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List Price: $37.98 | | Label: Decca
Salesrank: 147669
Released: May 6, 2003 |
| Our Price: $19.99 |
| Used Price: $5.74 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Editorial Review:
This is Tosca lite. The role of the tenor lead, Mario Cavaradossi, is quite heavy and strenuous in Puccini’s score; in their primes, for instance, it suited the robust, darker tone of Placido Domingo over the slender, lighter sound of Luciano Pavarotti. Andrea Bocelli's voice is slenderer still--as the world knows, it's a beautiful pop singer's sound with an opera singer's top notes and feel. As a result, the orchestra in this brand new recording is kept pretty far in the background, and all of the soloists' voices are closely miked, with Bocelli's particularly forward. His fans will not mind the acoustic, and they probably also will bask in his still-lovely, ingratiating sound, despite some obvious strain (and, at times, off-pitch singing). His rendition of the famous last act aria, "E lucevan le stele," is ravishing--long-breathed, delicate, and sensitive without resorting to melodrama. As for the rest of the cast, Fiorenza Cedolins is an involved, if generic, Tosca who will not erase memories of Maria Callas, and baritone Carlo Guelfi sings the evil Baron Scarpia with an appropriate snarl. Zubin Mehta leads the orchestra in a reading which complements his tenor's style--there's more personal sadness than grand overstatement. This is for Bocelli fans--millions of them. --Robert Levine
Puccini: Tosca (complete opera) - Performed by Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra - Zubin Mehta, Andrea Bocelli, Reviews:
Wonderful Andrea!!!! 
2009-11-12 - It is obvious that Andrea identifieis with Cavaradossi, he is an artist, a native of Tuscany and a Puccinian. His interpretation gains strength from this identification with Puccini;s artist-hero.
Tosca is a wonderful story about love and in one of the most anguished arias ever written, Bocelli sings with such depth of feeling and tenderness about the memories he has of his lover who he may never see again. This aria is sheer poetry and if you feel deeply about music then it will not fail to move you and take you on another level.
I cannot stop playing this wonderful opera and definitely disagree with the negative comments below.
I would highly recommend anyone to listen to this wonder rendition of Tosca you wont be disappointed!!!
Clear as a bell
2006-06-24 - Tosca has been one of my favoirtes for over 40 years. Saw it at the Met, and in Philly, where else? Best memory was my first date with my wife of 35 years -- we went to the school library and spent Saturday afternoon sitting at the turn tables listening to it together with headsets on. She only told me years later it was excruciating because the headsets pressed on her glasses and made her head hurt! But she suffered through it. Her favorite tenor today: Andrea Bocelli. He handles the part beautifully. The recording is clear as a bell -- even the recording of the bells recording is a nice touch. I will have to listen to this many more times to decide how it compares to some of my other favorites, but this is truly beautiful music.
Lacking monumentality 
2004-08-08 - Ok, right, we've all said it. Bocelli is not an opera singer!!!! I agree completely. His high notes lack the freedom and ring prerequisite of even college singers. Secondly, he needs a microphone. That said, he still does have a lovely voice, if not one suited for the operatic stage. Also, the reviewer who criticized Pavarotti and said Carreras was the better of the three tenors obviously is mistaken. Any true opera fan and connaisseur knows that Pavarotti was the greatest tenor of his time with nearly flawless technique and an absolutely brilliant upper register. I would argue that any recording by Pavarotti is worth listening to! But back to this opera. I think that it is unfair to lump the other singers with Bocelli. Cedollins gives a beautiful performance as Tosca. I have heard many recordings of Vissi D'arte (Tosca's lovely aria in the Second Act) including Te kanawa, Freni, Callas, Price, and De los Angeles. However, Cedollins in my opinion gives the best performance. Her rendition of this famous aria is both heartfelt and beautiful. Mehta is an amazing conductor, and I learned how this aria is supposed to be sung and played from this album. The Scarpia is excellent in my opinion. His technique is sound and there is very little strain in his voice at any point in this challenging role. (Although I bet Terfel or Hampson could do better). Also, Scarpia's henchman has a lovely lyric voice. It's a shame he isn't the star tenor here.
Disappointing.... 
2004-03-16 - This Tosca may be a digital stereo recording, but it doesn't hold a candle to any other Tosca, even those mono recording made by the great Callas. One problem which besets this opera is the fact that Bocelli is turned into the main star of the opera. This shouldn't be the case, as the main characters each must have their own time on spotlight. What the producers of this opera did was they blared all the audio when Bocelli came in and tuned down the sounds when other singers sang their lines. The orchestra was also barely audible, thus leeching the opera's dramatic effect. Any music listener knows that for any successful recording to be both vocally and dramatically effective, there must be a balance between both the artists and the orchestra. Zubin Mehta is an excellent conductor. His Turandot had the best orchestra every to rear its head into Puccini's Swan Song. I just don't know what happened to him here. Whether they are trying to get the light and slender voiced tenor to sing opera for dummies, I don't know. All I have to say is this Tosca is not recommended for those who wish to explore the best of the operatic realm. Whoever said that the best products don't really sell as opposed to those made by popular artists must be delusional if he thinks that this is good enough for the effort. Powerful? I don't think so. If you really want an impressive Tosca with a gorgeous cast, get the Freni-Domingo version by Deutsche Grammophone. Still, if you don't have an open mind and stubbornly insist that Bocelli is the greatest "opera" singer around, go ahead and order this Tosca.
If he's not an opera singer why is he singing opera? 
2004-03-12 - I read many of the comments about people saying that they like Bocelli's Tosca even though they understand that it's not the real thing.
C'mon guys, can you say that Carlo Rossi (cheap jug wine) is a good wine after you've known some of the better ones? Worse yet, in this case this recording is even more expensive than the better recordings on the subject. I would definitively suggest that people listened to Callas-DiStefano on this opera (just to name one of the better ones) before saying that this is a good Tosca.
By the way, Pavarotti should have NEVER recorded Tosca; if you MUST listen to one of the three tenores on this one, go with Carreras, he's the least bad of the three.
