Aria - The Opera Album

( 3 )

Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - Benjamin Ivry
Mega-tenor Andrea Bocelli gets into a classical mood with this collection of beloved arias by Verdi, Puccini, and other operatic composers. The warmth of his voice and his potent emotionality will hypnotize the singer's many fans. This recital might also be a blueprint for a future career in opera houses. Bocelli is already committed to singing the title role of Massenet's "Werther" onstage. His ardent "Flower Song" from "Carmen" suggests another possible role. Bocelli's occasional musical inaccuracies seem like entirely forgivable flaws. Clearly Bocelli accepts neither fear nor personal limits, and this courage is blazoned on his ...
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Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - Benjamin Ivry
Mega-tenor Andrea Bocelli gets into a classical mood with this collection of beloved arias by Verdi, Puccini, and other operatic composers. The warmth of his voice and his potent emotionality will hypnotize the singer's many fans. This recital might also be a blueprint for a future career in opera houses. Bocelli is already committed to singing the title role of Massenet's "Werther" onstage. His ardent "Flower Song" from "Carmen" suggests another possible role. Bocelli's occasional musical inaccuracies seem like entirely forgivable flaws. Clearly Bocelli accepts neither fear nor personal limits, and this courage is blazoned on his voice.
All Music Guide - Allen Schrott
Crossover sensation Andrea Bocelli''s Aria served as the singer''s operatic calling card, and as such it left behind the synth-infused ballads and lighter Italian fare of his earlier work and delved into the dramatic warhorses of the tenor repertory. Soliciting the help of Gianandrea Noseda and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra underscored the singer''s desire to be taken seriously, since both conductor and ensemble were already veterans of fine operatic recordings. The resulting album surpasses the usual expectations of crossover singers: Bocelli''s grasp of style and vocal technique are evidence of sincere study and undeniable talent -- something that can''t be said of some similarly marketed singers, like Britain''s Russell ("The Voice") Watson. But the album''s impression will depend mostly on listeners'' point of entry. Bocelli fans will undoubtedly enjoy hearing the star''s voice applied to this music, and for many people it will serve as an accessible entry into the world of opera. But opera fans will most likely find his efforts pale and unappealing in comparison to the many great tenors who have already recorded the same works and, more importantly, sung them on-stage. Experienced listeners will immediately notice the album''s engineering, which mixes the orchestra into the background in order to highlight Bocelli''s relatively small voice. As a result, climactic passages rarely seem climactic, and intimate passages sound too intimate -- not scaled to a big room in the way operatic singing should be. At times, particularly in the opening "Questa o quella" from Giuseppe Verdi''s "Rigoletto," one gets the impression that the orchestra was recorded separately, and the voice laid down as a separate track, since they sound out of sync at cadences and ornaments, and Bocelli seems to be chasing an inflexible rhythmic pulse. Bocelli''s general approach to the music is in line with operatic traditions, but he often sounds green, ungracefully clipping the ends of phrases and rushing through moments that cry out to be milked. And although he certainly has the range to tackle even the most demanding arias, like Donizetti''s "Pour mon âme" from "La fille du regiment" with its many high Cs, his voice doesn''t gain brilliance and amplitude as he ascends; instead it becomes thin, never quite hitting that "tenor" pleasure spot in the brain. Similarly, these arias feel drained of their pathos and expressivity -- excercises in execution rather than dramatic scenes. In the end, Aria will introduce many people to the pleasures of operatic music. And if you''re one of those listeners, enjoy it with the knowledge that you''re hearing operatic music performed lovingly, sincerely, and with skill. Just know this too: everything you hear on this album has been done many times before, and by singers whose vocal charisma, musical sensibilities, and years of experience leave Mr. Bocelli in the dust.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 4/7/1998
  • Label: Philips
  • UPC: 028946203323
  • Catalog Number: 462033
  • Sales rank: 27,174

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Rigoletto, opera: Questa o quella - Ruggero Leoncavallo & Giuseppe Verdi (1:46)
    Composed byGiuseppe Verdi, Giuseppe Verdi
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  2. 2 La bohème, opera: Che gelida manina - Ruggero Leoncavallo & Giacomo Puccini (4:20)
    Composed byGiacomo Puccini, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Giacosa, Luigi Illica
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  3. 3 Tosca, opera: Recondita armonia - Ruggero Leoncavallo & Giacomo Puccini (2:58)
    Composed byGiacomo Puccini, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Giacosa, Luigi Illica
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  4. 4 Tosca, opera: E lucevan le stelle... - Ruggero Leoncavallo & Giacomo Puccini (2:52)
    Composed byGiacomo Puccini, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Giacosa, Luigi Illica
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  5. 5 Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), opera: Addio, fiorito asil - Ruggero Leoncavallo & Giacomo Puccini (1:51)
    Composed byGiacomo Puccini, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Giacosa, Luigi Illica
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  6. 6 Andrea Chénier, opera: Come un bel dì di maggio - Umberto Giordano & Umberto Giordano (3:18)
    Composed byUmberto Giordano, Umberto Giordano, Luigi Illica
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  7. 7 I Puritani, opera: A te, o cara - Vicenzo Bellini & Vicenzo Bellini (3:06)
    Composed byVicenzo Bellini, Vicenzo Bellini
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  8. 8 Der Rosenkavalier, opera, Op. 59 (TrV 227): Di rigori armato il seno - Ruggero Leoncavallo & Richard Strauss (2:10)
    Composed byRichard Strauss
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  9. 9 Fedora, opera: Amor ti vieta - Umberto Giordano & Umberto Giordano (1:52)
    Composed byUmberto Giordano, Umberto Giordano
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  10. 10 La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West), opera: Ch'ella mi creda - Ruggero Leoncavallo & Giacomo Puccini (2:01)
    Composed byGiacomo Puccini
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  11. 11 La Gioconda, opera in 4 acts: Cielo e mar! - Ruggero Leoncavallo & Amilcare Ponchielli (4:36)
    Composed byAmilcare Ponchielli, Amilcare Ponchielli
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  12. 12 Adriana Lecouvreur, opera: La dolcissima effigie - Francesco Cilèa & Francesco Cilèa (2:13)
    Composed byFrancesco Cilèa, Francesco Cilèa
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  13. 13 La bohème, opera: Musetta!...Testa adorata - Ruggero Leoncavallo & Ruggero Leoncavallo (3:07)
    Composed byRuggero Leoncavallo, Ruggero Leoncavallo
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  14. 14 Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: Tombe degli avi miei - Fra poco a me ricovero - Gaetano Donizetti & Gaetano Donizetti (6:53)
    Composed byGaetano Donizetti, Gaetano Donizetti
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  15. 15 Werther, lyric drama in 4 acts: Pourquoi me réveiller - Ruggero Leoncavallo & Jules Massenet (3:06)
    Composed byJules Massenet, Jules Massenet
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  16. 16 Carmen, opera: La fleur que tu ma'vais jetée - Georges Bizet & Georges Bizet (4:20)
    Composed byGeorges Bizet, Georges Bizet, Henri Meilhac
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
  17. 17 La Fille du régiment, opera: Pour mon ame - Gaetano Donizetti & Gaetano Donizetti (2:16)
    Composed byGaetano Donizetti, Gaetano Donizetti
    Conducted byGianandrea Noseda
    Performed byGianandrea Noseda, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
Andrea Bocelli Primary Artist
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 3 )
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Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    I Also Recommend:

    Under The Desert Sky

    I am a big fan of Andrea Bocelli - have most of his albums, had this one on tape and was happy to find this CD.

    I love the selection of music on this album. My particular favorite is "Pourquoi me reveiller" from Werther by Jules Massenet.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Exquisite Artistry

    Andrea Bocelli has done it again on this wonderful recording. Most of the arias are in Italian, but at the end he does have three in French. All are sublime. This Tenore seems to make no errors; and he gets better with every CD he does. On ''Aria'', the selections are lovely: even the saddest and most spirited, when interpreted by him, are nothing less than perfectly rendered: loosen the nerves, speak to the soul, and should satisfy even the most sceptical brain.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Wow, what a sexy picture!

    This is so cute, even though I don't listen to Andrea's classical albums as much as I did 'Romanza.' Love that sexy picture, though...

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews