Ernani

Unlike Verdi's earlier successes, Nabucco and I Lombardi, both of which had been composed for the large stage at La Scala, Milan, Ernani was written for the smaller stage and more intimate atmosphere of Teatro La Fenice, Venice and he was in his thirty third year when it was composed. This recording is superb in every way. The singers, led by Placido Domingo as Ernani and Mirella Freni as Donna Elvira, entertain us with bravura performances and it's a joy to listen to and watch from beginning to end.

Giuseppe Verdis Ernani is a vibrant adaptation for the lyric stage of one of the most flamboyant dramas by the French poet. Both the composer and his librettist have combined Hugos verbal eloquence with the right musical temperament. Perfect example of Grand opera with chorus, the magnificent Act III is above all the first time Verdi draws the very precise contours of what is about to become a type of voice in itself: the Verdi-baritone. In Ernani he starts to focus as never before on the psychological side of his characters. All his operas after Ernani will follow the same path in his perpetual quest of the truth.

The première of Ernani at Venices' Teatro La Fenice in 1844 failed to come up to Verdi's expectations, primarily because of the poor health of some of the singers. Both critics and audiences, however, soon warmed to Ernani, especially after the following performances. The opera contains some of Verdi's most successful, impassioned arias (first and foremost Elvira's cavatina and Silva's cantabile) and clearly denoted an evolution in terms of dramatic structure, more cohesive and with lesser use of blocks of closed numbers. Despite a turbulent 'premiere', Ernani became a real international success, beginning with the felicitous Vienna productions of May/June 1844. The cast of this Teatro Regio of Parma production features some of today's best singers for this type of repertoire.

While all four solo performances are superb, one has only to sample the finale to Act I to discover what an electrifying team they make…If Pavarotti dominates by the sheer ardour of his singing, overall this is a totally gripping performance, unlikely to be surpassed on DVD. (The Penguin Guide)

This 11-CD set, one might say jokingly, contains all the music ever written for the soprano voice and a bit for mezzo as well. And indeed, it's a staggering collection: In addition to her great Verdi heroines (the two Leonoras, Aida, Amelia, and Elvira in Ernani), Price is heard in her Puccini roles–Manon Lescaut, Butterfly, Tosca–and at least two dozen other roles, most of which she never sang on stage. Here are her heroic, secure Leonore in Fidelio, Strauss's high-flying Egyptian Helen, Purcell's Dido, Barber's Cleopatra, Bellini's Norma, Ariadne, Verdi's Violetta and Desdemona, Bizet's Carmen, Mozart's Countess, and Fiordiligi…

Rosa Ponselle - The Victor Recordings 1923-1925 (1994) {2CD Set Romophone 81006-2}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 543 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 371 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 29 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1923-25, 1994 Victor / Romophone | 81006-2
Classical / Vocal / Historical

For Romophone, 'complete' means just that. The Ponselle has every playable 'take' made in that period, issued or not, seventeen of them, all fascinating, many never available before and none so precisely pitched…. Ponselle's Romophone CD is self-recommending. What a voice! True, the recordings are, for the most part, primitive in comparison to what we have today. Even so, this glorious and honest voice, so free of artsy affectation, reveals a beauty and artistry that has its roots in the simple perfection of classical Greece and Rome.

Rosa Ponselle - The Victor Recordings 1926-1929 (1994) {2CD Set Romophone 81007-2}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 520 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 342 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 31 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1926-29, 1994 Victor / Romophone | 81007-2
Classical / Vocal / Historical

Rosa Ponselle was one of the greatest sopranos of the century and this superb collection of recordings from her prime makes that evident. Some have long been the standards against which all others are judged–the Aida tomb scene with Giovanni Martinelli, the Norma "Casta Diva," and much else. Her famous Norma duet, "Mia, o Norma," with Marion Telvey is here, still striking sparks. Lots of Verdi–the big arias and duets from Aida, Trovatore, and Ernani, all sung in a big, stunningly beautiful voice alive to textual nuances. The arias from Spontini's La Vestale are wondrous, but so are the parlor songs, the 1920s "crossover" equivalents. Marston includes several alternate takes, and the transfers are excellent. This should be a cornerstone of any operatic collection.