classical music: Yves Abel     classical music:     Yves Abel      Amy Burton - Souvenir de Printemps Georges Auric, Louis Beydts, ... Harbinger, 2005 pure delight This recording dances out of the speakers. What a pleasure to hear these rare songs sung with such joy and verve. Good notes, English text, but not the French original.             Portrait of Susan Graham Alban Berg, Hector Berlioz, ... Warner Classics, 2007 A fine mezzo soprano Susan Graham is yet another in a cohort of strong mezzo sopranos at this point in time. Her CD, "Portrait," demonstrates that she deserves to be considered with other excellent mezzos. She is backed by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, conducted by Harry ...             "C'est ca la vie, c'est ca l'amour": French Operetta Arias Reynaldo Hahn, Andre Messager, ... Erato, 2002 A CD full of scrumptious French chocolates! When one thinks of 'French operetta', the composer that most often springs to mind is Jacques Offenbach. However, the generations of operetta composers that came after him also produced some wonderful music. Unfortunately, although these works were very popular in ...             Puccini - Madam Butterfly / Cheryl Barker, PO, Yves Abel [in English] Giacomo Puccini, Yves Abel, ... Chandos, 2001 Surprisingly Enjoyable I did not think I would enjoy or play this Butterfly as much as I have. Somehow operas sung in English, even those originally composed in English, seem a little bit silly compared to those sung in Italian, French, and German and even Czech and Russian. Butterfly, ...             Massenet - Thaïs / Fleming, Hampson, Sabbatini, Shkosa, Vidal, Devellereau, Cals, Yves Abel Jules Massenet, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, ... Decca, 2000 A welcome addition to Massenet.... Look, this production may not appeal to everyone, but it's welcome nonetheless. Fleming has a lush voice, which may not be exactly suited to the role (see the DVD, which is only fabulous, but without the stunning vocalizing of Fleming). My take on this is what could it ...             Four Last Songs Antonin Dvorak, Jules Massenet, ... Decca, 2008 'Habe dank!' This very generous two disc release has so many positive aspects that it hopefully will manage to garner the attention of music lovers around the world despite the negative comments being published in some quarters. Fame of an artist is accompanied by that very public ...             Verdi - Oberto Ildar Abdrazakov, Carlo Ventre BBC Opus Arte, 2007 Oberto, Verdi's first opera, Not near his best Got to see this on Cablevision 714 Gallery channel that runs operas now every Sunday at noon and sometimes on Saturday as well. Enjoyable viewing. Great video and audio. This is as far as I know the only DVD of Oberto and it just came out last month. ...             Massenet: Werther Jules Massenet, Yves Abel, ... Decca, 2005 Werther Is A Bocelli Masterpiece Although not a purist, listening to good opera is a great pleasure. Perhaps the technical aspects are beyond my knowledge, but when Bocelli sings, I do know that his voice and interpretation of Werther go straight to the heart. As Werther one can feel the emotional ...             Total Classics Francois Rive, Julian Lloyd Webber, ... Decca, 2005 Wonderful sounds Nice eclectic collection - Russel Watson presentation of Nella Fantasia using guitar interlude instead of traditional oboe is special piece.             Artist Portrait: Susan Graham Hector Berlioz, Christoph Willibald Gluck, ... Warner Classics, 2004 Great Introduction This is a great introduction at a very reasonable price to Susan Graham's lovely mezzo voice, with selections from several CDs. Be warned, however - this will only whet your appetite for the full albums (for example, her incredible live performance as Ruggiero in ...             Rare Verismo Arias Licinio Refice, Alfredo Catalani, ... Verismo Opera Group, 2002 ENTERPRISING Opera recitals on CD are in trouble. Just take a look at the current offerings! Most titles consist of newer (majority european) or established (past their prime) singers rehashing the traditional bread-and-butter repertoire. That's one of the reasons why Ms. ...          products you might be interested in   search for classical music butterfly, classics, devellereau, massenet, printemps, sabbatini      toavi.com    web we recommend Oberto, Verdi's first opera, Not near his best randomly chosen music: Essential Baroque