Amazon.com essential recording: Joan Sutherland is not usually considered a Puccini singer, and in fact she sang the role of Turandot only in the recording studio. But for that assignment she had exactly what was needed: a voice that seemed to have no upper limits and a personality that concealed vulnerability under an air of icy detachment. She also had an ideal set of colleagues, notably Luciano Pavarotti, whose "Nessun dorma" has become practically his signature tune. --Joe McLellan
Disc 1:
Turandot: Act I: 'Popolo di Pekino!' (Un Mandarino) - Act I: 'Indietro, cani!' (La folla - People - La foule - Die Menge)184276 - Puccini
Turandot: Act I: 'Gira la cote!' (La folla - People - La foule - Die Menge) - Act I: 'Perche tarda la luna?' (La folla - People - La foule - Die Menge) - Puccini
Turandot: Act I: 'O giovinetto! Grazia, grazia!' (La folla - People - La foule - Die Menge) - Puccini
Turandot: Act I: 'Figlio, che fai?' (Timur, Calaf) - Puccini
Turandot: Act I: 'Fermo! Che Fai? T'arresta' (Ping, Pang, Pong) - Act I: 'Non indugiare!' (Le ombre dei morte - Phantoms - Les ombres des morts - Die Schatten der Toten) - Puccini
Turandot: Act II, Scene 1: 'Ola, Pang! Ola Pong!' (Ping) - Puccini
Turandot: Act II, Scene 1: 'Ho una casa nell 'Honan' (Ping) - Puccini
Turandot: Act II, Scene 1: 'O mondo, o mondo...' (Ping, Pang, Pong) - Act II, Scene 1: 'O tigre! O tigre!' (Ping, Pang, Pong) - Puccini
Turandot: Act II, Scene 2: Introduzione - Puccini
Turandot: Act II, Scene 2: 'Gravi, enorme ed imponenti' (La folla - People - La foule - Die Menge) - Puccini
Turandot: Act II, Scene 2: 'Un giruamento atroce mi costringe' (L'Imperatore) - Puccini
Turandot: Act II, Scene 2: 'Popolo di Pekino' (Il Mandarino) - Puccini
Disc 2:
Turandot: Act II, Scene 2: 'In questa Reggia' (Turandot) - G. Puccini
Turandot: Act II, Scene 2: 'Straniero, ascolta' (Turandot) - G. Puccini
Turandot: Act II, Scene 2: 'Gloria, gloria, o vincitore!' (La folla - People - La foule - Die Menge) - Act II, Scene 2: 'Figlio del cielo! Padre augusto!' (Turandot) - G. Puccini
Turandot: Act II, Scene 2: 'Tre enigmi m'hai proposto' (Calaf) - G. Puccini
Turandot: Act III, Scene 1: Introduzione: 'Cosi comanda Turandot' (Gli araldi - Heralds - Les Herauts - Die Herolde) - G. Puccini
Turandot: Act III, Scene 1: 'Nessun dorma!' (Calaf) - Act III, Scene 1: 'Tu che guardi le stelle' (Ping, Pang, Pong) - G. Puccini
Turandot: Act III, Scene 1: 'Principessa divina!' (Ping) - Act III, Scene 1: 'Tanto amore segreto' (Liu) - G. Puccini
Turandot: Act III, Scene1: 'Tu che di gel sei cinta' (Liu) - G. Puccini
Turandot: Act III, Scene 1: 'Liu! Liu! Sorgi!' (Timur) - G. Puccini
Turandot: Act III, Scene 1: 'Principessa di morte' (Calaf) - G. Puccini
Turandot: Act III, Scene 1: 'Che e mai di me?' ( Turandot, Calaf) - G. Puccini
Turandot: Act III, Scene 1: 'Del primo pianto' (Turandot) - G. Puccini
Turandot: Act III, Scene 1: 'So il tuo nome!' (Turandot) - G. Puccini
Turandot: Act III, Scene 2: 'Diecimila anni al nosotro Imperatore!' (La folla - People - La foule - Die Menge) - G. Puccini
A stunning work by an awesome cast What incredibly beautiful music this is! Puccini's "Turandot" is my all time favorite and this cast gives a stellar performance on his final, unfinished work. I bought this CD only because I wanted Pavarotti's version of "Nessun Dorma," but I was pleasantly surprised by how wonderful the full performance was.
It is impossible not to be moved to tears when listening to Caballe's "Signore, Ascolta" - this is a scene stealer especially with her held note at the end of the aria that is sure to induce a total "Oh my God" moment. With that said however, Sutherland and Pavarotti are the stars and both effortlessly break the vocal stratosphere in their performances. All under the masterful baton of Zubin Mehta, you are sure to be pleased with this CD. I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do.
I Wish There Is a DVD for This Cast!!! I bought the recording in the tape form years ago. I could not listen to it any more because of the wear after I played it too many times. Fortunately, technology came to the resue, CD!!!
The tenderness, emotion, range, and capacity, from a delicate note to a full blown key, Luciano Pavarotti's voice is from Heaven. No tenor recordings came close to the quality of singing of this one.
Joan Sutherland is the sweetest Liu that I have ever heard. Better still, the voices of the two, Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pvarotti, were the best combination ever. Add to this, we get Montserrat Caballe as the princess.
What more can one ask for?
Unicos!! Siempre he pensado que en la obra maestra de Giacomo Puccini, que por cierto dentro de algunos días completara 82 años de haberse estrenado, abusa un poco del registro agudo y sobreagudo para dar forma a la pauta; igualmente en la modulación de la intensidad y volúmen orquestal; pero hay que pensar que no estaba terminada para cuando murió prematuramente; la embergadura de semejante obra deja pasmado al escucha más docto y exigente; es en si una obra de tales magnitudes que desde su entrada se prevee la exigencia a cada uno de los integrantes del reparto; basta decir que los solistas principales (prima donna e primo uomo) cantan con "la integral" del registro, al tope de sus posibilidades vocales; es una obra extraordinariamente difícil y exigente para los cantantes; por ende se necesita un equipo como este; nos muestra cosas interesantes y por demás geniales; Joanine canta como nunca antes me la hubiera imaginado, con una canto plano, sin coloratura, con exigencias dramáticas incoercibles; bien era conocido el dominio del reino sobreagudo, pero en esta ocasión fue mas allá de todo lo que imaginé; perfecta!!; el Calaf que apesar de lo que digan sus detractores, Pavarotti también sobrepasa lo esperado, que manera de emitir sus sobreagudos, que manera de mostrarse hasta cierto punto dramático (siendo una voz lírico spinto); un calaf que desde mi punto de vista llena perfectamente su rol; la maravilla de Caballé en su rol de Liú, con magistral dominio del pianissimi y con su perfecto dominio del legatto; corta participación pero perfecta también; el emperador de los Bajos, Nicolai Ghiaurov como Timur, espléndida voz ya también extinta, pero que con un rol pequeño llega hasta la fibras más profundas y sensibles, basta mencionar la escena del suicidio de Liú y de la plañidera voz quebrada por el llanto y la desesperación, saca lágrimas!!; la participación de los roles menores también a su nivel; la orquesta un tanto "stacatta" pero con una volumen correcto y bien temperada; coros ni que decir.... necesaria y obligada también...
Turandot with Sutherland This version is certainly the best for me. Joan Sutherland has always been my favourite, I was lucky enough to have seen her performing several times. She is exceptional.
Amazon promptly replace defective CD Good performance. CD had a "dimple" on the media side. Two tracks were unreadable. Getting a replacement from Amazon was easy and quick. Amazon e-mailed a postage-paid label. Slapped on on the box and dropped in a mailbox. Amazon promptly shipped a replacement. Painless and prompt.
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