Artist: The Three Tenors, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti

three tenors 1990, 2010-06-16
I loved every minute of this.I had forgotten just how good the 1990 Rome concert was.Musical technicalities mean nothing to me,so i can enjoy this for what it is,... great entertainment. All three were on fine form, the behind the scenes of the rehersals were good and showed that the three were good friends and having fun together.it was interesting to see how Zubin Mehtar managed to get two separate orchestras playing as one. All in all, well worth buying.

Rated: Exempt
Staring: Aprile Millo, Plácido Domingo, Dolora Zajick, Sherrill Milnes, Paata Burchuladze
Director: Brian Large

First rate production of Verdi's opera, 2000-12-05
Verdi's Aida comes thrillingly to life in this splendid production from the Metropolitan Opera. Aprile Millo is in excellent voice in the title role and sings with great musicality throughout. Indeed this sense of musical values being the most important is reflected in the fine performances of the rest of this all star cast most notably Placido Domingo and Dolora Zajick as Radames and Amneris respectively. The production is old fashioned but attractive and the physical acting is rudimentary but the vocal acting gets prizes all round.

This was a favourite performance for me on video and is now excellently transferred onto DVD (sub titles optional). First rate.

A great Album, 2010-02-20
This album was a joy to listen to I have it with me all the time in the car, and if you are into classical you cannot go wrong with this one.....p.s. and it's great value.....

It's not opera; it's not a pop concert; it's not Broadway. It's all of these and none of them. Once you accept the fact that this sequel to the original blockbuster concert recording is less about music and more about entertainment and the power of musical personalities, you can appreciate what you're hearing as an event--phenomenal and bizarre, momentous and frivolous. This is an occasion to celebrate the voices and egos of three huge superstars and to have fun listening as Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo and José Carreras interact, bouncing lines off each other and playing to the overwhelmingly enthusiastic audience. Much of the fun and flavour of the concert is dependent on seeing the action, though, and without the visuals you notice flaws in the singing much more. Domingo comes off as the more solid performer and his voice is in far better shape than the other two. But if you crave big, high and loud--and you don't take your opera too seriously--you'll love this disc. --David Vernier
Better as it Progresses, 2002-11-30
Wonderful concert. The songs and singing arrangements just get better and better as the concert goes along.
The concert was attended by such well-known people as Ex Pres Bush, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Arnold Schna....,Gene Kelly.
Concert was in LA and a lot of "american" favorites (such a musical from movies) were selected, some to honor the crowd such as "Singing in the Rain" and "My Way".
Received 3 curtain calls. Pavarotti's Ava Maria inspired the crowd to stand up cheer. Same for his Nessun Dorma!
Orchestra LA Philharmonic also was featured playing some pieces with just the orchestra.
Excellent, wonderful music.

Artist: Myung-Whun Chung, Géza Anda, Rudolf Baumgartner, Trevor Pinnock, Karl Böhm, Eugen Jochum, Ferdinand Leitner, Ferenc Fricsay, Neeme Järvi, Claudio Abbado

A great 'taster' boxed set, 2010-08-17
This set has all of the well know extracts from the classics, separated into cds covering general areas such as Grand Opera, Dance, Meditation etc. If you are just getting into classical music, it's an excellent starter set. At a great price, tt will allow you to make choices about what your favourites are and then you can go out and buy those full pieces to listen to.

Everyone who hears it loves this recording of Verdi's early masterpiece. Small wonder. A first-rate ensemble from La Scala triumphantly charge through the murderous tale with unbounded confidence after a long-running production, and with a gut feeling for the true Verdian character and spirit. For Verdi himself, Macbeth was a hard birth. Struggling to revise shoddy rehearsal practice in a complacent mid-19th-century opera industry, he conducted long nightmarish rehearsals enforcing attention to his demands for strong stage characters. An indication of Verdi's success, and of the importance of his characterisation, is that Shirley Verrett, although audibly stretched in the higher register, still reigns as the ultimate Lady M. As in Shakespeare's original, the intense and tangible plight of the female part nearly outshines that of the principal anti-hero (Capucilli).With Lady Macbeth Verdi created his first real female star role of which he was to supply so many. Abbado is a master in observing detail and from both orchestra and soloists gets glittering performances and discipline in one go.Being cautious with his tempi, the conductor achieves deserved climaxes and a chillingl...
simply fabulous, 2010-05-21
I love the atmosphere in this music anyway. But I actually needed a great recording to help learn the score. Good music loses too much in download form so I wanted the CD version. This is everything I hoped it would be. Easy enough to go straight to the track I needed and the clarity and quality was excellent. The sense of drama was there throughout and absolutely every voice was precise, clearly articulated and beautifully phrased. I had checked a range of reviews of different recordings on line before selecting this one and I am very pleased I did as I cannot fault it. It has been played everywhere and is a magnificent companion (at full throttle) for long motorway journeys. And equally for cold,dark evenings in front of the fire.

Decca, 430433-2, Jewel Case 17 Track 1990
Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti in Concert, 2010-02-07
As always with these Tenors the singing is top-class. I've said it before and I will say it again, to have Voices like this is a GIFT FROM GOD. It was a great loss to the world when Pavarotti died. I highly reccommend this c.d.

Artist: Covent Garden Royal Opera House Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Opera FOREVER!, 2009-02-25
Nabucco (1996 Digital Remaster), Act III, -----, Scene 2: Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate (Chorus of Hebrew Slaves)

Artist: Ileana Cotrubas, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Stefania Malagu, Bavarian State Orchestra, Carlos Kleiber

La Traviata, 2010-08-09
I have really enjoyed this CD and the sound is so much better than either of the Callas versions. The critics also seem to be impressed and I believe this regularly gets rated as the best version on CD

This is a super performance, slightly outside the common mould. In 1977, when this was recorded, Claudio Abbado was a great opera conductor, filled with sharp insights and a nice sense of the architecture of whole operas. He always seemed to know where he was going, and his ability to build to climaxes was second to none. Abbado has a rather elegant Carmen here in the smallish-voiced, introspective Teresa Berganza, a gorgeous singer who patently refuses to force her voice or her character into vulgarity. It's a fine reading. Placido Domingo is at his best in both intimate and maniacal moments, and Ileana Cotrubas's Micaela almost makes us care about this sappy little gal. Sherrill Milnes's Escamillo has plenty of swagger and voice. Berganza's subtlety combined with the wild passions of those around her make this a very good Carmen indeed. --Robert Levine
Great performances all round!, 2007-08-06
I have the highlights of this on casette and cannot find a more satisfying version of "Carmen".

It was exceptionally well cast. Domingo (Don Jose) and Milnes (Escamillo)are both fabulously in full voice and Ileana Cotrubas the most moving Micaela I have ever heard. The greatest applause though must go to Teresa Berganza who really sings the title role to perfection with hot-blooded Spanish passion but also a confidence which commands our respect and sympathy, retaining musicality in every last note.

I really do hope that Deutsche Gramaphon will re-release this because it well deserves another opportunity.