The Very Best of Victoria de Los Angeles is a superior representation of the soprano's career. The two-disc set begins with a well-rounded selection of arias, from Mozart to Gounod to Wagner to Puccini, followed by examples of her concert and recital repertoire. The recording dates also cover her full career, from the Wagner and Mozart arias recorded in 1950 to her memorable Songs of the Auvergne recording from 1975. The fact that some of these are mono recordings really isn't as noticeable as you might expect, thanks to the magic of digital remastering. The arias are some of the most familiar, but the true highlight of the opera selections is her vocal skills. Listen to "Ebben? Ne andrò lontana" from La Wally or "Una voce poco fa" from The Barber of Seville to hear the way she moves from the top to the bottom of her range with little trouble at all and the way she performs fast scales or ornaments without blurring notes together. In addition to these skills, her interpretations are affecting, particularly in the songs, and her voice is warm and strong. The second disc contains the complete Cinco Canciones negras by Montsalvatge and songs from Falla's El Amor brujo, two works for which her interpretations are usually considered the standard. Other songs range from Handel to Grieg to Ravel, along with other Spanish works. An extra treat is Adios, Granada, in which de los Angeles accompanies herself on the guitar as she sings. ~ Patsy Morita, All Music Guide
| Giacomo Puccini |
Gianni Schicchi, opera (O mio babbino caro) |
2:08 |
| Giacomo Puccini |
Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), opera (Act II. Un bel dì vedremo) |
4:43 |
| Giacomo Puccini |
La bohème, opera (Act I. Sì, Mi chiamano Mimì) |
5:08 |
| Giacomo Puccini |
Suor Angelica, opera (Senza mamma) |
4:47 |
| Pietro Mascagni |
Cavalleria rusticana, opera (melodramma) in 1 act (Voi lo sapete, o mamma) |
3:37 |
| Ruggero Leoncavallo |
Pagliacci, opera (Act I. Qual fiamma avea nel guardo!...Hui! Stridono lassù) |
4:43 |
| Alfredo Catalani |
La Wally, opera (dramma musicale) in 4 acts (Act I. Ebben? ne andrò lontana) |
3:42 |
| Gioachino Rossini |
La cenerentola (Cinderella), opera (Act II. Nacqui all'affano...Non più mesta) |
6:01 |
| Gioachino Rossini |
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), opera (Act I. Una voce poco fa) |
5:37 |
| Giuseppe Verdi |
La Traviata, opera (Act I. È strano!...Ah, fors' è lui...Sempre libera) |
8:46 |
| Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), opera, K. 492 (Act II. Porgi, amor) |
4:38 |
| Richard Wagner |
Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 (Dich, teure Halle) |
4:47 |
| Richard Wagner |
Lohengrin, opera, WWV 75 (Act I. Einsam in trüben Tagen) |
4:56 |
| Jules Massenet |
Manon, opera in 5 acts (Act II. Je ne suis que faiblesse...Adieu, notre petite table) |
3:53 |
| Charles Gounod |
Faust, opera (Act III. Les grands seigneurs...Ah! je ris) |
5:55 |
| Georges Bizet |
Carmen, opera (Act I. Quand je vous aimerai?...L'amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera)) |
5:06 |
| Felix Mendelssohn |
Auf Flügeln des Gesanges (On Wings of Song), song for voice & piano, Op. 34/2 |
2:41 |
| Edvard Grieg |
Jeg elsker Dig (I Love but Thee), song for voice & piano, Op. 5/3 |
2:36 |
| Johannes Brahms |
Wiegenlied ("Guten Abend, gut Nacht"), song for voice & piano, Op. 49/4 |
2:25 |
| Léo Delibes |
Les Filles de Cadix, bolero for voice & piano (or orchestra) |
3:04 |
| Xavier Montsalvatge |
Canciones negras (5) for voice & piano (or orchestra) |
11:31 |
| Pablo Luna |
El Niño Judio, zarzuela (De España vengo) |
4:53 |
| Manuel de Falla |
El Amor brujo, ballet for mezzo-soprano & orchestra in 1 act, G. 68 (revised version) (Canción del amor dolido) |
1:32 |
| Manuel de Falla |
El Amor brujo, ballet for mezzo-soprano & orchestra in 1 act, G. 68 (revised version) (Canción del fuego fatuo) |
1:39 |
| Joseph Canteloube |
La Pastoura al Camps (La begère aux champs), folksong for voice & orchestra (Chants d'Auvergne, Series 1, No. 1) |
2:23 |
| Joseph Canteloube |
Baïlèro, folksong for voice & orchestra (Chants d'Auvergne, Series 1, No. 2) |
4:48 |
| Joseph Canteloube |
Chut, Chut, folksong for voice & orchestra (Chants d'Auvergne, Series 4, No. 4) |
1:59 |
| Joseph Canteloube |
Uno jionto Postouro (Une jolie bergère; Regret), folksong for voice & orchestra (Chants d'Auvergne, Series 5, No. 7) |
2:57 |
| George Frederick Handel |
Joshua, oratorio, HWV 64 (Oh! had I Jubal's lyre) |
2:56 |
| Franz Schubert |
An die Musik ("Du holde Kunst..."), song for voice & piano, D. 547 (Op. 88/4) |
3:03 |
| Johannes Brahms |
Dein blaues Auge hält so still, song for voice & piano, Op. 59/8 |
2:11 |
| Johannes Brahms |
Vergebliches Ständchen ("Guten Abend, mein Schatz"), song for voice & piano, Op. 84/4 |
1:39 |
| Henri Duparc |
L'invitation au voyage ("Mon enfant, ma soeur"), song for voice & piano (or orchestra) |
4:11 |
| Maurice Ravel |
Shéhérazade, poems (3) for soprano (or tenor) & orchestra (or piano) (La Flûte enchantée) |
2:49 |
| Maurice Ravel |
Chants populaires, song cycle for voice & piano (or orchestra) (Chanson espagnole) |
2:38 |
| Maurice Ravel |
Chants populaires, song cycle for voice & piano (or orchestra) (Chanson française) |
1:56 |
| Maurice Ravel |
Chants populaires, song cycle for voice & piano (or orchestra) (Chanson italienne) |
1:24 |
| Joaquín "Quinito" Valverde Sanjuán |
Clavelitos!, for voice & piano |
1:45 |
| Joaquin Nin |
Malagueña (Cantos populares españolas, No. 6) |
2:41 |
| Joaquin Nin |
Granadina |
2:01 |
| Tomás Barrera / Rafael Calleja |
Adiós, Grenada (from "Emigrantes") |
2:13 |
| Jerónimo Giménez |
La Tarántula, zarzuela (Zapateado) |
1:46 |
