CD1:
A Midsummer Nights Dream: Verdi
- Brindisi (La Traviata)
Fatal Attraction: Puccini -
Un Bel Di (Madama Butterfly)
Dangerous Liaisons:
Handel - Ombra Mai Fu (Serse)
Diva: Catalani - Ebben?
Ne Andro Lontano (La Wally)
Moonstruck: Puccini - O
Soave Fanciulla (La Boheme)
Driving Miss Daisy:
Dvorak - Song to the Moon
(Rusalka)
Prizzi's Honour:
Donizetti - Una Furtiva
Lagrima (L'Elisir d'amore)
Trainspotting: Bizet -
Habanera (Carmen)
Mrs Doubtfire: Rossini - Largo
Al Factotum (The Barber of Seville)
Sunday Bloody Sunday:
Mozart - Soave Sia Il Vento (Cosi Fan Tutti)
The Witches of Eastwick:
Puccini - Nessun Dorma
(Turandot)
Bizet: Toreador Song (Carmen)
Gershwin: Summertime (Porgy and Bess)
Delibes: Flower Duet (Lakme)
Purcell: When I am Laid in Earth (Dido
and Aeneas)
Verdi: Grand March (Aida)
CD2:
The Lone Ranger: Rossini -
William Tell Overture (William Tell)
Moonraker: Leoncavallo - Vesti
La Giubba (I Pagliacci)
Amadeus: Mozart - Der Holle
Rache (The Magic Flute)
Gallipoli: Bizet - Au Fond
du Temple Saint (The Pearl Fishers)
Apocalypse Now: Wagner - Ride
of the Valkyries (Die Walkure)
Bizet: Seguedille (Carmen)
Puccini: E Lucevan Le Stelle (Tosca)
Offenbach: Barcarolle (The Tales of Hoffman)
Verdi: Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves (Nabucco)
Mozart: Voi Che Sapete (The Marriage of Figaro)
Bellini: Casta Diva (Norma)
Verdi: La Donna E Mobile (Rigoletto)
Gluck: Che Faro Senza Euridice? (Orfeo ed Euridice)
Mozart: Non Piu Andrai (The Marriage of Figaro)
Verdi: Celeste Aida (Aida)
Tchaikovsky: Entr'acte and Waltz (Eugene Onegin)
Of course it seems a very strange thing for a record company, in the business
of selling records, to claim that any sort of album is the only one of its
genre you will ever need. However, this determinedly populist anthology is
clearly aimed at a market that does normally buy opera recordings, but which
is familiar with releases along the lines of 'Now that's What I Call…',
and which might be tempted to purchase an opera set which gathers all the
'famous bits' together for easy consumption. Indeed, the booklet notes have
the flavour of a beginners guide: "These two CDs feature thirty-two extracts
from the greatest operas of all time, sung by world-famous artists, to move,
excite and thrill you. Welcome to the magical world of opera!" And with that
welcome, far from being the only opera album you will ever need, RCA must
hope that this lavish collection will serve as a super sampler and appetiser
for further explorations of the catalogue.
From a film point of view, the set lists the movies in which many of the
pieces have been featured (though not necessarily these particular recordings).
There is at least one omission, for the very first track, 'Brindisi' from
La Traviata, can be heard in the most recent film adaptation of A
Midsummer Night's Dream, and the cover fails to record this fact. Perhaps
the film is too recent. In total 15 of the 32 pieces are associated with
films, several others with advertisements, and one with a football competition.
Apart from The Lone Ranger, these films tend only to date back as
far as the 1970's, and most are of more recent vintage than that. Whether
this indicates that using opera in film is a relatively recent thing - given
that the leitmotiv approach of much film scoring is derived directly from
opera, one should think not - or whether it is simply that selections from
opera have recently been given especial prominence, usually as a shorthand
indication of aspirations to quality film-making.
Whatever the reasoning behind the selections, this is a good value collection,
which, while inevitably alienating the opera purists (for whom in any case
it is not intended) serves its purpose. The sound quality is obviously variable,
especially so given that the selections span five decades, but is always
adequate and is frequently excellent. Further, these are good performances
by some of the most famous names in classical music. RCA have dusted down
the back catalogue, and while the earliest recording dates from 1950, a
surprising number are very recent, showcasing albums recorded in the last
two or three years. Here we have Jussi Bjorling, Montserrat Caballe, Lynn
Dawson, Placido Domingo, Leslie Garrett, Angela Gheorghiu, Della Jones, Vesselina
Kasarova, Luciano Pavarotti, Leontyne Price, Robert Merrill, Janice Watson,
and such equally famous conductors as Carl Davis, Sir Edward Downes, Herbert
von Karajan conducting orchestras ranging from the London Symphony Orchestra
to the Vienna Philharmonic and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent
Garden. Clearly an impressive collection of top names, though anyone considering
buying this set because of Pavarotti's name on the cover should be aware
that he appears only on one track: a duet from La Boheme, recorded
live in mono with soprano Mirella Freni in 1967.
Even if the titles are unfamiliar, every piece should be instantly recognised.
Here are many of the great set-pieces of opera, from the impassioned romanticism
of 'Un Bel Di' from Madama Butterfly - which being the song of a woman
rejected by her lover, actually had a thematic relevance to the film which
appropriated it (Fatal Attraction) - to the exhilarating ferocity
of Wagner's 'Ride of the Valkyries' (used unforgettably in Apocalypse
Now), and the rambunctious 'Largo Al Factotum' from The Barber
of Seville (heard in Mrs Doubtfire). Presented in this form, shorn
of recitatives and less well known arias, makes the music as accessible as
popular, and there is really no reason why almost anyone could not enjoy
what is ultimately a collection of great music. Resolutely not a release
for serious opera buffs, but for the general listener, someone who likes
a bit of classical music but doesn't know where to begin with opera, or the
film music enthusiast curious about some of the opera selections heard from
time to time in the movies, this is as good a place to begin as any. It provides
a painless, good value doorway into the world of opera, and for that can
really only be commended.
Reviewer
Gary S. Dalkin
Various Performers
