Great Opera

The album includes some rarities, among them "Mira, o Norma" from Norma and "Santo di patria" from Attila. It also features excerpts from Sills' complete recording of Massenet's Manon plus excerpts from La Traviata and Il barbiere di Siviglia.
Readers familiar with Yogi Berra might comment that it's déjà vu all over again, as it has been not even two years since Deutsche Grammophon devoted a two-CD compilation to Beverly Sills. That one was called The Art of Beverly Sills (DG 471766-2), and it included 134 minutes of excerpts from "Bubbles's" operatic recordings and recitals. The Great Recordings does not copy a single note of what was on the earlier compilation, which is good, but I must grumble that the result is that Sills' Mozart and Richard Strauss record – one of my favorites – now has been divided between two separate releases and three separate discs, and that excerpts from her complete recordings of Manon and Hoffmann are similarly scattered. So much for continuity! Perhaps DG will repackage the two 2-CD sets and reunite the divided material. Better yet, perhaps they will embark on a comprehensive "Sills Edition" of everything they can get their hands on, and release it at a very reasonable price!

This is a great introduction to Opera, as well as a great addition to anyone's collection as it contains 3 discs. One disc is the audiobook giving a rundown of the details of the opera, tips on how to listen and the general synopsis of the story. The other two discs are a great version of Carmen, opéra-comique in 4 acts; Composed by Georges Bizet, Performed by Paris National Opera Theater Orchestra with Viorica Cortez, Grace Bumbry, Michel Trempont, Kostas Paskalis, Albert Voli, Eliane Liblin, Jon Vickers, Claude Meloni, Mirella Freni, Bernanrd Gontcharenko - Conducted by Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos.

Master the Opera Cake - a timeless French culinary masterpiece - and create amazing classic and modern presentations!

With almost 450 years of tradition, Staatskapelle Berlin is one of the oldest orchestras in the world. Originally founded as court orchestra by Prince-Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg in 1570 the ensemble expanded its activities with the founding of the Royal Court Opera in 1742 by Frederick the Great.

The passage of time has perhaps been unkind to the English composer Maurice Greene. By 1730 he was one of the most senior musicians in England: Organist at St Paul's Cathedral, Organist and Composer to the Chapel Royal, and Professor of Music at the University of Cambridge.

The passage of time has perhaps been unkind to the English composer Maurice Greene. By 1730 he was one of the most senior musicians in England: Organist at St Paul’s Cathedral, Organist and Composer to the Chapel Royal, and Professor of Music at the University of Cambridge. When he was appointed Master of the King’s Music, in 1735, he held every significant appointment in the Kingdom.