Verdi: Se quel guerrier io fossi!…Celeste Aida (from Aida)

The internationally renowned tenor Piotr Beczala celebrates the 200th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi’s birth with a collection of highlights that include roles in which he has been acclaimed on the world’s great operatic stages. This new CD with Beczala and the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Lukas Borowicz includes roles for which he is rightly famous, such as the Duke in 'Rigoletto' or Alfredo in 'La traviata' (at the Met, Covent Garden and at the Bavarian State Opera), alongside rarities and arias that were ground-breaking at the time. Thus he sings Radamès’s opening aria from 'Aïda', striking the balance between drama and expression that makes this romance as charming as it is difficult. In 'Il trovatore'. Beczala does not just sing “Ah sì, ben mio” , but also his big scene with Azucena from the second part of the opera. His partner here is Ewa Podles whose dark yet brilliant contralto voice offers a fascinating contrast to Beczala’s ever-radiant, well-focussed tenor.

In arias from 'Macbeth' and 'Un ballo in maschera' in particular, Beczala shows why he has become synonymous with the protagonist, Riccardo, since his spectacular debut at the Lindenoper in Berlin. He changes genre for the “Ingemisco” from Verdi’s Requiem. Variety is also guaranteed by the selection of tenor arias from rarely performed Verdi operas such as 'Les vêpres siciliennes' and 'I Lombardi', in which Piotr Beczala once again demonstrates the lissom elegance of his phrasing.

The recording closes with the friendship duet from 'Don Carlo', which Beczala crowns with a superb top C. Here, he is partnered by baritone Mariusz Kwiecien as Posa, whose vocal timbre adds luxury to the casting.

The name Verdi is synonymous with Italian opera. No other composer embodies all the fascination and passion of Italian music drama like Verdi. The special magic of his music comes out especially vividly when it's performed by the very greatest of vocal stars: Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Montserrat Caballé and Mirella Freni.

The operas of Verdi today form the mainstay of the repertoire of opera houses all over the world. Some of his music has become absorbed into popular culture from being used in TV adverts and film soundtracks, as well as being performed by the most famous classical singers of the day in concerts and on records. Pieces from the same opera are grouped together, beginning with the famous drinking song from La traviata: ‘Libiamo’, followed by other popular favourites from La traviata, Rigoletto and Il trovatore, among them being the swaggering ‘La donna è mobile’ and the powerful Anvil Chorus. The first CD concludes with extracts from two earlier operas: Ernani and Macbeth, the latter providing one of Verdi’s most impressive soprano scenas in which the scheming Lady Macbeth calls on the powers of evil to assist her in murdering King Duncan. The second CD opens with the heartfelt chorus: ‘Va, pensiero’ from Nabucco, sung by the Hebrews in exile longing for their homeland. Then come more well-known arias and choruses from Verdi’s later operas like Un ballo in maschera, La forza del destino and Aida. After extracts from his moving Requiem Mass, we hear the Fire Chorus from another of Verdi’s Shakespearian settings: Otello and the programme ends with three items from what some now consider to be Verdi’s finest work, the historical drama Don Carlo.

From one of the greatest Verdi singers on today's operatic stage, a disc of the most glorious music Verdi wrote for the tenor voice.

"Alvarez performs with generosity and compassion, throwing himself into the high emotions demanded. He scales his high notes joyfully, boldly, never indulgently. This is familiar Pavarotti territory, but in Alvarez's hands a more tormented and impassioned experience." (Evening Standard, London (on Il Trovatore at Covent Garden))

Marcelo Álvarez showcases the voice that has made him THE Verdi tenor on today's operatic stage, in his first disc for Decca.

A special collection of the great Verdi tenor arias taken from Luciano Pavarotti's classic recordings, made at the height of his prime.

Packed with famous melodies known and loved the world over, including "Celeste Aïda", "Questa o' quella", "Ah si, ben mio", "Di quella pira" and "La donna è mobile".

This album also includes the arias from the Riccardo Muti complete recording of "Don Carlo".

Sung with Pavarotti's inimitable style and verve, this highly commercial collection will have wide appeal.

2 CDs for the price of 1.