Verdi: The Great Operas is a 35-CD set that brings together 16 of Verdi s operatic masterpieces, ranging from his first real success, Nabucco, to his last, Falstaff. Also included are such stalwarts of the repertoire as Aida, La traviata and Rigoletto. Born on October 10, 1813, Verdi s operas are performed in opera houses all over the world and his status as one of the greatest opera composers of all time has never been higher. Some of his music has become absorbed into popular culture from being used in TV adverts and film soundtracks, as well as being performed by the most famous singers of the day in concerts and on records. Some of the best classical artists from the past and present are featured in this luxury set including sopranos Montserrat Caballé, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, and Renata Scotto; tenors José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, and Jon Vickers; mezzo-sopranos Fiorenza Cossotto, Elena Obraztsova and Shirley Verrett, and baritones Piero Cappuccilli, Peter Glossop and Sherrill Milnes, under famous conductors including Carlo Maria Giulini, Herbert von Karajan and Riccardo Muti.
Notes and Editorial Reviews
Librettos are not included in this set.
Librettos are not included in this set. Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Anne Edwards (Mezzo Soprano),
Matteo Manuguerra (Baritone),
Nicolai Ghiaurov (Tenor),
Renata Scotto (Soprano),
Veriano Luchetti (Tenor),
Elena Obraztsova (Mezzo Soprano),
Robert Lloyd (Bass),
Kenneth Collins (Tenor)
Conductor:
Riccardo Muti
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Ambrosian Opera Chorus,
Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1842; Italy
Date of Recording: 1978
Length: 123 Minutes 24 Secs.
Language: Italian
2.
Ernani by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Jolanda Michieli (Soprano),
Renato Bruson (Baritone),
Placido Domingo (Tenor),
Mirella Freni (Soprano),
Nicolai Ghiaurov (Bass),
Alfredo Giacomotti (Bass),
Gianfranco Manganotti (Tenor)
Conductor:
Riccardo Muti
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Milan Teatro alla Scala Chorus,
Milan Teatro alla Scala Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1844; Italy
Venue: Teatro alla Scala, Milan
3.
Giovanna d'Arco by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Montserrat Caballé (Soprano),
Placido Domingo (Tenor),
Sherrill Milnes (Baritone),
Keith Erwen (Tenor),
Robert Lloyd (Bass)
Conductor:
James Levine
Orchestra/Ensemble:
London Symphony Orchestra,
Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1845; Italy
Language: Italian
4.
Attila by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Giorgio Zancanaro (Baritone),
Cheryl Studer (Soprano),
Neil Shicoff (Tenor),
Samuel Ramey (Bass),
Ernesto Gavazzi (Tenor),
Giorgio Surjan (Bass)
Conductor:
Riccardo Muti
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Milan Teatro alla Scala Orchestra,
Milan Teatro alla Scala Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1846; Italy
Language: Italian
5.
Macbeth by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Sherrill Milnes (Baritone),
Ruggero Raimondi (Bass),
Fiorenza Cossotto (Mezzo Soprano),
José Carreras (Tenor),
Giuliano Bernardi (Tenor),
Carlos Del Bosco (Bass),
Maria Borgato (Mezzo Soprano),
Leslie Fyson (Baritone),
John Noble (Baritone),
Nielson Taylor (Baritone),
Christopher Keyte (Bass),
Sara Grossman (),
Timothy Sprackling ()
Conductor:
Riccardo Muti
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Philharmonia Orchestra,
Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1847/1865; Italy
Date of Recording: 07/1976
Venue: London, England
Length: 151 Minutes 18 Secs.
Language: Italian
6.
Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Giuse Gerbino (Soprano),
Luisa Mandelli (Mezzo Soprano),
Giuseppe Di Stefano (Tenor),
Maria Callas (Soprano),
Tito Gobbi (Baritone),
Nicola Zaccaria (Bass),
Adriana Lazzarini (Alto),
Plinio Clabassi (Bass),
William Dickie (Baritone),
Renato Ercolani (Tenor),
Carlo Forti (Bass),
Elvira Galassi (Mezzo Soprano),
Vittorio Tatozzi (Bass)
Conductor:
Tullio Serafin
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Milan Teatro alla Scala Orchestra,
Milan Teatro alla Scala Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1851; Italy
Date of Recording: 9/1955
Venue: La Scala Theater, Milan, Italy
Length: 118 Minutes 33 Secs.
Language: Italian
7.
Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Angela Gheorghiu (Soprano),
Thomas Hampson (Baritone),
Larissa Diadkova (Mezzo Soprano),
Ildebrando D'Arcangelo (Bass),
Federica Proietti (Mezzo Soprano),
Enrico Facini (Tenor),
Riccardo Simonetti (Baritone),
Andrew Busher (Tenor),
Roberto Alagna (Tenor)
Conductor:
Antonio Pappano
Orchestra/Ensemble:
London Symphony Orchestra,
London Voices
Period: Romantic
Written: 1853; Italy
Date of Recording: 2001
Venue: EMI Abbey Road Studio No. 1, London
Length: 132 Minutes 13 Secs.
Language: Italian
8.
I vespri siciliani by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Cheryl Studer (Soprano),
Chris Merritt (Tenor),
Giorgio Zancanaro (Baritone),
Ferruccio Furlanetto (Bass)
Conductor:
Riccardo Muti
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Milan Teatro alla Scala Orchestra,
Milan Teatro alla Scala Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1855; Italy
Date of Recording: 1989
Venue: Live Teatro Alla Scala, Milan, Italy
Length: 199 Minutes 5 Secs.
Language: Italian
9.
Simon Boccanegra by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Victoria de los Angeles (Soprano),
Boris Christoff (Bass),
Giuseppe Campora (Tenor),
Walter Monachesi (Baritone),
Tito Gobbi (Baritone)
Conductor:
Gabriele Santini
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Rome Opera House Orchestra,
Rome Opera House Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1857; Italy
Length: 138 Minutes 33 Secs.
Language: Italian
10.
Un ballo in maschera by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Richard Van Allan (Bass),
Gwynne Howell (Bass),
Martina Arroyo (Soprano),
Reri Grist (Soprano),
Giorgio Giorgetti (Baritone),
Fiorenza Cossotto (Mezzo Soprano),
Piero Cappuccilli (Baritone),
Placido Domingo (Tenor),
Kenneth Collins (Tenor),
David Barrett (Tenor)
Conductor:
Riccardo Muti
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1859; Italy
Date of Recording: 1975
11.
La forza del destino by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Mirella Freni (Soprano),
Giorgio Zancanaro (Baritone),
Placido Domingo (Tenor),
Dolora Zajic (Mezzo Soprano),
Paul Plishka (Bass),
Sesto Bruscantini (Bass),
Giorgio Surjan (Baritone),
Francesca Garbi (Mezzo Soprano),
Silvestro Sammaritano (Bass),
Ernesto Gavazzi (Tenor),
Frank Hadrian (Bass)
Conductor:
Riccardo Muti
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Milan Teatro alla Scala Orchestra,
Milan Teatro alla Scala Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1862/1869; Italy
Length: 163 Minutes 52 Secs.
Language: Italian
12.
Don Carlos by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Placido Domingo (Tenor),
Sherrill Milnes (Baritone),
Delia Wallis (Mezzo Soprano),
John Noble (Tenor),
Ryland Davies (Tenor),
Shirley Verrett (Mezzo Soprano),
Montserrat Caballé (Soprano),
Ruggero Raimondi (Bass),
Giovanni Foiani (Bass),
Simon Estes (Bass),
Maria-Rosa Del Campo (Soprano)
Conductor:
Carlo Maria Giulini
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra,
Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1867/1886
Length: 208 Minutes 22 Secs.
Language: Italian
13.
Aida by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Birgit Nilsson (Soprano),
Mario Sereni (Baritone),
Franco Corelli (Tenor),
Bonaldo Giaiotti (Bass),
Ferruccio Mazzoli (Bass),
Piero de Palma (Tenor),
Mirella Fiorentini (Mezzo Soprano),
Grace Bumbry (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Rome Opera House Orchestra,
Rome Opera House Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1871; Italy
Date of Recording: c1967
Language: Italian
14.
Otello by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Mirella Freni (Soprano),
Aldo Bottion (Tenor),
Stefania Malagú (Mezzo Soprano),
Jon Vickers (Tenor),
Mario Machi (Baritone),
José van Dam (Bass Baritone),
Peter Glossop (Baritone),
Michel Sénéchal (Tenor)
Conductor:
Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,
Berlin Deutsche Oper Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1887; Italy
Length: 140 Minutes 0 Secs.
Language: Italian
15.
Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Tomaso Spataro (Tenor),
Renato Ercolani (Tenor),
Nan Merriman (Mezzo Soprano),
Nicola Zaccaria (Bass),
Tito Gobbi (Baritone),
Luigi Alva (Tenor),
Rolando Panerai (Baritone),
Anna Moffo (Soprano),
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Soprano),
Fedora Barbieri (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia Chorus,
Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1893; Italy
Venue: Kingsway Hall, London, England
Length: 119 Minutes 38 Secs.
Language: Italian
16.
La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Renata Scotto (Soprano),
Alfredo Kraus (Tenor),
Renato Bruson (Baritone),
Sarah Walker (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Riccardo Muti
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Ambrosian Opera Chorus,
Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1853; Italy
Language: Italian
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 
( 3 Customer Reviews )
Festeggiamo April 3, 2014
By I. Duncan (Berkeley, CA) See All My Reviews
"This is a fabulous bargain -- these are all, at the very least, very good performances (a lot by Muti), some of them among the very best (Giulini's Don Carlos, the Karajan Falstaff, Muti's Ballo in Maschera). Hours & hours of glorious listening, and re-listening."
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nice try February 26, 2013
By David L. (Wilmette, IL) See All My Reviews
"Slowly making my way through what appear to be fine transfers of fine performances. But shame on EMI. is it too much to ask that they make libretti with translations of text available. If they didn't want to incur the expense of a booklet, then why not either provide them on a CD as pdf files or provide a link where they can be downloaded. I have spent entirely too much time at the library tracking down bi-lingual libretti to accompany this set, and still have not managed to collect them all."
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Joseph spera February 11, 2013
By Joseph S. (Philadelphia, PA) See All My Reviews
"Superb, superb,superb....no words can describe the beauty of Verdi's masterpieces. Of course, let's not forget the great talent that went into making these operas come to life."
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