Search - Thomas Hampson, Ernest Blanc, Thomas Allen :: Best Opera Album In The World ... Ever!

Buy it, it lives up to its title!

Thomas Sheerin | Tampa, FL USA | 12/03/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In addition to the great male tenors, Maria Callas, Victoria de los Angeles, Renata Scotto, Helga Dernesch, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Mirella Freni, Madi Mespli, and others sing the great arias. This double CD will make you cry, it is so beautiful, and this from someone who never paid much attention to opera. I listen to it only about once a week, so I won't get tired of it, and after several months it still grabs my by the throat and makes tears run down my face. In 40 years of listening to rock and pop, I have never experienced this before. Buy it!"

It lives up to its title!

Lawrance M. Bernabo | 11/01/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In describing this album, which is a compilation of nearly every famous aria you've ever heard, I could easily run out of superlatives. This album runs the gamut from Bizet's "Au fond du temple saint" (Nicolai Gedda and Ernest Blanc) to a chillingly beautiful rendition of "Nessun dorma" (Jose' Carreras). Also included on this 2-disc album are such standards as "The Flower Duet" from Lakme and "Brindisi" from La Traviata.Opera fans who lack either the space or the funds to collect all of the works represented here should seriously consider this album."

Yes, this is a great opera album, but it could be better!

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 07/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This may well indeed be "The Best Opera Album in the World...Ever!" I certainly have yet to find one that is better, but I do want to point out that there is room for improvement. This double-CD set offers up 38 tracks and yet nothing by Donzetti or Bellini. How you can leave out the Sextet from "Lucia di Lammamoor" is beyond me. There are ten tracks by Puccini along with six by Moazart five by Verdi, but only one by Wagner. This makes sense when you are covering the works of Rossini, Offenbach and Leoncavallo, for whom "Largo al factotum," the "Barcarolle" and "Vesti la guibba" are far and away their best known pieces, but where is "The Ride of the Valkyrie"? Okay, enough of the albums shortcomings. Let us now talk about why the album total is not exactly hyperbole.Most of the arias included here are instantly recognizable, such as "La donne e mobile" "The Anvil Chorus" and "Der Holle Rache," but even the lesser known works such as Dvorak's "Song to the Moon" or Mascagni's "Suzei, bon di." When the album includes multiple tracks from the same opera, such as "La Boheme" or "Le Nozze di Figaro," they are grouped together. Featured singers include Montserat Caballe, Maria Callas, Renata Scotto, Kiri Te Kanawa, Roberto Algna, Helga Dernesch, Thomas Allen and all three of the 3 Tenors; Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. This album certainly makes ever effort to connect with those who have only recently come to enjoy opera. The linear notes point out that Maria Callas' "La Mamma Morta" aria from Giordano's "Andrea Chenier" was featured in "Philadelphia," and note the appearance of other noted arias in films such as "The Untouchables," "Fatal Attraction," "A Room With A View," "Moonstruck" and even the Marx Brother's "A Night at the Opera." The final cut offers "Nessun dorma," Pavarotti's famous encore piece, performed by Carreras with the full chorus, which you never really get to hear. A nice touch upon which to end the album. "The Best Opera Album in the World" will not be the only Opera Hits CD you own, but it is a good place to start."