Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. La donna del lago (The Lady of the Lake), opera: Tanti affetti in tal momento
2. La donna del lago (The Lady of the Lake), opera: Fra il padre e fra l'amante
3. Otello, opera: O tu, del mio dolor
4. In giorno si bello, for 2 sopranos, tenor, bass & piano (3 quartetti da camera): Assisa a' piè d'un salice
5. Otello, opera: Deh, calma, o ciel
6. Stabat mater for 2 sopranos, tenor, bass, chorus & orchestra: Inflammatus e accensus
7. Armida, opera: D'amore al dolce impero
8. Tancredi, opera: O patria, dolce e ingrata patria
9. Tancredi, opera: Di tanti palpiti
10. Le siège de Corinthe (The Siege of Corinth), opera: L'ora fatal s'appressa
11. Le siège de Corinthe (The Siege of Corinth), opera: Giusto ciel! In tal periglio
12. Belisario, opera: Plauso! Voci di gioia!
13. Belisario, opera: Sin la tomba è a me negata
14. Belisario, opera: O desio della vendetta
15. Parisina, opera: No, più salir non ponno
16. Parisina, opera: Ciel, sei tu che in tal momento
17. Parisina, opera: Ugo è spento

Disc 2:

1. Torquato Tasso, opera: Fatal Goffredo!
2. Torquato Tasso, opera: Io l'udia ne' suoi bei carmi
3. Torquato Tasso, opera: Trono e corona
4. Gemma di Vergy, opera: Lascia, Guido, ch'io possa vendicare
5. Gemma di Vergy, opera: Una voce al cor d'intorno
6. Gemma di Vergy, opera: Egli riede?
7. Un Giorno di regno, opera (Il finto Stanislao): Ah! Non m'hanno ingannata! ... Grave a core innamorato
8. Un Giorno di regno, opera (Il finto Stanislao): Se dee cadar la vedova
9. I Lombardi alla prima Crociata, opera: Qual prodigio! ... Non fu sogno!
10. I due Foscari, opera: No, mi lasciate ... Tu al cui sgardo onnipossente
11. I due Foscari, opera: Che mi rechi? ... La clemenza!
12. Alzira, opera: Riposa. Tutte, in suo dolor vegliante
13. Alzira, opera: Da Gusman, su fragil barca
14. Alzira, opera: Alta pietade ogn'anima ... Nell'astro che più fulgido
15. Attila, opera: Liberamente or piangi ... Oh! nel fuggente nuvolo
16. Il Corsaro, opera: Egli non riede ancora!
17. Il Corsaro, opera: Non so le tetre immagini
18. Aroldo, opera: Oh, cielo! Dove son'io!
19. Aroldo, opera: Ah! dagli scanni eterei
20. Aroldo, opera: Ah, dal sen di quella tomba

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40477 in Music
• Released on: 2004-10-12
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .29 pounds

Customer Reviews

Montserrat Caballe's Claim To Fame
Bel canto opera was soprano Montserrat Caballe's claim to fame. Blessed with both a huge and lyrically resplendent voice, she was a refreshing change from the purely dramatic style of singing provided by Maria Callas. Her pianissimi are still talked about even long after they disappeared, her coloratura is dynamic, her stamina and breath control impressive and her orutund, vigorous but beautiful tone made her particularly suited for the roles of queens or strong women- Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia and Bellini's Norma especially. The other reviewer says she was perfect for the roles of mothers, queens and wives, and this is true because she was able to portray seemingly powerful women dying of love underneath. She would have made an exceptionally terrific Turandot but she never sang the role in her career.Her career in opera spanned the decades of the 60's, 70's and even part of the 80's. The arias from Parisina and Torquato Tasso are indeed outstanding. These operas are obscure bel canto operas by Donizetti, Rossini and even early Verdi operas. These operas will never be staged again and some of them enjoyed only mild success in their original stage premieres in the 19th century. This is the work of young and energetic composers who had not yet mastered character insight and thrilling dramatic elements. Mostly, it's beautiful singing, the actual definiton of the term bel canto. What we get in place of dramatic potency is ornate, lush singing. In the very least, these arias should be sung in recital. Caballe sang numerous bel canto pieces in recital, displaying her gift for this type of singing. She is the very embodiment of bel canto. Not even Joan Sutherland and Beverly Sills, considered her fellow peers in the same "back to bel canto" movement could essay the arias with such grace, elegance and majestic beauty. Sutherland sang with obvious gloss and no real dramatic power, Sills sang beautifully but focused on the significance of text as drama and therefore "spoke" some of her lines or cried or raged instead of singing. Callas was the same way only hers was a bigger voice. Caballe gave us simply beautiful singing. And we thank her for that.

rare and glorious music, gloriously sung
This seems to be a compilation of Caballe's three early LPs. A lot of the music was very rare at the time, especially the Donizetti. Some of the early Verdi was also unknown to me until I heard her fabulous renditions thereof. My favorite is the cavatina/cabaletta from Donizetti's "Torquato Tasso," two brilliantly memorable tunes that always leave me humming the melodies for hours and days. Caballe's ravishing sound has never been better: the gorgeous legato, the phenomenal breath control, the floating high pianissimi. This was one of the most amazing voices of our time, and this two-disc set is a perfect reminder of why she was without equal in this rare Donizetti repertory.

There is one slight problem with this set. When you put disc two into a computer, the info comes up for disc one, and you will think that you have two copies of disc one and no disc two. If you put it into a CD player, you won't know the difference, but I put it in the computer and couldn't figure out why the read-out for disc two was the same Rossini stuff as disc one, and I made a fool of myself by contacting people complaining about having two disc twos and no disc one. I later realized my mistake...and the computer "programmer's." Live and learn.

Welcome to the Caballe school of singing!

This re-released recitals indisputably rank among Caballe's best recording material. Each "rarity" has something different to offer. In Rossini, Caballe mostly displays her coloratura ability which was not in the same league as Sills', Callas' or Sutherland's but had a magic of its own. One never expects such agilty from such a firm and full voice. The Tancredi scene is my favourite.

In Donizetti, Caballe truly reigns! If only she'd recorded these operas completely. I've always found her sound perfectly suited to roles of wifes, mothers and aristocratic ladies in general. The operas chosen here deal with marrital problems and Caballe is the definition of the Donizzeti roles she sings here! My favs are the Parisina and Torquato Tasso moments. Comparing her and the lighter sopranos who nowadays perform these operas makes one realise that high notes are not the issue here. The full, sumptuous sound of a Monsterrat is what these operas need!

Early Verdi has a lot in common with bel canto and Caballe is again sublime! The Un Giorno extract stands out. It's breathtakingly perfect! Caballe finds meaning in every phrase she sings. But all other tracks are unforgettable as well. Needless to say that the voice at this moment of her carreer was at its best!

These recitals will always have a special place in my opera collection and my heart!