" to Preiser for making this wonderful "Rigoletto" available for all to hear. Bravo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Desert Island recording with a caveat
I first bought this recording as a set of 45's as a kid in the 1950's. It's been with me ever since and will always be one of my favorite recordings of this opera. With that in mind, I was very excited to see it was finally issued on CD. Having heard BMG was licensing recordings they weren't planning on issuing themselved to other labels, I assumed this set would be from the original master tapes, which at the time was a big deal as it represented RCA's first venture in recording a complete opera on tape (in 1950). Being familiar with the 45 set, the lp set and a commercially availble 1/2 track mono reel of the excerpts, I was disappointed to hear the Preiser set (as well as the Naxos set) as they sadly, are from lp transfers. The original recordings were done on tape, at 30 ips and the sound is amazing. The sound on the present set of CD's is pinched and distorted in spots with a heavy amount of compression, as was the case with the original vinyl release. Even though these CD's are clean and well transferred, they do not represent the true quality of the original sessions. I would recommend this set as a stop-gap because, in the final analysis, it's the performance that counts. However, knowing a much better recording of this exists makes it frustrating and one can only hope the people at RCA/BMG consider an "offical" release of this treasure soon.