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EAN: 0028944094725 Label: Decca Manufacturer: Decca Number Of Discs: 1 Publisher: Decca Release Date: February 15, 1994 Studio: Decca Editorial Review: Amazon.com: This valuable introduction to opera will have novices riding with the Valkyries and being enticed by Cecilia Bartoli's Rosina, Mirella Freni's Mimi, and Placido Domingo's Cavaradossi. These selections provide a strong cross-section of musical and dramatic styles, including Mozart, Bizet, Puccini, and Verdi to name a few. Plenty of Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, and Dame Joan Sutherland will titillate the ears of the untrained, who will also melt from their introductory renditions of the Butterfly Chorus and the Pearl Fishers duet. Most performances are easy on the ears and will leave you craving complete versions of the good stuff. --Barbara Eisner Bayer Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Great compilation but the title's a misnomer.This is a better compilation than Essential Opera 1, which itself is a very good collection for opera lovers and opera beginners alike. That said, I however can't agree that this is "essential" opera. Where is Maria Callas in the line-up? Absent Maria, any opera collection that deems itself "essential" deludes itself. Callas is as indispensable to opera as, say, Picasso is to cubism. She is essential to great opera. I'd give this disc five stars if not for Callas' omission, a grave mistake. ... Read More Rating:  - A few words...This CD is quite simply one of my favourites and has been for the last three years. The collection is as timeless as the voices of the contributing artists. I have traveled between North America, Europe and the Middle East with only this CD and a good book for company. One of my favourite memories of travelling is watching the sunrise in Amsterdam while listening to Pavarotti and Cecilia Bartoli. I have several of the songs on this CD in other collections but my favourite versions of: La ci darem ... Read More |
