Prices shown exclude VAT. (UK tax is not payable for deliveries to United States.) See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | An Evening With The Royal Opera
Bringing together a collection of arias and choruses from some of the world’s favourite operas, this disc showcases the outstanding artists and productions from the stage of the Royal Opera House. The perfect gift for anyone who loves opera. A unique collection from one of the world’s finest opera houses, showcasing the international opera stars and famous Royal Opera House productions. The comprehensive packaging will include a synopsis of each opera, suggestions for further exploration of the catalogue and full subtitles. International stars featured in the collection include: Jonas Kaufmann, Renee Fleming, Simon Keenlyside, Gerald Finley and Miah Persson. Running time: 80 minutes Subtitles: EN/FR/DE/JP/ES Sound format: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS “all musically exceptional” BBC Music Magazine, May 2013 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Be My Love: A Tribute to Mario Lanza
Blessed with “a golden-age voice” (The Sunday Times) that routinely inspires comparisons with legendary singers from earlier eras, Joseph Calleja will follow the success of The Maltese Tenor with a tribute to one of the most popular tenors of all time; the unique “crossover” star of the Hollywood musical – Mario Lanza. This is an album that Joseph Calleja has always wanted to record. As a youth in Malta he saw Lanza in the cult film The Great Caruso and was so captivated that he gave up his predilection for Metallica and Iron Maiden and decided to become an opera singer “Calleja doesn’t suffer from...self-imposed comparisons: the voice is burnished and focused; the top notes whammy yet unforced; the legato tone garnished with saccharine slithers but not sloppy. Calleja doesn’t do final consonants; and sometimes you wish his conductor (Steven Mercurio) had encouraged more ebb and flow. But these throbbing ballads will delight Calleja’s fans.” The Times, 8th September 2012 *** “It's an unashamedly populist collection, Calleja rolling the Rs of "Granada" and "Arrivederci, Roma" with obvious relish in arrangements replete with castanets and trilling mandolins, before building to the full football climax with spirited renditions of "Nessun Dorma" and a mighty "You'll Never Walk Alone".” The Independent, 8th September 2012 *** “Calleja is not a Mario Lanza: he's a gifted lyric tenor with a voice that is most comfortable in the head...there's a nice throb in the voice in Lara's Granada...and Tosti's 'A vucchella' would seduce a slab of marble. But 'Vesti la giubba'. 'Cielo e mar' and 'Nessun dorma' all lack vocal drama.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2012 *** “an imaginative display of Calleja's art and interpretative approach, clearly captured by Decca's recording team.” International Record Review, December 2012 “Here is one of the most beautiful tenor voices now before the public, treated with musicality, style and feeling...but don’t expect the adrenalin kick that Mario Lanza was able to convey.” MusicWeb International, December 2012 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Joseph Calleja: The Maltese Tenor
The career of Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja seems to have no limits, with performances at the world's greatest opera houses and acclaim for the lyrical warmth of his singing from the press and public alike. In Summer 2010 he triumphed in London performances of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra alongside Plácido Domingo, after which The Independent observed that Calleja “almost steals the show”. Joseph Calleja is an enthusiastic ambassador for Malta, where he still lives - an island with a proud operatic tradition. In addition to his international appearances, Joseph Calleja has established an annual open-air event in Malta's historic capital Valetta, which has become a focus for the musical life of the island. Joseph Calleja's opera and concert successes are now crowned by a new recording. His third Decca album captures the development of his art and presents him in some of the roles he is currently performing to ecstatic critical responses: “All the ardor and beauty of tone one could wish for...one of the finest lyric tenors before the public today” (Houston Chronicle on recent performances of Puccini's Madama Butterfly) “Calleja can still get down to a pianissimo in a way that few can, such as in the Luisa Miller scene, which is one of the best items thanks to the way he gives the vocal line a flattering lilt. After his Covent Garden success in Simon Boccanegra, the inclusion of the Act 2 scena "O inferno" - another high-point - will be a welcome souvenir.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2011 “his is a bright, warm, unmistakably Mediterranean timbre, with a distinctive quick vibrato that recalls great tenors of the wind-up-gramophone era. Yet he is a thoroughly modern musician...His Che gelida manina is surely the most glamorous and thrilling on disc since Pavarotti’s famous complete recording, but it is no carbon copy...In short, a golden-age voice in its prime.” Sunday Times, 17th July 2011 **** “He's an artist who has developed in leaps and bounds over the last few years, and who sings with freedom, passion and elegance. His narrow, fast vibrato has a pleasantly old-fashioned sepia-tinted feel about it, and links him to an earlier generation of tenors...It's a recital which shows off Calleja's rich, rounded and ringing sound at its best.” Classic FM Magazine, August 2011 **** “The two Mefistofele arias receive near-ideal performances, the Pearl Fishers romance (one of two items in which soprano duties are nicely undertaken by Aleksandra Kurzak) is enchanting, and the cavatina from Gounod's Faust is appealingly shaped and crowned with a refined top C...Calleja continues to persuade with a good sense of style.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2011 **** “[in the French roles] he shows no cramping of his natural bel canto style by the French line, finding plenty of room to manoeuvre. And when he and the soprano Aleksandra Kurzak begin their dalliance, the chemistry is sublime. Elsewhere, the various Puccini arias from Tosca and Manon Lescaut present Calleja at his best: robust and resonant.” The Independent, 28th July 2011 **** “Calleja despatches [the programme] with bags of elegance, passion and charm...it's the French arias here that leave you wanting more: his is a beautifully characterised Légende de Kleinzach from Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann, and a sexy Ah! Fuyez, Douce Image” The Guardian, 11th August 2011 **** “Calleja commands resinous, vibrant tone with a rich top register and generous, open-hearted style. This is technically sturdy singing with guts and heart.” The Telegraph, 18th August 2011 “The solidity of his technique is evident in this calorific recital: it takes muscle to support such delicate messa di voce. There's a rare, old-fashioned sweetness of timbre” The Independent on Sunday, 21st August 2011 “Calleja's timbre, brilliant, caressing, keenly focused, is entirely individual...All in all, this is a fine calling-card for a tenor, still only in his early thirties, on the threshold of greatness, during a transition phase of his career. The portents are exciting indeed.” International Record Review, October 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | The Opera Album 2011
Bizet: | Votre toast je peux vous le rendre 'Toreador Song' (from Carmen) Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone) L'amour est un oiseau rebelle 'Habanera' (from Carmen) Tatiana Troyanos (mezzo) Au fond du temple saint (from Les Pêcheurs de Perles) Luciano Pavarotti (tenor), Nicolai Ghiaurov (bass) La fleur que tu m'avais jetée (from Carmen) Plácido Domingo (tenor) Les tringles des sistres tintaient (from Carmen) Magdalena Kozená (mezzo) | Delibes: | Lakmé: Dôme épais (Flower Duet) Joan Sutherland (soprano), Jane Berbié (mezzo) | Donizetti: | Una furtiva lagrima (from L'elisir d'amore) Juan Diego Flórez (tenor) | Dvorak: | Mesícku na nebi hlubokém 'Song to the Moon' (from Rusalka) Pilar Lorengar (soprano) | Gluck: | Che faro' senza Euridice? (from Orfeo ed Euridice) Andreas Scholl (countertenor) | Gounod: | Ah! Je veux vivre dans ce rêve (from Roméo et Juliette) Renée Fleming (soprano) Gloire immortelle de nos aïeux (from Faust) Richard Bonynge | Handel: | Lascia ch'io pianga (from Rinaldo) Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo) Ombra mai fu (from Serse) Andreas Scholl (countertenor) | Leoncavallo: | Vesti la giubba (from I Pagliacci) Jonas Kaufmann (tenor) | Mozart: | Der Vogelfänger bin ich, ja (from Die Zauberflöte) Hermann Prey (baritone) La ci darem la mano (from Don Giovanni) Ingvar Wixell (baritone), Mirella Freni (soprano) Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen (from Die Zauberflöte) Patricia Petibon (soprano) | Offenbach: | Barcarolle (from Les Contes d'Hoffmann ) Joan Sutherland (soprano), Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo) Le jugement de Pâris - Au Mont Ida (from La Belle Hélène) Joseph Calleja (tenor) | Puccini: | Quando me'n vo (from La Bohème) Anna Netrebko (soprano) E lucevan le stelle (from Tosca) Andrea Bocelli (tenor) Humming Chorus (from Madama Butterfly) Giuseppe Sinopoli Nessun dorma (from Turandot) Luciano Pavarotti (tenor) Vissi d'arte (from Tosca) Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano) Si, mi chiamano Mimi (from La Bohème) Angela Gheorghiu (soprano) Signore, ascolta! (from Turandot) Montserrat Caballé (soprano) Chi il bel sogno di Doretta (from La Rondine) Renata Tebaldi (soprano) | Rossini: | Una voce poco fa (from Il barbiere di Siviglia) Teresa Berganza (mezzo) Largo al factotum (from Il barbiere di Siviglia) Leo Nucci (baritone) | Saint-Saëns: | Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix (from Samson et Dalila) Marilyn Horne (mezzo) | Verdi: | Anvil Chorus (from Il Trovatore) Sir Georg Solti La donna è mobile (from Rigoletto) Roberto Alagna (tenor) Libiamo, ne' lieti calici (from La Traviata) Plácido Domingo (tenor), Ileana Cotrubas (soprano) Di quella pira (from Il trovatore) José Carreras (tenor) Sempre libera (from La Traviata) Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano) Questa o quella (from Rigoletto) Rolando Villazón (tenor) Va, pensiero (from Nabucco) Silvio Varviso Celeste Aida (from Aida) Luciano Pavarotti (tenor) | Wagner: | Mild und leise 'Isolde's Liebestod' (from Tristan und Isolde) Birgit Nilsson (soprano) |
This magnificent collection features the some of the greatest opera stars of all time: Cecilia Bartoli, Anna Netrebko, Bryn Terfel, Renée Fleming, Andrea Bocelli Luciano Pavarotti, Dame Joan Sutherland, Plácido Domingo, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and José Carreras. With a carefully chosen selection of perennially popular arias, duets and choruses, this enchanting collection creates the perfect introduction to opera. With 40 tracks and over 2½ hours of music this collection is outstanding value for money. Includes Pavarotti’s classic recording of the most popular opera aria of all, Puccini’s ‘Nessun dorma’. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, London, June & July 2009
Verdi’s best-loved work, is performed here by a star cast in a revival of Richard Eyre’s highly acclaimed 1994 production. Music Director Antonio Pappano conducts La traviata for the first time at Covent Garden. American soprano Renée Fleming returns to Covent Garden to sing Violetta for the first time with The Royal Opera. La traviata was first performed at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice in March 1853. "...Antonio Pappano takes charge of this revival, searching out the meaning of Verdi's score in a supple, sentient reading that sweeps you along." The Guardian Extra features: Cast gallery Antonio Pappano interviews Renée Fleming Running time 135 mins Region Code All regions Picture format 16:9 Anamorphic Sound format 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS Menu languages EN Subtitles EN/FR/DE/ES/IT “I was sniffy about her first night but this DVD comes from later in the run, by which time she had found an uncharacteristic emotional freedom. She is still the prima donna playing the part, but the beautiful sounds she makes, especially in the Act One finale and the Act Two party, are well worth hearing, and the high-quality film-work puts us right at the heart of the action.” Financial Times, 21st May 2011 **** “this is a sensible, believable, attractive presentation that is more in line with Verdi than with the idiocies of Regietheater...Vocally, [Fleming] is on good form at almost every turn... Calleja must sound authentic enough as an Italianate tenor for anyone...I always have the impression that [Pappano] works with the singers rather than challenging them to a duel. The chorus and orchestra respond fittingly to his direction.” International Record Review, July 2011 “At the age of 50, [Fleming] still looks very good in the role of the doomed courtesan...[she] sounds good, too, singing with consistent skill...There's a sincerity to Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja's portrayal of Alfredo which gives it more spontaneity than his American colleagues supply...Stronger than the vocals is the conducting of Antonio Pappano, which possesses a natural stylishness and fluency” BBC Music Magazine, July 2011 *** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Recorded: 2010 live from the Royal Opera House
“Crowning glory for triumphant Domingo” The Independent – 5 Stars “In the lowest range of his voice he has always had mahogany where other tenors have chipboard” The Guardian Plácido Domingo’s triumphant “return” to his baritone roots (his first debut with the Mexican National Opera, in 1959, was as a baritone), is captured in this stunning 2-DVD set of the Royal Opera House’s 2010 production of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra. Domingo is joined by Marina Poplavskaya, Joseph Calleja, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Jonathan Summers and Lukas Jakobski in this Antonio Pappano conducted performance, directed by Elijah Moshinsky. The Simon Boccanegra release features exclusive bonus material, including a “Back Stage with Plácido Domingo” featurette and an interview with director Moshinsky. There is an additional audio function which features introductions to each of the opera’s scenes (in English with subtitles). Simon Boccanegra is Verdi’s magnificent telling of a humble 14th century Genoan who rises to become Doge of the great city. The plot centres on the political intrigues between Boccanegra (Domingo) and his adversary, the aristocratic Jacopo Fiesco and the discovery of his long-lost daughter, Amelia. This story – though replete with an inevitable tragic conclusion – is ultimately one of hope, as the two great men are able to rise above their power-driven animosities to ensure peace amongst their beloved Genoa’s warring factions and by placing familial and civic love ahead of their own individual desires. This stunning production garnered critical acclaim for Domingo and cast, especially Ferruccio Furlanetto. Features exclusive bonuses: “Back Stage with Plácido Domingo” featurette, A video interview with director Elijah Moshinsky and audio introductions to each of the scenes (the DVD will include and option play with or without the introductions). In a market full of Domingo birthday and anniversary reissue products, this 2-DVD release is a much anticipated new recording and performance. Subtitles in Italian (Sung) English, German, French, Spanish “The result is far more than a vanity project...overall [Domingo] makes a remarkably moving and complex creation out of it...Summers is worn but malevolent in his sharply etched portrayal of the venomous Paolo. But the vocal honours go to Joseph Calleja, possessor of one of the loveliest tenor voices around, whose singing as Gabriele Adorno is consistently imaginative and discriminating.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2011 **** “his command of [the title-role] is vocally authoritative and dramatically compelling...Pappano's silky and taut conducting is superb, and tenor Joseph Calleja has never sounded better as Adorno.” Classic FM Magazine, March 2011 *** “No vocal Tarnhelm has suddenly magicked a different-sounding timbre for this voice: here is, simply, Domingo singing - and evidently enjoying singing - a part that's lower down...the bigger difference between the voices [in the confrontations with Fiesco] permits a greater antagonism of the characters and clarity of text...What we might here cheekily call the supporting cast are strong” Gramophone Magazine, February 2011 “his musicianship, his intelligence and artistry, his commitment, the still-beauty of his voice and the utter lack of strain required for him to sing this role properly are well in evidence...[Calleja] has a true Italianate ring, it is easy at the top, he acts well and his phrasing is both musical and impassioned...Pappano undestands the dark tint of this opera and plays it for all it is worth” International Record Review, January 2011 “Domingo fans who enjoyed, or missed, the great tenor-turned-baritone singing the title role of Verdi's tragic hero will covet this live DVD recording of the Royal Opera's lavish Elijah Moshinsky staging. Includes a backstage documentary element fronted by that telly natural, Antonio Pappano.” The Observer, 19th December 2010 “His fitness for the role is undeniable. That noble face, that charismatic presence and powerful body: how well they suit the Doge’s office...And camera close-ups reveal Domingo the consummate and generous actor...there’s plenty of heat in the gutsy orchestra and Antonio Pappano’s loving conducting. And above all else there’s Domingo: courageous, still eloquent, an artist in a million.” The Times, 3rd December 2010 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | New Year’s Concert 2006 from the Teatro La Fenice
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| |  | New critical edition
Carmela Remigio (Maria), Sonia Ganassi (Elisabetta), Joseph Calleja (Leicester), Riccardo Zanellato (Talbot), Marzio Giossi (Cecil), Cinzia Rizzone (Anna) Teatro Donizetti di Bergamo, Fabrizio Maria Carminati With the present release of this Donizettian masterpiece, recorded live in 2001, Dynamic makes an historic move, becoming the first Italian label to produce a DVD opera. This very high quality production by Teatro Donizetti di Bergamo features, in the roles of the two queens, Carmela Remigio (Maria Stuarda) and Sonia Ganassi (Elisabetta), two great artists here making a fine display of their excellent vocal and acting skills. Francesco Esposito’s direction and costumes, and Italo Grassi’s sets are very effective and superbly highlighted by the filming. What makes this release even more interesting is the use of a new critical edition made by the renowned Swedish musicologist Anders Wiklund for Casa Ricordi. The CD booklet offers exhaustive liner notes, and plot and libretto in four languages. The DVD has subtitles in 6 languages (Italian, English, German, French, Spanish and Japanese), as well as interviews to the two female interpreters, the conductor, the director and the set-designer. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Viva Verdi! The Ultimate Collection
Verdi: | Va, pensiero (from Nabucco) Orchester und Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Giuseppe Sinopoli La donna è mobile (from Rigoletto) Joseph Calleja (tenor) Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly È il sol dell'anima (from Rigoletto) Anna Netrebko (soprano), Rolando Villazón (tenor) Staatskapelle Dresden, Nicola Luisotti Bella figlia dell'amore (from Rigoletto) Renata Scotto (soprano), Fiorenza Cossotto (mezzo), Carlo Bergonzi (tenor), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone) Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Rafael Kubelik Stride la vampa (from Il Trovatore) Brigitte Fassbaender (mezzo) Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Carlo Maria Giulini Anvil Chorus (from Il Trovatore) Orchestra e Coro dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Carlo Maria Giulini Di quella pira (from Il trovatore) Luciano Pavarotti (tenor) National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge Miserere d'un' alma gia vicina (from Il Trovatore) Rosalind Plowright (soprano), Plácido Domingo (tenor) Orchestra e Coro dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Carlo Maria Giulini Fontainebleau! Forêt immense et solitaire … (from Don Carlos) Roberto Alagna (tenor) Orchestre de Paris, Antonio Pappano O tu che in seno agli angeli (from La Forza del Destino) José Carreras (tenor) Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Sinopoli La traviata: Prelude to Act 1 Bavarian State Orchestra, Carlos Kleiber Libiamo, ne' lieti calici (from La Traviata) Anna Netrebko (soprano), Rolando Villazón (tenor) Wiener Philharmoniker, Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor, Carlo Rizzi È strano! è strano!...Ah! fors è lui (from La traviata) Anna Netrebko (soprano) Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Claudio Abbado Sempre libera (from La Traviata) Anna Netrebko (soprano), Saimir Pirgu (tenor) Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Claudio Abbado Di provenza il mar (from La Traviata) Sherrill Milnes (baritone) Bavarian State Orchestra, Carlos Kleiber Parigi, o cara (from La Traviata) Joan Sutherland (soprano), Luciano Pavarotti (tenor) National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge Se quel guerrier io fossi!…Celeste Aida (from Aida) Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Claudio Abbado Gloria all'Egitto (from Aida) Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Claudio Abbado Grand March from Aida Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Claudio Abbado Aida: Ballet Music, Act II Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Claudio Abbado Vieni, o guerriero vindice (from Aida) Nicolai Ghiaurov (bass) Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Claudio Abbado O terra, addio (from Aida) Katia Ricciarelli (soprano), Elena Obraztsova (mezzo), Plácido Domingo (tenor) Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Claudio Abbado Dies Irae (from Requiem) Berliner Philharmoniker, Ernst Senff Chor, Carlo Maria Giulini Ingemisco (from Requiem) Rolando Villazón (tenor) Orchestra del Teatro Regio di Torino, Gianandrea Noseda Lacrymosa (from Requiem) Sharon Sweet (soprano), Florence Quivar (mezzo), Vinson Cole (tenor), Simon Estes (bass) Berliner Philharmoniker, Ernst Senff Chor, Carlo Maria Giulini Sanctus (from Requiem) Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Claudio Abbado O don fatale (from Don Carlo) Grace Bumbry (mezzo) Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Janos Kulka Udisti?…Vil disegno! (from Simon Boccanegra) José Carreras (tenor), José van Dam (bass) Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Claudio Abbado Esultate! (from Otello) Plácido Domingo (tenor) Orchestre et Choeurs de l'Opéra Bastille, Myung-Whun Chung Ave Maria (from Otello) Renée Fleming (soprano) London Symphony Orchestra, Georg Solti Ehi! Paggio! ... L'onore! Ladri! (from Falstaff) Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone) Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Levine Dal labbro il canto estasiato vola (from Falstaff) Mojca Erdmann (soprano), Rolando Villazón (tenor) Orchestra del Teatro Regio di Torino, Gianandrea Noseda |
Leading tenor, Rolando Villazon, has personally selected 34 great Verdi tracks, sung by the great names of the present and past, both to celebrate Verdi at 200 and to inspire a new generation with the composer’s great arias, powerful choruses and popular tunes. The tracklist is framed by two stirring overtures, it includes famous numbers by all the leading singers on DG and Decca (as well as a couple from EMI), including Roberto Alagna, Carlo Bergonzi, Grace Bumbry, Joseph Calleja, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Renée Fleming, Anna Netrebko, Luciano Pavorotti, Katia Ricciarelli, Joan Sutherland and BrynTerfel. There are rousing choruses and several extracts from the Requiem too. It’s a splendid 150-minute collection. The striking cover includes one of Rolando’s inimitable Verdi sketches, and will include a sticker incorporating a photo of the artist. The all-colour booklet has an article by journalist Richard Lawrence which also takes in some quotes from the artist in a recent interview for this release. Villazón is confident that every excerpt on these discs will make the listener want to hear the complete work. “No other composer creates such an immediate link with the audience. Go to see La traviata: you hear those rhythms, those melodies, that dramatic force, and you are drawn into his world. It doesn’t matter whether you love opera or know nothing about it: it just captures you, it grabs you.” Listening to the numbers from La traviata here, you have to agree. | 
| DG - 4791171 (CD - 2 discs) Normally: $17.75 Special: $15.50 |
| | (Sorry, download not available in your country) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Be My Love: A Tribute to Mario LanzaPlease note - This is an LP vinyl record - NOT a CD!
Blessed with “a golden-age voice” (The Sunday Times) that routinely inspires comparisons with legendary singers from earlier eras, Joseph Calleja will follow the success of The Maltese Tenor with a tribute to one of the most popular tenors of all time; the unique “crossover” star of the Hollywood musical – Mario Lanza. This is an album that Joseph Calleja has always wanted to record. As a youth in Malta he saw Lanza in the cult film The Great Caruso and was so captivated that he gave up his predilection for Metallica and Iron Maiden and decided to become an opera-singer. “It's an unashamedly populist collection, Calleja rolling the Rs of "Granada" and "Arrivederci, Roma" with obvious relish in arrangements replete with castanets and trilling mandolins, before building to the full football climax with spirited renditions of "Nessun Dorma" and a mighty "You'll Never Walk Alone"” The Independent, 8th September 2012 *** “Calleja doesn’t suffer from...self-imposed comparisons: the voice is burnished and focused; the top notes whammy yet unforced; the legato tone garnished with saccharine slithers but not sloppy. Calleja doesn’t do final consonants; and sometimes you wish his conductor (Steven Mercurio) had encouraged more ebb and flow. But these throbbing ballads will delight Calleja’s fans.” The Times, 8th September 2012 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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