CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

The Most Famous Opera Duets

CD-Charts > Music > H to L
from: EMI Classics

Release Date April 12, 1994
Maybe these don't represent absolutely the greatest duets in all opera. But they represent some awfully good ones! The CD begins with a duet from "Les Pecheurs des Perles" (Puccini) and ends with the gloomy Miserere (from "Il Trovatore," by Verdi). In between are many more operas, from Donizetti and Mozart to Strauss and Wagner. Some of the finer singers of the past half century appear in various of these duets.

A bit more detail on a handful of these to illustrate.

"Sull'aria" from Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro." Heather Harper and Judith Blegen sing the parts here. This is a sweet duet from the opera. The singer's voices meld well together and this represents a poignantly sung piece.

"Ah! Verrana a ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
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Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 / Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

CD-Charts > Music > H to L
from: Deutsche Grammophon

Release Date January 23, 1996
Previously, a reviewer wrote:

"Karajan in 1962 wanted to perform Beethoven in a modern way compared to the overtly spiritual, often very slow, heavy, and rubato-laden style of the past in Germany. ... in the last movement Karajan takes the vocal line faster...

"By comparison, Karajan wasn't as hectically fast or intense as Toscanini,..."

I don't wish to take anything away from Karajan's technical mastery, his orchestra's wonderful sound, or his "smoothness." It's all good.

But folks should understand the real reason Karajan's original recorded version of this work, at least in terms of its tempos, comes out as the previous reviewer accurately observed. He kept to his version in subsequent recordings, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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Carl Orff: Carmina Burana

CD-Charts > Music > H to L
from: Deutsche Grammophon

Release Date May 14, 1996
This is not about the recording but more about Amazon. I just recently bought this item and I have to say that the sample recordings featured on this page is NOT the same recording on the CD. I can't find a way to contact Amazon, but I thought I'd let everyone know.

CD-Charts Position 4
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Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

CD-Charts > Music > H to L
from: EMI Classics

Release Date January 12, 1999
While there are other wonderful performances of tese works, Klemperer & Wunderlich and Ludwig are the equal of any. Baker/Haitink being the only other great contender . They're each great in their own way.

CD-Charts Position 5
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Strauss: Four Last Songs / Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

CD-Charts > Music > H to L
from: Deutsche Grammophon

Release Date January 23, 1996
The Four Last Lieder recorded by Janowitz and Karajan have always raised controversy. Some listeners admire their perfection (orchestral, at least), but Janowitz's singing has often been criticized for being more pretty than meaningful. I cannot but agree - listen to either of the Schwarzkopf studio recordings (there is also a live one with Karajan available) to measure all you have been missing out with Janowitz! These poems depict the retrospective look of a woman upon her experience of life as she approaches the end of the path - and all that Janowitz ever does here is clinical, detached singing, almost devoid of all humanity.

Karajan's Metamorphosen have often been praised for their orchestral beauty - but to be fair he here mainly uses this work as ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
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Lanza: Greatest Hits

CD-Charts > Music > H to L
from: RCA

Release Date April 11, 1995
Excellent product. CD just as described and fast delivery. Love Mario Lanza and his voice.

CD-Charts Position 7
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Puccini - Madama Butterfly / Freni, Pavarotti, Ludwig, Wiener Phil., Karajan

CD-Charts > Music > H to L
by: Giacomo Puccini, Herbert von Karajan, Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti, Wiener Philharmoniker, Christa Ludwig, Robert Kerns, Michel Sénéchal, Marius Rintzler, Giorgio Stendoro, Chor der Wiener Philharmoniker

Release Date October 25, 1990
While this is not my favorite Butterfly (Leinsdorf/Moffo), it is certainly one of the best ever recorded. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Pavarotti, but Freni is the best tragic lyric soprano I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. She always moves me to tears, without fail. She is not my favorite Butterfly, though, because I prefer Moffo's young and innocent take, whereas Freni's voice is a bit heavier and more mature sounding.

Madama Butterfly has, for whatever reason, the most varied and rich recording catalogue. There are easily half a dozen recordings that are all "perfect" in their own right. You just can't go wrong with buying any of them, and you might even feel compelled to buy all of them, because they're all so good! This recording is certainly ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
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Ellis Island

CD-Charts > Music > H to L
by: The Irish Tenors, Brendan Graham, Chauncey Olcott, Irish Traditional, Johnny Cash, John Francis Patterson, Dermot MacMurrough, C. Kirkham, Eric Bogle, Burton Lane, Thomas Osbourne Davis, Irving Berlin, Frank McNamara

Release Date March 06, 2001
A glorious concert in a historic setting, with all involved in top notch form. Finbar finds a great old Johnny Cash number, Ronan sings a Glocka
Mora to end all, and Anthony Kearns sings murderously difficult versions
of Macushla and The Croppy Boy like an angel. And their Courtin' and Irish
Medleys, and their "Nation Once Again" trios are simply glorious glees.

With the benefit of a grand theme, this is perhaps the best, and best balanced, of all their programs.

CD-Charts Position 9
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Mahler: Symphony No. 2

CD-Charts > Music > H to L
from: Deutsche Grammophon

Release Date October 25, 1990
I discovered Gustav Mahler through Leonard Bernstein's CBS recordings of the 1960s. I remember being thrilled the first time I heard the Second Symphony and it remains one of my favorite pieces of music. Too bad this more recent recording does not live up to that experience. Although the sonics are far superior to the earlier CBS recording, Bernstein's pace is very very slow and can be considered self-indulgent. Clocking in at almost 94 minutes, this is probably the longest recording of this work. This ponderous pace is especially apparent in the last two movements. In every other recording I have heard of this work, the finale depicting Judgment Day has some of the most exciting music in the repertoire. However, in this performance Bernstein has made the music almost boring. I kept on wanting ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
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Weber: Der Freischütz

CD-Charts > Music > H to L
from: Deutsche Grammophon

Release Date April 14, 1998
Freischutz put into play by conductor Carlos Kleiber is allegedly the best recording. Along with the Dresden Staatskapelle orchestra, he managed to give a special sound to this famous and commonly played opera.

I've noticed quite a choice of Freischutz CDs on the web-market (even though opera is not at all trendy nowadays), I have listened to another enactment of this opera and also heard the opinion of a great listener of classical music (Thomas Wirz from Switzerland). So, when deciding to buy my own, I looked especially for this CD. The front cover is a little different to the original CD I held in my hands some 9 years ago, and it doesn't have a paper dust cover, but unless you are making up a CD collection, this is of no matter.

Enjoy it, and try to keep cool while the action moves ... Read More: