| Home ›› Features › AUDIO OF THE MONTH | |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Features in chronological order: |
About this section: Audio of the Month is a monthly section where a song, an aria or an opera will be presented, with focus on the tenor. The audio files will be available for a limited time only and will be of low bitrate quality. Current section editor: Geoffrey Mallinson, UK. |
|
| For the 2006-2007 features, click here. | |
| December 2005 | Di rigori armato in seno from R. Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier |
| AM 2005 rounds off with Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier and the tenor aria Di Rigori Armato in Seno sung by tenors Tauber, Groh, Gerlach-Rusnak, Traxel and von Pataky. The feature is a short and concise presentation where the singing do the talking. Mystery Voice: Helge Roswaenge. Review: Geoffrey Mallinson. | |
| November 2005 | Treasures of Italian Art Song |
| This article is currently unavailable. | |
| October 2005 | No feature |
| September 2005 | Le Postillon de Longjumeau, Adolphe Adam |
| "This most French of Operas," says the author of the September AM, Geoffrey Mallinson, "has become something of a pleasure boat which is only given the odd cruise in its home waters of France, kept afloat solely by its famous tenor aria of the same title." Tenors: Lotric, Talbot, Schmidt, Roswaenge, Traxel and Villabella. Mystery Voice; Luca Canonici. Review: Geoffrey Mallinson. | |
| August 2005 | Rachel, quand du Seigneur from Halevy's La Juive |
| "One of the very greatest works ever written," shall Mahler have said about Halevy's opera "La Juive." Tenors: Jadlowker, Schmidt, Nelepp, Tucker, Simoneau and Alagna. Mystery Voice: Neil Shicoff. Review: Geoffrey Mallinson. | |
| July 2005 | Vesti la giubba from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci |
| "The most exhilarating of tenor arias," with an "outpouring of grief, rage, despair and human frailty." Tenors: Valente, Thill, Merli, Giacomini, Bergonzi and Corelli. Mystery Voice: James McCracken. Review: Geoffrey Mallinson. | |
| June 2005 | Arias from Mascagni's Iris |
| This article is currently unavailable. | |
| May 2005 | No feature |
| April 2005 | Addio alla madre from Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana |
| This article is currently unavailable. | |
| March 2005 | Ach, so fromm, from Flotow's Martha |
| This time around 8 tenors are featured, singing the graceful aria Ach, so fromm, from Flotow's opera Martha: Leech, Kiepura, D'arkor, Micheletti, Patzak, Lemeshev and as a bonus the tenor Tito Scipa is featured on video. Mystery Voice: Eugenio Fernandi. Review: Geoffrey Mallinson. | |
| February 2005 | Niun mi tema, from Verdi's Otello |
| Verdi's masterpiece, Otello, and the haunting death scene Niun mi tema, performed by Torsten Ralf, Ramón Vinay, Mario del Monaco, Jon Vickers, Plácido Domingo and Giuseppe Giacomini. Mystery Otello: Ermanno Mauro. Review: Geoffrey Mallinson. | |
| January 2005 | Una furtiva lagrima, from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore |
| Six wonderful tenors from the first half of the 20th century excel in Donizetti's immortal aria Una furtiva lagrima: Schipa, Solari, Ederle, Malipiero, Tagliavini and Simoneau. Mystery Voice: Salvatore Gioia (1959). Review: Geoffrey Mallinson. | |
| Christmas 2004 | Venite Adoremus: Check out our AM Christmas Special! |
| We couldn't leave you without a Christmas bonus, the faithful readers of Grandi Tenori.com, and we found it appropriate to round off 2004 with music that fit the season: Christmas carols and religious hymns/psalms. Review: Joern H Anthonisen & Geoffrey Mallinson. | |
| December 2004 | Morgenlicht leuchtend, Wagner's Die Meistersinger |
| Six tenors sing Walther von Stolzing's aria Morgenlicht leuchtend: Lauritz Melchior, James King, Walter Widdop, Robert Dean Smith, Günter Treptow and Lorenz Fehenberger. Mystery Voice: Helge Roswaenge. Review: Geoffrey Mallinson. | |
| November 2004 | Che gelida manina, from Puccini's La Bohème · Part 2 |
| Second part of the aria Che gelida manina, with a selection of contemporary voices that "deserve a wider audience than they may be used to in the normal course of events." Mystery Voice: Tony Poncet. Review: Geoffrey Mallinson. | |
| October 2004 | Che gelida manina, from Puccini's La Bohème |
| Puccini's "old potboiler" Che gelida manina, from the popular opera La Bohème, an opera that "has long been a victim of its own popularity and even among Puccini's operas [...] its very accessibility tends to obscure the musical genius behind the score." Review: Geoffrey Mallinson. | |
| September 2004 | O give me oblivion, from Nápravnik's Dubrovsky |
| An unusual composer, an unusual opera and aria, and some unusual tenors. This is the resume of AM for September, featuring the Russian composer Eduard Frantsovich Napravnik and his opera, Dubrovsky. Six Russian tenors sing the aria O give me oblivion. Review: Geoffrey Mallinson in collaboration with Keith Shilcock and David Brandwein. | |
| August 2004 | The Indian Guest, from Rimsky-Korsakov's Sadko |
| An aria to proove wonderful legato and shading, the song of the Indian Guest is taken from Rimsky-Korsakov's opera Sadko, a work the composer himself considered among his best. Tenors are: Jussi Björling, Nicolai Gedda, Sergei Lemeshev, Richard Crooks, Virgilius Noreika and Sergei Larin. Review: Geoffrey Mallinson. | |
| July 2004 | Vainement, ma bien aimée from Lalo's Le Roi D'Ys |
| Eduardo Lalo's 2nd and last completed opera, about two sisters love for the same man. The beautiful and moving aria "Vainement, ma bien aimée" is sung by Laurence Dale, Andre D'Arkor, Nicolai Gedda, William Matteuzzi, Alain Vanzo and Roberto Alagna. Le Roi D'Ys, Lalo. Review: Geoffrey Mallinson. | |
| June 2004 | No feature |
| May 2004 | Dal labbro il canto estasiato vola from Verdi's Falstaff |
| Falstaff was Verdi's last opera and his only comic opera. Fenton's arietta "Dal labbro il canto estasiato vola," is taken from "the magical and fantastic" final scene set in Windsor Park. Selected tenors are Luigi Alva, Ramon Vargas, Ferruccio Tagliavini, Roberto D'Alessio and Tito Schipa. Review: Geoffrey Mallinson. | |
| April 2004 | No feature |
| March 2004 | Cielo e mar from Ponchielli's La Gioconda |
| Cielo e mar, as sung by tenor Salvatore Fisichella in a live performance of La Gioconda from Basle in Switzerland, 1989. It is taken from an Australian ABC Classic FM broadcast as an introductory feature on "our very own tenor" and his voice was heard on Australian radio for the first time ever. Review: Dr. Fragala. | |
| February 2004 | No feature |
| January 2004 | Giunto sul passo estremo from Boito's Mefistofele |
| Boito's opera Mefistofele (1875) takes place in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in mid XVI century, in classical Greece and in Heaven. The plot line was inspired by Goethe's drama "Faust" and the opera based on a literary and splendid libretto written by the composer himself. World premiered at La Scala in 1868, the opera was whistled and catcalled by the audience, who were used only to the traditional Italian music of opera, free of European trends. Painstakingly revised, cut in size and renewed, Mefistofele was re-presented and received in triumph at Bologna in 1875. Review: Dr. Fragala. | |
| December 2003 | Jenik's Aria from the Bartered Bride (Smetana) |
| Although Prague was one of the great musical centres of the 18th Century, the Czech lands did not have a native operatic tradition until Smetana came along in the middle of the 19th Century. His style owed much to Italian Opera and to Wagner plus his own Nationalistic views which were reflected in the rhythms of his country's folk songs. It was this style which brought Smetana's national music culture to the whole of Europe. This month features Jenik's Aria, sung by tenors Jerusalem, Johnston, Wunderlich, Tauber, Patzak and Söderström. Review: Geoffrey Mallinson. | |
| November 2003 | Franco Corelli in Tosca Parma 21 January 1967 |
| This is one of opera's historical moments: Franco Corelli had not sung in Italy for years, he was the leading tenor in the world and on 21 January 1967 he returned to sing Tosca in Parma, to an exceptionally critical audience. As the evening progressed, the Parma audience had gone completely head over heels with exquisite singing and the massive applause that followed after "E lucevan le stelle" has perhaps never been witnessed in any opera house. Review: Nick Scott. | |
| October 2003 | Il mio tesoro intanto from Mozart's Don Giovanni |
| Don Giovanni is a unique mixture of opera buffa and seria for its time. In the aria Il mio tesoro intanto, Don Ottavio promises to avenge the wrongdoings of Don Giovanni. Yet it is not only a song of vengeance but also a love statement towards Donna Anna. It is hard to convey tender love AND utter contempt in the same aria. The tenor is left with the almost impossible task of marrying the two extremes in a coherent flow of emotions. Tenors: Gösta Winbergh, Aksel Schiötz, Jussi Björling, John McCormack and Richard Tauber. Review: Helge Sæbo. | |
| September 2003 | The Turandot Act III Finale |
| Puccini left Turandot unfinished upon his death on 29 November 1924 and finally in July 1925, the directors of Casa Ricordi entrusted the task of completing Turandot to the Neapolitan composer Franco Alfano. In 2000, composer Luciano Berio was commissioned by Casa Ricordi to elaborate a new composition and orchestration for the finale as an alternative to that of Franco Alfano with which the opera normally ends. This AM presents both endings. Review: Dr. Fragala. | |
| August 2003 | Di' tu se fedele from Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera |
| The tenor barcarola from Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera, featuring Beniamino Gigli, Giuseppe di Stefano, Luciano Pavarotti, with Mexican Ramón Vargas as supporting tenor. Review: Rodrigo Andrés Zumaeta. | |
| July 2003 | In fernem Land from Wagner's Lohengrin |
| July features Wagner's opera Lohenrgin and the tenor aria In fernem Land, sung by Canadian tenor Ben Heppner, contrasted with the renditions of historical heldentenors Melchior and Pertile. Review: Dr. Fragala. | |
| June 2003 | Legendary Voices in Songs |
| Aren't songs sung by the best of voices just marvellous? - June boasts with the voices of Björling, Melchior and Fisichella, with bonus clips from Bechi and Chaliapin. Review: Dr. Fragala. | |
| May 2003 | Ah, non vi avvicinate! from Puccini's Manon Lescaut |
| Three featured renditions of this magnificent Puccini aria: Aureliano Pertile, Mario del Monaco and Francesco Merli, plus 5 bonus tracks in order to make the transition from the Easter Special smoother. Review: Dr. Fragala. | |
| April 2003 | O muto asil from Rossini's Guglielmo Tell |
| 14 renditions of Rossini's "O muto asil" from Guglielmo Tell in our Easter Special. Featured tenors are: Salvatore Fisichella, Mario Filippeschi and Giacomo Lauri-Volpi. Review: Dr. Fragala. | |
| Ch'ella mi creda from Puccini's La Fanciulla del West | |
| Three tenors are featured in the audio file for the month of March: Jussi Björling, Mario Filippeschi and Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, singing the celebrated arioso "Ch'ella mi creda" from Puccini's opera La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West). Review: Dr. Fragala. | |
| Bianca al par di neve from Meyerbeer's Gli Ugonotti | |
| Two similar tenors, Mario Filippeschi and Franco Corelli, both with exciting upper register and italiante sound, are featured in the review of the taxing aria "Bianca al par di neve" from Meyerbeer's opera "Gli Ugonotti." Review: Dr. Fragala. | |
| E lucevan le stelle from Puccini's Tosca | |
| A "tour de force" for any tenor, the sensual and languid aria "E lucevan le stelle" from Puccini's Tosca is the audio file for January 2003, with renditions by Franco Corelli and Giacomo Lauri-Volpi. Review: Dr. Fragala. | |
| December 2002 | È la solita storia del pastore from Cilèa's L'Arlesiana |
| Known as Federico's lament, this is one of the most haunitngly beautiful arias in the history of opera. Special Christmas treatment with the analysis of three renditions: those of Tito Schipa, Harry Secombe and Giuseppe di Stefano. Review: Dr. Fragala. | |
| November 2002 | A te o cara from Bellini's I Puritani |
| An aria in the bel canto repertory that "calls for great colour, expression and bliss." Chosen tenor is Hipólito Lázaro, a famed Arturo in his heydays and known for his fearless attacks on the high tessitura. Review: Dr. Fragala. | |
| October 2002 | Mi par d'udire ancora from Bizet's I Pescatori di Perle |
| Was there ever a more sublime emission of sound? The audio file for October features a young Giuseppe di Stefano in recording from Lausanne, 1944, showing one of the most beautiful voices on record ever. Review: Dr. Fragala. | |
| September 2002 | Il fior che avevi a me tu dato from Bizet's Carmen |
| Miguel Fleta's signature aria and which role brought him immense fame, that of Don José. Recorded in 1922 fro HMV, this is one of the legendary renditions of the aria in this century. Review: Dr. Fragala. | |
| August 2002 | Nessun dorma from Puccini's Turandot |
| One of the most celebrated arias in opera this century, performed by one of the most celebrated Calafs of the century: Giacomo Lauri-Volpi. This pieece was recorded in Milano in 1942. Review: Dr. Fragala. | |
 |
|
|
| Search Grandi Tenori.com: |
|
©1998-2006 J. Anthonisen/Grandi Tenori.com |
 |
