Search - Gaetano Donizetti, Franz Lehar, Jules Massenet :: Great Recordings

Another Great Sills Collection

Thomas H. Moody | Nobleboro, ME United States | 06/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Deutsche Grammophon has done more for Beverly Sills' Westminster/ABC recordings in this age of the CD than EMI (Angel) ever did with their CD versions of her later recordings. And I hope they continue their track record by releasing her "Norma". While some felt that Sills was not right for the role of Norma and others have critisized Levine's conducting, the recording is far from a disaster. It's actually quite good when held up to what's being released today - and it holds its own on any level if one loosens up on their preconceived notions of "how" Norma should be sung. And furthermore it features the great (and underated)Shirley Verrett as Adalgisa. Please Deutsche Grammophon, I'm waiting!Regarding this collection, well, its some of Sills' best work for Westminster/ABC. Here her voice was still primarily in top form and the coloratura is not to be matched. And of course there's "the first time on CD" aria "Mira, o Norma". Buy it for this alone! Sills and Verret always sounded great together - be it the "Anna Bolena", "The Siege of Corinth" or this tantalizing bit from the complete "Norma". And while I would love to see the Capuleti recording see the light of day on CD, it was an EMI recording and their non- promotion of their Sills' recordings means we'll probably never see it. It even featured fine performances from Janet Baker and Nicolai Gedda! Now I wish that Deutsche Grammophon would release the Westminster/ABC solo discs that Sills recorded, especially the French disc - complete, without truncating the Meyerbeer."

Viva Beverly: Her Greatest Hits

Rudy Avila | Lennox, Ca United States | 05/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the newest album of Beverly Sills to be released in a while since The Art Of Beverly Sills and Plaisir D'Amour. It is an arrangement of some unreleased material and some old favorites. The reviewer that mocked Beverly Sills for being shrill and unpleasant was rude and unpolite. It's true that not everyone is a Beverly Sills fan. For a long time, fans have had their quarrels and rivalry, claiming their own diva idol as the best. Joan Sutherland vs Beverly Sills, Maria Callas vs Renata Tebaldi, it never ends. But the truth is there is no greatest singer. It's up to you to decide which voice you prefer to invade your stereo, which diva is your personal favorite. If you are a fan of either Maria Callas or Joan Sutherland, there is no need to bash, insult or attack Beverly Sills. The negative reviewer probably did'nt even hear the entire album.Beverly Sills won international acclaim as an opera legend in 1964 with her performance as Cleopatra. She moved on to sing all three Hoffman heroines -we get to hear arias from Tales Of Hoffman on this album. She sang The Queen Of The Night in Mozart's Magic Flute, Lehar's Merry Widow, whose aria is also on this recording, as well as the ever popular concert aria "Wien Wien" a favorite of Elisabeth Schwartzkopf. Beverly Sills has a light instrument, but her flute voice can definately impress and when singing with dramatic power she can truly electrify. Her coloratura is the best in the business. Her spiraling roulades and cadenzas, free vocal glissando up and down scales and octaves are mesmerizing. Her control of breath and lyrical splendor enables her to sing the long bel canto lines so standard of the operas of Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini. From 1969-1975, Sills reached the peak of her career and her vocal glory with the difficult and demanding roles of Donizetti's Three Tudor Queen trilogy- Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda and Roberto Devereux. As Queen Elizabeth I in Roberto Devereux, she was unsurpassed. Here in this album is the finale to that opera. She sings here the best of all the bel canto- Rossini's Barber Of Seville, whose Rosina was a role she made entirely her own, Juliet in Bellini's Montagues and Capulets, which after an orchestral introduction, she sings with the most melancholy sweetness. The duet "Mira O Norma" from Bellini's Norma is here, and has never been recorded on to a disc before. Sills performed the role of Norma numerous times to great success and recorded it once for LP opposite Shirley Verrett as Adalgisa. The role of Norma may be written for a giantess' voice such as Callas or Sutherland but Beverly Sills produces a noble, intimate portrait of Norma and stands her own in the role. Beverly Sills. The truly unique and wonderful diva of the 20th century. She is in her seventies now and chairman at New York City's Metropolitan Opera. Her legacy lives on, eternally, as hopefully newer recordings are made into compact disc like the entire Norma hopefully one day on cd."

Sills still thrills!!!

max renfroe | Mississippi | 06/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I became an opera lover in 1986. Not until 1990 was I made aware of Beverly Sills. A friend loaned me one of her cd's
and I was hooked. This newest release is just one more example
of the amazing artistry this woman possessed. Her dead accurate
coloratura cannot be matched. Just listen to her recording of
Donizetti's "L'Assedio di Corinto" (The Seige of Corinth), especially the first four tracks of Disc 2. I was especially
thrilled when her "Lucia" was re-released on cd. (I also have
a vinyl recording in mint condition!) I purchase everything of hers I can get my hands on. I really wish there was a biographical documentary about her life!!! If you read this Beverly, PLEASE!!!!The new recording is not at all disappointing. What can I say except that one must purchase this recording for one's self to
discover or re-discover this remarkable, exciting singer. There will always be those who look for faults and flaws in the voice. I don't listen to those people. Purchase this cd and you will see why Beverly Sills still thrills with her magnificent instrument. Beverly, you are loved and remembered
with the utmost adoration and respect.I also recommend purchasing her recording of Moore's "The Ballad of Baby Doe". Her voice is absolutely exquisite and gives testimony that even back then, she possessed a voice that reaches far beyond the expectations of the listener. "Manon" is another must for any Beverly Sills fan!!!!"