It should be pointed out from the outset that all of these
excerpts are from complete DVD recordings. Several of these
I have seen, and generally they are well worth seeking out.
Anyway, the present selection has a value of its own and those
who for some reason prefer to see their favourite singers in
isolated scenes will have their fill of morsels here. It goes
without saying that we don’t get very much of sets and scenery.
Focus is on the artists and only in the Fledermaus scene
– and to some extent, the Carmen excerpt – do we get
at least a whiff of the staging.
What we are offered is indeed something to savour. Karita Mattila,
certainly one of the most attractive sopranos during the last
fifteen years or so, is plainly stupendous in the two excerpts
from Don Carlos in the production at Théâtre du Châtelet.
It’s sung in the original French, and is probably the most recommendable
recording of this version available, whether on CD or DVD. Kiri
Te Kanawa’s creamy tones are a treat from the Domingo-conducted
Fledermaus from Covent Garden although I have heard
more fiery Klänge der Heimat. The production is lavish
and we also get glimpses of Hermann Prey (Eisenstein) and Benjamin
Luxon (Falke) – the latter even cart-wheeling (not shown here)
in this most joyful production.
Dawn Upshaw is restrained and subdued in Peter Sellars’ modernist
production of Theodora from Glyndebourne – so sensitively
sung by this most discriminating of artists. The cherry blossom
duet from Madama Butterfly is realistically set in the
vast Arena di Verona, notoriously difficult when it comes to
intimate scenes. Kabaivanska and Jankovic are not the most ingratiating
couple one can imagine but they are more than acceptable.
More to my liking is Renée Fleming as the Countess in Le
nozze di Figaro. Her warm tone and charming image makes
her an ideal contessa. The trio from Der Rosenkavalier
focuses very much on Kiri Te Kanawa’s Feldmarschallin, which
was one of her best roles. Few exponents of the role – Lehmann,
Schwarzkopf, Crespin and Söderström included - have peered deeper
into the character. A further asset is Barbara Bonney, who has
had few superiors as Sophie.
I have always had a special liking for the late lamented Hildegard
Behrens. Her Salome in the classic Karajan recording is the
only real challenger to Birgit Nilsson’s 1960s recording with
Solti. I also admire her Isolde in the Bernstein recording.
Her Sentan in Der fliegende Holländer from the Savonlinna
Festival is deeply sensitive and intense and is further proof
that she was one of the foremost dramatic sopranos of the second
half of the 20th century.
Maria Ewing’s sexy Carmen – again from Glyndebourne – is well
known and she once again confirms that she was one of the superior
singing-actors of the last twenty years or so. Even more so
is Catherine Malfitano’s horrifying personification of the perverse
Salome. She sings marvellously but it is her stupendous acting
that remains before one’s eyes long afterwards.
Shirley Verrett, a longstanding favourite of mine, is a seductive
Dalila. Her vibrato has widened somewhat but the intensity of
her delivery is undiminished and her concluding smile is irresistible.
Back at Glyndebourne Renée Fleming and Alison Hagley are a good
Contessa and Susanna in the letter duet from Le nozze di
Figaro and Edita Gruberova’s brilliantly sung Sempre
libera from La traviata is a fine close to this traversal
of a number of standard numbers.
We don’t get more than occasional glimpses of the sets – focus
is on the singers, and rightly so – but anyone wanting visual
as well as auditory glimpses of his/her favourite singers in
their best roles need look no further. I suspect though that
seeing and hearing these excerpts one will end up wanting the
complete operas and in the booklet the full length versions
are listed.
Göran Forsling
Full track listing:
Prima Donna - Leading Ladies of Opera
1. Opening credits
Giuseppe VERDI (1813 – 1901)
2. Ma chère compagne (Don Carlos)
Karita Mattila (soprano)
Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, March 1996
Johann STRAUSS II (1825 – 1899)
3. Czardas (Die Fledermaus)
Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano)
Conductor: Placido Domingo
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, December 1983
George Frideric HANDEL (1685 – 1759)
4. Fond flatt’ring world, Adieu (Theodora)
Dawn Upshaw (soprano)
Conductor: William Christie
Glyndebourne Festival Opera, June 1996
Giacomo PUCCINI (1858 – 1924)
5. Scuoti quella fronda di ciliegio (Madama Butterfly)
Raina Kabaivanska (soprano), Eleonora Jankovic (mezzo)
Conductor: Maurizio Arena
Arena di Verona, July 1983
Giuseppe VERDI
6. Toi qui sus le néant des grandeurs de ce monde (Don
Carlos)
Karita Mattila (soprano)
Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, March 1996
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756 – 1791)
7. Dove sono (Le nozze di Figaro)
Renée Fleming (soprano)
Conductor: Bernard Haitink
Glyndebourne Festival Opera, May 1994
Richard STRAUSS (1864 – 1949)
8. Hab mir’s gelobt (Der Rosenkavalier)
Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano), Barbara Bonney (soprano), Anne Howells
(mezzo)
Conductor: Georg Solti
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, February 1985
Richard WAGNER (1813 – 1883)
9. Senta’s Ballad (Der fliegende Holländer)
Hildegard Behrens (soprano)
Conductor: Leif Segerstam
Savonlinna Festival, 1989
Georges BIZET (1838 – 1875)
10. Les tringles des sistres tintaient (Carmen)
Maria Ewing (soprano), Elizabeth Collier (soprano), Jean Rigby
(mezzo)
Conductor: Bernard Haitink
Glyndebourne Festival Opera, August 1985
Richard STRAUSS
11. Ah! Du wolltest mich nicht (Salome)
Catherine Malfitano (soprano)
Conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli
Deutsche Oper, Berlin, September 1990
Camille SAINT-SAËNS (1835 – 1921)
12. Amour! Viens aider ma faiblesse! (Samson et Dalila)
Shirley Verrett (mezzo)
Conductor: Colin Davis
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, October 1981
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART
13. Che soave zeffiretto (Le nozze di Figaro)
Renée Fleming (soprano), Alison Hagley (soprano)
Conductor: Bernard Haitink
Glyndebourne Festival Opera, May 1994
Giuseppe VERDI
14. Ah, fors’è lui che l’anima … Sempre libera (La traviata)
Edita Gruberova (soprano)
Conductor: Carlo Rizzi
Gran Teatro La Fenice, Venice, December 1992
WARNER 50-51442-8586-9-3 [81:00] 
