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List Price: $18.98 | | Label: Decca
Salesrank: 20025
Released: November 21, 2006 |
| Our Price: $6.61 |
| Used Price: $2.63 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Leoncavallo: Pagliacci Track Listing:
1. Prelude
2. "Si può? Signore! Signori!"
3. "Son qua! Ritornano"
4. "Un grande spettacolo!"
5. "Un tal gioco, credetemi"
6. "I zampognari!"
7. "Qual fiamma aveva nel guardo!"
8. "Stridono lassù"
9. "Sei là " - "So ben che difforme" - "Oh! lasciami"
10. "Nedda! Silvio, a quest'ora"
11. "Decidi il mio destin"
12. Non mi tentar!
13. "E allor perchè, di' tu m'hai stregato"
14. Cammina adagio
15. Derisione e scherno!
16. "Recitar!" - "Vesti la giubba"
17. Intermezzo
18. "Presto, affrettiamoci"
19. "Pagliaccio, mio marito"
20. "O Colombina, il tenero fido Arlecchin" - "Di fare il segno"
21. "E dessa! Dei, come è bella"
22. "Arlecchin! Colombina!" - "Prendi questo narcotico"
23. "Versa il filtro ne la tazza sua!"
24. "No, Pagliaccio non son"
25. "Sperai, tanto il delirio"
26. "Suvvia, cosi terrible"
Editorial Review:
THE FIFTH OPERA RECORDING FROM THE WORLD'S BEST SELLING TENOR ANDREA BOCELLI. Pagliacci is Leoncavallo's much loved short opera of romance, jealously and revenge among a group of traveling players. This recording features an outstanding cast, conducted by Steven Mercurio, and starring international superstar Andrea Bocelli in the role of the clown Canio and rising star Ana Maria Martinez as the doomed Nedda. Known the world over as "Cav & Pag," Pagliacci is often paired with Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and performed together in one evening. These short operas are two of the best loved and most frequently performed operas. Pagliacci, the first of the two releases on Decca is presented with full texts and translations. Cavalleria Rusticana (also featuring Andrea Bocelli) will be released in early 2007
Description of Leoncavallo: Pagliacci:
It was only a matter of time before the world's most popular tenor would record the opera with the world's most famous tenor aria, and here it is. The story of the clown, betrayed by his wife, who must laugh through his tears and who finally loses it and kills her onstage is great fodder for big-voiced tenors with great temperaments. Sadly, Bocelli is a small-voiced tenor whose temperamental outbursts do not sound particularly menacing or moving; one never gets the feeling of a strong man brought to his knees, and his effort on some exposed high notes is uncomfortable. As his wife, Nedda, soprano Ana Maria Martinez is terrific and she and baritone Roberto Accurso deliver a sensual duet. As the villain Tonio, Stefano Antonucci sings well but is small-voiced: Indeed, the whole cast appears to have been chosen for their light sounds so that the balance between grander-voiced singers and Bocelli would not be too pronounced. Conductor Steven Mercurio leads somewhat slowly and without the mania needed for the final moments, but he and Bocelli make the most of the big aria, "Vesti la giubba," its expansive tempi just right for the emotional content. Fans of Bocelli will require this; others would do better with the performance with Jussi Bjoerling or Pavarotti's first, Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana / Leoncavallo: Pagliacci. --Robert Levine
Leoncavallo: Pagliacci Reviews:
This is Terrible 
2007-04-15 - There is a reason that Mr. Bocelli is not first class singer in the major houses (and why he has been booed off the stages of those where he has performed), and that is that he really cannot sing unless the "studio magicians" work their magic. He is the Britney Spears of the opera world, and, the fact that he is the "world's best loved tenor" (and "best selling")only underscores that fact that most people take bad singing and technique so much for granted that they don't know it when they hear it. I defy anyone to compare this recording to ANY other (Donmingo, Pavarotti, Bjorling, etc.) and tell me that the blind lawyer does a better job.
a very fine effort 
2007-04-04 - I agree with the last reviewer who guessed the first didn't even both to listen. I have at least 30 recordings of PAGLIACCI going back to Leoncavallo's own of 1907 and a number of Met broadcasts. I must admit that normally I'm not a Bocelli fan but here he has a darker sound that works well. Yes, there is plenty of drive and drama altho I would have liked a bit more impetuosity from Bocelli. Hard to say whether it was him or the conductor or both. Small quibble. Everyone else is quite good. However, the last line, La commedia e finita, is unfortunately tossed off by the baritone and should have been given with more drama. I say "unfortunately" because I've only heard that line delivered once by a baritone with the power and drama that we get when it's given by the tenor. It has more irony that way and isn't anticlimactic. True, it's given to the baritone in the score BUT since Leoncavallo let the tenor have it in his own recording, I'd use that as evidence that he saw it was more dramatic coming from Canio. Too bad he didn't get around to revising the score. By the way, the one I mentioned where the last line has the power is a broadcast from Berlin, Sept 9, 1943, with Georg Hann as Tonio.
Bottom line here is that this PAGLIACCI (by the way, the title is PAGLIACCI, not I PAGLIACCI) one of the finest in quite some time.
Caruso I don't know, but still magnificent
2007-01-19 - I love all kinds of music from opera to rock, but am always looking for that special tenor who can stir my soul and rock my socks off. I've run the gamut from Gigli, to Bjoerling, to Del Monaco, to Corelli, to Pavarotti, etc., and they all have certain songs that just fit them. I wondered if Andrea could do justice to perhaps one of the more difficult operas around, along with Otello, (Mario Del Monaco being my favorite), and this Pagliacci is really good. Andrea simply "rocks my socks off." The supporting cast are well suited to the task and quite complimentary. This is a wonderful addition to my Bocelli collection. I eagerly await his next one, Cavelleria Rusticana.
Bocelli delivers perfectly
2006-12-26 - Andrea Bocelli, the world's most popular tenor (and Best selling) and pop sansation as well, has recorded his fifth full length Opera Recording; Leoncavallo's Pagliacci; which has the opera world's most famous tenor aria, Vesti la giubba, and it is quite good. Bocelli has also recorded Massenet; Werther, Verdi; Il Trovatore, Puccini; La Boheme, And Puccini; Tosca. He also has a sixed coming Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana. Bocelli who did not go the traditional route into the Opera world has garnered much critical disdain and at the same time, much adoration of the people (not unlike Marino Lanza). Bocelli has recorded a series of pop crossover albums that just drive the opera critics out of there (collective) minds. Andrea is another in the line of the peoples tenor, he transcend's the opera world and bring Opera to the general public. In Leoncavallo: Pagliacci it is the story of the clown (thus the clown makeup), who's wife cheets on him, who try's to laugh it off but the tears come, In the end he kills her. Bocelli has a very beautiful voice that expresses much emotion. His tone and diction are excellent and his Volume is much better then the critics claim, he is always moving, his singing touches one's heart. Bocelli is supported hear, by an excellent cast; Ana Maria Martinez plays the role of Nedda the wife of the Clown. She is a soprano and she has a perfectly complimentary voice to Bocelli. Roberto Accurso, Francesco Piccoli and Stefano Antonucci all sing well hear. Conductor Steven Mercurio leads the way and he always works well with Bocelli. Vesti la Giubba is the highlight its and Bocelli delivers perfectly. This is a must have for all Bocelli fan's.
The Trio on top again!
2006-12-12 - Anytime you have Andrea Bocelli, Steven Mercurio, and Ana Maria Martinez together you can't help but have a winner and this cd is no exception. The only complaint I have is that it had to sit on the shelf so long that Andrea is even more dramatic with Vesti La Giubba now. The whole cast is wonderful together. Anyone that has seen these three together know for certain that there is drama and that certainly goes for the conductor too. A performance that goes straight to the heart and one that shouldn't be missed.
