Rosa [Explicit Lyrics]

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
18 brand new tracks of classic rock music. "Penny on the ground" is a beatifull, haunting, beatlesque song that instantly grabs the listener and draws them in leaving them breathless. "Satan loves L.A."is an ultra cool song that rocks hard in a T.rex vein. It belongs in any comedy about los angeles. There's a dylan cover that's just gorgeous and word has it that someone else agrees. "Coffee bitch" is a spoken diatribe over some blues acoustic that starts off about dogs and goes into the horror of starbucks. Brutally funny. Great musicianship and writing, and so homegrown you can taste nutrients in it, "Rosa" raises the bar to where it used to be a long time ago.

Surfer Rosa
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Oh My Golly! It's the Pixies first full Length Debut!
  • The worst band of all time?
  • Stripped-down and playful
  • aquired taste
  • 1st Taste
 Surfer Rosa
Pixies
Manufacturer: 4ad / Ada
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
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  1. Daydream Nation
  2. Loveless
  3. The Velvet Underground & Nico
  4. OK Computer
  5. The Queen is Dead

ASIN: B00008YJH5
Release Date: 2003-05-20

Tracks:

  1. Bone Machine
  2. Break My Body
  3. Something Against You
  4. Broken Face
  5. Gigantic
  6. River Euphrates
  7. Where Is My Mind?
  8. Cactus
  9. Tony's Theme
  10. Oh My Golly
  11. You Fucking Die! I Said... [Hidden Track]
  12. Vamos
  13. I'm Amazed
  14. Brick Is Red

Amazon.com essential recording

Before the Breeders and Frank Black, there was this Boston quartet, playing hardcore's rush and terseness against the acoustic grit and the minor-key flourish of Latin pop. Their first full-length album is their starkest, harsh and trebly, with the drums right in your face, and songs edited to eliminate any note that's not absolutely necessary. Singer Black Francis yelping away about destroyed bodies and the river Euphrates, alternately acting cryptic and crazed. Kim Deal, then calling herself "Mrs. John Murphy," contributes the highlight, "Gigantic," a creepy anthem about childhood voyeurism. The playing is snarly and tricky but unfailingly tuneful, and the hooks come out of nowhere, hiding behind the noise, and bite down hard. --Douglas Wolk

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Oh My Golly! It's the Pixies first full Length Debut!.......2007-06-27

Sure, some songs may sound a bit bizarre on 'Surfer Rosa' filled with pidgin Spanish jitterish, and yelling and screaming all over the place!
Even still the stream of consciousness flows on through filled with soaring guitar and at times the guitar play may sound a bit zany, especially on "Vamos" where Joey Santiago (lead guitar) just lets it loose! He really was (and is)a under-rated guitarist.
The band is in full form here complete with David Lovering's precise and cranked up drumming. And of course you got the band's leading lady, Kim Deal.
Yes, she is in stellar form on 'Rosa' providing one of her best known songs with the album's first hit - "Gigantic"-
Kim Deal is a wonderful vocalist (also check out the Breeder's Pod)and after their next album - 1989's 'Doolittle'- she hardly sang at all, eventually costing the Pixies to break up in the early 90s.
I do think Kim Deal is the Heart that makes the Pixies tick, w/o her they sound a bit tired like with their last studio release 'Trompe le Monde'- Just 'Forget the World' and leave Kim Deal out of it, yeah that's smart!
Anyways, my Top two favorite tracks may be a bit different then the average die-hard fan's normal choices. My Top Pixies song is "RIVER EUPHRATES" !! Absolutely amazing to my ears. I was in instant jaw drop mode when I first heard it. I know that may sound silly to many, oh well. It features Black Francis Screaming "Ride the tire down River Euphrates..." as Kim Deal chimes in with background vocals, a bit off and messy, but to me it blends oh so perfectly.
My second favorite song is "Break My Body" after the explosive opener "Bone Machine"-
It seems like to me that most fan favorites are "Gigantic"- and their most known and popular song "Where Is My Mind" which doesn't at all hurt the fact that it was on the end credits to the movie "Fight Club"

- New to the Pixies ? Pick up 'Surfer Rosa' and if you like it (even if you don't) check out 'Doolittle' next and listen to the band that influenced Nirvana's soft to loud dynamics. It is possible without the Pixies, there wouldn't have been a "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as Kurt cited that he ripped off the Pixies while creating that song.
Hard to believe where Alternative Rock would be today without it's main influences. Oh well with 'Surfer Rosa'(& Sonic Youth) and subsequently Nirvana, there is no need to wonder.
- 'Surfer Rosa' for me, really is close to pure unadulterated perfection in all it's raw and glorious maniacal madness. What a 'trip' from start to finish.

1 out of 5 stars The worst band of all time?.......2007-06-08

Surfer Rosa is what it would sound like if Mike Tyson, Helen Keller, Pauly Shore, and a random homeless guy picked up instruments for the first time and decided to record an album. Was there a single actual musician in this band? I have never in my life heard a band that was so utterly, apocalyptically devoid of actual talent.

It doesn't matter how influential this band was or how popular they were (or are) in college frat houses. Stupid music is stupid music, period, and The Pixies' attempts at writing 'music that's so bad that it's actually kind of good' failed miserably. Unless of course you think lyrics like "This song is about a superhero named Tony!" are the stuff of brilliance.

Silliness is not an art form. This band was a crime against rock.

4 out of 5 stars Stripped-down and playful.......2007-05-20

"Surfer Rosa" is an excellent example of artful sloppiness, the musical equivalent to the Tower of Pisa. The vocals wobble out of tune, the guitars spill over beats, and the drums slur drunkenly. Only Deal's rock-solid bass keeps things from imploding.

And that's the charm. The utter lack of pretension and the gleeful performances make "Surfer Rosa" a joy to listen to. While the recording could benefit from remastering and the songs can become repetitive, it's just too much fun to pass up.

5 out of 5 stars aquired taste.......2007-03-20

first heard "where is my mind" in LOST across america along with "ten percenter" (not on this cd), i was like i have to get that cd (surfer rosa), i listened to it once and was like man this sucks and i put into my box of cd's instead of on the rack. I found it a few months ago, covered in dust, and decided to check it again. What the hell was i thinking that night, i guess i was expecting more songs like where is my mind? but none the less this is classic stuff, the drums are in your face, the lyrics are quirky and weird but playful, and kim's voice adds a nice touch, if it doesn't grab you at first which is most likely give it a few more tries

4 out of 5 stars 1st Taste.......2006-11-03

This is my first introduction to the Pixies, other than maybe hearing a song or 2 on the radio but not knowing who it was. This is a great album. I'm glad to have finally discovered what is a long overdue addition to my musical favorites.
Cecilia Bartoli ~ Opera Proibita (Handel · Scarlatti · Caldara) / Les Musiciens du Louvre · Minkowski
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Only one diva, only Bartoli.
  • Amazing disc
  • Beautiful Music, but vocally unmusical.
  • Not to my taste
  • Exciting, moving, beautiful, energetic, heart-felt, fantastic...
 Cecilia Bartoli ~ Opera Proibita (Handel · Scarlatti · Caldara) / Les Musiciens du Louvre · Minkowski
Cecilia Bartoli , George Frideric Handel , Alessandro Scarlatti , Antonio Caldara , Marc Minkowski , and Les Musiciens du Louvre
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Sacred Songs
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  5. Lamento

ASIN: B000A6T1HC
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

  1. All'arme si accesi guerrieri (Aria dell Pace)
  2. Mentre io godo (Aria della Speranza)
  3. Un pensiero nemico di pace
  4. Vanne pentita a piangere
  5. Sparga il senso lascivo veleno
  6. Caldo Sangue
  7. Come nembo che fugge col vento
  8. Ecco negl'orti tuoi...Che dolce simpatica
  9. Qui resta...L'alta Roma
  10. Lascia la spina cogli la rosa
  11. Ahi qual cordoglio...Doppio affetto
  12. Si piangete pupille dolente
  13. Ahi quanto cieca...Come foco allo splendore
  14. Disserratevi oh porte d'Averno
  15. Notte funesta...Ferma l'ali

Amazon.com

Cecilia Bartoli's new CD features a collection of music that could not be heard in her native Rome at the start of the 18th century due to Papal censorship. Theaters, the Church felt, were places of evil and corruption and operas led people to immorality. But some music-loving senior members of the priesthood asked composers to write oratorios and cantatas--indeed, operas without staging, essentially--for their own private entertainment. Call it what you will, the music is sensational--by turns virtuosic, gentle, and playful--and always expressive: just right, it seems, for Cecilia Bartoli's temperament. The opening aria on the CD, a call for peace in the name of Jesus, is, in fact, a dazzling martial air with trumpets blaring and the voice going through an amazing array of coloratura fireworks. It shows Bartoli at her most aggressive. The listener is practically hurled back from the speakers when she begins, with rapid-fire runs and trills and cascades of notes, all perfectly in place. Showy arias are offset by several tender ones ("Lascia la spina" from Handel's Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno returns in the composer's Rinaldo, four years later, as the now-famous "Lascia ch'io pianga"), and Bartoli exhibits again, her many, many levels of pianissimo and sensitive phrasing. Marc Minkowski and his Musiciens are just right for this repertoire and back Bartoli up superbly. This is a fascinating project, rivetingly performed and presented. --Robert Levine

Album Description

Limited Australian pressing. An extraordinary album of dramatic arias written in Rome at a time when opera performance was forbidden by the Church, and female singers were forbidden from singing in public. Decca. 2005.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Only one diva, only Bartoli........2007-06-19

Just like Farinelli was the opera phenomenon of his time, fast-forward to the 21st century, Bartoli gives once again this music of the Italian settecento a breath of new life in all its splendor and glory.

In Opera Proibita, Bartoli's repertoire not only reflects on her as a consummate vocal artist but also as the ultimate scholar. Rarely an opera singer would dig this dip and go that far to unearth great scores from total obscurity. Even more uncommonly a singer would take the challenge of singing these arias without the risk of ridiculing herself, but to the contrary establishing a new record and precedent.

Her execution of the Handel arias is truly astonishing in coloratura and melismas probably not heard for three hundred years when only the best castrati commanded the virtuosity to tackle these arias. Also surprising and refreshing was to hear works by Handel that show his wild side.

Bartoli brings this album to a high climax with the arias from Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno. This is really her realm and true medium. Her vocal runs in "Un pensiero nemico di face" sound like a first violin, and as if this was not difficult enough she ornaments the da capo melismas in tempo from allegro to presto molto vivace, and transitions into a note crescendo with great ease and certainty. Wonderful!

5 out of 5 stars Amazing disc.......2007-03-03

This disc has all the elements needed for an amazing disc. The conductor, orchestra, and music are all top notch. Bartoli's singing is amazing. I find this album energizing and a testament to how exciting baroque music can be. However, if you don't like Bartoli's voice in previous recordings, you probably won't change your opinion because of this disc.

3 out of 5 stars Beautiful Music, but vocally unmusical........2007-02-09

I owned over a dozen of Bartoli solo albums, plus other operatic albums of hers. From the early days of 'Arias Antique' I got impressed by her beautiful singing and her outstanding technique.
Alas, starting from her Vivaldi Album, I do not find her singing that beautiful any more. True, the songs picked there are technically very challenging, used to be sung by male castrato singers. The songs picked here are even more difficult.
BUT - is singing just about technique?
There are some songs in the Vivaldi Album that have the vocal musical lines broken in places. Here in Opera Proibita, almost every song has this problem, even the slow ones of Caldara. Compare her singing in the earlier part of her career, her early Mozart operas, I could not help but wonder if Ms. Bartoli has taken the correct turn in her career: her forced high notes, though squarely hit, do not sound at all pleasing; her runs and trills, though taken accurately at great tempi, is no longer truly musical. Compare her singing with the other two great baroque mezzo-sopranos Bernarda Fink and the tragically short-lived late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, you would understand what I mean.

With the latest turn in Ms. Bartoli's singing, I am being forced to admit that this is a singer of great technical brilliance and enormous fame, but not at all pleasing to the ear.

1 out of 5 stars Not to my taste.......2006-11-05

Cecilia Bartoli has her fans, no doubt, as the other reviews on this site demonstrate, people who love her warmth of tone and her impassioned interpretations. These vocal qualities may suit the performance conventions of the nineteenth-century repertoire; however in this anthology of eighteenth century sacred arias the result is an unhappy imbalance. The problem is, in my opinion, one of clashing calls for attention, whose affect is to distract the listener from attention to the music itself. True, the god of the counter-reformation was to be worshipped ecstatically. And true, also, that I am an anti-romantic listener, who grew up with those early music performances which valued detached purity of tone. This was vaunted as the ideal means of interpretation of the rediscovered seventeenth and eighteenth-century repertoire (it protested too much its rightness, and alienated people- but I like it). However to return to the subject at hand- I find Bartoli's readings of these crypto-erotic arias overblown and self-indulgent. I guess that this sort of coloratura always offered a chance for a bit of ego to be let loose, even in church- however when the performance goes so far as to insist on attention to itself rather than deflecting attention to the music, I stop enjoying the music. This recording does not find the balance between the big romantic personality and eighteenth-century performance conventions, which, after 30 or 40 years of self-critique, have some authority. I disliked it very much. I am a great admirer of Mark Minkowski's opera interpretations, which I think find a perfect balance between these opposing impulses of warm and cool- a binary we can trace throughout aesthetics and through the ages. Here there's an overbalance in favour of warm (hot, in fact), which the performers might argue is just the sort of vivification that Baroque performance needs. Not for me. I gave it to a friend (she's still a friend).

5 out of 5 stars Exciting, moving, beautiful, energetic, heart-felt, fantastic..........2006-09-02

What more can I add?

Cecilia Bartoli just "does it" for me almost every time. She is just fantastic in my books. I love her dearly. She can give one an adrenalin rush with her bravura singing and then break one's heart with her pathos.

This is a superb collection of Baroque arias from "almost" operas! ;-))
I also liked the cheeky and none-too-subtle references to La Dolce Vita on
cover and the images inside the disc. Nice to see an opera singer with a playful sense of humour!

I am listening to this disc as I write this review and all I can say is that I love this disc and it is clearly one of the best Signorina Bartoli has released, although I like all of her recordings. Listen to track 12 and you will buy this disc.

More, please!

PS: How about DECCA getting Cecilia Bartoli and Andreas Scholl together for a musical project? I'd love to see two of my favourite singers together on the one disc.
PSPS: If you like Opera Proibita, buy Andreas Scholl's Arcadia and Arias for Senesino, too!


Match Point
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Music that calms me
  • Interesting Choices
  • Great for non experts
  • On-Point
  • For Those so Engrossed by the Film, Here are the Excerpts that Molded It
 Match Point
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Milan Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Woody Allen Classics
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ASIN: B000BU0C7K
Release Date: 2005-12-20

Tracks:

  1. 'Mal Reggendo All'aspro Assalto' From 'Il Trovatore'
  2. 'Un Di, Felice' From 'La Traviata'
  3. 'Mia Piccirella' From 'Salvatore Rosa'
  4. 'Gualtier Malde!...Caro Nome' From 'Rigoletto'
  5. 'Mi Par D'udir Ancora' From I Pescatori Di Perle'
  6. 'Arresta ... Quali Sguardi!' From 'Guillaume Tell'
  7. 'O Figli, O Figli Miei!' From 'Macbeth'
  8. 'Desdemona Rea, Si, Per Ciel' From 'Otello'
  9. 'Una Furtiva Lagrima' From L'elisir D'amore'

Album Description

Match Point tells the story of social-status climber Chris, a modest tennis instructor. His marriage to Chloe gains him comfort and prestige in society, but his passion leads his astray into the arms of his soon-to-be sister-in-law, the very sexy American, Nola. In Match Point, which deals with luck, ambition and guilt, writer/director Woody Allen draws on the talent of actors Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Emily Mortimer, and in the role of Nola, Scarlett Johannson.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Music that calms me.......2007-02-08

I am no expert. I just like listening to arias that have the capacity to bring me into the music. For me, the songs are like oxygen and taking deep breaths lowers my heart rate and helps me get my mind off everything but the soulfullnes and beauty of the human voice instument.

4 out of 5 stars Interesting Choices.......2007-01-05

Very interesting choices for this soundtrack. Very evocative. Understood that these are old recordings, so sound quality is not fabulous.

5 out of 5 stars Great for non experts.......2006-10-05

I really have no knoledge about opera or I had never had an interest for it but when I saw the movie I just loved the music. The CD is not a disappointment at all. It is only opera and a great selection of songs I would say. If you liked what you heard on the movie you should have it.

5 out of 5 stars On-Point.......2006-05-12

I love everything that has to do with this film at the moment, and the soundtrack is NO exception. Woody Allen has a knack for picking just the right songs to compliment his films, and while watching the WONDERFUL Match Point you can't help but be drawn into the music that laces each scene like delicate embrodery placed only to embelish each frame and make it all the more impressive. This is a soundtrack to enjoy OVER AND OVER again. Each track, although there aren't many, is a joy in itself, but the best track is 'Una Furtive Lagrima' which serves as the theme song of sorts. Seriously though, even though I'm reviewing the soundtrack and not the film, I can't stress enough how brilliant this film really is, and the soundtrack is the perfect companion to the film. They go together hand in hand and should be enjoyed time and time again.

4 out of 5 stars For Those so Engrossed by the Film, Here are the Excerpts that Molded It.......2006-04-28

This soundtrack is a fun little exercise in discovery for those who loved the film MATCH POINT and want to know more about the music that accompanied the story in such an integrated way. It is also a terrific souvenir for opera fans who do not yet own the recordings of the legendary Enrico Caruso!

Woody Allen created his character Chris as a lover of opera and integrated that love for opera into the family of wealth he 'enters'. The story is so well written and Allen is so well versed in opera that his selections for excerpts greatly added to the depth of the film.

Here are the old recordings of Enrico Caruso singing arias from 'Il Trovatore', 'Salvator Rosa', 'Les Pecheurs de perles', 'Macbeth', and 'L'elisir d'amore'. In addition to these are excerpts from contemporary singers performing arias form 'La Traviata' (performed by Monika Krause and Georg Tichy), 'Rigoletto' (sung by Alida Ferrarini with Alexander Rahbari conducting), 'William Tell' and 'Otello' (performed by Igor Morozov and Janez Lotric with Johannes Wildner conducting the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra). Probably copyright laws prevented the use of the 'live performances' at Covent Garden we heard in the film with very fine young singers, here substituted with Slovak recording artists. But the mood is still there.

This soundtrack recording makes for nice reminiscing about a fine film while adding a bit of flavor to the usual classical music collection! Grady Harp, April 06

Bachata Rosa
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Super!
  • Great for people new to salsa/Latin music
  • Grace
  • Ay, Juan Luis! Que talentoso y bien bonito, tambien!
  • Superb!
 Bachata Rosa
Juan Luis Guerra , and 4.40
Manufacturer: Karen
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003MZU
Release Date: 1999-02-25

Tracks:

  1. Rosalia
  2. Como Abeja Al Panal
  3. Carta De Amor
  4. Estrelliatas Y Duendes
  5. A Pedir Su Mano
  6. La Bilirrubina
  7. Burbujas De Amor
  8. Bachata Rosa
  9. Reforestame
  10. Acompaneme Civil

Amazon.com

Dominican singer, composer, and bandleader Juan Luis Guerra is one of the few true innovators in contemporary Latin music. He created a revolution when he reinvented traditional merengue with smart, poetic lyrics, jazz harmonies, and higher production values. In Bachata Rosa he similarly updated the lowly bachata, the rural, Dominican down-home version of the romantic ballad. Songs such as "Estrellitas y Duendes (Little Stars and Goblins)," "Como Abeja al Panal (Like a Bee to the Beehive)," "Burbujas de Amor (Love Bubbles)," and the title track revisit the old love themes with rare grace and subtle poetic flair. Meanwhile "Rosalia," "Cartas de Amor," and "A Pedir Su Mano" (in which Guerra hints at the connections between Dominican and African music which he pursued in subsequent albums) provide superb dance floor tracks. The result was a commercial and artistic success and with good reason. --Fernando Gonzalez

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Super!.......2007-06-30

Never tire of listening to this exciting album--and I've owned it since 1992! Great for dancing or just tapping your feet. Happy music.

5 out of 5 stars Great for people new to salsa/Latin music.......2006-03-24

I have just started to learn to dance salsa and other Latin dances. To improve, it is important to learn about the various types of music and the timing when learning new dances. I have asked many people what groups and CDs I should purchase to expand my knowledge of Latin dance music. Invariably, they recommend Juan Luis Guerra and specifically, Bachata Rosa. This CD is accessible to people who are new to Latin music. In addition, there are various tempos and styles of music on this CD, from salsa to bachata. I highly recommend this CD to novice and experienced Salseros, and anyone who is interested in experiencing Latin music.

5 out of 5 stars Grace.......2006-03-03

I am enjoying this item to the utmost...It is a beautiful cd...I love the singer's style!

5 out of 5 stars Ay, Juan Luis! Que talentoso y bien bonito, tambien!.......2004-10-28

I was introduced to this album several years after its initial release. Juan Luis Guerra y 4.40 has always been one of my favorite bands hailing from the Dominican Republic. The level of sophistication they add to their music is unmistakable. They are one of the more polished, well arranged and catchy bands I have heard. I only wish their music was played in the salsa clubs of Seattle. I guess I have to head to the East coast for that!

This album blends catchy merengue, beautiful bachata (slow, sort of like a cumbia with a "bounce") ballads, and African influence and takes it to a new level. Example of this is prevalent in the title cut, "Bachata Rosa." Also, the beautiful mixture and variation in tempo in a couple of the tracks makes them especially exciting! Whenever I listen to this album, I always see the sun even when its raining outside. I am sure you will think so, too!

5 out of 5 stars Superb!.......2004-10-20

For me the best of JLG albums, even better than "Ojalá que llueva Café" and "Ni es lo mismo ni es igual". Bilirrubina, Rosalía, A pedir su mano are great merengues; Estrellitas y duentes, Reforéstame, Bachata Rosa (especially) showed the world how sweet, delicate and sensual bachata rythm is.
Rosa
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Amazingly soothing. (period)
  • the best stress reduction album you could ever listen to
  • Gorgeous; However....
  • Beautiful Bossa Rosa
  • Heavy Bossa Nova. Stylish Bossa Nova vocals. No conceding to easy listening.
 Rosa
Rosa Passos
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Amorosa
  2. Entre Amigos/Among Friends
  3. Segundo
  4. The Jobim Songbook
  5. Half the Perfect World

ASIN: B000EYK4EY
Release Date: 2006-08-01

Tracks:

  1. Duas Contas
  2. Eu Nao Existo Sem Voce
  3. Sutilezas
  4. Ate Quem Sabe
  5. Olhos Nos Olhos
  6. Sentado A Beira Do Caminho
  7. Molambo
  8. Jardim
  9. Demasiado Blue
  10. Desilusion
  11. Edredon De Seda
  12. Nao Sei O Que Acontece
  13. Detalhe
  14. Fusion
  15. Inverno

Amazon.com

With due respect to Claus Ogerman and Tom Jobim's orchestration, bossa nova music is at its most beautiful when it is stripped down. Joao Gilberto knows it, performing solo for several years now, and Rosa Passos proves it on her solo disc, the aptly titled Rosa. Coy, innocent, and playful, the full nuance of Passos's voice is in full bloom here. Even her breathing is musical, seemingly creating tension before the next line is sung, and every stretched syllable, moan, and inflection is so intimate that she seems to be on the couch next to you. Buoyant and contemplative, her acoustic guitar playing pulses with a bossa nova heartbeat. She takes on mix of originals and covers here, making each song her own even when she draws upon such non-Brazilian writers as Jorge Drexler and Keren Ann. Highlights include the heartbreaking original "Sutilezas," "Jardim," and vocal-only opener "Duas Contas." No trendy beats or new fusions, Rosa is bossa nova in its purest form. --Tad Hendrickson

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Amazingly soothing. (period).......2007-07-06

You can simply place Rosa Passos' CD on your favorite player and let it gently (but surely) envelop you with total bliss.

Her soothing voice accompanied by her soft classical string guitar will fill your place with the most pleasant feelings from the very first song.

You may not even notice at first, but then you will realize that she's turned any day that you were having into a beautiful day. Her music is that pleasurable and subtle.

In this CD, as others before, Rosa Passos remains true to her Brazilian roots, while reaching out and speaking with everyone in the world thru the universal language of music.

As a lover of Brazilian Jazz, I can say that Rosa Passos tops the scale of cool.

5 out of 5 stars the best stress reduction album you could ever listen to.......2007-01-09

This album is my remedy for a tough day. It is relaxing, sexy music from a voice that is just so soothing and absolutely beautiful. She sings in either Spanish or Portugese, but it does not matter because the melodies and her voice are all that matter. I love this album and play it almost every day.

4 out of 5 stars Gorgeous; However...........2006-06-02

Christopher Loudon of "Jazz Times" recently raved about this c.d. And before listening to it, I opened the package and read the liner notes. There, I learned that Yo-Yo Ma believes Rosa Passos to have the most beautiful voice in the world.

So, I put the disc in the player, expecting heaven on earth. And for the first 16 bars or so on "Duas Contas", that's what I got. The c.d. sounded incredible.

Before long, I thought, "This first cut sure is incredible, but it's a little long." Then I looked at the player, and discovered I was on Track 4.

Therein lies the issue with this recording: it's too beautiful. It's like walking through a field of red and golden poppies. For 5 miles. After awhile, you realize that you'd appreciate the flowers more if there were a few petunias, daisies and marigolds along the way.

In fairness, a big reason for this is the program. This is all Rosa Passos alone, in the studio, just guitar and voice. And the recording sounds like she sat down and played and sang simultaneously, without mixing tracks.

Solo voice albums are extremely, extremely tough to pull off. The best albums I know of with voice and another instrument (usually piano) have an instrumentalist with whom the singer can interact. If you don't have that, it seems to me that to pull something like this off, you have to lay down the tracks separately and overdub like crazy. And even then, it may not be a complete success (e.g.--Petra Haden's "The Who Sell Out"). I don't believe such overdubbing happened here. On almost all of the tracks, Ms. Passos' guitar consists of a pluck of a low note and a strum of 2-to-4-note chord on the offbeat. When a human being is singing and playing at the same time, it's nearly impossible to have the concentration to do a whole lot more than that.

Don't get me wrong: I strongly recommend this album. But for maximum effect, I suggest you download 3 tracks from I-Tunes or Napster and put them into your I-Pod or your computer. It doesn't much matter which 3 (I'll suggest tracks 1,6 and 8--"Duas Contras", "Sentado A Beira Do Caminho" and "Jardim"--if you insist upon a precise recommendation). I think you'll get maximum enjoyment out of this recording if you do that. RC

5 out of 5 stars Beautiful Bossa Rosa.......2006-05-28

Here she is again,that wonderful bossanova classisist,Rosa Passos.
This time alone with only her voice and guitar,The tempos are slow and medium and the whole atmosphere is breathing compassion,and empathy. Rosas phrasing and rythm conception makes very single tune stand out.
One tune "Olhos nos Olhos" which is for a sister that was force to exile during the dictatorship is especially heart grabbing.
Sometimes we might forget that Rosa is not only a fantastic singer but also a very good guitar player this can be heard on a tune like the easy moving "Fusion" which is a tune that I can not get out of my head. Rosa plays it with such ease and smoothness that it just kills me
Finally to quote Carlos Galilea who wrote the liner notes
"One can not listen to Rosa Passos without falling in love"

5 out of 5 stars Heavy Bossa Nova. Stylish Bossa Nova vocals. No conceding to easy listening........2006-05-27

This is new material as recently recorded (but not issued) in Brazil by the great Brazilian composer and songbird, Ms. Rosa Passos.

All sung in Portuguese, program dare to open with an 'a capella' rendition of an old romantic samba hit titled 'Duas Contas'.

This is a voice and guitar work of art, an act of great courage to be offered to American audiences although so dear to Brazilian audiences. No violins, no percussion, just Ms. Passos' acoustic guitar and voice.

What a voice! Ms. Passos artistry seems to be ever growing in sophistication, gaining some vibrato, adequately moderate.

Repertoire includes many well-known songs in Brazil and some Rosa Passos' compositions.
Music for a Medieval Banquet
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Not Thrilling
  • Good CD
  • Re-release of Il Solazzo
  • A good, simple bargain, with a sweet reward
 Music for a Medieval Banquet

Manufacturer: Hmf Classical Exp.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Sinners & Saints: The Ultimate Medieval and Renaissance Music Collection
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  5. Music Of The Crusades

ASIN: B00005A3WX
Release Date: 2001-05-08

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Not Thrilling.......2007-01-05

I have been online for 3 hours tonight reading Amazon's reviews of various medieval CD's. I really wanted to find a Waverly Consort CD comparable to their marvelous, magical, exuberant "A Waverly Consort Christmas," but nothing seems to match that one. I have a dial-up modem and for some reason none of Amazon's musical selections will play even though I have no problems with video games and music uploads from other sources. Thus, I have to rely upon written reviews.

Among the many albums for which I read reviews tonight was one for "A Medieval Banquet" by the Newberry Consort. The title & group rang a bell so I checked my collection and found that it was originally called *Il Solazzo" (as others have already noted among these reviews). I bought it in early 1995 but never wrote any comments in the attached booklet, which is unusual for me.

I have now played the CD twice and understand why I made no comments: it was simply not thrilling. I am no musicologist -- just someone who loves early music because it makes my soul sing. This CD is "nice," but my soul goes ho-hum when I hear it. (The one exception is the #9 selection with rebec, vielle & lute -- and no voices.)

The instrumentals have a certain charm but they generally feel more Renaissance than medieval to me. The vocals leave me completely cold. In some of the reviews I read tonight I came across the concept of "operatic" applied to some of this early music. I had no idea what the authors meant since there was no opera at such an early period. But in playing this CD, I understood -- there is indeed a bloated, elaborate vocal quality that really does feel "operatic." It seems entirely unsuited to "Music for a Medieval Banquet."

If your soul wants to sing, this proably isn't the CD for you. Try the Waverly Consort's "Christmas" along with a glass of fine wine 4 out of 5 stars Good CD.......2004-04-30

One of the reasons why I bought this recording is the interesting choice of pieces, which range from the often-recorded instrumental dances to the less-known sung tracks.

When I played it, the first thing that struck me of this CD is the thinness of the sound in the dances. Although the performance is spotless, it lacks the body that other medieval-dance groups add to their sound - notably the older but still great Studio der Fruehen Musik. Is this an unfair statement? Perhaps - but these dances have been recorded so many times that it is only natural to compare versions.

Also, the use of percussion instruments would have been a nice touch, besides being perfectly historical. Then, a more varied instrumental arrangement may have been a good addition, especially in the longer numbers such as Chominciamento di gioia.

The other point that puzzled me is that in the first track (La Badessa), the singer sounds as if she is playing a losing game of catch-up with the instruments, which results in a mediocre performance of that particular piece. It is a pity, because the song is very catchy and the singer's voice is stylistically spot on.

Having said all this, the selections of songs and dances is first-choice, the performance is good and well researched and the CD remains one of the most played in my household.

4 out of 5 stars Re-release of Il Solazzo.......2002-10-10

Just a quick note on this CD: It's a re-release of the Newberry Consort's "Il Solazzo" disc without the texts and with less nice packaging. Since that disc can be hard to find, this CD is welcome, but if you can find the other release cheaper it's a better deal.

4 out of 5 stars A good, simple bargain, with a sweet reward.......2002-06-11

This simple little album reminds me of what it is that I love most about the Italian Renaissance - its barefaced passion and gut level power. So playful and raucous at times that I felt as if I were in a scene from Pasolini's irreverent "Decameron" and at other moments, so serene that I was in a chapter from Chaucer. The music is simple and unpretentious. Not resorting to gimmicks, they allow the music to be expressed in a way that it very probably was in the age when it reigned: unashamed, expressive, brazenly colorful and just a bit flamboyant.

So much for the performers. As for the producers...

On the downside, it is painfully obvious that they made this album on a shoe-string budget. That can be a good thing in forcing the artists to stick to the music's purity instead of hiring a team of sound engineers to make it "sound" better, but there is absolutely no documentation about the songs, other than their titles and playing times. A sickly-thin album insert has a blurb in English and Italian about polyphony, told in allegorical style, with each paragraph in an alternating language instead of one section in each language. Go figure! Maybe the AltaVista translator they used for free had a one-paragraph limit.

But it also has a variety of styles, both vocal and instrumental, so it gives a nice overall flavor of what life might have sounded like in that little part of the world, during that remarkable little slice of musical history.
Amorosa
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Amazing voice
  • Celebrating Joao Gilberto
  • Best of today's Brazil!!!
  • Pure bossa nova
  • ROSA!!!! ROSA!!!! ROSA!!!!
 Amorosa
Rosa Passos
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

BrazilBrazil | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music
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  1. Rosa
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  3. Taraf de Haïdouks
  4. Rive Gauche Rio
  5. Duos II

ASIN: B0002S94NY
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Tracks:

  1. Voce Vai Ver
  2. Wave- Solo Version
  3. Besame Mucho
  4. Pra que Discutir com Madame
  5. Lobo Bobo
  6. O Pato
  7. Retrato em Branco e Preto
  8. Eu Sambo Mesmo
  9. Essa e Prio Jao
  10. Que Reste-t-il de nos Amours
  11. S'Wonderful
  12. Chega de Saudade

Amazon.com

It's become increasingly difficult to find a Brazilian bossa nova singer not interested in electronic production values. For those yearning to hear bossa nova music played acoustically, singer Rosa Passos is the answer. Her pitch perfect voice is almost girlish and coy, but her supple phrasing shows her to be a true veteran. Her star's been on the rise since her impressive contributions to Yo-Yo Ma's Obrigado Brazil (Ma guests here as well), and now she's landed on Sony Classical for her major label debut. A tip of the hat to Joao Gilberto's classic Amoroso features four bossa nova classics from that album, two more Antonio Carlos Jobim compositions and six others. The small-group arrangements are often restrained but jazzy (channeling a little Stan Getz), while the orchestral format for three tunes is a velvety a nod to Claus Ogerman's lush arrangements of many bossa nova classics. This is an instant classic from one of the music's finest interpreters. --Tad Hendrickson

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Amazing voice.......2007-07-08

For the lovers of Brasilian music, this is a "mut have" cd in your collection. Rosa Passos has a fantastic voice. Get it and you would not regret it.

5 out of 5 stars Celebrating Joao Gilberto.......2007-05-17

Remember "The Girl From Ipanema"? Well, she is alive and well and reincarnated in Rosa Passos. Rosa embodies all that you remember good about that soft bosa nova style made popular in the 60's and enjoyed thereafter. Her delicate, soft , little voice is the perfect vehicle for the bossa nova. It is just plain delightful and refreshing to hear an artist reviving the old tradition without the electronica makeover. I first took note of Rosa on one of Yo-Yo Ma's Brazilian excusions. She is a contemporary voice, deep rooted and well versed in the music made popular by Joao Gilberto. The disc has a light jazz feel to it, similar to when Stan Getz released his classic "Getz/Gilberto." The opening track,"Voce Vai Ver" sets the cool summer breeze tempo with soft runs on the piano and sax interludes while Rosa gently soothes your soul. I love this whole disc, each and every song is an instant classic. There are four tracks penned by another great, if not the greatest, bossa nova artist, Antonio Carlos Jobin, including the aforementioned opening track. If you were or are into bossa nova than the songs will be quite familiar. Who can forget "Wave" and it's catchy beat and mellow mood. An interesting note to this disc is her interpretation of "I Wish You Love" entitled "Que Reste-Il De Nos Amours." It is a masterpiece of eloquence. She performs a beautiful duet with Henri Salvador that is sensuous and delicious. She performs one song in English, the George Gershwin composition "S' Wonderful" that is tasty, sensitive and classy. The bonus track, "Chega De Saudade" is an outstanding number as she is reunited with Yo-Yo Ma. If you are looking for some contemporary bossa nova than look no further, you have found it. Recommended for enhancing summer breezes, putting a smile on your face, romantic nights or just dreaming of the "Girl From Ipanema."

5 out of 5 stars Best of today's Brazil!!!.......2007-02-22

I just discovered Rosa Passos recently.....her voice is sexy and cool.....she is todays version of Astrud Gilberto.....this CD in particular has fantastic arrangements that compliment this terrific singer!

5 out of 5 stars Pure bossa nova.......2007-01-14

Rosa Passos is a very sophisticated singer from Brazil. Unfortunately she is almost completely unknown in her own country. In this CD she makes a tribute to João Gilberto (he has a 1977 album, "Amoroso").The last track has the participation of Yo -Yo Ma, cello.

5 out of 5 stars ROSA!!!! ROSA!!!! ROSA!!!!.......2006-05-10

ROSA!!!ROSA!!!ROSA!!!...I DARE anyone to listen to Rosa on a bright sunny day, without a smile!!!! I DARE anyone to play this CD while sipping a little cool Sangria and not feel passionate!!!! I DARE anyone to dismiss this marvelous, album...this wonderful... S'WONDERFUL, (Gershwin's classic and only English composition herein)...Really!!! You will be overwhelmed with emotion...and swept away by the hypnotic groove of the rhythm of Rosa's soft, subtle, caressing voice!!! YES!!!...YES!!!...YES!!!... You can't help falling in LOVE with Rosa on this sublime recording.... Trust Me!!!....Buy It!!!....You'll LOVE it!!!...Afterall, the name of the album is AMOROSA!!!...Any other silly questions!!!!
Vivaldi: Bajazet [Includes Bonus DVD]
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Monumental Recording
  • Simply fantastic
  • Marvellous fun and great singing
  • Worth it!
  • Gorgeous,but one tiny qualm !
 Vivaldi: Bajazet [Includes Bonus DVD]

Manufacturer: Virgin Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Cecilia Bartoli ~ Opera Proibita (Handel · Scarlatti · Caldara) / Les Musiciens du Louvre · Minkowski
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  5. Handel: Radamisto

ASIN: B00022LE38
Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

  1. Allegro
  2. Andante Molto
  3. Allegro
  4. Recitativo: Prence Lo So: Vi Devo
  5. Aria: Del Destin Non Dee Lagnarsi
  6. Recitativo: Non Si Perda Di Vista
  7. Aria: Nasce Rosa Lusinghiera
  8. Recitativo: Principe, Or Ora I Greci
  9. Aria: In Si Torbida Procella
  10. Recitativo: Il Tartaro Ama Asteria
  11. Aria: Quel Ciglio Vezzosetto
  12. Recitativo: Or Si, Fiero Destino
  13. Aria: Vedeste Mai Sul Prato
  14. Recitativo: Non Ascolto Piu Nulla
  15. Aria: Amare Un'alma Ingrata
  16. Recitativo: Cosi La Sposa Il Tamerlano Accoglie?
  17. Aria: Qual Querriero In Campo Aramato
  18. Recitativo: E Bella Irene
  19. Aria: Non Ho Nel Sen Constanza
  20. Recitativo: Amico, Tengo Un Testimon Fedele
  21. Recitativo: Sarete Or Ostinato
  22. Aria: Anche Il Mar par Che Sommerga
  23. Recitativo: Gloria, Sdegno Ed Amore
  24. Aria: Stringi Le Mie Catene

Tracks:

  1. Recitativo: Ah, Disperato Andronico!
  2. Aria: La Sorte Mia Spietata
  3. Recitativo: Signor, Vergine Illustre
  4. Aria: Cruda Sorte, Avverso Fato!
  5. Recitativo: Senti, Chiunque Tu Sia
  6. Aria: La Cervetta Timidetta
  7. Recitativo: Gran Cose Espone Asteria
  8. Aria: Sposa, Son Disprezzata
  9. Recitativo: Dov'e Mia Figlia, Andronico?
  10. Aria: Dov'e La Figla?
  11. Recitativo: Asteria, Siamo Al Soglio ...
  12. Quartetto: Si Crudel! Questo E L'amore
  13. Recitativo: Figlia, Siam Rei
  14. Aria: Veder Parmi, Or Che Nel Fondo
  15. Recitativo: Andronico, Il Mio Amore
  16. Aria: Barbaro Traditor
  17. Recitativo: Lascero Di Regnare
  18. Aria: Spesso Tra Vaghe Rose
  19. Recitativo: Eccoti, Bajazette
  20. Arioso: Verro Crudel, Spietato
  21. Recitativo: Signor, Fra Tante Cure
  22. Aria: Son Tortorella
  23. Recitativo: Signore, Bajazette
  24. Accompagnato: E Morto, Si, Tiranno
  25. Aria: Svena, Uccidi, Abbatti, Atterra
  26. Recitativo: Deh, Tu Cauto la Segui
  27. Coro: Coronata Di Gigli E Rose

Amazon.com

This stunner of an opera involves the proud sultan Bajazet (bass) and his battle with his bloodthirsty rival-tyrant Tamerlane (counter-tenor). More than 50 operas were composed on the subject. Here Vivaldi has composed all the recitatives and marvelous arias for the dignified, fine characters and used arias by other composers--Hasse, Giacomelli, Carlo Broschi--for Tamerlano and the nasties. The music is energetic and virtuosic throughout. Fabio Biondi leads Europa Galante and soloists with urgent, theatrical precision, making the story come to life. The singing could not be better: Ildebrando d'Arcangelo is a remarkably sympathetic Bajazet, singing with fluency and power; David Daniels amazes as Tamerlano; Marijana Mijanovic sings the role of Asteria (Bajazet's daughter) with love and precision; and Viveca Genaux dazzles with her perfect coloratura as Irene. This is a treasure trove of singing, and a bonus DVD allows us to see/hear the performers in rehearsal. Highly recommended. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Monumental Recording.......2007-03-14

From the same composer that
brought us "The four Seasons"
Antonio Vivaldi, comes this
'dramma per musica' it tells
us the story of Bajazet, a Turkish
leader who ruled vast portions of
the Ottoaman empire, and his defeat
by his great foe, Tamerlano(Timur Lenk).
In the past composers like Handel and
others had taken an interest in the story.
This is the World Premiere recording of
the work. Much musicological research was done
by conductor and violinist Fabio Biondi and others
to put together this monumental recording.As personally
for me this is the first complete opera that
I hear by Vivaldi. This opera comes with a
DVD that features all six soloists in an aria.
Europa Galante and Maestro Biondi do a wonderful
job, and the soloists are great. Wonderful work,
thank you Maestro Biondi...

5 out of 5 stars Simply fantastic.......2007-02-28

This is one of the best recordings that I have bought recently. The entire opera is a treasure, and they couldn't have picked a better cast. Vivica Genaux, Elina Garanca, and David Daniels are especially strong, and Fabio Biondi's orchestra is always clean and polished. The recording quality is also top-notch. It's unlike me not to offer some kind of a criticism, but I can't think of one for this recording. Highly recommended.

5 out of 5 stars Marvellous fun and great singing.......2006-09-19

I have to say that I prefer Handel's Tamerlano for musical reasons. However, Vivaldi's opera on the same subject is very enjoyable and entertaining. Like it has been said of the operas of Haydn, Vivaldi's operas are not great operas, but they do contain great music.

Europa Galante, directed from the 1st violin by Fabio Biondi, is in great form and I've never heard them play better. I have their older recording of Handel's opera Poro, and I enjoyed that one, too.
The singers here are an excellent ensemble. I like the dark and expressive voice of Ildebrando D'Arcangelo - he was also marvellous as Leporello in Gardiner's Don Giovanni. David Daniels is fantastic, as usual, and he is possibly the best operatic countertenor in the world at the moment. Patrizia Ciofi is best heard and not seen - sweet voice coming from a madwoman (check out the DVD!). Vivica Genaux has been hyped to within a centimetre of her life recently. She has a nice flexible mezzo voice. A little too much vibrato for my tastes and she looks like a chipmunk when she attacks coloratura passages. Marijana Mijanovic sings well - she was excellent as the neurotic Penelope in the Christie / L.A.F. DVD of Monteverdi's Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in patria. She is alarmingly thin - possible health problems? She doesn't engage with the conductor or orchestra at all in the DVD - the only singer who doesn't. Elina Garanca looks beautiful (and healthy!) and sings beautifully. She has a lovely contralto voice. I hope I see and hear more from this artist in the future.

I am not a big fan of Vivaldi's operas - I enjoy them as collections of arias. I wonder how well Bajazet worked on stage?
I'd love to have a DVD of this production, I would like to see how a Vivaldi opera works on stage. Vivaldi's operas don't have imaginative scorings and the orchestral passages are fairly prosaic. A lot of what goes on in the Vivaldi operas I've heard (I have a few in my CD collection) is pretty routine. However, I am open minded on the subject and I would like to see how well a Vivaldi opera works on stage.

5 out of 5 stars Worth it!.......2006-05-23

This album exceeded my expectations. In the true pasticcio form, Vivaldi copied and pasted other composers' work, and his own of previous operas. The arias are un-paralleled in harmony, balance, up-beat rhythm, and beauty. The orchestration by Fabio Biondi is first rate and world class. Vivica Genaux rocks in her interpretation of "Qual Guerriero in Campo Armato" as so much energy, control, and speed are gushed out at once and sustained without wavering. Her ornamentation in the da capo aria is amazing. Vivica's voice is powerful, ethereal, and acrobatic. She recreates what a castrato voice might have sounded like, beautiful and strong. While Vivica sings perfectly the most demanding and technically difficult aria of the opera, Ciofi delights us with the most beautiful "Nasce rosa". After listening to her, it would be near to impossible to imagine anyone else singing this aria with such charm. But what she excelled at "Nasce", she lacked at "Anche il mar". This aria is perhaps as technically and impossibly challenging as "Qual guerriero", but Ciofi's coloratura is discontinuous. Cecilia Bartoli executes this aria in her Vivaldi Album stunningly in one breath. If there was ever a team of opera gold medalists, that team is put together in this album. Ildebrando's "Dov'e la Figla?" is a handsome showcase of his voice and strong presence. While his singing is worthy of high praise, his hand movements and wedding band flashing might have already cost him 90% of his fan base, not to mention dashing his chances at becoming a teen idol or gay icon. His comportment at the high note of the aria is reminiscent of an opera Olympiad doing a vocal triple summersault in mid-air and sticking a perfect landing. "Dov'e la figlia?" is also an aria that illustrates the great genius of Vivaldi as an opera composer. He wrote very distinct music for the same lyrics and for different registers (basso and castrato) in Bajazet, and Motezuma (with Dominique Visse). At the same time, he used the identical music for two different lyrics in Motezuma, and Orlando Furioso (Sorge l'irato Nembo).The bonus DVD proves not only interesting but also very entertaining at the gesticulations and facial configurations sometimes taken for granted to sing bel canto's finest arias. Superb job!

5 out of 5 stars Gorgeous,but one tiny qualm !.......2006-04-20

While I agree with all the good things that have been written of this splendid perfomance,there is a small,but I feel important, detail about the recording which I find vexing.
When a recitative is is sung the performers are placed across the audio stage,disposed left or right,as you will.When an aria is sung ,the soloist leaps to the very center of the sound stage, which is quite disconcerting,especially when listening through headphones.This points to the arias and recits being recorded in separate sessions.Nothing wrong with that given the ravishing perfomance.Well worth the purchase price.
Very Best of
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • A great introduction to the art of Placido Domingo
  • This is really the best.
  • If you like Placido at all, you must have this CD.
  • Rare And Great Domingo Classics
  • A real Bobby Dazzler
 Very Best of
Placido Domingo
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
OperettasOperettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
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National Philharmonic Orchestra LondonNational Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Paris Symphony OrchestraParis Symphony Orchestra | ( P ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Placido Domingo: A Love Until The End Of Time
  2. Bravo Domingo
  3. Perhaps Love
  4. The Domingo Songbook
  5. The Best of the Three Tenors

ASIN: B000083GOJ
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Tracks:

  1. Ill Mio Tesoro
  2. Un'aura Amorosa
  3. Dies Bildnis Ist Bezaubernd Schon
  4. La Ci Darem La Mano
  5. Vani Sono I Lamenti...Svegliatevi Nel Core
  6. Pays Merveilleux...O Paradis
  7. Quel Trouble Inconnu Me Penetre...Salut ! Demeure Chaste Et Pure (Faust, Act III)
  8. Ah! Tout Est Bien Fini... O Souverain, O Juge, O Pere (Le Cid, Act III)
  9. None But The Lonley Heart
  10. Lensky's Aria
  11. Donna, Non Vidi Mai (Manon Lescauy Act, II)
  12. Ah, Manon, Mi Tradisce
  13. Dammi I Colori...Recondita Armonia
  14. E Lucevan Le Stelle (Tosca, Act III)
  15. Ch'ella Mi Creda (La Fanciulla Del West, Act III)
  16. Dai Campi, Dai Prati (Mefistofele, Act I)
  17. Virgini Muse...Quando Al Soave Anelito
  18. O Sink Hernieder, Nacht Der Liebe
  19. Was Am Besten Er Kann...Hoho! Hohei!

Tracks:

  1. Se Quel Guerrier Io Fossi!...Celeste Aida
  2. Su, Profetessa...Di Tu Se Fedele
  3. Forse La Soglia Attinse...Ma Se M'e Forza Perderti
  4. O Tu Che In Seno Agli Angeli
  5. Su, Cacciator...Fontainebleau!...
  6. Niun Mi Tema
  7. Ach, Wie So Herrlich Zu Schau'n
  8. Sckenkt Man Sich Rosen In Tirol
  9. Gern Hab'ich Die Frau'n Gekusst
  10. O Vaterland...Da Geh'ich Zu Maxim
  11. Dein Ist Mein Ganzes Herz
  12. Mi Aldea
  13. Cancion Del Sembrador
  14. No Puede Ser
  15. Serenata
  16. Copillas De Belen
  17. Coplas Del Pastor Enamorado
  18. En Aranjues Con Tu Amor
  19. Jealousy Tango
  20. La Golondina

Amazon.com

Placido Domingo is a phenomenon, and every aspect of his artistry is on display in this 2-CD compilation, which includes arias from his signature roles in Italian, French, German, and Russian operas, and songs from Viennese and Spanish operettas. The original recordings range from the early 1970s to the present and show that though over the years his bright golden voice has taken on a darker, more burnished glow, it has retained the melting lyricism, the heroic ring, the thrilling top notes, and the focused intensity that make it instantly recognizable. (Comparing the Verdi arias included here with their counterparts of later vintage in the all-Verdi set The Tenor Arias bears this out.) The program demonstrates his stylistic and expressive versatility and his ability to instantly establish character and mood, from Lenski's sorrow (in Eugene Onegin), Cavaradossi's heart-rending despair (in Tosca), Otello's shattering agony, to Tristan's passion, Siegfried's exuberance, Faust's ardor (first in French by Gounod, then in Italian by Boito). In three Mozart arias, Domingo spins endless, perfectly shaped phrases with incredible breath control, then adds an oddity: the famous duet between Zerlina and Don Giovanni, a role he has not performed. Five Viennese operetta songs, one of which he also conducts, are delightful; there is a smile of pleasure in his voice, but not a hint of kitsch. By contrast, Tchaikovsky's "None but the Lonely Heart" is spoiled by an orchestration that is pure Hollywood. In the final Spanish group, he is on home ground and incomparable. This is a glorious record, a must for all lovers of great singing. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A great introduction to the art of Placido Domingo.......2007-07-04

Placido Domingo, of course, is one of the finest tenors of the latter part of the 20th century. This 2 CD set well captures his talent, showing the range of his singing. We hear cuts from Puccini and Verdi to Tchaikovsky and Wagner to Strauss and Handel. And even a traditional Spanish sung and some operetta thrown in for good measure!

This is a wonderful introduction to his artistry, and shows that he can sing well across a variety of styles and eras. Let's sample some cuts:

"Il mio Tesoro" (from Mozart's Don Giovanni) is a difficult aria to sing well. And Domingo is up to the challenge. He displays a smooth and rich voice. His is one of those distinctive tenor voices, like Tucker's or Pavarotti's, that is quickly recognizable. This is, as noted, a challenging piece and Domingo handles it well, showing off considerable vocal agility in the process.

From the same opera, "La ci darem la mano," a sweet duet with, in this instance, soprano Susan Graham. This seductive work is sung well by both parties and is a ravishing version.

From Puccini's "Tosca," "Recondita armonia." At the close, his voice rises above orchestra and chorus. Overall, well and richly sung.

And now for something very different. . . The "Forging Scene" from Siegfried. One may not think of Domingo as a heldentenor, but he does a serviceable job here. His voice sometimes appears a bit light, but, overall, he does estimable work. He catches Siegfried's spirit as he forges the shattered remains of his father's sword, "Nothung." When he sings the name of his sword at the close, with the leitmotif ringing out from the orchestra, it is an affecting moment.

Then, "Celeste Aida" (from Verdi's opera). A stentorian voice well deployed to meet the challenges of this wonderful aria. Some tenors scoop as they move from those lower to the higher notes; Domingo's voice is well controlled here. The final high note is well hit.

Strauss (Junior's) "Ach, wie so herrlich zu schau'n" is a romp! A fun piece and well sung by Domingo. He demonstrates, as before, excellent vocal agility.

Lehar's "O Vaterland" is also fun. It is a sprightly tune sprightly sung.

Finally, he ends the second CD with a traditional Spanish tune--"La Golondrina." He does not overpower this work with operatic technique. He sings it well and affectingly.

So, all in all, if one wants a good introduction to Placido Domingo's vocal oeuvre, this is a very strong starting point.

5 out of 5 stars This is really the best........2007-05-16

I have many of Mr. Domingo's recordings but I really love this one. He seems to get better with age. Some of the songs are on some of my other recordings but they seem new and fresh on this CD. I really think this is the best of Placido Domingo.

5 out of 5 stars If you like Placido at all, you must have this CD........2005-04-06

Placido Domingo has been around for so long, it is easy to take this great artist for granted. I totally agree with the previous reviews of this album; I can also say that I had the opportunity to hear him live in concert on April 2, 2005 in Biloxi, Mississippi, and his voice is still stunning. His opening aria that night was the prayer from El Cid, "O Souverain," which he dedicated to the memory of Pope John Paul II. This piece is the 8th selection on CD 1, and is from a 1997 live recording. His thrilling finish blew me away when I listened to it the first time, and and the crowd on the recording reacts the same way the Mississippi audience did when we heard him. That aria alone is worth the price of this CD set.

5 out of 5 stars Rare And Great Domingo Classics.......2005-03-08

EMI's "The Very Best Of" series is a wonderful way for the opera lover/novice or even connoisseur in training to get acquainted with the great singers of opera in the 20th century. It is possible that in a few years, the great singers of today (from the 90's up to now and further into the future) will grace the album covers of The Very Best Of...The Very Best Of Renee Fleming, The Very Best Of Salvatore Licitra, etc. This is not exactly the best of Domingo. It is more of a collection of rare and wonderfully expressive arias from operas that range all over the map- Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, Meyerbeer, Gounod, Massenet. Now, here's the reason why so many people adore Domingo, myself included - Domingo is a Renaissance Opera Tenor. He has sung almost every tenor role in the opera universe. Even if he is, to some, the "tenor who sang with Pavoratti in the three tenors" he proves he's the strongest of the bunch, the most dedicated, the most prolific and most artistic. Domingo has a beautiful voice, with secure high register and dark, masculine middle chest voice and exciting dramatic electricity! He's sung more than 50 operas, in addition operetta and Spanish Zarzuela (the Spanish equivalent to musicals or operetta which is where he got started and his parents sung in Zarzuela) and he has also recorded Spanish mainstream love songs for Latin audiences. A winner of Grammies, an actor in movies about operas that he starred in (Tosca, La Traviata, Otello) and the most active tenor on tv broadcasts, he is just incredible and powerful.
He is a great force in opera.

Even in his old age, he does'nt seem to be slowing down or call it quits. Recent performances (2000-2005) include Eugene Onegin, the lead in Queen of Spades, Rasputin in Debra Dratell's Nicolas and Alexandra, Idomeneo and his next role Parsifal. He is the singular tenor who mastered every repertoire- Mozart (Don Ottavio, Tamino...unfortunately Domingo as Don Giovanni is a miscast because he is too noble and romantic and GOOD to be a bad guy)..to Puccini heros (Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca, Dick Johnson in Fanciualla Del West, Rodolfo in Boheme, Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly, Calaf in Turandot) Verdi heroes (Radames in Aida, Don Carlos, Stiffelio, etc) to the French repertoire...Gounod (Faust, Romeo) Meyerbeer heroes, Massenet hero (Des Grieux, Le Cid) and Saint Saens (Samson) the list goes on and on. When this man dies, an era will die with him. His legend will live on because he will leave behind dozens of albums, movies and memories......

5 out of 5 stars A real Bobby Dazzler.......2004-02-19

Fans of Mr. Domingo would be lucky to find a selection of music that more profoundly explores and exhibits the diversity of his vocal ability and interpretation than is offered on these two discs. Delicious displays of Mozart, ringing renditions of the most challenging high Italian roles, powerfully rounded accounts of some of the heavy German/Russian repetoir, and some noticably nostalgic songs from the light Spannish tradition provide an impressive catalogue of the great man's rich, focussed, technically impecable and singularly beguiling vocal talent. Those who are yet to form an opinion on any particular genre of the operatic spectrum would do well to start here, so eclectic is this album. Also, you might be reassured to know that, should you become an admirer of P.D.'s talent as a result of listening to this compilation, (it is difficult to resist), you will have no trouble finding other recordings by him. A record-breaker with more than 110 roles to his repetoir (40 is a respected total for an opera singer), he is the most recorded tenor in history, leaving more than 80 complete accounts to date of operas in the Italian, French, German and Russian traditions.
Cecilia Bartoli - An Italian Songbook (Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Lovely rendition of Italian songs
  • Best 'Italian' Selection yet.
  • Salon pieces to delight the listener
  • The Italian Songbook......
  • che bella..
 Cecilia Bartoli - An Italian Songbook (Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini)

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bellini, VincenzoBellini, Vincenzo | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. Cecilia Bartoli - If You Love Me (Se tu m'ami ), 18th-Century Italian Songs
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  3. Cecilia Bartoli - The Vivaldi Album / Il Giardino Armonico
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  5. Cecilia Bartoli - Chant d'amour (Mélodies française) / Myung-Whung Chung

ASIN: B0000042H2
Release Date: 1997-09-16

Tracks:

  1. Bel Canto Songs: Aragonese
  2. Bel Canto Songs: Vaga luna che inargenti
  3. Bel Canto Songs: II barcaiolo
  4. Bel Canto Songs: Ah! rammenta, o bella Irene
  5. Bel Canto Songs: L'abbandono
  6. Bel Canto Songs: Or che di fiori adorno
  7. Bel Canto Songs: Malinconia, ninfa gentile
  8. Bel Canto Songs: Amore e morte
  9. Bel Canto Songs: Bolero
  10. Bel Canto Songs: La conocchia
  11. Bel Canto Songs: II fervido desiderio
  12. Bel Canto Songs: Torna, vezzosa Fillide
  13. Bel Canto Songs: Vanne, o rosa fortunata
  14. Bel Canto Songs: Dolente immagine di Fille mia
  15. Bel Canto Songs: La farfalletta
  16. Bel Canto Songs: A ma belle mere
  17. Bel Canto Songs: Per pieta, bell'idol mio
  18. Bel Canto Songs: Me voglio fa 'na casa
  19. Bel Canto Songs: L'esule
  20. Bel Canto Songs: La danza (tarantella napoletana)

Amazon.com

The Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli is one of the most charming and talented singers to appear on the scene in recent years, and this collection of Italian songs by three great opera composers--Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini--is a most deserving bestseller. There are many small pleasures in the selections, which reflect the bel canto predilections of their authors, and Bartoli renders them artfully. Some will be familiar even to casual listeners (Rossini's La Danza, the famous tarantella); others will be new to most, but equally deserving of a hearing. The sensitive and skillful accompaniment is by conductor-pianist James Levine. --Sarah Bryan Miller

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Lovely rendition of Italian songs.......2007-03-11

The booklet coming with the CD says of Cecilia Bartoli that she "is justly famous for her coloratura mezzo-soprano voice and her interpretations of Rossini and Mozart." This CD features her lush voice taking on songs of three great Bel Canto composers--Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. Some might think of these as trifles, but the singing and musicality is rich and the songs evocative. The piano accompaniment is by famed conductor James Levine, and he does a splendid job.

Some sampling of the songs. . . . The CD begins with a song by Rossini, "Aragones." This is lushly sung; Bartoli has a wondrously rich and textured voice. The pace is contemplative, altogether consistent with the words of the song, the reflection of a disappointed lover. Well done.

Donizetti's "Il barcaiolo" is also well done. Bartoli shows her vocal agility in this tune. This is a spirited song, and her coloratura technique animates her rendition. There are segments sung forte, showing the power of her voice. There is a nice soft closing to the song, so she ranges from forte to piano.

Bellini is represented, too. His "Vaga luna che inargenti" is a pleasant love song. Bartoli sings this tenderly, creating a melancholy spirit, fitting the song's words.

To close, there is Rossini's wonderful tarantella, "La danza." Levine plays at a quick pace, as he must for this spirited song. Bartoli shows great vocal agility and strong breath control (this is a tough song to get right!). A wonderfully spirited version. She even takes a pass at a trill toward the close. All in all, most satisfying.

Thus, this represents a nice CD, showing Bartoli's skills with the songs of some of the great Bel Canto composers. An album that is a lot of fun to listen to!

5 out of 5 stars Best 'Italian' Selection yet........2006-06-16

'An Italian Songbook' by mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli and accompaniest extraordinare, James Levine is the best of the three collections of Italian material from Bartoli I have reviewed to date. Much of this may be due to Levine, but I believe it is more due to the quality of the material selected. All songs are by 'heaviweights Vincenzo Belline, Gaetano Donizetti, and Gioachino Rossini. It is certainly not due to a difference in the quality of Ms. Bartoli's singing, which is uniformly beautiful throughout.

This would be my first choice for Italian material with only piano accompaniment. For a very first Bartoli album, see her 'flagship' recording, 'Cecilia Bartoli' where she is backed by full orchestra and chorus.

5 out of 5 stars Salon pieces to delight the listener.......2006-03-13

Italian art song never became the serious and high form of art that it did within Germany, and hasn't the same place in culture that the French mélodies had. Rather, Italian operatic composers wrote lighter vocal pieces with fairly simple piano accompaniment, designed to be performed in a more intimate setting. One hears immediately the Bellini line (so familiar to those who love Bellini's operas) in his songs - ditto with the Donizetti and Rossini songs.

This in no way robs the songs of immense charm. It would be easy to perform these songs without a great deal of thought, simply making them sound "pretty". But Cecilia Bartoli never does that - she always gives everything, voice, intelligence, musicality, to her performance.

That is what makes this recording so superb. I can see there are some less-than-satisfied reviewers - I am surprised by the comments. For rest assured, there is no vocal difficulty here at all. Cecilia Bartoli's voice is in superb condition throughout, and her interpretation is of course second to none. Having recorded "Vaga luna" myself, I would be the first to say if I thought anything was lacking in Ms Bartoli's performance - but there's nothing adverse I can say at all. It's simply gorgeous singing, with immaculate phrasing, an intensely personal approach, and some of the most beautiful sounds you're likely to hear.

It is hard to imagine anyone being disappointed by this recording. The comments made about squally sound are not just unfair, they're totally inaccurate. I remember purchasing this CD on the very day it was released in Australia, and it's a firm favourite of mine.

In all... delightful.

5 out of 5 stars The Italian Songbook.............2005-12-09

...........sung like a string of pearls. I have never heard "Vaga luna che inargenti" sung so beautifully radiant and lucid. What a contrast when listening to her mournful "L'abbandono" where she sounds so utterly sad and full of melancholy. Brilliant vocal colouring here. "Malincolia, ninfa gentile" is sung with the appropriate pathos but without gimmicks and tricks. Utterly gorgeous Bellinian line. "II fervido desiderio" is sung with just the right amount of yearning and passion. "Per pieta, bell'idol mio" finds her beautifully charming and endearing, who could say no to her? The closing piece, "La Danza" is a tasty little song that suits her to a T. In my humble opinion every young voice student should not only study the Italian Songbook but own this in order to hear how it's done. This is still my favourite Bartoli album.

4 out of 5 stars che bella.........2004-12-23

Cecilia Bartolia is such a refreshing singer in the current state of vocal affairs. For one thing, she is a serious student of the music she sings, and scorns all the 'popera' and crossover artists. She has sought out plenty of unknown/lesser known material to record (Salieri, Vivaldi, Gluck, etc). In the CD in question she does wonderful work with these Italian pezzi. Her voice is now dark, now breathy, now intense, always altered to reflect the words she is singing. Her vocal agility and control are simply remarkable. Pay no attention to the Bartoli nay-sayers, she is a first rate singer.

Music:

  1. Ruff Guide Japanese [Import]
  2. Safer Than Driving
  3. Scene Missing
  4. sea change
  5. Seasons
  6. Secrets From Above
  7. Secrets [Import]
  8. Silver Daddy
  9. Sirrus
  10. Sleeping Stars [Enhanced]

Music

music

Music

Kind of a Drag

Music of the Renaissance

Music for Viola

Sixty Minutes Of Sin

Song for All Seasons [Import]

Salsa Flamenca

Sarah Vaughan & the Count Basie Orchestra [Import] [Limited Edition]

Plays Brazil: Brass Music from Northeastern Brazil

Picnics

Red Alert

Reality

Only [Import]

Merengue-Max

Wrapped in White: Visions of Christmas Past

Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars, Vol. 6