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Russalka Comp from: Universal Music Group City Travel Guides Price: CDN$ 57.99 Prices subject to change. |
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Binding: Audio CD EAN: 0028946056820 Label: Universal Music Group Manufacturer: Universal Music Group Number Of Discs: 3 Publisher: Universal Music Group Release Date: October 27, 1998 Running Time: 163 minutes Studio: Universal Music Group Sales Rank: 15617 MPN: 460568 Disc 1:
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Editorial Review: From Amazon.co.uk: Charles Mackerras's lifetime love affair with Czech music makes him an ideal interpreter of Dvorak's most popular opera, an adaptation of themes from Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid into Czech folklore. The watersprite Rusalka falls for a human prince and buys human form from the witch Jezibaba at the price of damnation should she fail to win and keep his heart, and silence while she attempts it; tragedy ensues, not least because the Prince cannot even make up his mind about infidelity. Renee Fleming is glorious in the "Hymn to the Moon" which is the opera's one hit number, equally so in her moments of pain and betrayal and the opera's elegaiac tone; Hoeppner makes the Prince both attractive and, in spite of his betrayal, likeable--this is a fairytale into which psychological accuracy creeps. Franz Hawlata makes the Water Goblin, Rusalka's mentor, as much a victim of the tragic outcome as she is--a mythological being as sad as a Verdi father, and Zajick is a wonderfully monstrous cackling villainess. Mackerras brings out the lyricism, the dance rhythms but also that structural solidness which far too many people assume Dvorak never had. --Roz Kaveney Amazon.com essential recording: Though Czech opera has often had questionable export value due to linguistic barriers, this first truly international recording of Dvorák's most viable opera--inspired by Wagner's love of mythology and Verdi's melodic drama--suggests that non-Czech artists can be more than just credible. As a water sprite who becomes human for love of a prince, Renée Fleming gives her best recorded performance so far with a dramatic heat and theatrical dimension (plus her customary vocal luster) that her Czech predecessors haven't always mustered. Ben Heppner is a robust-voiced prince, though this one- dimensional role doesn't inspire any special affinity from him. Dolora Zajick is a vivid, vocally commanding witch. The one substantial disappointment is Franz Hawiata as the leathery-voiced water goblin. Conductor Sir Charles Mackerras is less interested in creating surface excitement than in bringing out subtleties that help compensate for the composer's occasional lack of melodic precision, though the big moments are by no means slighted. --David Patrick Stearns Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Not just the best Rusalka ever...No matter how hard I try I cannot find a single flaw in Fleming's voice. I have put it under the microscope (headphones, countless replays, 100% of concentration) and still I haven't found the slightest flaw from bottom to top of this wonder-instrument. Deep chest register, middle of the creamiest beauty and high notes with coloratura technique that will dazzle you. Is she just a lyrical soprano? well if she is the Kanawa and Cotrubas seem like school students before her. The drama in her voice at some points is so strong it reminds you that of a dramatic soprano. Even the long pauses she deliberately makes before a very difficult coloratura line seem to enhance the dramatic effect creating some kind of agony. For me it is a wonder that ... Read More: Rating:  - Not bad but not the bestKnowing Subrtova, Zidek, Haken recording conducted by Chalabala, I simply could not give five stars. I like Fleming and I regard her as a one of the best current soprano, but if you could listen the older recording mentioned above, you would get to know WHAT Rusalka IS. Rating: - On Par With The Best Of Puccini And Mozart...if one digs a little deeper than the facile and the popular, one will find a true 'diamond in the rough' on par with the best of puccini and mozart, in my humble opinion... ...mackerras' interpretation of dvorak is complex, rich, sensitive, melodic and moving...the thrust of this work is such as to make 'o silver moon' but a part of a greater whole...and if one wishes to see the union of beauty (vocally) and emotion in the form of fleming, then this is it... ...truly superb...five stars!... Rating: - SuperbSuperb. The best opera recording of the year. The last CD is the real gold. The opera just makes you wanna cry. Fleming's dramatic dedication is admirable. I think she found an emotional connection to this role that will never leave her. Hawlata has become my new favorite bass. His voice along with his acting makes every track where he sings, enjoyable. The whole album is just magical and fairy-tale like. Dvoøák wrote here and opera that will always be with me. I only wish there were more of his operas out there. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. Rating: - BEST RUSALKAThis review will be very short. This is easily the best Rusalka ever and will probably never be surpassed. Everyone involved has given of his/her best and the entire production from top to bottom is superb. This is probably Rene Fleming's best work and Ben Heppner is just as superb in the role of the Price, a performance I remember well from Philadelphia. Essential. |
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