Search - Kraus, Rizzi, Welsh National Opera Orchestra :: Incomparable Alfredo Kraus

This cd shows why Kraus is the BEST tenor in last 50 years

09/28/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This record was recorded in 1994, when Kraus was 67 years-old. Believe me, I've heard Kraus' records recorded in virtually any step in his career:singing Spanish popular songs, neapolitan songs, zarzuela arias, standard repertoire arias, etc.THE SPECIAL THING ABOUT THIS CD IS THAT HERE KRAUS PRESENTS THE BEST VOICE OF HIS ENTIRE LIFE!!! Singing Arias from the standard repertoire and rare arias,he choose too some of the most difficult arias. The record starts with the Kleinzach Legend aria from "Les Contes d'Hoffmann" in which Kraus shows his perfect pronunctiation and gives a shining high note at the end of the aria. He sings too the aria known as "Il Lamento di Federico" fron Cilea's L'Arlesiana, with the high optional high note at the end and with a perfect delivery of every phrase of this legendary aria. Between others,Kraus sings the famous "Aria di Tonio" from "La fille du régiment", which made Pavarotti famous by singing 9 repeated high C's, here Kraus gives them fully chested and without any effort.The aria that I found the most thrilling in this record is a rare aria from "Il crociato in Egitto" by Meyerbeer, called "Popoli dell'Egitto".It requires repeated high C's and D's with many up-and-down-the-scale fragments, as it is the initial heroic declamation, sweet belcanto singing in the middle,and heroic finish. The record presents the famous aria "Salut! Demeure chaste et pure" from Gounod's Faust and the italian-singer aria "Di rigori armato in seno" from Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier".In most of them Kraus applies a personal touch with shining high notes that add vitality and meaning to the arias, as well as beatiful belcanto singing where required. The record also comes with a booklet that contains biographical info and contains the lirics and translations of the arias. This record is a real collectors piece. In each and every one of the arias Kraus shows the best voice os his life, of a career lasting more than 40 years. That's why he is the best tenor of the last 50 years: He has avoided the extremes that has ruined every tenors voice, and has kept intact one of the most beautiful and complete voices of history, with perfect pronuctiation, extraordinary range (specialy in the acute) and complete feeling of every phrase he sings. Long live the King-Kraus!"