Verdi la Traviata

London Concertante presents a sensational evening at the opera with an array of the finest opera arias and overtures, performing works from Puccini, Verdi, Rossini, and Mozart. Enjoy some of the best from Madame Butterfly, Turandot, Tosca, The Barber of Seville, Carmen, Così fan tutte and so much more.

In 1998 Ludovic Tézier sang his first Verdi role on stage, taking the part of Ford in a Falstaff production in Tel Aviv. At his side was Alessandro Corbelli, giving his début in the title role. “I could sing Ford with a sort of lyrical technique“, the baritone recalls; ”I was still young at the time.” He was 30 years old when he delivered the grim, brooding aria “È sogno? O realtà?” from Act II of Falstaff, and it formed the starting point of his career as a Verdi baritone. But he also associates the role with a different, highly personal experience: “Two days before the première of my second Ford my father passed away”, he relates. “It’s amazing how much energy Verdi has, both for the audience and for us singers. Of course his roles are often very demanding, but the music also works like a fountain of youth. Verdi is full of vitality. That’s the only reason why I could stand on stage and sing two days after my father’s death.”

This is not a fresh collection of operatic material by the phenomenally popular Andrea Bocelli; those curious about his sound in pure operatic material may still be directed toward the perennial strong seller Aria: The Opera Album (1998). The present release is a collection of familiar opera arias done Bocelli style, most of them not drawn from the earlier release but from a variety of albums and performances dating back as far as 1995. The result is a collection of material that would be difficult for all but the most devoted Bocelli fans to quickly gather together in one place, and it ought thus to be of interest to that legion…

The Royal Opera is a company based in central London, resident at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Along with the English National Opera, it is one of the two principal opera companies in London. Founded in 1946 as the Covent Garden Opera Company, it was known by that title until 1968. It brought a long annual season and consistent management to a house that had previously hosted short seasons under a series of impresarios. Since its inception, it has shared the Royal Opera House with the dance company now known as The Royal Ballet.

2017 is the tenth anniversary of the passing of the 20th Century’s most famous tenor – Decca marks this occasion to marvel once again at the sheer quality of the voice of ‘The People’s Tenor’ with a 101-disc collection presenting every role he ever recorded and performed. Every role since his debut recording of La Boh?me in 1961 is included, allowing critics, collectors and opera lovers once more to appreciate his truly exceptional gifts. Every single opera is presented in the best possible audio quality, remastered at Abbey Road under the supervision of former Decca engineers.