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Track Listings
| 1. Senza mamma, o bimbo, tu sei morto |
| 2. Un dì ero piccina |
| 3. Ore dulci e divini - Renée Fleming, Saito Kaoru, Lucia Mencaroni, Barbara Vignudelli, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Marco Armiliato |
| 4. Ah! Il suo nome...Flammen, perdonami |
| 5. Nè mai dunque avrò pace? |
| 6. "Sì. Mi chiamano Mimì" |
| 7. Musette svaria sulla bocca viva |
| 8. Mimi Pinson la biondinetta - Renée Fleming, Paolo Cautoruccio, Marco Calabrese, Saito Kaoru, Annalisa Dessi, Carlos Gomez, Gilles Armani, Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Marco Armiliato |
| 9. Addio! Che vai?...Donde lieta uscì - Renée Fleming, Arturo Chacon-Cruz, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Marco Armiliato |
| 10. Angioletto, il tuo nome? - Renée Fleming, Emma Latis, Barbara Vignudelli, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Marco Armiliato |
| 11. Sola, perduta, abbandonata |
| 12. Ier dalla fabbrica a Triana |
| 13. O mia cuna fiorita |
| 14. Tutto tramonta - Renée Fleming, Arturo Chacon-Cruz, Emma Latis, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Marco Armiliato |
| 15. Tu che di gel sei cinta - Renée Fleming, Arturo Chacon-Cruz, Marco Calabrese, Barbara Vignudelli, Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Marco Armiliato |
| 16. Nel so amore |
| 17. Bevo al tuo fresco sorriso - Renée Fleming, Jonas Kaufmann, Barbara Vignudelli, Paolo Cautoruccio, Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Marco Armiliato |
Product Description
Review
Looking back through musical history, it’s sometimes surprising to see how the composers we revere today were actually part of a number of successful composers of their time. Mozart, for example, had hot competition for opera audiences in the form of Antonio Salieri. This isn’t always the case though, for despite the late 19th and early 20th centuries being extremely prolific for Italian opera, a large number of composers were dwarfed by Giacomo Puccini.
America diva Renée Fleming’s latest album takes some Puccini’s greatest arias and sets them alongside the heroines being created at the same time by his unfortunate rivals Leoncavallo, Mascagni, Catalani, Zandonai, Cilea and Giordano. The repertoire covers a concentrated period, incorporating Puccini’s La Wally (1892) and Turandot (1926). Many of the operas written by Puccini’s contemporaries have dropped out of the modern repertoire, perhaps because the stories themselves are dated or because they don’t work dramatically as theatre pieces. Within what may be dramatic turkeys, however, are musical nightingales.
Verismo refers to the ‘verism’ style popular in the arts at the time, with its focus on realism and naturalism. This meant simple and direct texts, with stories set in the recognisable worlds of common people (although composers soon succumbed to the dramatic possibilities of characters, such as courtesans and noblewomen). These were set to music that avoided vocal display, featured compressed melodic lines, plus constant vocal and orchestral urgency and aggression. Fleming, Armiliato and the orchestra strikingly capture the urgency and aggression, and Fleming’s characterisation of these colourful heroines radiates off the recording; her voice often gasps and quivers in turmoil, with finely judged dynamics and tender little portamenti.
The vocal delivery itself, despite all this drama, is technically perfect, simply delivered and clearly defined. There isn’t an ounce too much embellishment. Jonas Kaufmann joins her for La Rondine’s “Bevo al tuo fresco sorriso”, and the warm sonorities of their two voices are a dream match. The programme also includes the world premiere recording of Puccini’s original manuscript version of “Sola, perduta, abandonata!” from Manon Lescaut. With this recording, Fleming has more than justified her diva status. --Charlotte Gardner
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CD Description
Renée Fleming sings opera arias by Puccini and his contemporaries, celebrating the composers of the Verismo style. The album features favourite Puccini arias from La Bohème, Turandot, Manon Lescaut and Il Trittico, along with rarely heard arias by other Verismo composers and a world premiere recording of the original manuscript version of the aria from Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. Star tenor Jonas Kaufmann joins Renée Fleming for an irresistible melody from Act II of Puccini’s La Rondine.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I approached the purchase of this disc with some trepidation. I felt that Renée Fleming had of late begun to luxuriate in the sound of her own beautiful voice. She was over-indulging in "sliding" her voice in a way I found a little annoying. She does not need this stylistic device. Renée Fleming shows in this disc that my concerns were unfounded. In each piece here, she proves that she is a thoughtful and careful artist who dramatises each character intelligently, and without unnecessary histrionics. The arias are well chosen with an interesting mixture of the familiar and less familiar. The orchestra and supporting singers are excellent. The recorded sound is of a very high standard. Overall, Renée Fleming is on top form in this disc.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
You will already know if you like Renée Fleming's voice and are a fan. If so, there are no real surprises here: she is singing repertoire ideally suited to her gifts - a little jazzy sliding and smoky shading does no harm at all in verismo - and all her vocal virtues are very much in evidence. The voice is still in its prime, and if the top notes are not exactly easy they are still very much there. The famous sumptuous tone gratefully plumps out these dramatic arias but Fleming also enlivens them by her concern to colour phrases and inject emotion rather than just make a beautiful noise. If, on the other hand, you are not a fan, please leave alone those of us who are and allow us to enjoy this disc; don't snap at out heels with bitchy comments and spiteful little no-votes, but return instead to those singers you like. This is an artist who has brought pleasure to millions over the last twenty years; lyric sopranos with her fullness and depth of tone are rare. She has been very careful how she has eased into a somewhat heavier Fach; I do not envisage her going much further along this route and expect that she will stop with certain of the middlingly heavy Puccini rôles, perhaps Elisabetta in "Don Carlo" and maybe even the "lightest" Wagner rôles such as Elsa in "Lohengrin".
This recital is a judicious mix of a few favorites and mostly slightly more recherché verismo arias and ensemble excerpts. I for one could have done without yet another artist giving us her version of "Sì. Mi chiamano Mimì" but it's central to the repertoire, I suppose. Otherwise, it's good to hear comparative rarities such as the arias from the lesser-known operas of Giordano, Cilea, Mascagni and Zandonai and perhaps Fleming's advocacy will help boost the chances of the odd revival which such music merits. The accompaniment provided by the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano directed by Marco Armiliato is rather anodyne and over-respectful of the great soprano; "unobtrusive" is perhaps the better word. I like the increasing tendency of late in recital discs to provied supporting singers such that excerpts from complete operas are not clumsily doctored, kippered or re-arranged; the ensemble pieces from "La Rondine" provide particular pleasure. Some might find the scene from the latter's "Zazà" a little saccharine, but a certain sentimentality is inherent in this genre; if you don't enjoy the pathos of Suor Angelica's lament over her lost baby boy and the plight of suffering ladies in general, you probably cannot stomach verismo opera in any case.
A guest appearance from Jonas Kaufmann in the last ensemble from "La Rondine" is a bonus. There is much great singing here; Fleming's fans need not hesitate.
This recital is a judicious mix of a few favorites and mostly slightly more recherché verismo arias and ensemble excerpts. I for one could have done without yet another artist giving us her version of "Sì. Mi chiamano Mimì" but it's central to the repertoire, I suppose. Otherwise, it's good to hear comparative rarities such as the arias from the lesser-known operas of Giordano, Cilea, Mascagni and Zandonai and perhaps Fleming's advocacy will help boost the chances of the odd revival which such music merits. The accompaniment provided by the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano directed by Marco Armiliato is rather anodyne and over-respectful of the great soprano; "unobtrusive" is perhaps the better word. I like the increasing tendency of late in recital discs to provied supporting singers such that excerpts from complete operas are not clumsily doctored, kippered or re-arranged; the ensemble pieces from "La Rondine" provide particular pleasure. Some might find the scene from the latter's "Zazà" a little saccharine, but a certain sentimentality is inherent in this genre; if you don't enjoy the pathos of Suor Angelica's lament over her lost baby boy and the plight of suffering ladies in general, you probably cannot stomach verismo opera in any case.
A guest appearance from Jonas Kaufmann in the last ensemble from "La Rondine" is a bonus. There is much great singing here; Fleming's fans need not hesitate.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
CD is fine. However my big gripe is that the information available before buying as to exactly what tracks were on the CD was insufficent. Although the picture of the album cover obviously listed the contents, the reproduction was so small and unclear that you couldnt read the words etc.
Delivery was excellent.
Information enclosd with the CD excellent.
Delivery was excellent.
Information enclosd with the CD excellent.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Shame about the diction
I appreciate the effort Mrs Fleming must have put into this album and the result is, on the whole, commendable. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Roberto56
One of the best voices on the planet
She has undoubtedly one of the most impressive voices on the planes. the album is recommended to all fans of opera/aria.
Published 4 months ago by Kerem
No sweat, no tears, no b*lls; a very studied CD
Again I'm not convinced by mrs. Fleming's art. Production, playing, packaging, etc etc of this Cd is exemplary but what if the singing doesn't convince. Read more
Published on 28 April 2010 by Charles Voogd
Another fantastic album from Renee Fleming
This album was launched as part of Renee Fleming's South African tour with the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra in August 2009. Read more
Published on 15 Sep 2009 by Robert Petersen
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