Aureole etc.




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Faure songs
Charlotte de Rothschild (soprano);

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"The Pearl Fishers: Famous Opera Duets"
Georges BIZET (1838-1875)
Au fond du temple saint (from Les pecheurs de perles) [5.50]
Janez Lotric, Tenor
Igor Morozov, Baritone
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)/Johannes Wildner
from Naxos 8.553030
Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924)
O soave fanciulla (from La Bohème) [3:38]
Luba Orgonasova, Soprano
Jonathan Welch, Tenor
In un coupé (from La Bohème)[4.10]
Jonathan Welch, Tenor
Fabio Previati, Baritone
Mimì! Speravo di trovarti qui (from La Bohème) [4:46]
Luba Orgonasova, Soprano
Fabio Previati, Baritone
Slovak Philharmonic Chorus
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)/Will Humburg
from Naxos 8.553151
Viene la sera (from Madama Butterfly) [4:19]
Miriam Gauci, Soprano
Yordy Ramiro, Tenor
Slovak Philharmonic Chorus
Jan Rozehnal, Chorus-Master
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)/Alexander Rahbari
from Naxos 8.553152
Mario! Mario! Mario! (from Tosca) [3.20]
Nelly Miricioiu, Soprano
Giorgio Lamberti, Tenor
Slovak Philharmonic Chorus
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)/Alexander Rahbari
from Naxos 8.553153
O saro la piu bella! (from Manon Lescaut) [9:15]
Miriam Gauci, Soprano
Kaludi Kaludov, Tenor
Jaak Gregoor Choir
BRT Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra/Alexander Rahbari
from Naxos 8.554705
Leo DELIBES (1836-1891)
Dôme épais, le jasmin ("Flower Duet") (from Lakme) [5:32]
Adriana Kohútková, Soprano
Denisa Slepkovska, Mezzo-Soprano
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)/Johannes Wildner
from Naxos 8.551171
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
Un di felice (from La traviata) [3:03]
Monika Krause, Soprano
Yordy Ramiro, Tenor
Slovak Philharmonic Chorus
Jan Rozehnal, Chorus-Master
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)/Alexander Rahbari
from Naxos 8.553041
Solenne in quest'ora (from La forza del destino) [3:29]
E Lui... Dio che nell'alma infondere (from Don Carlo) [7.24]
Giacomo Aragall, Tenor
Eduard Tumagian, Baritone
Alexander Rahbari, Conductor
from Naxos 8.550684
Era la notte. . . Si, pel ciel marmoreo (from Otello) [6:43]
Janez Lotric, Tenor
Igor Morozov, Baritone
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)/Johannes Wildner
from Naxos 8.553030
Gaetano DONIZETTI (1797-1848)
Venti scudi! (from L'elisir d'amore) 7:19
Giacomo Aragall, Tenor
Eduard Tumagian, Baritone
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)/Alexander Rahbari
from Naxos 8.550684
Gioachino ROSSINI (1792-1868)
All'idea di quel metallo (from Il barbiere di Siviglia) [8:33]
Ramon Vargas, Tenor
Roberto Servile, Baritone
Hungarian Radio Chorus
Failoni Chamber Orchestra, Budapest/Will Humburg
from Naxos 8.553436
Recorded at various locations between 1990 and 1995.
Notes in English and Deutsche. Complete texts and English translations.
NAXOS 8.555797 [77.59]

A collection such as this is an impressive showcase of the Naxos operatic catalogue. We would once have expected such a collection only from the likes of RCA, Decca, or EMI, but these are all from recent Naxos recordings and all are at least very good. The music is well known, and this collection would be a good opera recording for a person with slight interest in opera, or just beginning a collection and wanting a good run through the highlights to serve until the complete operas could be obtained one by one. Throughout, the recording quality, orchestras, and conducting are first rate and often the equal of the finest orchestras in the world.

The real star of the collection is the opening number, the Pearl Fishers’ duet. Not only one of the most substantial musically, it’s very well sung and played, and is not heard nearly often enough.

Another high point for me is the Mimì of Luba Orgonasova, one of the great voices and great dramatic actresses of our time—although with a work played so often as Bohème, everyone will have a favourite recorded version chosen from among so many available. Miriam Gauci in the Manon Lescaut excerpt is also outstanding.

Aragall and Tumagian do a superb dramatic job in their Don Carlo excerpt; but Aragall is disappointingly unsteady in the Venti Scudi from L’Elisir d’Amore, and Tumagian seems to be off his stride there too, although his coloratura is fine. The Rossini excerpt is very good, but we’ve all heard it done a little better. Lotric and Morozov make a lot of noise in the Otello excerpt, but do not hold a candle to Domingo and Diáz, and anyone who likes Otello will probably want the whole opera.

Paul Shoemaker



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