Search - Gian Carlo Menotti, Emanuel Balaban, Eugene Ormandy :: Menotti: The Medium, The Telephone, Amelia al Ballo, etc.

MENOTTI AT HIS CREATIVE PEAK

MOVIE MAVEN | New York, NY USA | 07/01/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I was a teenager I first saw Gian Carlo Menotti's one act opera THE MEDIUM. Its melodramatic, almost gothic libretto with chamber music to match frightened the daylights out of me and although I've never seen a live performance since then, I have owned various recorded performances. Those recordings enhanced by my memories make it one of my favorites.Although many women have tried, none, to my mind, have succeeded in the title role as well as Marie Powers who starred in the "original cast" production and on its vinyl recording. I use the term "original cast" because this opera, along with Menotti's short comic piece THE TELEPHONE actually first appeared on Broadway instead of in a concert hall or opera house. It received very mixed reviews, played for over 200 consecutive performances but lost money for its investors.Long out of print and never transferred to CD til now, here are those two terrific musical theatre pieces (which were called "dramatic" and "a taut tingling killer-diller" and "courageous," "geniune" and "eerie" by the original newspaper critics) as they were meant to be performed and heard.This two CD set also generously provides other pieces by Menotti including a suite from his ballet SEBASTIAN, excerpts from his first opera AMELIA GOES TO THE BALL and a few, less famous works. There are other CD performances of THE MEDIUM (including the film soundtrack which co-starred Anna Maria Alberghetti) but this one is definitely the one to buy.The various conductors are all first rate and include Eugene Ormandy and Dmitri Mitropoulos.Usually dismissed by "serious music" critics and adored by the public, Menotti is still active, hopefully composing. His most famous work THE CONSUL was just successfully revived by the Washington Opera during their 2000-2001 season. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED."

Great Anthology of this Under-appreciated Composer

James N. Holland | Heredia, Costa Rica | 12/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Menotti was one of the most important opera composer's of the twentieth century. This CD compiles his shorter, more well-known works. "The Telephone," "The Medium" are performed with the original casts and the recording quality is pretty good.

For a library or serious student of opera, this CD is worth adding to your collection, as well as those who would like to explore more recent operas of our time.

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Good historical recording

C. Kuhnert | Canyon, TX USA | 11/26/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The recording of The Medium was quite good. However, Amelia Goes to the Ball left a great deal to be desired. You should know that it only contains excerpts of that particular piece and, while this is one of the only recordings in English, it is almost unbearable. The quality is very poor. If you are listening for authenticity, it is definitely worth your while. It is certainly a good recording for interpretive ideas."