Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Alceo Galliera, Philharmonia Orchestra of London Mozart: Arias Genres:Pop, Classical The American lyric soprano Anna Moffo, who retired in the mid-'70s (and is still very much alive), was a beautiful woman, a good actress, and an intelligent, sensitive singer, and she possessed natural charm. The voice was... more » a pure lyric, with a succulent bloom at the top, good coloratura ability (she was a successful Lucia and Gilda), and a sometimes useful upper extension. Moffo was a fine communicator as well--all of which is evident on this CD, which was recorded in her early prime (in 1958). The Figaro excerpts show her as a boyish, impetuous Cherubino and a telling, in-control-and-sensuous Susanna, while Despina's two arias from Cosi give us something a bit sassier--just as it should be. Moffo's "Ach ich liebte" from Abduction is acrobatically valid as well as poised. Zerlina's arias vary between coy and knowing--again just the right combination. "Ach ich fühls" starts out a bit flat; Moffo and her unworthy (throughout) conductor Alceo Galliera indulge in some simply wrong rubato, but the last third of the aria, with its melting, high pianissimi, is a knockout. The aria from Il re pastore is beautifully sung--trills and all--and so is the concert aria "Misera, dove son?" The two soprano solos from Mozart's Great Mass (K. 427) find Moffo stretching for the low notes, albeit never unattractively, but they, and the "Alleluia" from "Exsultate, jubilate" are suitably virtuosic. This CD is a real pleasure. Highly recommended. --Robert Levine« less
The American lyric soprano Anna Moffo, who retired in the mid-'70s (and is still very much alive), was a beautiful woman, a good actress, and an intelligent, sensitive singer, and she possessed natural charm. The voice was a pure lyric, with a succulent bloom at the top, good coloratura ability (she was a successful Lucia and Gilda), and a sometimes useful upper extension. Moffo was a fine communicator as well--all of which is evident on this CD, which was recorded in her early prime (in 1958). The Figaro excerpts show her as a boyish, impetuous Cherubino and a telling, in-control-and-sensuous Susanna, while Despina's two arias from Cosi give us something a bit sassier--just as it should be. Moffo's "Ach ich liebte" from Abduction is acrobatically valid as well as poised. Zerlina's arias vary between coy and knowing--again just the right combination. "Ach ich fühls" starts out a bit flat; Moffo and her unworthy (throughout) conductor Alceo Galliera indulge in some simply wrong rubato, but the last third of the aria, with its melting, high pianissimi, is a knockout. The aria from Il re pastore is beautifully sung--trills and all--and so is the concert aria "Misera, dove son?" The two soprano solos from Mozart's Great Mass (K. 427) find Moffo stretching for the low notes, albeit never unattractively, but they, and the "Alleluia" from "Exsultate, jubilate" are suitably virtuosic. This CD is a real pleasure. Highly recommended. --Robert Levine
CD Reviews
Anna Moffo's "Mozart Arias"
chipper412 | Baltimore, MD USA | 07/22/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have waited over 30 years for this CD and I am not disappointed in it. Moffo is magnificent!Thank you, Testament, for the bonus tracks!There is no "crooning" here. That did not take place until the late 70's, when she began to experience vocal problems. And in 1976, she picked herself up, dusted herself off, and re-started her operatic career!"
Primo Moffo
08/04/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is wonderful singing. Like all of my favorite Mozart singers, she maintains clarity of line, intonation and rhythm, sustaining drop-dead beautiful tone throughout. Her coloratura on Exaltate Jubilate is crystal clear. This is a thoughful compilation as well, including arias that the Angel CD left out. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is the conducting of Alceo Galliera--in general lacking rhythmic momentum and clarity. Too bad she didn't partner with Giulini on this one since they achieved such stunning results in Le Nozze di Figaro."
One of the Finest Available Mozart Recitals
11/21/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Anna Moffo was outstanding in a wide variety of music, but her warm, radiant, and flexible lyric soprano was particularly well-suited to Mozart. This collection, recorded in 1958, is exceptional; with Cecilia Bartoli's "Mozart Portraits" and Renee Fleming's all-Mozart disc, it is one of the finest available recitals of Mozart's soprano/mezzo-soprano arias. Moffo's is my favorite rendition of Pamina's "Ach, ich fuhls" from DIE ZAUBERFLOETE. Her ability to maintain a smooth legato (even at Galliera's slow tempo) and to "color" her tone to suggest the pallor of death is amazing (just listen to the final phrase, "So wird ruhe im Tode sein" -- "I must find my peace in death"). I love Moffo's Mozart so much that I plan to acquire the recording of LE NOZZE DI FIGARO in which she sings the role of Susanna. Judging from the rendition of Susanna's "Deh vieni, non tardar" heard here, it should be quite a lovely performance."
A Gem
Mark Boyer | Sunnyvale, CA USA | 07/19/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"As a Seraphim LP, this disc ignited my love of opera and Mozart vocal music. I've been waiting for years for it to show up on CD. The sound is serviceable and the orchestra and conductor mediocre; but this remains Moffo at her most expressive, with a lush midrange. The recording of Deh vieni is as I rememeber it: the most affecting I have ever heard."
