Great Stars of Opera
A superb‚ enticingly nostalgic‚ survey
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Jules (Emile Frédéric) Massenet, Giacomo Puccini, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Richard Wagner, Gaetano Donizetti, Modest Mussorgsky, Victor August Herbert
Label: Video Artists International
Magazine Review Date: 9/2001
Media Format: Digital Versatile Disc
Media Runtime: 120
Mastering:
ADD
Catalogue Number: DVDVAI4201
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Lucia di Lammermoor, '(The) Bride of Lammermoor', Movement: ~ |
Gaetano Donizetti, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Gaetano Donizetti, Composer Joan Sutherland, Soprano |
| Natoma, Movement: Beware of a hawk, my baby |
Victor August Herbert, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Risë Stevens, Mezzo soprano Victor August Herbert, Composer |
| Natoma, Movement: Lonely am I |
Victor August Herbert, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Risë Stevens, Mezzo soprano Victor August Herbert, Composer |
| Pagliacci, 'Players', Movement: ~ |
Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Richard Tucker, Tenor Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Composer |
| Manon, Movement: ~ |
Jules (Emile Frédéric) Massenet, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Giuseppe di Stefano, Tenor Jules (Emile Frédéric) Massenet, Composer |
| Boris Godunov, Movement: ~ |
Modest Mussorgsky, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor George London, Bass-baritone Modest Mussorgsky, Composer |
| (La) Bohème, 'Bohemian Life', Movement: Sì. Mi chiamano Mimì |
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Giacomo Puccini, Composer Victoria de los Ángeles, Soprano |
| Madama Butterfly, Movement: Un bel dì vedremo |
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Giacomo Puccini, Composer Renata Tebaldi, Soprano |
| Madama Butterfly, Movement: ~ |
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Giacomo Puccini, Composer Renata Tebaldi, Soprano |
| Tosca, Movement: E lucevan le stelle |
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Franco Corelli, Tenor Giacomo Puccini, Composer |
| Tosca, Movement: Vissi d'arte |
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Giacomo Puccini, Composer Régine Crespin, Soprano |
| Turandot, Movement: ~ |
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Birgit Nilsson, Soprano Donald Voorhees, Conductor Giacomo Puccini, Composer |
| (Il) Barbiere di Siviglia, '(The) Barber of Seville', Movement: Largo al factotum |
Gioachino Rossini, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Gioachino Rossini, Composer Robert Merrill, Baritone Roberta Peters, Soprano |
| (Il) Barbiere di Siviglia, '(The) Barber of Seville', Movement: Dunque io son? |
Gioachino Rossini, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Gioachino Rossini, Composer Robert Merrill, Baritone Roberta Peters, Soprano |
| Aida, Movement: ~ |
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Giulietta Simionato, Mezzo soprano Giuseppe Verdi, Composer Jon Vickers, Tenor |
| (Un) ballo in maschera, '(A) masked ball', Movement: ~ |
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Franco Corelli, Tenor Giuseppe Verdi, Composer Régine Crespin, Soprano |
| (La) traviata, Movement: Libiamo, ne' lieti calici (Brindisi) |
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer
Anna Moffo, Soprano Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Giuseppe Verdi, Composer Nicolai Gedda, Tenor |
| (La) traviata, Movement: ~ |
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer
Anna Moffo, Soprano Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Giuseppe Verdi, Composer Nicolai Gedda, Tenor |
| (Il) trovatore, Movement: ~ |
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Giuseppe Verdi, Composer Leontyne Price, Soprano |
| (Der) Ring des Nibelungen: Part 4, 'Götterdämmerung', Movement: Starke Scheite (Brünnhildes's Immolation) |
Richard Wagner, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Birgit Nilsson, Soprano Donald Voorhees, Conductor Richard Wagner, Composer |
| Tristan und Isolde, Movement: Mild und leise (Liebestod) |
Richard Wagner, Composer
Bell Telephone Hour Chorus Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra Donald Voorhees, Conductor Eileen Farrell, Soprano Richard Wagner, Composer |
Author:
The introductory chocolatebox waltz does not bode well‚ nor does the sight of the Abbé di Stefano in gaiters or indeed the first sound of him greeting ‘le moment suprêhême’. There does have to be some value in seeing as well as hearing‚ and the sight of Leontyne Price among the hieroglyphics or Birgit Nilsson about to immolate to a background of some rudimentary rocks and dressed as though for dinner at the White House is not particularly edifying. In most instances care has been taken to provide a plausible set and creditable costumes‚ but it is not much use if the cameras show all too clearly that singers can’t‚ or won’t‚ act. One who can‚ or at least has a natural relationship with the camera‚ is Robert Merrill. He sings of Figaro’s ups and downs showing the whites of his eyes and the glint of his teeth; he sings magnificently well. Another who knows what it’s about is Anna Moffo‚ whose Violetta responds to Alfredo’s Brindisi with the professional charm of a woman of the world and with the sophistication of ironic amusement playing around her lips‚ and she too sings admirably‚ with the lovely tone and many delicacies of inflection in the duet which follows.
Sutherland reproduces exactly her stage performance in Lucia’s Mad scene‚ and‚ having been worked out in detail‚ it succeeds; yet we are also aware that this is a different medium‚ so that Victoria de los Angeles’ Mimì‚ adorable on stage‚ is just too stylised for film. Simionato and Vickers carry conviction in their voices as they sing their duet from Aida‚ but are woefully uninteresting to look at.
Mostly the sound quality is good for the voices if not the (usually too distant) orchestra. The programmes for the Bell Telephone Hour were made in the late 1950s and early ’60s‚ and they provide valuable mementos of the period. There is George London as Boris‚ massively authoritative and singing with exemplary clarity of diction in English. The homely features of Eileen Farrell are transfigured by the depth of feeling in her Liebestod. Leontyne Price is beautifully recorded in a vocally superlative performance of ‘D’amor sul’ ali rosee’. Corelli sings with glorious tone and occasionally manages to steal a glance at his partner. There is plenty here to write home about‚ and even the bad news is worth knowing.
Great Stars of Opera
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