Great Stars of Opera

A superb‚ enticingly nostalgic‚ survey

Record 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

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
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.

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