Renée FLEMING
Operatic Arias
Vincenzo BELLINI Norma : Casta
diva
Georges BIZET Carmen : Je
dis que rien ne m'épouvante
Francesco CILEA Adriana Lecouvreur: Io son l'umile
ancella
Alfredo CATALANI La
Wally:
Ebben? Ne
andrô lontana
Charles GOUNOD Romeo et Juliette
: Ah! Je veux vivre
Ruggiero LEONCAVALLO Pagliacci:
Stridono lassu
Jules MASSENET Manon: Je suis encor
tout étourdie
Giacomo PUCCINI Gianni Schicchi O
Mio Babbino caro
Madama Butterfly: Un bel di vedremo
La Bohème: Quando me n'vo
Turandot: Sinore, ascolta Adieu, notre petite table
Giuseppe VERDI Simon Boccanegra
: Come in quest'ora bruna
Les Vêpres siciliennes. Merci, jeunes amies
London Voices (chorus Master - Terry Edwards), London Philharmonic Orchestra
- Sir Charles Mackerras
recorded in The Colosseum, Watford, 3-9 July, 1999.
Decca 467 049-2 [64.53]
DDD
Crotchet
Amazon
UK
AmazonUS
Here is another potential Award Winner from Decca. Does this artist never
make a mistake? Decca obviously agree as this time they have taken a large
step with the packaging. Gone is the jewel case, to be replaced by a pop-style
cardboard gate sleeve, but we still have a conventional booklet with
multi-lingual notes and full set of words in Italian, German, French and
English.
The big step however is to relegate the works, the orchestra and chorus to
the back surface, with the front of the disc displaying a large colour picture
of Renee Fleming with her name in large capitals across the top. The booklet
is the same except that there are no words on the front or back at all. This
type of marketing is very current, and I am sure it will have no effect
whatsoever on the sales of this disc.
That being said, the present disc is a real gem. The performances, even the
most hackneyed, are presented here with a clarity and warmth which may even
bring tears to some of your eyes. Her favourite conductor (Sir Charles Mackerras)
conducts with all the sensitivity you could wish for, and the playing of
the LPO is beautiful. A wonderful disc.
John Phillips
