CD 1
Vincenzo BELLINI
(1801-1835)
Norma ‘Casta Diva’
Umberto GIORDANO
(1867-1948)
Andrea Chenier ‘La mamma
morta’
Giacomo PUCCINI
(1858-1924)
Gianni Schicchi ‘O mio babbino
caro’
Madama Butterfly ‘Un bel
di vedremo’
Giovanni PERGOLESI
(1710-1736)
La serva padrona ‘Stizzoso
mio stizzoso’
Francesco CILEA
(1866-1950)
Adriana Lecouvreur ‘Lo son
l’umile ancella’
Vincenzo BELLINI
(1801-1835)
I puritani ‘Qui la voce
sua soave …Vien diletto’
Orchestra and Chorus ‘Compagnia D’Opera
Italiana’/Antonella Gotto
Sung by Linda Campanella, Gabriela Cegolea,
Antonia Cifrone, Angela Venturino
Recorded June-August 1997, No venue indicated
CANTOLOPERA 95038 [67,22]
CD 2
Gaetano DONIZETTI
(1797-1868)
Lucia di Lamermoor ‘Regnava
nel silenzio’
Vincenzo BELLINI
(1801-1835)
La sonnambula ‘Ah non credea
mirarti’
Wolfgang Amadeus
MOZART (1756-1791)
Le nozze di Figaro ‘Porgi
amor’
Giacomo PUCCINI
(1858-1924)
La Bohème ‘Quando
me’n vo’
Georges BIZET
(1838-1870)
Carmen ‘Je dis que rien
m’épouvante’
Giuseppe VERDI
(1813-1901)
Aida ‘Ritorna vincitor’
‘O patria mia’
Amilcare PONCHIELLI
(1834-1886)
La Gioconda ‘Suicidio’
Orchestra and Chorus ‘Compagnia D’Opera
Italiana’/Antonella Gotto
Sung by Linda Campanella, Antonia Cifrone,
Maria Mastino, Marcella Polidori, Angela
Venturino
Recorded June July and September 1997,
No venue indicated
CANTOLOPERA 95041 [78,19]
CD 3
Giacomo PUCCINI
(1858-1924)
La Bohème ‘Sí
Mi chiamano Mimi’
Manon Lescaut ‘Il quelle
trine morbide’
Arrigo BOITO
(1842-1918)
Mefistofele ‘L’altra notte
in fondo al mare’
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
Ernani ‘Ernarni involami…Tutto
sprezzo’
Il Trovatore ‘D’amour sull’ali
rosee’
Wolfgang Amadeus
MOZART (1756-1791)
Cosi fan tutte ‘Una donna
a quindici anni’
Don Giovanni ‘Mi tradi quell’alma
ingrata’
Orchestra and Chorus ‘Compagnia D’Opera
Italiana’/Antonella Gotto
Sung by Antonia Cifrone, Maria Mastino,
Marcella Polidori, Angela Venturino
Recorded June July and September 1997,
No venue indicated
CANTOLOPERA 95042 [60,17]
CD 4
Giuseppe VERDI
(1813-1901)
Otello ‘Ave Maria’
La forza del destino ‘La
Vergine degli angeli’
I vespri siciliani ‘Mercé
dilette amiche’
Gaetano DONIZETTI
(1797-1868)
La figlia del reggimento ‘Convien
partir’
Alfredo CATALANI (1854-1893)
La Wally ‘Ebben? ne andró
lontana’
Wolfgang Amadeus
MOZART (1756-1791)
Die Zauberflöte Der
Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen’
Don Giovanni ‘Batti batti
o bel Masetto’
Orchestra and Chorus ‘Compagnia D’Opera
Italiana’/Antonella Gotto
Sung by Linda Campanella, Antonia Cifrone,
Patrizia Zanardi
Recorded June-October 1997, No venue indicated
CANTOLOPERA 95047 [58,29]
CD 5
Giacomo PUCCINI
(1858-1924)
Suor Angelica ‘Senza Mamma’
Turandot ‘Signore ascolta’,
‘In questa reggia’, ‘Tu che di gel sei
cinta’
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
Il Trovatore ‘Tacea la notte
placida…Di tale amor’
La Traviata ‘É strano!…Ah
fors’ é lui ,,Follie!’
La Traviata ‘Addio del passato’
Un ballo in Maschera ‘Morro
ma prima in grazia’
Wolfgang Amadeus
MOZART (1756-1791)
Don Giovanni ‘Non mi dir
bell’idol mio’
Orchestra and Chorus ‘Compagnia D’Opera
Italiana’/Antonella Gotto
Sung by Linda Campanella, Gabriela Cegolea,
Antonia Cifrone, Angela Venturino, Patrizia
Zanardi
Recorded June-November 1997, No venue
indicated
CANTOLOPERA 95051 [76,10]
CD 6
Giacomo PUCCINI
(1858-1924)
Tosca ‘Vissi d’arte’
Turandot ‘In questa reggia’
Giuseppe VERDI
(1813-1901)
La forza del destino ‘Pace
pace mio Dio’
Rigoletto ‘Caro Nome’
Un ballo in Maschera ‘Volta
la terrea fronte alle stelle’
Gaetano DONIZETTI
(1797-1868)
Don Pasquale ‘Quel guardo…So
anchi’io la virtu magica’
Wolfgang Amadeus
MOZART (1756-1791)
Le nozze di Figaro ‘Deh
vieni non tardar’
Orchestra and Chorus ‘Compagnia D’Opera
Italiana’/Antonella Gotto
Sung by Linda Campanella, Antonia Cifrone,
Patrizia Zanardi
Recorded June-November 1997, No venue
indicated
CANTOLOPERA 95052 [65,48]
In summer 2003 I reviewed
on this site a CD-ROM entitled ‘Between
Earth And Sky: The Hour Of Meditation
And Prayer’. This was an issue from Cantolopera
being Volume VII of their ‘The Great Interactive
Opera Encyclopaedia’. On that disc there
were hours of involving content including
a spoken and visual analysis of the characteristics
of the baritone voice; other volumes in
the series covered the other vocal registers.
Each disc in the series allowed analysis
of ones own singing voice. They gave the
opportunity to sing arias with the music
coming from speakers or headphones as
the words and score passed across the
VDU.
This new series from
Cantolopera are straight CDs, but their
sub-title ‘to be Experienced
as a Protagonist’ gives the clue to
their purpose. Each disc of arias is sung
by professional singers, backed by orchestra
and chorus. These ‘model’ tracks are then
followed by the music and chorus alone,
allowing the listener to try his/her talents
and skills, with the backing of an orchestra
rather than just a piano. The words, in
the language of the aria, are given with
an English translation. However, as no
music script is given, as was the case
on the ROMs, a vocal score is a must for
the serious protagonist. This is particularly
so because the words provided do not indicate
reprised phrases. There is also the complication
that some arias are given in abbreviated
performance versions that may differ from
standard vocal scores. However, serious
users of these discs, which are in no
way ‘jokey karaoke’ should have no difficulty
in using them as intended as well as listening
to the performances of professional singers.
Given also that each disc has ‘fach’ variations
(such as lyric and spinto etc arias),
they will help the user define their individual
vocal strengths for themselves. Each disc
is a separate entity and can be purchased
in that form.
Soprano is the highest
category of female voice with a normal
range between middle C and two octaves
above. Although rarely specified by composers
in scores, several very clear sub-divisions
exist and are widely recognised in terms
of the tessitura certain roles demand.
In general a soprano will be able to sing
roles within two of the divisions at any
one time with perhaps a movement towards
the heavier end of the ‘fach’ as the voice
develops with age or training. However,
an aspiring singer should really come
to know, at as early a stage as possible,
where the middle of their voice lies at
any one time. In this respect these CDs
can provide an admirable aid. Failure
to recognise where the voice lies can
lead to straining the vocal chords to
give the voice weight, or lift. Such strain
beyond the innate limit of the voice can
do irreparable damage. The six CDs devoted
to the soprano voice cover 42 arias, mainly
in the Italian repertoire.
As indicated there are
several clear divisions within the soprano
voice and vocal range. First, the lightest
is termed ‘soprano leggiero’ and encompasses
roles such as Norina from ‘Don Pasquale’
(CD 2 tr. 2) and Zerlina from ‘Don Giovanni’
(CD 3 tr. 6). ‘Coloratura’ roles are relevant
where the middle of the voice lies towards
the top of the range, includes a good
trill and has particular flexibility.
These roles include the likes of Gilda
in ‘Rigoletto’ (CD 2 tr. 5) and the eponymous
Lucia (CD 2 tr. 1) where many singers
will interpolate high E flats in the ‘Mad
Scene’. Mozart wrote several high Fs for
Constanze in ‘Die Entführung’, whilst
the Queen of the Night in his ‘Magic Flute’
has to scale the heights with pinpoint
accuracy (CD 4 tr. 3). Not requiring that
stratospheric facility, but needing more
colour and dramatic impetus during the
opera, are roles such as Amina in ‘La
Sonnambula’ (CD 2 tr 2) and Violetta in
‘La Traviata’ (CD 5 trs. 4 and 6). The
latter role really could be said to require
two distinct voices for the part, and
it is not without significance that two
singers are used here for the two arias.
The first (tr.4) requires vocal coloratura
display, whilst the second ‘addio del
passato’ calls for greater capacity for
colour and weight in the voice. Such qualities
are more likely to be found in the ‘lyric’
or even ‘lirico spinto’ voice. Here, except
for the second Traviata aria, Linda Campanella
who, at the time of the recordings, was
specialising in the coloratura repertoire
sings these roles. She is heard on ten
tracks in this series and whilst lacking
a wide range of colour and a good trill
she hits the notes clearly.
The ‘lyric’ soprano voice
might be considered the middle soprano
and such voices are suitable for roles
such as the Countess in ‘The Marriage
of Figaro’ (CD 2 tr. 3) and Mimi in ‘La
Bohème’ (CD 3 tr. 1) which require
weight and colour and also the lighter
Susanna (CD 7 tr. 7). The lyric soprano
‘fach’ is well represented in French opera
by such roles as Micaela in ‘Carmen’ (CD
2 tr. 5) and Marguerite in ‘Faust’. As
we move to consider the ‘lyrico spinto’
and full ‘spinto’ or dramatic roles, the
distinctions can become blurred. In general
the ‘lyrico spinto’ voice will be fuller,
capable of more colour, and above all
else have more heft, or strength, than
the ‘lyric’ soprano so as to be able to
soar over the orchestra. The many examples
on these CDs from the operas of Verdi
cover the ‘lyrico spinto’ fach. The part
of Aida (CD 2 tr. 6) verges, like Leonora
in ‘La Forza del Destino’ (CD 6 tr. 4),
Tosca (CD 6 tr. 1) and Butterfly (Cd 1
tr. 5) on the sort of full spinto that
is needed for the role of Turandot (CD
6 tr. 3). It also overlaps the German
‘Hochdramatisch’ ‘fach’ encompassing Richard
Strauss’s ‘Salome’ and ‘Elektra’ and also
much of Wagner’s writing for soprano.
Much of the Italian ‘spinto’
repertoire on these discs is sung by Antonia
Cifrone, who is heard on twelve tracks
including the heaviest roles of Aida and
Turandot. A finalist in several international
competitions she has sung in many provincial
Italian theatres as well as outside that
country. She is an accomplished singer
with fair vocal skills but, like several
of the other young singers illustrating
these arias, she is unlikely to make the
top international flight. None the less
those aspiring to sing this repertoire
can get a feel for both the music and
the minimum standards required in the
professional sphere.
These discs also provide
diverse examples from the Italian operatic
repertoire. Listen to CD4 tr. 3, ‘The
Queen of the Nights’ aria for an example
of high coloratura, to CD 4 tr. 1 for
the lyric Mimi and CD 2 tr. 6 for the
heavier demands of Aida.
Robert J. Farr
|
Only Volume 4 is currently available from
Ludwigvanweb. The rest will follow
CD
Price: £ 12.49 Post-free Air Mail
World-wide
- Download Price:
£ 8.04
Buy
CD:
Download all tracks:
FREE SOUND SAMPLES
(minimum 30 secs)
Click
on the appropriate link. On the next page
click on broadband beneath the CD cover
w track details:
CDTnº1 - G. VERDI
Otello:
Ave Maria - Listen
CDTnº2 - G. DONIZETTI
La
figlia del reggimento: Convien partir
- Listen
CDTnº3 - W.A. MOZART
Die
Zauberflote: Der Holle Rache kocht...
- Listen
CDTnº4 - G. VERDI
La
forza del destino: La Vergine degli...
- Listen
CDTnº5 - A. CATALANI
La
Wally: Ebben, ne andro lontana - Listen
CDTnº6 - W.A. MOZART
Don
Giovanni: Batti batti, o bel Masetto -
Listen
CDTnº7 - G. VERDI
I
vespri siciliani: Merce dilette amiche
- Listen
CDTnº8 - G. VERDI
Otello:
Ave Maria - Sing
CDTnº9 - G. DONIZETTI
La
figlia del reggimento: Convien partir
- Sing
CDTnº10 - W.A. MOZART
Die
Zauberflote: Der Holle Rache kocht...
- Sing
CDTnº11 - G. VERDI
La
forza del destino: La Vergine degli...
- Sing
CDTnº12 - A. CATALANI
La
Wally: Ebben, ne andro lontana - Sing
CDTnº13 - W.A. MOZART
Don
Giovanni: Batti batti, o bel Masetto -
Sing
CDTnº14 - G. VERDI
I
vespri siciliani: Merce dilette amiche
- Sing
You require QuickTime to listed to samples.
Get
a free QuickTime download here
|