Credits:

Various Artists

Description:

A compilation of opera highlights featuring the greatest singers of each era, from Adan to Zandonai, 28 titles of Decca opera recordings from 1953 to 1996 have been compiled on 20 CDs. Most were recorded as highlights albums, and many have long been unavailable. All of the singing is by the best singers of the era, and the recordings have been newly remastered for this release. A decade ago, when recorded music was much harder to come by, complete opera sets were an expensive luxury. With the advent of LPs, over an hour's worth of highlights from stage productions, including popular arias and songs, could be easily purchased on a single disc, and those who were put off by the price of Scholte's complete Ring of the Nibelung could now enjoy a complete set of Scholte's operas in their entirety, with Birgitte Nilsson's complete set. Now, those who were hesitant about the price of Scholte's complete "Ring of the Nibelung" could get a recording of Birgitte Nilsson singing "Brünnhilde's Self-Sacrifice" on one side and the climactic scene from "Salome" on the other side.You will also hear first recordings of Regina Resnick's Mrs. Quickly, Luigi Alva's Fenton, and Marilyn Horne's Carmen, as well as rare Baroque operas (Bononcini, Graun, and Handel) by Richard Bonning and Joan Sutherland. There are also operas in one act, such as Cimarosa's "The Chief Court Musician" and Wolf-Ferrari's "Susanna's Secret," as well as Wagner's "Die Walküre," Acts 1 and 3. And the highlights album features a variety of artists. Irma Colassi, the Greek-born French mezzo-soprano in Berlioz's "The Eternal Punishment of Faust" and Massenet's "Werther"; Marilyn Horne in Rossini's unusual opera; and Liza della Casa singing R. Strauss' famous heroine. 20 CD boxed set, with a total of 20 CDs. Booklet includes a new essay on the opera highlights collection and rare photos of Resnick, Nilsson, Sutherland, and others. Universal Music/IMS