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amazon grace

by | 2:38 pm | Dec 31, 2008

La Cieca wishes to thank you, cher public, for making this year’s Amazon Associates advertising program successful beyond her wildest dreams.

And now, the top ten most ordered items of 2008!

1. Wagner: The Great Operas from the Bayreuth Festival

2. Marilyn Horne – The Complete Decca Recitals

3. The Original Jacket Collection: Montserrat Caballé

4. Legendary Perfomances of Leyla Gencer

5. Vivaldi – Ercole s’ul Termodonte (Spoleto Festival 2006)

6. Lorraine at Emmanuel

7. Jonas Kaufmann: Romantic Arias

8. Rene Pape: Gods, Kings & Demons (Opera Arias)

9. La Nilsson: My Life in Opera

10. [Tie]

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45 Comments

45 comments

1 … 3 4 5
  • Alessandro Visconti says:

    Re Feldmarschallin:

    early Aliberti was stunning but then something happened and she went downhill. She tried too hard to copy Callas but didn’t have the middle nor bottom that Callas had. But there was talent there and an early Gilda was magnificent. She should have stuck with lighter roles instead of trying to sing the heavier rep which didn’t work.

    I do agree with you about Aliberti in that I think she once had a distinct instrument that she eventually replaced with a cheap Callas imitation. There is only one problem with this equation and with other quasi-Callas equations: all her reincarnations are thin. If they developed that awesome dramatic soprano sound that Callas reputedly had in her early career (to quote Bonynge: “The only other singer with a voice that colossal was Kirsten Flagstad”), and lost all that weight, a Callas voice is plausible, just like a Debbie voice is plausible.

    on January 2, 2009 at 10:42 AM
  • Will says:

    Thanks and much appreciation to those who recommended Donizetti biographies to me–you’ve been a great help.

    And very best wishes for the new year to all who hang out at Parterre!

    on January 2, 2009 at 3:17 PM
  • WindyCityOperaman says:

    Bought #2,3,7,8 and 9. I already owned most of the Caballe stuff EXCEPT Zarzuela arias and the Strauss recital. Of course, this and the Horne set – it’s irritating that texts and translations are missing. Ah, for the days of LP-sized libretto booklets and photos!

    Apparently when Aliberti was auditioning at the Lyric someone nearby thought they were playing a stereo-era Callas record ‘skips, ticks and all’.

    on January 5, 2009 at 10:13 AM
  • Xica da Silva says:

    Speaking of grace, La Bumbry is 72 yesterday!

    on January 5, 2009 at 11:59 AM
  • Grace Ann says:

    44- Correct. And Shirley is now in the running for World’s Oldest Person.

    on January 5, 2009 at 12:31 PM
1 … 3 4 5