Search - Francisco Ernani Braga, Alberto Costa, Barrozo Netto :: Rarities

The great Bidu Sayao at the start and finish of her career

06/27/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rarities contains 8 gems from the early part of Sayao's career (early 1930's, pre-dating her Met debut) and 10 radio recordings from 1948 - 1951. The disc is the perfect compliment to the two HERITAGE recordings which are responsible for the renewed interest in Sayao. The disc is worth the price if only to hear the pairing with the great Jussi Bjoerling (Va! je t'ai pardonné from Gounod's Romeo et Juliette). The early recordings, which were made in her native Brazil, suffer from weak playing in the orchestra; but her youthful voice has a brilliance and ease in the high range unequaled in her later years. The sound quality is VERY grainy.The radio recordings include excerpts from L'elixir d'amore (1, with Italo Tajo), Romeo et Juliette (2), Carmen (1), Manon (2), Manon Lescaut (1), La Bohème (1), L'Amico Fritz (1) and Martha (1). The sound quality hear is greatly improved and are all live recordings. Her "Last Rose of Summer" from Flotow's Martha is a study in beautiful simplicity. As always, Sayao's shading, dynamics and phrasing set (in my opinion) the highest standards in singing and musicianship."

Sensational Sayao

herman joseph | nyc, ny United States | 02/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The great Sayao is now heard in impressive recordings from the the early 1930s and radio broadcasts from 1948 to 1951. The early recordings reveal a higly flexible voice with great ease in coloratura and an expansive upper range. The pieces are by Brazilian composers. There are no selections from her early European operatic career --no Donizetti (Lucia) or Bellini or Rossini, Lakme, Zerbinetta, Melisande or Traviata. This is a real loss since her voice in the early years of her career was of a subtle unique beauty throughout the range ---again with perfect technique and a deeply moving esthetic and expressivenesss. The recordings from 1948-1951 reveal a great Juliette in the Waltz song -better than in the commercial release- also the magnificently vocalized duet with Jussi Bjorling--There is an enchanting duet from L'Elisir with Italo Tajo, a lovely Micaela's aria and beautifully rendered selections from Manon Lescaut, Manon and La Boheme -comparable to the released commerciel performances. The recital ends with an exquisite performance of The Last Rose of Summer. The material itself unfortunately does not reveal more of the great Sayao such as French art songs--she sang Debussy, Ravel and Poulenc and even early French and Italian selections including Pergolesi --That Sayao is not adequately represented on discs in definitive interpretations of the variety of music that she sang during her long career is a tragedy. She was one of the truly great singers of the first half of the 20th century and one of the great Mozartians--could you imagine an Exultate Jubilate. Well just be grateful for the three CDs that were released."

GORGEOUS

L. E. Roberts | Escondido, CA | 02/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A superb remastering of one of the greatest sopranos of the last century. I enjoyed the "First recordings" from Brazil in the early 1930s of eight folk songs, but it was the radio broadcast recordings from 1948-1951 that make the album for me. The two pieces from Romeo and Juliet are worth the entire album. As much a I love Victoria de Los Angeles and Joan Sutherland, I think Sayao's voice is the equal of any soprano in French and Italian opera. I definitely recommend this to any opera lover."