Highlights From The World's Best Loved Operas

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7 LP 7 TC (plus bonus LP/TC: 'Scheherazade')
Released 1978
Cat No.: RDS9591-7 (RDC90761-7)
RD Code : HIL009 (GHIL-7-A on Box)

In the 50s and 60s, the Decca Record Label produced some of the finest operatic recordings ever made. Here are many of the highlights from those operas, featuring some of the finest recording artists in the genre.

1 Highlights from La Boheme (Puccini)

1 Che Gelida Manina (Your Tiny Hand Is Frozen).../ Si, Mi Chiamano Mimi (Yes, They Call Me Mimi)

2 O Soave Fanciulla (O Lovely Maiden)

3 Quando Me'n Vo (Musetta's Waltz Song)... End Of Act II

4 In Un Coupe?... / O Mimi, Tu Piu Non Torni

5 Vecchia Zimarra (Cloak Song)

 

Carlo Bergonzi (Rodolfo)

Renata Tebaldi (Mimi)

Renato Cesari (Schaunard)

Cesare Siepi (Colline)

Ettore Bastianini (Marcello)

Gianna Corena (Alcindoro)

With the Chorus and Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome (Chorus-Master: Bonaventura Somma) conducted by Tullio Serafin

 

2 Highlights from Tosca (Puccini)

6 Santa Ampolle!... Recondita Armonia (Strange Harmony)

7 Love Duet (Concluding Section)

8 Te Deum

9 Vissi d'arte (Love and Music)

10 E lucevan Le Stelle (The Stars Were Shining)

11 E Non Giungono (Conclusion Of Opera)

 

Renata Tebaldi (Tosca)

Mario del Monaco (Cavaradossi)

George London (Scarpia)

Fernando Corena (Sacristan)

With the Chorus and Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome (Chorus-Master: Bonaventura Somma) conducted by Francesco Molinari-Pradelli

 

3 Highlights from Aida (Verdi)

12 Se Quel Guerrier Io Fossi...Celeste Aida (Heavenly Aida)

13 Gloria all'Egitto

14 O Patria Mia (O My Country)

15 La Fatal Pietra... O terra Addio (Final Duet)

 

Renata Tebaldi (Aida)

Giulietta Simionato (Amneris)

Carlo Bergonzi (Radames)

Cornell MacNeil (Amonasro)

Arnold van Mill (Ramphis)

Fernando Corena (King Of Egypt)

With the Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde and the Vienna Philharmonnic Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan

 

4 Highlights from Rigoletto (Verdi)

16 Questa O Quella

17 Gualtier Malde...Caro Nome (Dear Name)

18 Tutte Le Feste .....Ah! Solo Per Me

19 La Donna E Mobile (Woman Is Fickle)

20 Bella Figlia Dell'amore (Quartet)

21 Lassu In Cielo (Farewell Duet Death Of Gilda)

 

Joan Sutherland (Gilda)

Cornell MacNeil (Rigoletto)

Renato Cioni (Duke of Mantua)

Stefania Malagu (Maddalena)

With the Chorus and Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome conducted by Nino Sanzogno

 

5 Highlights from La Traviata (Verdi)

22 Libiamo Ne' Lieti Calici (Brindisi)

23 E' Strano (How Strange)... Ah, Fors' E Lui....

24 Sempre Libera

25 Di Provenza Il Mar (From Fair Provence)

26 Tenesta La Promessa....

27 Addio Del Passato

28 Ah, Violetta (Death Of Violetta)

 

Joan Sutherland (Violetta Valery)

Carlo Bergonzi (Alfredo Germont)

Robert Merrill (Giorgio Germont)

Dora Carral (Annina)

Giovanni Foiani (Doctor di Grenvil)

With the Chorus and Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino conducted by John Pritchard

 

6 Highlights from Il Trovatore (Verdi)

29 Tacea la Notte (The Peaceful Night)

30 Di Tale Amor (Cabaletta)

31 Vedi! Le Fosche (Anvil Chorus)

32 Stride La Vampa (The Flames Are Roaring)

33 Il Balen (The Light Of Her Smile)

34 Or Co' Dadi...Squilli Echeggi (Soldiers' Chorus)

35 Di Quella Pira

36 Miserere

 

Renata Tebaldi (Leonora)

Mario del Monaco (Manrico)

Giulietta Simionato (Azucena)

Giorgio Tozzi (Ferrando)

Ugo Savarese (Count di Luna)

With the Chorus and Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and L’Orchestre du Grand Theatre de Geneve conducted by Alberto Erede

 

7 Highlights from Carmen (Bizet)

37 La Cloche A Sonne....L Amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle

38 Votre Toast...Toreador (Toreador's Song)

39 Au Quartier....La Fleur Que Tu M'avais Jetee (Flower Song)

40 C'est Toi! C'est Moi! (Death Of Carmen)

 

Regina Resnik (Carmen)

Mario del Monaco (Don Jose)

Tom Krause (Escamillo)

With the Chorus of the Grand Theatre de Geneve and L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande conducted by Thomas Schippers

 

8 Highlights from Pagliacci (Leoncavallo)

41 Prologue…Si Puo? Si Puo?

42 Un Tal Gioco (Canio's Warning To Tonio)

43 Stridone Lassu.....Sei La?

44 Recitar!......Vesti La Giubba (On With The Motley)

45 Intermezzo

46 No! Pagliacci Non Son.....La Commedia e Finita (The Comedy Is Over)

 

Cornell MacNeil (Tonio)

Mario del Monaco (Canio)

Gabriella Tucci (Nedda)

Renato Capecchi (Silvio)

Piero de Palma (Beppe)

With the Chorus and Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome conducted by Francesco Molinari-Pradelli

 

9 Highlights from Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni)

47 Voi Lo Sapet

48 No, No, Turiddu.....Ah! Il Signore Vi Manda Compar Alfio

49 Intermezzo

50 Viva Il Vino Spumeggiante

51 Mamma, Quel Vino E Generoso (Mother, How This Wine Burns)

 

Giulietta Simionato (Santuzza)

Anna di Stasio (Lucia)

Mario del Monaco (Turiddu)

Cornell MacNeil (Alfio)

With the Chorus and Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome conducted by Tullio Serafin

 

10 Highlights from The Barber Of Seville (Rossini)

53 Largo Al Factotum (Make Way For The Factotum)

54 Una Voce Poco Fa

55 La Calunnia (Slander Song)

56 Dunque Io Son

57 Insomma, Io Ho Tutti I Torti (Conclusion Of Opera)

 

Manuel Ausensi (Figaro)

Ugo Benelli (Count Almaviva)

Teresa Berganza (Rosina)

Nicolai Ghiaurov (Don Basilio)

Fernando Corena (Dr Bartolo)

With the Orchestra e Coro Rossini di Napoli conducted by Silvio Varviso

 

11 Highlights from Faust (Gounod)

58 Vin ou biere (Carnival Scene).....O Sainte Medaille

59 Vin ou biere (Carnival Scene).....Avant De Quitter Ces Lieux

60 Vin ou biere (Carnival Scene).....Allons, Amis

61 Vin ou biere (Carnival Scene).....Le Veau D'or (The Golden Calf)

62 Quel Trouble Inconnu Me Penetre....Salut! Demere Chaste Et Pure

63 Que Viois Je La?.....Ah! Je Ris De Me Voir (Jewel Song)

64 Alerte! Alerte!.....Anges Purs (Final Trio)...Christ Est Ressuscite

 

Franco Corelli (Dr Faust)

Joan Sutherland (Maruerite)

Nicolai Ghiaurov (Mephistopheles)

Robert Massard (Valentine)

Margreta Elkins (Siebel)

Raymond Myers (Wagner)

With the Ambrosian Opera Chorus (Chorus Master: John McCarthy) and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Bonynge

 

12 Highlights from The Magic Flute (Mozart)

65 Der Vogelfanger Bin Ich Ja (I'm The Birdcatcher)

66 Dies Bildnis Ist Bezaubernd Schon (Oh Loveliness Beyond Compare)

67 Bei Mannern, Welche Liebe Fuhlen

68 Wie Stark Ist Nicht Dein Zauberton!....

69 Schnelle Fusse.....

70 Das Klinget So Herrlich....Konnte Jeder Brave Mann...Wenn Tugend

71 March Of The Priests

72 Der Holle Rache

73 In Diesen Heil'gen Hallen (Within These Hallowed Walls)

74 Klinget, Glockchen, Klinget!....

75 Pa Pa Pa Papagena!

 

Hilde Gueden (Pamina)

Leopold Simoneau (Tamino)

Wilma Lipp (Queen Of The Night)

Walter Berry (Papageno)

Emmy Loose (Papagena)

Kurt Bohme (Sarastro)

August Jaresch (Monostatos)

With supporting artists and the Vienna State Opera Chorus and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Karl Bohm

 

13 Highlights from Madame Butterfly (Puccini)

76 Bimba Dagli Occhi Pieni Di Malia (Love Duet)

77 Un Bel Di, Vedremo (One Fine Day)

78 Humming Chorus

79 Con Onor Muore.....Tu? Tu? Piccolo Iddio! (Death Of Butterfly)

 

Renata Tebaldi (Butterfly)

Carlo Bergonzi (Pinkerton)

With the Chorus and Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome (Chorus-Master: Bonaventura Somma) conducted by Tullio Serafin

 

14 Highlights from The Marriage Of Figaro (Mozart)

80 Cinque, Dieci

81 Non Piu Andrain (Now Your Days Of Philandering Are Over)

82 Porgi Amor

83 Voii The Sapete

84 Riconosci In Questo Amplesso (Sextet)

85 Sull' Aria (Letter Duet)

86 Deh Vieni, Non Tardar

87 Contessa, Perdono, Perdono....(To End Of Opera)

 

 

Hilde Gueden (Susanna)

Cesare Siepi (Figaro)

Lisa Della Casa (Countess Almaviva)

Alfred Poell (Count Almaviva)

Suzanne Danco (Cherubino)

Fernando Corena (Doctor Bartolo)

Hilde Rossl-Majdan (Marcellina)

Hugo Meyer-Welfing (Don Curzio)

With supporting artists and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Erich Kleiber

 

CASSETTE

Command Performance - A Night At The Opera

 

  

7 LP

Released 1976
Cat No.: RDS6671-7  RD Code : CPO (GCPO-7A on Box)
Came with Bonus LP  'Golden Voices Sing Great Arias' (RDS9457) (RDC90644)

"The most beloved and familiar music from the world of opera : melodies you've known all your life, sung and played as you've never heard them before... 69 best-loved melodies from the most tuneful operas ever written."

1 - Curtain Up

 1 - Overture From 'Die Fledermaus' - Vienna State Opera Orch. cond. Oscar Danon (Strauss~J/Haffner/Genee)

2 - Overture From 'Don Giovanni' - Chicago Symphony Orch. Cond. Fritz Reiner (Mozart/Da Ponte)

3 - Overture From 'The Barber Of Seville' - Metropolitan Opera Orch. Cond. Erich Leinsdorf (Rossini/Sterbini)

4 - Overture From 'The Silken Ladder' - Philharmonic Opera Orch. Cond. Charles Gerhardt (Rossini/Rossi)

5 - Overture From 'Fidelio' - Boston Symphony Orch. Cond. Charles Munch (Beethoven)

6 - Overture From 'The Mastersingers Of Nuremberg' - Chicago Symphony Orch. Cond. Fritz Reiner (Wagner)

7 - Overture From 'The Thieving Magpie' - Beecham Promenade Orch. Cond. Gilbert Vinter (Rossini)

 

2 - World Famous Arias

1 - I'm The Factotum From 'The Barber Of Seville' - Robert Merrill (Rossini/Sterbini)

2 - Your Tiny Hand Is Frozen / Yes, They Call Me Mimi From 'La Boheme' - Richard Tauber & Anna Moffo (Puccini/Giacosa/Illica)

3 - One Fine Day From 'Madame Butterfly' - Leontyne Price (Puccini/Giacosa/Illica)

4 - Celesta Aida From 'Aida' - Placido Domingo (Verdi/Ghislanzoni)

5 - La Donna E Mobile From 'Rigoletto' - Alfredo Kraus (Verdi/Piave)

6 - Evening Star From 'Tannhäuser' - Sherrill Milnes (Wagner)

7 - Habanera From 'Carmen' - Leontyne Price (Bizet/Meilhac/Halevy)

8 - Musetta's Waltz From 'La Boheme' - Mary Costa, Robert Merrill & Anna Moffo (Puccini/Giacosa/Illica)

9 - Love And Music From 'Tosca' - Leontyne Price (Puccini/Giacosa/Illica)

10 - Stars Were Shining Brightly From 'Tosca'~The - Jussi Bjoerling (Puccini/Giacosa/Illica)

11 - Bell Song From 'Lakme'~The - Anna Moffo (Delibes/Gondinet/Gille)

 

3 - Best Loved Duets

1 - Love Duet from 'Madame Butterfly' - Leontyne Price & Richard Tucker (Puccini)

2 - Barcarolle from 'Tales Of Hoffman' - Montserrat Caballe & Shirley Verrett (Offenbach)

3 - Oh Lovely, Maid In the Moonlight from 'La Boheme' - Anna Moffo & Richard Tucker (Puccini)

4 - Love Duet from 'A Masked Ball' - Leontyne Price & Carlo Bergonzi (Verdi)

5 - 'Tis You, 'Tis I from 'Carmen' - Leontyne Price & Franco Corelli (Bizet)

6 - Love Duet from 'Tosca' - Zinka Milanov & Jussi Bjoerling (Puccini)

7 - Swear In This Hour from 'The Force Of Destiny' - Richard Tucker & Robert Merrill (Verdi)

8 - Vengeance! From 'Rigoletto' - Anna Moffo & Robert Merrill (Verdi)

 

4 - Rousing Choruses

1 - Smugglers' Chorus From 'Carmen' - Vienna Philharmonic Orch. & chorus cond. Herbert Von Karajan (Bizet/Meilhac/Halevy)

2 - Soldiers' Chorus From 'Faust' - Robert Shaw Chorale & Orch. (Gounod)

3 - Brother Dear, Sister Dear From 'Die Fledermaus' - Vienna State Opera Orch. & chorus cond. Oscar Danon (Strauss~J/Haffner/Gene)

4 - Chorus Of The Hebrew Slaves From 'Nabucco' - Robert Shaw Chorale & Orch. (Verdi - Solera)

5 - In The Gently Blowing Breeze From 'Mignon' - Robert Shaw Chorale & Orch. (Thomas)

6 - Anvil Chorus From 'Il Trovatore' - Robert Shaw Chorale & Orch. (Verdi)

7 - Pilgrims' Chorus From 'Tannhäuser' - Norman Luboff Choir (Wagner)

8 - Presentation From Olympia From 'Tales Of Hoffmann'~The - Robert Shaw Chorale & Orch. (Offenbach/Guiraud/Barbier/Carre)

9 - Zitti, Zitti #from 'Rigoletto' - Robert Shaw Chorale & Orch. (Verdi/Piave)

10 - Bridal Chorus From 'Lohengrin' - Robert Shaw Chorale & Orch. (Wagner)

11 - Wach' Auf! From 'The Mastersingers Of Nuremberg' - Robert Shaw Chorale & Orch. (Wagner)

12 - Chorus Act II From 'Otello' - Robert Shaw Chorale & Orch. (Verdi/Boito)

13 - Chorus Act IV From 'Carmen' - Robert Shaw Chorale & Orch. (Bizet/Meilhac/Halevv)

 

5 - Gala Performance

1 - Toreador Song From 'Carmen' - Robert Merrill (Bizet/Meilhac/Helevy)

2 - O, Patria Mia From 'Aida' - Leontyne Price (Verdi/Ghislanzoni)

3 - Drinking Song From 'La Traviata' - Montserrat Caballe & Carlo Bergonzi (Verdi/Piave)

4 - Miserere From 'Il Trovatore' - Leontyne Price & Placido Domingo (Verdi/Cammarano)

5 - Quartet From 'Rigoletto' - RCA Italiana Opera Orch. & Chorus cond. Georg Solti (Verdi/Piave)

6 - Flower Song From 'Carmen'~The - Franco Corelli (Bizet/Meilhac/Halevy)

7 - Casta Diva From 'Norma' - Montserrat Caballe (Bellini/Romani)

8 - By The Heavens From 'Otello' - Jon Vickers &Tito Gobbi (Verdi/Boito)

9 - How Handsome He Is From 'Lucrezia Borgia' - Montserrat Caballe (Donizetti)

10 - Do Not Curse From 'The Force Of Destiny' - Leontyne Price, Richard Tauber & Giorgio Tozzi (Verdi/Piave/Ghislanzon)

 

6 - Pageantry And Splendour

1 - Grand March From 'Aida' - Arthur Fiedler And The Boston 'Pops' Orchestra (Verdi/Ghislanzoni)

2 - Magic Fire Music From 'The Valkyries'~The - Boston Symphony Orch. Cond. Charles Munch (Wagner)

3 - Polonaise From 'Eugene Onegin' - Arthur Fiedler And The Boston 'Pops' Orchestra (Tchaikovsky)

4 - Prelude To Act III From 'La Traviata' - RCA italiana Opera Orch. Cond . Georges Pretre (Verdi/Piave)

5 - Ride Of The Valkyries From 'The Valkyries' - Symphony Of The Air cond. Leopold Stokowski (Wagner)

6 - Intermezzo From 'Carmen' - Vienna Philharmonic Orch. Cond. Herbert Von Karajan (Bizet/Meilhac/Halevy)

7 - Prelude To Act III 'Lohengrin' - Arthur Fiedler And The Boston 'Pops' Orchestra (Wagner)

8 - Entry Of The Gods Into Valhalla From 'The Rhinegold' - Symphony Of The Air cond. Leopold Stokowski (Wagner)

9 - Siegfried's Funeral Music From 'Gotterdammerung' - Chicago Symphony Orch. Cond. Fritz Reiner (Wagner)

10 - Hungarian March From 'Damnation Of Faust' - Boston Symphony Orch. Cond. Erich Leinsdorf (Berlioz)

 

7 - Dances From The Opera

1 - Dance Of The Comedians From 'The Bartered Bride' - National Symphony Orch. Cond. Howard Mitchell (Smetana)

2 - Dance Of The Moorish Slaves From 'Aida' - London Symphony Orch. Cond. Erich Leinsdorf (Verdi/Ghislanzoni)

3 - Gypsy Dance Act II From 'Carmen' - Leontyne Price (Bizet/Meilhac/Halevy)

4 - Dance Of The Apprentices And Possession Of The Mastersingers - Chicago Symphony Orch. Cond. Fritz Reiner (Wagner)

5 - Ballet Music From 'Otello' - Rome Opera House Orch. Cond. Tullio Scrafin (Verdi/Boito)

6 - Bacchanale Act III From 'Samson And Delilah' - Arthur Fiedler And The Boston 'Pops' Orchestra (Saints - Saens/Lemaire)

7 - Dance Of The Blessed Spirits From 'Orfeo And Euridice' - Virtuosi di Roma cond. Renato Fasano (Gluck)

8 - Ballet Music From 'Faust' - New Philharmonia Orch. Cond. De Antonio Almeida (Gounod/Barbier/Carre)

 

 

 

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