Search - Giacomo Puccini, Jane Eaglen, Peter Wedd :: Turandot (Chandos Opera in English)

Turandot (Chandos Opera in English)
Giacomo Puccini, Jane Eaglen, Peter Wedd
Turandot (Chandos Opera in English)
Genre: Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (23) - Disc #1
  •  Track Listings (11) - Disc #2

Yes, it's sung in English, and the translation is as pungent as the original, but the compelling reason for buying this set is for the Turandot. It is, hands down, Jane Eaglen's finest recording. The soprano is in superb v...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Giacomo Puccini, Jane Eaglen, Peter Wedd, Simon Bailey, David Parry, Philharmonia Orccgestra
Title: Turandot (Chandos Opera in English)
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Chandos
Release Date: 11/26/2002
Genre: Classical
Style: Opera & Classical Vocal
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPC: 095115308622

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Yes, it's sung in English, and the translation is as pungent as the original, but the compelling reason for buying this set is for the Turandot. It is, hands down, Jane Eaglen's finest recording. The soprano is in superb voice, absolutely secure, with high notes easy and blazing and tenderness available when needed. A great performance. O'Neill's Calaf is caught too late in his career to be totally heroic, but his dedication and involvement are never in doubt. Mary Plazas's Liu has the requisite (amazingly beautiful) soft high notes, and she's deeply moving. Clive Baylay does what he can with Timur, the dullest bass role in opera. Nicolai Gedda offers a cameo as the ancient Emperor, singing in perfectly understandable English. David Parry's leadership is thrilling. And Chandos's engineers have given us a crystal-clear recording, even in the biggest, heaviest moments. Very exciting. --Robert Levine
 

CD Reviews

This turandot rules supreme
Patrick J. Mack | santa monica, california | 12/07/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This performance is recorded in magnificent sound and captures an interpretation full of energy and verve by all performers involved.jane eaglen, above all, our greatest living turandot.
the chandos company captures the full beauty and size of her voice ( as it did with her tosca and aida ) unlike any of her sony recordings ( why ? why ? why ? ). this will tide us over until decca FINALLY releases the live metropolitan performance with pavarotti, hong and levine it has been sitting on lo these many years. dennis o'neil, excellent in everything except the big act 3 aria
and their the competition is just too fierce. plazas is a good
liu and like o'neil maybe lacking that last bit of polish that
makes a good singer a great one.and speaking of great singers, nicolai gedda as the emporer,
what a treat !timur, ping, pang and pong all very good.
the scene change for act 2 has to be heard ( and felt ) to be believed ( i think my living room floor shuddered ) parry, the conductor, knows how to drive this piece forward and when to take his time and the chandos team captures the chorus and orchestra in extraordinary clarity and sparkle.
i have rarely heard an accoustic so spacious and full.all hail jane eaglen ! may she reign for a thousand years !"
A mediocre performance
wvc | 12/12/2002
(2 out of 5 stars)

"I don't find this recording to be at all satisfactory. The orchestral playing is good enough and Puccini's colorful score gets a vivid, if not truly exceptional reading. Unfortunately, the singing leaves much to be desired. Jane Eaglen's Turandot is underpowered and she sounds like the character's same old haughty self even when she's supposed to be won over by Calaf's love. This is a very one-dimensional and uninteresting characterisation. Dennis O'Neill is caught here past his prime. Some of the high notes (and high lying passages) are rather effortful and the tenor is not in very fresh voice. Mary Plazas gives a tender performance of Liu with some beautifully spin-out high notes. Hers is the best performance of the set. The other roles are adequately taken but it's good of have Gedda as the Emperor."
Decent introduction
wvc | 04/08/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Definitely not the greatest recording of Turandot ever, and many of the lines sound either awkward or silly when sung in English (I'm suff'rin' Father, suff'rin'!). However, some of the translation is very clever (we don't want any foreign imports!).



You will need the libretto, though, as Eaglen is practically impossible to understand when she's in the higher notes. If you want to download the MP3s (which is a lot cheaper), you can still get the libretto from the Chandos website for free! Just search their website.



If you enjoy this version I would recommend getting the Placido Domingo (as Calaf) and James Levine conducting DVD version. It's of a fantastic Zeffirelli production that is just a whole lot of fun to watch (although it is more difficult to see if you have a small tv)."