100 Best Opera Classics

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  • Booklet languages: English
  • Time: 470:48
  • Release Date: 2004

Review

100 Best Opera Classics, a six-CD set, includes nearly eight hours of some of the most popular music from opera's golden age, from the late eighteenth century through the early 20th century. The selections are drawn from the archives of EMI, and although these might not necessarily be THE definitive interpretations of these pieces, it can be assumed that most all of the performances here meet a high artistic standard. The sound can vary, because the recording dates range from 1955 to 2003, with the majority from the 1960s, but it is often very good, and always at least respectable. The pieces come largely from the standard Italian, German, and French repertoire, with Mozart, Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Wagner, Massenet, and Puccini being the best represented composers. The rarities come almost entirely from neglected French repertoire, with selections from obscure operas by Berlioz, Auber, Adam, Bizet, Massenet, and Lalo. While there are some performances by singers of small reputation, the majority are by stars that anyone with a glancing familiarity with opera would recognize -- Callas, Caballé, Nilsson, Scotto, Schwarzkopf, Sills, Crespin, Ludwig, Corelli, Gedda, Pavarotti, Domingo, Fischer-Dieskau, Christoff -- to name just a few. The conductors, too, are generally top-notch, and include Beecham, Klemperer, von Karajan, Schippers, Haitink, Norrington, and Levine. The variety of repertoire, the quality of performances, and EMI's budget price make this a set that should interest listeners looking for a broad assortment of operatic classics. ~ Stephen Eddins, Rovi

Performances

Composer Title Time
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), opera, K. 492 (Voi che sapete) 2:49
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), opera, K. 492 (Porgi amor) 4:15
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni, opera, K. 527 (Deh, vieni alla finestra) 2:02
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni, opera, K. 527 (Batti, batti, o bel Masetto) 3:52
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), opera, K. 620 (Der Hölle Rache) 2:56
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), opera, K. 620 (O Isis und Osiris) 3:12
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Così fan tutte, opera, K. 588 (Temerari...Come scoglio) 5:52
Gioachino Rossini Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), opera (La calunnia è un venticello) 4:54
Giuseppe Verdi Don Carlo, opera (Nei giardin del bello) 4:56
Vincenzo Bellini Norma, opera (Casta Diva) 5:33
Giuseppe Verdi Aida, opera (Se quel guerrier...Celeste Aida) 4:41
Giuseppe Verdi La Traviata, opera (Tenesta la promessa...Addio del passato) 5:43
Giuseppe Verdi Otello, opera (Niun mi tema) 6:01
Giacomo Puccini Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), opera (Un bel di vedremo) 4:38
Giacomo Puccini Tosca, opera (E lucevan le stelle) 2:53
Giacomo Puccini La bohème, opera (Si, mi chiamano Mimi) 4:53
Giacomo Puccini Manon Lescaut, opera (In quelle trine morbide) 2:16
Giacomo Puccini Turandot, opera (Signore, ascolta) 2:37
Ruggero Leoncavallo Pagliacci, opera (Recitar...Vesti la giubba) 3:44
Umberto Giordano Fedora, opera (Amor ti vieta di non amar) 1:45
Charles Gounod Faust, opera (Le veau d'or est toujours debout) 2:03
Léo Delibes Lakmé, opera (Où va la jeune hindoue?) 6:30
Charles Gounod Roméo et Juliette, opera (L'amour, l'amour...Ah! Lève-toi, soleil) 4:19
Jules Massenet Manon, opera in 5 acts (Allons! Il le faut...Adieu notre petite table) 3:51
Jules Massenet Werther, lyric drama in 4 acts (Toute mon âme est là...Pourquoi me réveiller) 2:36
Georges Bizet La Jolie Fille de Perth, opera in 4 acts (Quand la flamme de l'amour) 4:57
Georges Bizet Carmen, opera (L'amour est un oiseau rebelle) 4:35
Georges Bizet Les Pêcheurs de perles, opera in 3 acts (À cette voix...Je crois entendre encore) 4:32
Hector Berlioz La Damnation de Faust, for mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass, chorus and orchestra, ("légende dramatique") H. 111 (Op. 24) (Une puce gentille) 1:25
Hector Berlioz Les Troyens, opera, H. 133a (Je vais mourir...Adieu, fière cité) 6:01
Camille Saint-Saëns Samson et Dalila, opera in 3 acts, Op. 47 (Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix) 5:17
Richard Wagner Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 (Wie Todesahnung...O du mein holder Abendstern) 4:16
Richard Wagner Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman), opera, WWV 63 (Johohoe! Traft ihr das Schiff im Meere an?) 8:13
Richard Wagner Lohengrin, opera, WWV 75 (In fernem Land) 4:43
Richard Wagner Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c (Heil dir, Sonnet) 5:17
Richard Wagner Tristan und Isolde, opera, WWV 90 (Mild und leise) 7:19
Christoph Willibald Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice (Italian version), opera in 3 acts, Wq. 30 (Che farò senza Euridice?) 5:27
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), opera, K. 620 (Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja) 2:36
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni, opera, K. 527 (Finch'han dal vino) 1:27
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), opera, K. 492 (E Susanna non vien!...Dove sono) 6:27
Ludwig van Beethoven Fidelio, opera, Op. 72 (Abscheulicher!) 8:18
Gioachino Rossini Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera (Ne m'abandonne pas, espoir de la vengeance...Asile héréditaire) 6:59
Gioachino Rossini Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), opera (Largo al factotum) 4:43
Giuseppe Verdi Don Carlo, opera (Ella giammai m'amò) 7:32
Giuseppe Verdi Rigoletto, opera (La donna è mobile) 2:15
Giuseppe Verdi Il Trovatore, opera (Di quella pira) 2:02
Giuseppe Verdi Otello, opera (Esultate!) 2:25
Giuseppe Verdi Otello, opera (Dio! mi potevi scagliar) 4:40
Giacomo Puccini Tosca, opera (Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore) 3:01
Giacomo Puccini Turandot, opera (In questa reggia) 5:58
Giacomo Puccini Turandot, opera (Tanto amore) 2:22
Giacomo Puccini Gianni Schicchi, opera (O mio babbino caro) 2:41
Pietro Mascagni L'amico Fritz, opera (commedia lyrica) in 3 acts (Ed anche Beppe amo) 3:17
Francesco Cilèa Adriana Lecouvreur, opera (Poveri fiori) 3:12
Umberto Giordano Andrea Chénier, opera (Come un bel di di maggio) 3:03
Charles Gounod Faust, opera (Les grands seigneurs...Ah! Je ris de me voir si belle) 5:51
Jules Massenet Le jongleur de Notre-Dame, opera in 3 acts (Marie, avec l'enfant Jésus) 5:31
Charles Gounod Mireille, opera (Heureux petit berger) 2:06
Ambroise Thomas Mignon, opera in 3 acts (Connais-tu le pays) 5:40
Ambroise Thomas Mignon, opera in 3 acts (Elle ne croyait pas dans sa candeur) 3:32
Georges Bizet Carmen, opera (Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre...Toréador) 4:56
Jacques Offenbach Les contes d'Hoffmann, opera in 4 acts (Les oiseaux dans la charmille) 5:48
Hector Berlioz La Damnation de Faust, for mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass, chorus and orchestra, ("légende dramatique") H. 111 (Op. 24) (Maintenant, chantons...Devant la maison de celui qui t'adore) 2:17
Gustave Charpentier Louise, opera (Depuis le jour) 5:34
Richard Strauss Der Rosenkavalier, opera, Op. 59 (TrV 227) (Da geht er hin) 5:23
Richard Wagner Lohengrin, opera, WWV 75 (Einsam in trüben Tagen) 6:02
Richard Wagner Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 (Dich, teure Halle) 4:45
Richard Wagner Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), opera, WWV 86b (Leb wohl, du kühnes, herrliches Kind) 15:42
Richard Wagner Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), opera, WWV 86b (Hojotoho! Hojotoho!) 5:55
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), opera, K. 492 (Non più andrai) 3:41
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni, opera, K. 527 (Là ci darem la mano) 3:15
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), opera, K. 620 (Duo: Pa-pa-pa) 2:23
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Così fan tutte, opera, K. 588 (Soave sia il vento) 3:04
Vincenzo Bellini Norma, opera (Mira, o Norma) 7:29
Gaetano Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor, opera (Il dolce suono) 16:44
Gaetano Donizetti Don Pasquale, opera (Com'è gentil) 3:51
Gioachino Rossini Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), opera (Una voce poco fa) 6:19
Giuseppe Verdi La Traviata, opera (Libiamo n' lieti calici) 2:52
Giuseppe Verdi Rigoletto, opera (Gualtier Maldè!...Caro nome) 6:42
Giuseppe Verdi Aida, opera (Ritorna vincitor) 6:25
Giuseppe Verdi Otello, opera (Ave Maria) 5:13
Giacomo Puccini Turandot, opera (Nessun dorma) 2:50
Giacomo Puccini La bohème, opera (Che gelida manina) 4:28
Alfredo Catalani La Wally, opera (dramma musicale) in 4 acts (Ebben? Ne andrò lontana) 4:20
Adolphe Adam Le Postillon de Lonjumeau, opera (Mes amis, écoutez l'histoire) 3:46
Daniel-François-Esprit Auber La Muette de Portici, opera (Mieux vaut mourir...Amour sacré de la partrie) 5:46
Charles Gounod Roméo et Juliette, opera (Ah! Je veux vivre dans ce rêve) 3:51
Edouard Lalo Le Roi d'Ys, opera in 3 acts (Puisqu'on me peut fléchir...Vainement, ma bien-aimée) 3:28
Jules Massenet Manon, opera in 5 acts (Suis-je gentille ainsi?...Je marche sur tous les chemins) 3:04
Jacques Offenbach Les contes d'Hoffmann, opera in 4 acts (Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour) 4:20
Georges Bizet Carmen, opera (La fleur que tu m'avais jetée) 4:27
Georges Bizet Les Pêcheurs de perles, opera in 3 acts (C'est toi!...Au fond du temple saint) 7:28
Jules Massenet Werther, lyric drama in 4 acts (Werther, Werther, qui m'aurait dit..Ces lettres!) 7:28
Léo Delibes Lakmé, opera (Viens, Mallika) 5:53
Jules Massenet Thaïs, opera in 3 acts (Ah! Je suis seule enfin...Dis-moi que je suis belle) 6:42
Charles Gounod Faust, opera (Alerte, alerte!...Anges purs, anges radieux) 2:31
Modest Mussorgsky Boris Godunov, opera (Boris's Farewell) 5:59
Carl Maria von Weber Oberon, opera, J. 306 (Schreckensschwurt) 2:12
Richard Wagner Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, opera, WWV 96 (Die "Selige Morgentraum-Deutweise"...Selig, wie die Sonne) 5:32
Richard Wagner Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c (Was am besten er kann...Nothung! Nothung!) 5:52

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