CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

Meyerbeer - Le Prophète / Horne, Gedda, M. Rinaldi

by: Giacomo Meyerbeer, Henry Lewis, Marilyn Horne, Nicolai Gedda, Alfredo Giacomotti, Robert Amis el Hage, Boris Carmeli, Margherita Rinaldi

Release Date May 23, 2000
I came to this recording long after buying the studio recording, which Horne, MacCracken, Scotto, and Jerome Hines, released by Columbia. I thought it would be wonderful to experience this vast opera in live performance. I am sure it would be. This recording is not complete, and it doesn't give a very good representation of the work. The sound quality is simply horrible, I mean horrible. Meyerbeer may not have been Wagner in his orchestrations, but he was very meticulous about what he wanted (often writing the changes in various colors of ink to test them out in performance), and we as listeners are simply robbed of that experience. I much prefer Gedda in the Role of Jean to MacCracken (who is not a favorite singer of mine to begin with), even ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

Opera Obsession Act II

from: Opera D'oro

Release Date February 04, 2003
Act II of Opera D'Oro's collection of excerts from its opera recordings is as good as Act I (See my review of Opera Obsession) A real bargain

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

Piccinni: La Buona Figliola (Gelmetti, Rome Opera, 1981)

from: Italia Fonit Cetra

Release Date November 21, 1995
Act II of Opera D'Oro's collection of excerts from its opera recordings is as good as Act I (See my review of Opera Obsession) A real bargain

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

Luciano Pavarotti - Live Recordings, 1964-1967

from: Delta

Release Date March 01, 1990
Act II of Opera D'Oro's collection of excerts from its opera recordings is as good as Act I (See my review of Opera Obsession) A real bargain

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

Donizetti: Linda Di Chamounix

by: Gaetano Donizetti, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Alfredo Kraus, Margherita Rinaldi, Carlo Cava, Enzo Dara, Renato Bruson, Maria Grazia Allegri

Release Date February 06, 2001
Those familiar with the popular recital aria "O Luce di'Quest Anima" would enjoy this full-length live recording. Margherita Rinaldi was not as adept at coloratura as Joan Sutherland, but she did have secure notes and a good technique. The opera itself is more dramatic than you would think if you were only familiar with O Luce... However, there are moments of pure bel canto enjoyment, such as when Alfredo Kraus sings (and encores!)Se Tanto in Ira agli Uomini. This is an example of superior tenor singing, the kind that has all but disappeared. Kraus is on a par with the "Three Tenors", even though he is not known by the general public (which is a shame).

Given that this opera is rarely staged (La Scala mounted it ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

Verdi: Un Giorno di Regno

from: Gala

Release Date September 25, 2007
GREAT FUN!, 9 Aug 2008


If you want to explore Verdi's second -and failed- opera, and his only comic opera before Falstaff, then RUSH here. It's all wonderful, tuneful fun in the Rossini / Donizetti mould, but with lots of real, individual Verdi-in-the-making (Act 1 finale, for instance). Unlike some of his early stuff (Battaglia di Legnano, Aroldo, even some of Lombardi...) there are few, if any, longeurs or moments of dull musical inspiration.

Feeling that an opera like this must benefit from a live performance,I decided to by-pass the more refined studio recording (which I had heard, but not owned, many years ago) and go for this one. It's from Bregenz in 1974, and the fabulous ensemble cast includes Rinaldi, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

Rossini: L'italiana in Algeri

from: Opera D'oro

Release Date April 08, 2003
.. and if this were a symphony, I'd give it 4 stars. This is not a symphony. I'm giving it 2 stars only to encourage Opera d'Oro to continue bringing us GOOD recordings at these bargain prices. This is not one of them. The singers are barely audible. It hardly deserves a single star. I feel cheated.

I don't intend to swap this at my local CD trading post; I can't bring myself to pass this on to an ususpecting collector. It's heading for the trash can.

Live and learn

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

Verdi: Rigoletto

from: Arts Music

Release Date January 02, 2007
This somewhat overlooked version of Rigoletto is well worth investigating
for it has a lot going for it foremost the performance of Rolando Panerai
in the title role - his highly distinctive voice and incisive phrasing
make for many striking moments - Margherita Rinaldi is a sweet and youth-
ful Gilda while Franco Bonisolli is a splendidly self-assured Duca. Vio-
rica Cortez and Bengt Rungren make a fine pair of rascals - chorus and
orchestra are excellent and the sound truly superb - not a reference
perhaps but still highly satisfying.

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

Luciano Pavarotti Collection (Box Set)

from: Madacy Records

Release Date April 16, 1995
This somewhat overlooked version of Rigoletto is well worth investigating
for it has a lot going for it foremost the performance of Rolando Panerai
in the title role - his highly distinctive voice and incisive phrasing
make for many striking moments - Margherita Rinaldi is a sweet and youth-
ful Gilda while Franco Bonisolli is a splendidly self-assured Duca. Vio-
rica Cortez and Bengt Rungren make a fine pair of rascals - chorus and
orchestra are excellent and the sound truly superb - not a reference
perhaps but still highly satisfying.

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

Rossini: L'Occasione Fa il Ladro

from: Opera D'oro

Release Date August 08, 2006
This somewhat overlooked version of Rigoletto is well worth investigating
for it has a lot going for it foremost the performance of Rolando Panerai
in the title role - his highly distinctive voice and incisive phrasing
make for many striking moments - Margherita Rinaldi is a sweet and youth-
ful Gilda while Franco Bonisolli is a splendidly self-assured Duca. Vio-
rica Cortez and Bengt Rungren make a fine pair of rascals - chorus and
orchestra are excellent and the sound truly superb - not a reference
perhaps but still highly satisfying.