Description:
Berlioz wrote very difficult music for the tenor voice, music which is not reminiscent of any other composer. The rhythms are unique, and the leaps to high notes are somewhat uncomfortable. Like other composers, he wrote for different types of tenors, from light and lyrical to the truly dramatic. Here Roberto Alagna, in possibly his finest recording, sings them all, from the delicate narrator in L'enfance du Christ and gentle poet Iopas in Les Troyens to the somewhat grander Benvenuto Cellini, and on finally to the Siegmund-like Aeneas. Each is imbued with true character, and Alagna's range cannot help but impress; he eve
Berlioz wrote very difficult music for the tenor voice, music which is not reminiscent of any other composer. The rhythms are unique, and the leaps to high notes are somewhat uncomfortable. Like other composers, he wrote for different types of tenors, from light and lyrical to the truly dramatic. Here Roberto Alagna, in possibly his finest recording, sings them all, from the delicate narrator in L'enfance du Christ and gentle poet Iopas in Les Troyens to the somewhat grander Benvenuto Cellini, and on finally to the Siegmund-like Aeneas. Each is imbued with true character, and Alagna's range cannot help but impress; he even sings the sweet, high C-sharps of the duet from La damnation de Faust with ease (his Marguerite is his wife, Angela Gheorghiu). Rarities here are a song sung by Mephistopheles in an earlier work based on Faust when the role was composed for tenor, and some music from the half-sung, half-spoken drama Lelio (the actor Gerard Depardieu is the speaker). This is a great collection, and it's Alagna at his most superb. A must for opera lovers of all tastes. --Robert Levine
... (more)
(less)
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
Release date: 25 February 2003
EAN: 0724355743329 UPC: 724355743329
My tags:
Add tags
Login
