Music : The Most Famous Opera Duets
from: EMI Classics
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0724356812925
Label: EMI Classics
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: EMI Classics
Release Date: April 12, 1994
Sales Rank: 2132
Studio: EMI Classics
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
This is a misnomer--not all of these duets are all that famous--but it's a fine compilation nonetheless. You'll hear selections from Bizet's The Pearl Fishers (Nicolai Gedda and Ernest Blanc at their most elegant French), Madama Butterfly (Carlo Bergonzi and Renata Scotto--an impassioned pair), Lucia di Lammermoor (a classy Alfredo Kraus and Edita Gruberova), the lovely Lakme duet, The Presentation of the Silver Rose from Der Rosenkavalier (with the earnest Christa Ludwig and the other-worldly Teresa Stich-Randall), and a fine Trovatore "Miserere" (with Leontyne Price and Franco Bonisolli singing up a storm). There are many others, too--a veritable cornucopia of couplings--and a treat for the opera lover. --Robert Levine
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Maybe these don't represent absolutely the greatest duets in all opera. But they represent some awfully good ones! The CD begins with a duet from "Les Pecheurs des Perles" (Puccini) and ends with the gloomy Miserere (from "Il Trovatore," by Verdi). In between are many more operas, from Donizetti and Mozart to Strauss and Wagner. Some of the finer singers of the past half century appear in various of these duets.
A bit more detail on a handful of these to illustrate.
"Sull'aria" from Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro." Heather Harper and Judith Blegen sing the parts here. This is a sweet duet from the opera. The singer's voices meld well together and this represents a poignantly sung piece.
"Ah! Verrana a tell sull'aure," from Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor." Alfredo Kraus and Edita Gruberova sing this lively duet, playing the roles of Edgardo and Lucia. Gruberova's voice is fresh here, as is Kraus', although there are a few rough moments in his singing. Still and all, though, he sings well.
"Viens Mallika" from Delibes' "Lakme." Whenever I hear this beautiful duet, I can't get the Catherine Deneuve movie, "The Hunger," out of my mind (it was a theme throughout that movie!). Mady Mesple plays Lakme and Danielle Millet sings the part of Mallika. This duet, to me, has a hypnotic sound to it that I find irresistible. It's a theme that one cannot get out of one's mind!
In "La ci darem la mano," we see Don Giovanni ... Read More
Rating:  -
What a treasure to have the beautiful duets all on one CD! I am thoroughly enjoying!
Rating: -
This CD is really awesome. I'm new to opera, but love the music on this CD. I use opera music in my CD clock radio (Timex from Amazon) to fall asleep to. What a way to fade into dreamland.
Rating:  -
I bought this for a friend who didn't have an opera collection, and it fulfilled that purpose, and was an unusual set of duets, very different in style from one another. The price was certainly right. That said, potential buyers should be aware that most of these recordings are of the "historic" variety, and therefore perhaps not as refined in terms of sound quality as one might want. Since listeners who enjoy historic recordings would likely already have the original, complete operas in question, I'm not sure what benefit would be gained in owning mere excerpts. Several of the selections, especially the "Tristan" duet, were so soft the volume had to be really cranked up to hear. But many others are sure to please, especially the "Pearl Fishers" and "Don Giovanni", which are fine. So, bottom line is: if you really care about your opera, get the full recordings, but if your goal is "highlights", this is probably as good as many others.
Rating: -
This is a really great CD for the price. It has many of the famous Arias on it and although the singers may not be the best out there they are certainly very good. This is cheaper than the price of a take away lunch; you can't go wrong with this CD.
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