Addio Fiorito Asil [From Madama Butterfly] - Michael Amante, Puccini
La Che Gelida Manina [From La Boheme] - Michael Amante, Verdi
La Donna E Mobile [From Rigoletto] - Michael Amante, Bixo
Mamma, for voice & orchestra - Michael Amante, Puccini
Nessun Dorma [From Turandot] - Michael Amante, DiCapua, Eddie
O sole mio, for voice & piano (or orchestra) - Michael Amante, Puccini
Recondita Armonia [From Tosca] - Michael Amante, Verdi
Celeste Aida [From Aida] - Michael Amante, Lara, Agustin
Granada, for voice & orchestra (with chorus ad lib) - Michael Amante, Puccini
E Lucevan Le Stelle [From Tosca] - Michael Amante, de Curtis, Ernesto
Non ti scordar di me, for voice & orchestra (& chorus ad lib) - Michael Amante, DeCurtis
Torna a Surriento, for voice & piano (or orchestra) - Michael Amante, Amante, Michael
Ho Bisogno D'Amore
Alongside the three tenor posses, the dashing Michael Amante is poised to make opera palatable to the mainstream. Amante is bold enough to take on scores from Tosca, La Bohème, Turandot, and Aida, and he postures hims... more »elf a swell prince on his self-titled debut. Possessed of a powerfully buoyant voice that is tenderly youthful yet richly resonant, Amante charms with the playful "La Donna e Mobile" from Verdi's Rigoletto and gives a cinematic and masculine cowboy-booted rendering of "Addio Fiorito Asil" from Puccini's Madame Butterfly. He sings like the angel Gabriel on the selection from Aida and smolders on the slick and regally produced "Ho Bisogno d'amore," a love song delivered in Italian and English. Amante is a heartthrob waiting to happen on a large scale. --Paige La Grone« less
Alongside the three tenor posses, the dashing Michael Amante is poised to make opera palatable to the mainstream. Amante is bold enough to take on scores from Tosca, La Bohème, Turandot, and Aida, and he postures himself a swell prince on his self-titled debut. Possessed of a powerfully buoyant voice that is tenderly youthful yet richly resonant, Amante charms with the playful "La Donna e Mobile" from Verdi's Rigoletto and gives a cinematic and masculine cowboy-booted rendering of "Addio Fiorito Asil" from Puccini's Madame Butterfly. He sings like the angel Gabriel on the selection from Aida and smolders on the slick and regally produced "Ho Bisogno d'amore," a love song delivered in Italian and English. Amante is a heartthrob waiting to happen on a large scale. --Paige La Grone
ronald n. tan | photographer | los angeles, ca, usa | 06/29/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Oh my goodness! Listen to track 13 titled "Ho Bisogno d'Amore." You will share my fondness--Italian and English fused love song. Beautiful, astoundingly beautiful. My repertoire purely consist of German and Italian operas and lieds for the majestry of the soprano; however, listening to Amante's debut recital reafirms my passion for what our male tenor voice can achieve! Tracks includes Maestro Pavarotti's signature aria, "Nessun Dorma" as well as my favorite aria from Rigoletto, "La Donna e Mobile." "O Sole Mio" is also included as well as "Celeste Aida." Superb recording! Go to (website) for more infomation, i.e. biography and a video interview!"
Oh my goodness.. this is awful
David Coletti | Dallas, TX | 11/09/2002
(1 out of 5 stars)
"If ever there was a case of an editor's review being misleading, this is by far the best example ever! I was prepared for a great performance based on the glowing reviews here, then I just sat and listened in utter disbelief...Now, I'm not an opera buff and I'm not some music purist who worships at the alter of Bjorling or Pavarotti and thinks the world is coming to an end just because a non-opera singer "dares" to venture into sacred opera territory. I'm just a casual listener of both pop and some classical singing so I won't criticize based on extreme standards. I'll just explain the specific reasons I thought this was bad singing...First of all, as someone here already said: the voice does NOT match the face! Judging from Amante's rugged facial features, you'd expect a super deep and powerful voice right? WRONG! Insead he's got a very meek, higher-toned, wimpy voice (think Mario Lanza minus the testosterone). The studio engineers tried to compensate by recording Amante's vocal with a very unnatural "echo" effect just to add a sense of presence. But the moment he sings the first word of "La Donna e Mobile", his lack of personality and command is fully exposed regardless of the studio echo... Amante continues the rest of the piece in a timid fashion even though the accompanying orchestra thunders vigorously behind him. I thought at any moment he was going to be literally swallowed up by the orchestra! I would have forgiven his lack of strength and conviction if he had brought something else to the piece such as a pleasing, natural tone. But Amante doesn't have that as I explained before. His voice ends up sounding very generic and forgetable... Secondly, his terrible diction. On almost all the songs here he trips over pronunciations and mangles more than a few words... I guess for people unfamiliar with these pieces it's a non-issue, but the mistakes really stuck out for me. I assumed Amante's last name would indicate some ethnic background in either Italian or Spanish and therefore, some familiarity with either of these 2 languages, but instead it sounds like this CD was Amante's very first exposure to these foreign words. Just the simple detail of not being able to "roll" an r is enough to make most people who understand these languages either laugh or frown in contempt. Also, Amante has the WORST Spanish diction I've ever heard on any CD and this is possibly the WORST rendition of "Granada" ever! In this 1 song alone he completely mispronounces word after word to a point it becomes like comedy... how can they allow such awful pronunciation on a recording that's going to be heard by so many? It's safe to say there were no Spanish-speaking engineers in the studio! And "Granada" is a well-known classic and has been recorded countless times before. Third, his lack of much needed technique. About the only positive for Amante is his ability to hit a high note (though he doesn't always hit it with confidence)... but when a quick scale of middle notes are called for (ex. "La Donna E Mobile" final run) he just loses it. But even some of his high notes sound like they are obviously making Amante strain (ex. the obvious push right before the final high note in "Nessun Dorma").Some final thoughts, it's really unfair to put Michael Amante in the same category as Andrea Bocelli... I know all about Bocelli's vocal shortcomings, but let's get real! Bocelli at least has received SOME positive recognition for performances in his opera music recordings by more than a few serious music critics in respected publications and other media. And even some less-than-kind critics have admitted Bocelli is able to perform convincingly at times and that there are some aspects of this demanding type of singing he does very well. I seriously, seriously doubt Michael Amante would get that level of critical praise based on this CD. Instead, I'd rate Michale Amante below Russell Watson (who I don't like either) because even though Watson also sounds bad singing opera music, at least I can hear an actual personality there."
He's Handsome and He's the Real Thing!
David Coletti | 01/14/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Tenor Michael Amante displays a homegrown talent for singing operatic and Neapolitan classics. He is a real alternative to the sappy Andrea Bocelli. His voice is much more mature than the young Josh Groban and is stylistically better suited to the more serious material he sings. My favorite track on the recording is the beautiful "Ho Bisogno D'Amore" which is sung in both Italian and English. It is a sensitive love ballad that Michael brings much emotion and depth to. The production and sound on the disc are glorious."
Not Mario Lanza, But Close Enough!!
David Coletti | 03/11/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I wanted to say just a few words to those who may be contemplating purchasing this CD, because you've heard that Michael Amante is the "next Mario Lanza", AND you happen to be a fan of Mario Lanza! I am too, and I'm here to tell you that when you hear Michael's voice on this CD or his second, don't expect to hear Lanza. Mario had a great, deep, spinto Italian tenor voice; Michael Amante's is a bit less deep, as it is quite of bit higher in pitch but there is great power in his voice as shown in these wonderful old Italian songs and opera arias, which he sings very well!! You could think "Lanza Light!", but that takes nothing away from Michael's truly beautiful and special sound! In particular, he has (evidently) amazing lung capacity and with this, great breath support, which helps give him the amazing voice control he has learned, including his ability to project and hold high notes a LONG time! His high notes, including high C's and B flats are among the most gorgeous ones I've EVER heard from any tenor, and I've heard a LOT of tenors! Someone who said recently here that he struggles with high notes must have been listening to another singer!! Statements like this are among those most likely to destroy credibility. Because these are the very same high notes for which he is most recognized and admired by his fans, EVEN by a few detractors. His great ease in hitting and sustaining the high notes WELL is well known by anyone who has really heard him or seen him in concert, as I have. The high C in Be My Love, (the song mentioned) is no exception, although this song is NOT included on this, his opera album, so perhaps this reviewer hasn't heard this album well enough. Also, Michael Amante will never be Mario Lanza, and I'm sure has no intention of trying to imitate or duplicate his voice. But both singers do have some things in common: a beautiful, powerful voice, feeling and passion in their singing, fantastic stage presence and a lot of versatility! They also both helped bring opera to a larger audience (who may never have otherwise experienced it) with their special talents and unique style. This may lead many others to even discover the joy of listening to entire operas, not just arias, and in the process, discover Mario Lanza as well as many other great tenors of the past and present! Michael Amante will be portraying Mario Lanza on Broadway in the Spring of 2005, and I believe, based on this album and every time I've heard him perform, he will do Mario justice! So please have an open mind when you listen to this album, and I'm sure you will discover, as I did, the amazing range and beauty of this man's voice. I especially recommend it to people who also love those old Italian family favorites of classical songs in both the Italian language and the Neopolitan dialect."
A lighter kind of Opera
patrick@zephodsworld.com | Loveland, CO United States | 09/04/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I was listenining to this CD on a instore display, I found Michael's voice to have a lighter touch a nice change from the standard Opera Fare,As well as the the orchestral accompanyment
not in the class of Andrea Bocelli, but a great CD none the less.with great Proformances like La Donna E Mobile,Granada and Nessun Dorma, this recording would be a great place to start your journey into opera Music"