"Leontyne Price's "Prima Donna" recordings were released in single volumes over around a ten year period. Now in a single CD box, it might make one think that all of the items presented here (and there is a lot here!) were recorded around the same time. They were not. Interestingly enough, most of the arias here come from operas Price never attempted on stage. She was an extremely intelligent artist and she kept her voice in spectacular condition for many years by refusing to undertake unsuitable repertoire. Thus, the arias from "Norma", "Turandot", "Oberon", "Macbeth", "Rigoletto", "Traviata", and many others represent nothing more than an experiment on Price's part. She sings them passably, but by no means is she suited to them. What she does well she does SUPREMELY well: the arias from "Louise", "Adriana Lecouvreur", "Atalanta", "Rusalka", "L'enfant prodigue", "Suor Angelica", "Les Dialogues des Carmelites". There are interesting accounts of the arias from "Don Giovanni", "Die Walkure", "Thais", and others. In other words, Price undertakes such a huge and all-encompassing repertoire throughout these discs that it is impossible for her to achieve equal success with all of it. But there is certainly enough here to enjoy, and I doubt whether anyone who purchases this lavish program will be sorry."
SO MUCH TO ADMIRE HERE!
J. Anderson | Monterey, CA USA | 08/29/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There is so much to admire in these four discs, it is silly not to own them, however much I have always believed it wise not to run headlong in an induced ecstasy into the arms of everything Leontyne Price has recorded. In my view, the highlights of this collection are many, including a perfectly modulated "Dove sono", an exquisite "When I am laid in earth", one that surely enhances Handel's immortality, and a simply remarkable recording of "The Last Rose of Summer"; the "Willow Song" is as divinely joined as any recorded version I have heard, and, expectedly, the arias from "Adriana Lecouvreur", "Louise" and "Suor Angelica" are just wonderful. The first and final argument for purchasing this set, however, remains Price's peerless rendition of "Gluck, das mir verblieb" from Korngold's "Die Tote Stadt". Here is manifested perfectly articulated singing of magnificent proportions; intelligent, cultivated, a performance far above the score, though this is not inconsequential music, no matter that it touches upon those elements often referred to as kitsch. (Not so, though that remains fodder for another, different discussion from this one.) The 'Mariettalied' is surely a beautiful aria, yet Price's immense musical understanding, and indeed the relationship of her inborn musical conscience to her singing gifts, raises it to Art. It is a flawless, ineffacable, and utterly inevitable performance, one to be treasured at twice the price of this set! Finally, disc 4 presents not only an attractive episode from Poulenc's mesmerizing "Dialogues des carmelites", and a ravishing version of Micaela's aria so touchingly sung, but concludes in a burst of genius with Britten's "Gloriana"! Go on, deprive yourself not a moment longer of the glad enjoyment, and often surprise, found in this perfectly conceived and beautifully executed collection!"
A brilliant collection from a great soprano
Robert Petersen | Durban, South Africa | 04/30/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Leontyne Price was much admired and this 4CD collection shows her outstanding vocal gifts to the best advantage. Numerous reviewers have commented on the wide-ranging styles present and I can agree wholeheartedly with them. You would be hard-pressed to find a greater compilation of Ms Price, showcasing her amazing gifts as a great singer!"
The Grandest Collection of Leontyne Price Arias
Rudy Avila | Lennox, Ca United States | 08/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you're a fan of Leontyne Price, this should be at the top of your list of her recording albums. I don't know when this was issued, but it's from the RCA Label which was her best promotional record company. It's a box set featuring dozens of arias from magnificent grand operas (some of which Leontyne Price never sang on stage in full and instead sang some bits in concert). Leontyne Price sings in fresh, beautiful and strong voice in dramatic and versatile roles, mastering each music from each composer. She masters such strikingly different masters's works as Samuel Barber (Vannessa) Webber (Der Freischutz) Wagner (Tristan and Isolde, Tannhauser) Falla (Atalanta) Mozart (Le Nozze Di Figaro). She sings the title roles of Massenet's Manon, Bizet's Carmen, Bellini's Norma, Verdi's Lady Macbeth, Amelia in Un Ballo Di Maschera, Nedda in I Pagliacci, Turandot and Suor Angelica, Flotow's Martha, and even oratorio such as Handel's Semele and Benjamin Britten's Gloriana. This is a vast repertoire, far grander in variety than I have ever known any one soprano sang. While critics will indeed compare Leontyne Price to Maria Callas (as another review critic brought up) these two sopranos could not have been any more different. It's not even a matter of their different racial backgrounds- Callas was born in Greece and became an American citizen then gave it up for French citizenship..and Price was born in Mississippi and was African-American) it's a matter of how different their approach at opera was and their vocal category. Callas was a dramatic soprano sforzando (literally "forced dramatic soprano")who would prefer to produce a choking, ugly, harsh sound merely for the dramatic effect and the integrity of the text in her lines. Leontyne Price was the definition of a soprano lyrico-spinto ("pushed" lyric-dramatic singing)which meant above all, to sound beautiful and to fill up those dramatic lines with as much vocal and tonal beauty as possible. Price had a more thrilling mezzo di voce and high soaring top register and a cleaner, smoother sound than the wobbly Callas, no offense to Callas fanatics of which there are many. It is true that Price did lose her touch in a sense in her older years (the 1970's and 80's) when her voice lacked the vibrant lyricism and attention to diction. Her 1970's Toscas and Aidas are therefore a sloppier than her 1950's and 60's Toscas and the same went for her Leonoras in both Trovatore and Forza Del Destino. Nevertheless, Price is an ageless singer. Her voice, dark, messy or bright and smooth, is still what was said of her in her debut at the Met as Leonora in Trovatore - a "bright, unfurling banner". She was goddess of the opera and paved the way for the new generation of black sopranos of today.
This collection does not showcase the more famous roles that were in fact her signature ones - Leonora from Trovatore and Forza, Aida is'nt even in here and that one even she considered her greatest role, we don't find her Madame Butterfly here. Instead we find rare pieces that she sings beautifully and dramatically, making us wish she had sung the entire operas in full on stage. She never sang a full-length Norma and that's a pity- even Grace Bumbry and Shirley Verrett did in their careers. Price seemed to enjoy singing Samuel Barber's vocal works - she opened the 1965-1966 Met season with Barber's Antony and Cleopatra (a bad production by the way but not through any fault of Miss Price but the overblown spectacle of the design of the opera itself) and here she sings his Vanessa. Benjamin Britten's Gloriana sounds lovely in her hands. Her Norma and Dona Anna in Mozart are dramatic and fiery, her Lady Macbeth darkly mysterious, her Suor Angelica peaceful with powerful inner fire and her Dialogue Des Carmelites are also sensational. Yes, many of these arias are beautiful to hear, and thank God she doesn't have any of the flaws critics keep hearing in her later recordings. Without a doubt, this is her finest album. I think you should listen via audio samples here the following to make you get this recording: the Countess aria from Nozze Di Figaro, her Manon (Adieu Petit Table) La Mamma Morta, her version of Sediziose Voce/Casta Diva from Norma, the excerpt from Carmen, "Don Ottavio son Morta...Or Sai Chi L'Onore" from Don Giovanni, Care Salve, the Dido and Aeneas excerpts, the La Traviata excerpts (Addio Del Passato) and the beautifull, mystic, haunting and well-executed Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde, which I even feel surpasses Birgit Nilsson's version. Just listen to how heart-felt that Liebestod is! I have not heard the likes of it anywhere else."
Leontyne Price Fans Rejoice!
American Evita | U.S. | 08/30/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"ABOUT THE ALBUM: LEONTYNE PRICE THE PRIMA DONNA COLLECTION, 4-CD's set, RCA Victor Gold Seal BMG Classics, 4 LPs recorded individually between 1965-1979 by Red Seal/Gold Seal labels, Leontyne Price, soprano, Conductors Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Edward Downes, Nello Santi, Henry Lewis.
Get this album for the incredible renditon of the Liebestod from Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. The pacing is right, the music swells with passion and so does Leontyne Price's voice, soaring and exultant, unlike any soprano has sung it before! It's the best version I've ever heard.
This 4-CD album is a must have for the most serious, hardcore fan of Leontyne Price, the first major black opera singer whose artistry influenced generations of black singers including Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman among others. Her musicianship, queenly grace and beautiful voice was inspirational and the Metropolitan Opera and European opera houses loved her. Leontyne Price did have contemporaries -Martina Arroyo, Grace Bumbry and Shirley Verrett, all who enjoyed success in the world of opera but it was Leontyne who achieved iconic opera star status. Leontyne Price reigned supreme in the lyrico-spinto roles of Verdi and Puccini opera. These recordings show off what the operas of various other composers were missing in a voice like hers!These recordings were labors of love and cautious work by Leontyne, who between the years of 1965 and 1979, recorded them and released them individually, working with specific conductors - Francesco Molinari Pradelli and Edward Downes in the mid 1960's and Nello Santi and Henry Lewis in the 1970's. Leontyne's lush voice is showcased unlike any other recording had previously done, with attention to detail, beautiful orchestrations and just the right touch of the dramatic. What you hear here is snippets of various operas (key scenes) and arias which she sang in concert, arias of heroines she did not portray on the stage - Norma the Druid Priestess in Bellini's Norma and the Irish princess Isolde from Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, Lady Macbeth from the Verdi Macbeth, Gilda from Rigoletto, Puccini's Turandot, Andrea Chenier and Adriana Lecrouveur, Suor Angelica, Elsa from Tannhauser, Martha from Der Freischutz and Nedda from Pagliacci. While many of these repertoires are not suited to her vocal category, they are unbelievably beautiful, divine and unsurpassed in terms of vocal splendor and colorng. The results are too amazing to put into words.
DISC 1: The album opens (1-2) with the aria "Thy Hand Belinda/When I am Laid In Earth" from Purcell's English opera Dido and Aeneas. The role calls for a mezzo soprano, contralto or male soprano voice (at the time a castrato) but Leontyne Price uses her instrument to the most emotional effect with the touch of the spiritual, and this is a real treat for fans of hers. She proves withoutq question that Baroque opera was a repertoire that she could have attained incredible success with. Tracks 3-4 are the Countess' major aria "Dove Sono" from Mozart's Le Nozze Di Figaro. She's a very moving Countess with a regal voice and pitch-perfect Mozart soprano voice, a warm, sensuous and gifted interpretation that I love to hear time and again. It's a pity she did not sing the Countess on stage. Price did have a Mozart voice, but her Verdi and Puccini overshadowed this. She had recorded Cosi Fan Tutte under Leinsdorf (Fiordiligi, not showcased here) and she had sung both Donna Anna and Elvira from Mozart's Don Giovanni under Karajan, Edward Downes and under Leinsdorf. There is also a magnificent Mozart album she sang available with RCA and commercially available, (concert arias and Mozart opera heroines) that prove she indeed have a splendid Mozart voice.
Track 5-6 show a side of her no one expected - Violetta from Verdi's Traviata. Verdi opera she knew to a T but Violetta is a lyric-coloratura role that did not suit her voice. Still, her "Addio Del Passato" is masterfully accomplished and very poignant. Massenet's French opera "L'Africaine" (7)is another coloratura piece but she is able to make it honey in her vocal chords and the music is very exciting. Manon was another role not suited for her but when you hear 'Adieu Notre Petite Table"(8-9) again you wonder just how amazing a Manon she might have made. Tracks 10-12 are arias that belong to Desdemona in Verdi's Otello. Unfortunately, this is the lousy one. Although she sings very beautifully, it's too slow and too dull. 13-14 are from Adriana Lecrouveur and again, we find that, although sung beautifully, it lacks passion and becomes dull. It probably owes to the pacing of the conductor. 15 is equally dull, Charpentier's Louise Depuis Le Jour. But Turandot (16) "In Questa Reggia" is amazing! A dramatic and wondrous execution and there is a tenor portion to boot. Turandot was a role that Leontyne could never call her own, but her "In Questa Reggia" has got to be heard to believe. Here, she is also blessed with great sound quality and with great conducor/orchestra. The German aria from Korngold's DieTotte Stadt is impressive, wistful and the closing tracks from Barber's Vanessa are a tour de force.
DISC 2: The rare opera Atalanta has a fantastic aria "Care Salve" (1-2) and Leontyne, who championed modern works of opera (Barber, Britten, etc) is comfortable in music of this kind. Her voice is phenomenal. Donna Ana from Mozart's Don Giovanni (2-3) has a dramatic scene in Act 1 with the aria "Or Sai Chi L'Onore" perhaps the most taxing and difficult soprano piece Mozart ever composed. Few singers can maintain a regal quality and bearing like Leontyne who does not overdo the melodramatic moment and yet sails through the most fiendish portions of the music. It's an exceptional Donna Anna and we're lucky she did record a full length Giovanni for Karajan (for Gala record label). Martha's aria "Leise" from Webber's "Der Freischutz" is incredible. Not only is the music very stunning but Leontyne manages to produce gorgeous sounds even if the role is not in her league and her German diction is'nt precise. The same goes for Wagner's "Hall Aria". She sings it with superb intelligence and beauty and thankfully the aria isn't much of a challenge for her (when it ought to be!) and this one is a version I've come to really love. Tracks 7-9 are Lady Macbeth from Verdi's Macbeth. Again, this is a role that calls for a darker and heavier voice. Leontyne's voice did become edgier, darker and meatier in the 1970's, and even if she seemed poised to undertake the harder roles, she chose to sing only a few scenas and arias in concer to keep safe. She was wise to do so because when I hear her "Sleepwalking Scene" I can picture a very tragic heroine and indeed she did a marvelous job. That being said, there are many better interpretatins (Callas, Soliotis, Nilsson, Bumbry, Verrett) but Price is also very comfortable in the music and does a more than decent performance. The rest of the arias are well done and the music is very engaging but I don't recall being too impressed by a voice that after hearing it a long time begins to sound the same no matter what she is singing.
Discs 3 and 4: These are my favorites. Everything here shows Leontyne Price at her absolute best. Glucks's early Classical/late Baroque opera Alceste has the master aria "Divinites du Styx" sung in French. Leontyne is really "on" in this aria and a grander version youre hard-pressed to find. The music is on fire and her voice is too. She relaxes again in Donna Anna's "Non mi dir" from Mozart's Giovanni again (why didn't they just have her sing other Mozart arias besides Donna Anna's?) The rest of the stuff is well sung but again sounds somewhat dull and uniform except for - Micaela's aria "Je Dis" from Carmen. It's a miracle. This aria is supremely executed by Miss Price and interesting when noting that she recorded Carmen for Karajan to great acclaim. The aria from Massenet's Thais is also rich, vibrant and another instance in which Price is blessed with great conductor and orchestra as well as perfect flawless voice. Her French diction is excellent, even better than some would believe. Perhaps even better than her Italian. Disc 4 contains what is her best work on the album set "Casta Diva" and "Liebestod". The role of Norma would have ruined her career if she had sung it. The role is complex, difficult and calls for a heavier voice. But Casta Diva has always found a home in the throats of lyric sopranos and Price sings this with expert skill, passion, beauty and the touch of the spiritual, making this her best aria ever recorded as a "single". The same goes for her Liebestod, which has a sublime effect, with angelic and passionate glory unheard of. Few sopranos can imitate this quality. Caro Nome from Rigoletto is very interesting. It's a very beautiful version for a role that didn't fit her and not only that but she sang it as if she was in vocal bloom when in reality this is a 1979-1982 performance, when Price was nearing retirement!
Yes, these arias are a God-send to the Leontyne Price fan. Prices for this album are a lot more affordable now so get it while you can. I pray to God they never discontinue this album so that others can experience the rich splendor and beauty of Leontyne Price, the prima donna assoluta di universo.
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1
