[.ca] The Ultimate Collection (2 CDs) - Artist Of The Century ...

wow:
I've played this recording ONLY in my truck for 2 months. I now know it like my own hand. Caballe's life-long devotedness to refining her extraordinary gifts to the purest art marks every inch of it. Felicitous technical genius, an achingly Absolute Instrument of rare beauty--these really are but component parts. What makes Caballe's art unique is the pureness of her fidelity to it -- she seems to have incarnated simply TO SING, period - is there another way to express having experienced this artist's affair with destiny except to call it pure, free of affectation, free of calculation, free of artifice --free, living and pure. She's a rigorous musician -rare enough, but almost unheard of in a singer. She makes rhythm, attention and assurance relevant, she can't help it! Her art LIVES in the subtlest nuances -lightening her voice so one SEES her lifting it at the end of 'Io son l'umile ancella' - turning an I Vespri Siciliani aria into a XXIst century-sounding creation with fioriture effects Berio could sign on to - the infinte patience with which she upholds 'D'amor sull'ali rosee' - and on and on. If you know Caballe's art, you'll love this recording. What can disappoint when one is immediately and inextricably linked to the Pure Infinite? If you've never heard this woman sing, you need to fix that right now.

Satisfying compilation of Caballe arias:
While I applaud any compilation that culls from as wide a recording corpus as Montserrat Caballe's, I actually found myself somewhat disappointed in this 2-CD set. But Caballe's singing is a delight and certainly makes the compilation worth the bargain price. First, the good stuff. This set captures some material that was not commercially available until now, and it is brilliant. Mostly I am referring to Caballe's partnership with Gianfranco Masini and the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra. With this ensemble she recorded the arias from "La Sonnambula," "Il Trovatore," "Adriana Lecouvrer," "Rigoletto," and "Suor Angelica." Here we find Caballe's voice at its richest and most luxurious. "Caro nome," though not written for someone of her vocal type, is nevertheless a delightful suprise, with a trill that is surely the envy of many, and an ability to sustain it that is remarkable. The other arias with Masini fall right into her vocal style and they are magnificent. Other newly released tracks: an estimable "Vissi d'arte" and a solid "Willow Song." Also commendable are the Donizetti arias (rereleased here from another recording available on RCA), the "Sempre libera" (from her solid full-length recording of "La traviata"), and the Rossini excerpts, in particular a ripping "D'amore al dolce impero" from "Armida" and beautiful duet with the superb Shirley Verret from "Semiramide." The somewhat forgettable material invloves late-career recordings of selections from Massenet's "Herodiade," Gounod's "Sapho," and Bellini's "Adelson and Salvini." None of these show off Caballe's mature voice to any benefit, though they are a testament to the power of her voice even through the end of her performing career. What is disappointing about this album is what it leaves out. RCA culled material from two brilliant albums, "Montserrat Caballe Sings Bellini and Donizetti" and "Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi: Rarities" when putting this compilation together, but they omitted some of the best material from each. No "Ultimate Collection" is complete without Caballe's "Il Pirata" Mad Scene and "Casta diva" from the aforementioned "Montserrat Caballe Sings Bellini and Donizetti." The "Casta diva" that was chosen is mediocre at best. From the "Rarities" album, the compilers should have taken the brilliant final aria from "La Dona del Lago," the aria from "Tancredi," or Mina's aria from "Aroldo." Granted, it is only fair to evaluate an album for what is on it, but RCA goofed by letting some lesser material crowd out these gems. On the whole, however, this collection is certainly worth the having. And the price is unbeatable. But I cannot quite bring myself to call this set an "Ultimate Collection."

Madame Caballé is great!!!:
This collection of Caballé's recordings is fantastic! Her soprano is the most beautiful that has been recorded. L. Price, Tebaldi, Ponselle, and a few others have gorgeous voices, but can any of those voices compare with Caballé's? Caballé's singing throughout is of the highest standard. Her "Ave Maria" is spectacular. "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore" has never sounded more beautiful. I love her "Non so le tetre immagini". Such beautiful singing does not come any better than this. Her "Caro nome" is disappointing. She is clearly not suited to this aria. "Inflammatus et accensus" is glorious. The later recordings are nice, but they are not the best Caballé has committed to disc. "Il est doux, il est bon" betrays a slight wobble in her otherwise still beautiful voice. "Dopo l'oscuro nembo" features very respectable soft singing from Caballé. This version does not do justice to Bellini's exquisite orchestration. For a version that does, check out Opera Rara's "The Collection: Volume 2". That version features competent singing from an inferior-voiced soprano, but the orchestra is ravishing. The one reviewer who mentioned the aria from "I Vespri Siciliani" as having "fioriture effects Berio could sign on to" is incorrect. The aria included here is not "Mercè, dilette amiche". That aria is more famous and much more florid than the aria included in this collection, "Arrigo, parli a un core". By the way, Caballé performs this aria ravishingly well. This is a superb testament to one of the all-time greats in opera.

Cannot be called an "ultimate" collection:
This is a prime example of the a major recording label being fickle with the goods, in order to force you to continue buying other recitals and full-length studio recordings. Of course, any Caballe fan would already want to own those other recordings anyway, so the point is moot. Other reviewers here have cried out against the exclusion of one of her most essential and artistic roles, Imogene from Il Pirata. I would like to emphatically express the same. In fact, I would even have settled for the exclusion of Casta Diva, in favor of Col Sorriso di Innocenza. Some other stellar recordings not represented her are the Sleepwalking Scene from MacBeth, and Pace, Pace Mio Dio from La Forza del Destino. Also worth mentioning is her O Patria Mia from Aida. She might not be Leontyne Price or Martina Arroyo, but she gives a superb reading of this wonderful aria. Of course, brevity does require some editing- a true "Ultimate" Caballe collection would span four or five CDs, at least- but to include late-career and less-than-best selections at the expense of others is a crime. Perhaps the major Opera labels should start letting fans put together the track lists for these "best of" collections! We could do a much better job.

Amazing collection!:
I will write this review objectively, but I will not avoid praising Caballé when praise is due. First off, this compilation is amazing! I have always thrilled to hearing Caballé's voice and this compilation is no different. I am amazed at Caballé's instrument; such extraordinary purity combined with great power! Even when she sings pianissimo, she can be clearly heard! Her voice literally fills up the room. These arias really show off her remarkable voice. Of special note is her rendition of the hauntingly beautiful "Non so le tetre immagini". Amazing! Her "D'amor sull'ali rosee" is exquisite, but she sings it too softly. Her trill is quite weak. Voices like hers don't respond well to being forced to trill. The tracks from the 1990's show off the remarkable preservation of her voice. The voice retains its purity and beautiful timbre, but is now heavier and darker. "Sempre libera" is not that good. Her coloratura is not up to par with Verdi's demands and she cannot hit the high E-flat at the end. However, she sings the main part of Violetta's aria very well, with supple, gorgeous tone and ravishing pianissimos. "Ah! non credea mirarti" is ravishing, but it is missing its energetic cabaletta. Presumably, it was cut because Caballé could not deal with the coloratura. Caballé's legato lines in this aria are superb. Her version of the "Lucrezia Borgia" Prologue is masterful. Elizabeth's last aria from "Roberto Devereux" is noble and touching. She is not quite Sills, but that aria benefits from a spinto voice instead of a soubrette one. Her aristocratic phrasing is very well used throughout the selections, with a few exceptions. Her "Willow Song" is beautiful, first time on CD. However, she fails to completely show Desdemona's despair. Some parts were good, but the whole thing failed to touch the heart. Her phrasing here is too indulgent. I have to say that I prefer Sutherland's touching version on her "The Art of the Prima Donna" recording. However, I loved "Ave Maria". Caballé sounds most beautiful when singing softly and this selection really shows her in the best light. Her cadenzas are intoxicatingly beautiful. "Caro nome" is not really her aria. The coloratura is suspect and some of the staccati are replaced with upward flourishes. She avoids the last short passage of staccati. Her phrasing in this aria is way too indulgent and she really fails to suggest Gilda's innocence. Even Sutherland is better at portraying Gilda's girlish qualities. Her "Armida" aria has some nice coloratura. She does the runs really well and is fearless in the triplet passages. For some reason, she does not sing the second "fronde" in the first line of the third stanza nor does she sing the last line of this stanza, "i muti abitator". She also does not sing the last line of the fifth stanza, "il tempo vorator". Caballé's first recorded version of "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore" is included here. This just may be the most beautiful version of this aria ever recorded. It certainly is Caballé's best version of the aria. The climax is handled in one breath by Caballé. She diminuendos the big high note twice in the same breath. Amazing! The rolling of the "r" in "Signor" after the last diminuendo is quite nasal and reminds us that the sound we are hearing is coming from a human throat. It also shows that these diminuendos are natural and not studio produced. She infuses Tosca's aria with real feeling and piety. The compilation ends with a knockout reading of "Arrigo, parli a un core". Caballé is at her best in this aria. She sings softly to stunning effect. This version may be the most beautiful of this particular aria ever recorded. RCA has done Caballé justice with this wonderful collection. Caballé is truly a remarkable artist with a million-dollar voice. Brava!

• La Boheme: Si. Mi chiamano Mimi
• Norma: Casta diva
• L'Assedio di Corinto: Giusto ciel! In tal periglio
• Sapho: O ma lyre immortelle
• Semiramide: Serbami ognor... Alle piu calde immagini
• Otello: Piangea cantando (Willow Song) -
• Otello: Ave Maria
• Herodiade: Il est doux, il est bon
• Lucrezia Borgia: Tranquillo ei posa... Com'e bello!
• Suor Angelica: Senza mamma
• Rigoletto: Caro nome
• La Sonnambula: Ah! non credea mirarti
• La Traviata: E strano, e strano! -
• La Traviata: Follie! Follie! -
• La Traviata: Sempre libera degg'io
• TOSCA: Vissi d'arte
• Il corsaro: Egli non riede ancora!
• Il corsaro: Non so le tetre immagini
• Armida: D'amore al dolce impero
• I Pagliacci: Qual fiamma avea nel guardo!
• Roberto Devereux: E Sara in questi orribili momenti... Vivi, ingrato
• Il Trovatore: D'amor sull'ali rosee
• Stabat Mater: Inflammatus et accensus
• Adriana Lecouvreur: Io son l'umile ancella
• Anna Bolena: Al dolce guidami
• Adelson e Salvini: Dopo l'oscuro nembo
• I Vespri Sicillani: Arrigo! Ah, parli a un core