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Leontyne Price: Prima Donna Assoluta


Release Date: 10/07/2016 
Label:  Sony   Catalog #: 531134   Spars Code: DDD 
Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Georges Bizet,  Giuseppe Verdi,  Giacomo Puccini
Performer:  Sherrill Milnes,  Leontyne Price,  Judith Raskin,  Tatiana Troyanos,   ... 
Conductor:  Erich Leinsdorf,  Herbert von Karajan,  Thomas Schippers,  Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:  New Philharmonia Orchestra,  Vienna State Opera Chorus,  Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra,   ... 
Number of Discs: 22 
Recorded in: Stereo 
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Notes and Editorial Reviews

Leontyne Price has repeatedly been called the supreme Verdi soprano of her time, even of the entire 20th century. As she approaches her 90th birthday in early 2017, Sony Classical takes pride in saluting Price with a new reissue, Prima Donna Assoluta – Her Ultimate Opera Recordings featuring ten complete opera recordings from this great American artist’s matchless discography.

Included in this newly remastered collection is perhaps Price’s most brilliant recorded performance, her 1963 Carmen with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by one of her greatest admirers and frequent collaborators, Herbert von Karajan. As for her “supreme” Verdi, Prima Donna Assoluta includes five operas that range from the early Emani to a masterpiece Read more of the composer’s full maturity, Aida. The box set also features three Puccini operas, including Price’s celebrated 1972 recording of Tosca with conductor Zubin Mehta, and her 1967 recording of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte with conductor Erich Leinsdorf. Read less

Works on This Recording

1.
Cosě fan tutte, K 588 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:  Sherrill Milnes (Baritone), Leontyne Price (Soprano), Judith Raskin (Soprano),
Tatiana Troyanos (Mezzo Soprano), Ezio Flagello (Bass), George Shirley (Tenor)
Conductor:  Erich Leinsdorf
Orchestra/Ensemble:  New Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Classical 
Written: 1790; Vienna, Austria 
2.
Carmen by Georges Bizet
Performer:  Leontyne Price (Soprano), Franco Corelli (Tenor), Robert Merrill (Baritone),
Mirella Freni (Soprano), Monique Linval (Soprano), Genevičve Macaux (Mezzo Soprano),
Jean-Christophe Benoit (Baritone), Maurice Besançon (Tenor), Frank Schooten (Bass),
Bernard Demigny (Baritone)
Conductor:  Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Vienna State Opera Chorus,  Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra,  Vienna Boys' Choir
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1873-1874; France 
 Date of Recording: 1963 
3.
Ernani by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:  Hartje Mueller (Voice), Julia Hamari (Alto), Mario Sereni (Baritone),
Carlo Bergonzi (Tenor), Leontyne Price (Soprano), Ezio Flagello (Bass),
Fernando Iacopucci (Tenor)
Conductor:  Thomas Schippers
Orchestra/Ensemble:  RCA Italian Opera Orchestra
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1844; Italy 
 Date of Recording: 7/1967 
4.
Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:  Sherrill Milnes (Baritone), Fiorenza Cossotto (Mezzo Soprano), Placido Domingo (Tenor),
Leontyne Price (Soprano)
Conductor:  Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:  New Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1853; Italy 
5.
Un ballo in maschera by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:  Shirley Verrett (Mezzo Soprano), Carlo Bergonzi (Tenor), Leontyne Price (Soprano),
Robert Merrill (Baritone)
Conductor:  Erich Leinsdorf
Orchestra/Ensemble:  RCA Italian Opera Orchestra,  RCA Italian Opera Chorus
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1859; Italy 
6.
Aida by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:  Placido Domingo (Tenor), Grace Bumbry (Mezzo Soprano), Ruggero Raimondi (Bass),
Sherrill Milnes (Baritone), Hans Sotin (Bass), Edith Mathis (Soprano),
Bruce Brewer (Tenor), Leontyne Price (Soprano)
Conductor:  Erich Leinsdorf
Orchestra/Ensemble:  John Alldis Choir,  London Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1871; Italy 
 Date of Recording: 1970 
Venue:  Walthamstow Town Hall, London, England 
Length: 142 Minutes 17 Secs. 
Language: Italian 
7.
La forza del destino by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:  Leontyne Price (Soprano), Richard Tucker (Tenor), Shirley Verrett (Mezzo Soprano),
Robert Merrill (Baritone), Giorgio Tozzi (Bass), Ezio Flagello (Bass)
Conductor:  Thomas Schippers
Orchestra/Ensemble:  RCA Italian Opera Orchestra,  RCA Italian Opera Chorus
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1862/1869; Italy 
8.
Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:  Clifford Grant (Bass), Francis Egerton (Tenor), Placido Domingo (Tenor),
Sherrill Milnes (Baritone), Paul Plishka (Bass), Leontyne Price (Soprano),
John Gibbs (Bass), Michael Rippon (Bass), David Pearl (Boy Soprano)
Conductor:  Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:  John Alldis Choir,  New Philharmonia Orchestra,  Wandsworth School Boys' Choir
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1900; Italy 
 Date of Recording: 08/1972 
Venue:  Walthamstow Town, Hall, London, England 
Length: 112 Minutes 11 Secs. 
Language: Italian 
9.
Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:  Robert Kerns (Baritone), Anna di Stasio (Mezzo Soprano), Arturo La Porta (Baritone),
Mario Rinaudo (Bass), Fernanda Cadoni (Mezzo Soprano), Rosalind Elias (Mezzo Soprano),
Philip Maero (Baritone), Richard Tucker (Tenor), Leo Pudis (Bass),
Silvia Bertona (Soprano), Leontyne Price (Soprano), Gianna Lollini (Soprano),
Piero de Palma (Tenor), Virgilio Carbonari (Bass)
Conductor:  Erich Leinsdorf
Orchestra/Ensemble:  RCA Italian Opera Orchestra,  RCA Italian Opera Chorus
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1904; Italy 
 Venue:  RCA Italiana Studios, Rome, Italy 
Length: 129 Minutes 29 Secs. 
Language: Italian 
10.
Il Tabarro by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:  Leontyne Price (Soprano), Placido Domingo (Tenor)
Conductor:  Erich Leinsdorf
Orchestra/Ensemble:  New Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1918; Italy 

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review:  ( 1 Customer Review )
 Astounding collection February 12, 2020 By J. Tatnall (West Grove, PA) See All My Reviews "This is a tremendous line up of great opera recordings made by RCA during the 60s and 70s featuring Leontine Price. You also get: Mirella Freni, Reri Grist, Rosalind Elias, Shirley Verrett,Fiorenza Cossotto, Tatiana Troyanos, Grace Bumbry, George Shirley, Franco Corelli, Richard Tucker, Placido Domingo, Carlo Bergonzi, Robert Merrill, Mario Sereni, Sherrill Milnes, Philip Maero, Ezio FLagello, Ruggero Raimondi, Georgio Tozzi, Bonaldo Giaiotti, and Leinsdorf, Schippers, Mehta, and von Karajan conducting. Cosi, Ernani, Trovatore, Ballo, Forza, Aida, Tosca, Butterfly, and Tabarro were produced by Richard Mohr. Carmen was a John Culshaw production. All are stereo, remastered in fine, balanced sound. It is an astounding collection from the heyday of opera on record. Several of these recordings appeared on budget RCA Gold Seal when they first came out on CD. The sound was muffled and several had rough splices etc. All of that seems to have been cleaned up, and the sound is clear and impactful." Report Abuse
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