Donizetti: The Three Queens; "Anna Bolena"; "Maria Stuarda"; "Roberto Devereux"

Name: Donizetti: The Three Queens; "Anna Bolena"; "Maria Stuarda"; "Roberto Devereux"
Brand: Deutsche Grammophon
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)

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Description

Gaetano Donizetti didn't actually set out to compose a cycle based on the tragic histories of the Tudor Queens. The three works gathered here--including his breakthrough opera, Anna Bolena, Roberto Devereux, and the long-neglected Maria Stuarda--were created at various points in his maniacally prolific career, and each has its own rather complicated, haphazard genesis. But the belated reappreciation given to these works at New York City Opera during the heyday of the bel canto revival--a crucial step in the overall revival of Donizetti as well--conferred a sort of post facto sense of unity thanks to the signature contributions of Beverly Sills. These roles were, quite un-punningly, her crowning achievement. Yet despite a brief efflorescence of celebrity (even extending to a Time magazine cover) when she was considered perhaps the rival to Joan Sutherland, Sills slipped through the cracks. For all her formidable acting skill--a substantial aspect of her accomplishment in these interpretations--she never quite made it to the era of opera telecasting, and her problematic recorded catalog and relatively early retirement from the stage hindered the Sills legend from extending to a new generation. But now, there's no excuse to overlook the Sills achievement. Coupled with the belated reissue of her early triumph in The Ballad of Baby Doe, this Donizetti box set gives a fuller portrait of the artist Sills. This is quite simply a can't-miss bonanza for Donizetti-heads and, for that matter, fans of beautiful singing. The original project started off with Roberto Devereux--recorded in London in 1969--and continued until the summer 1972 recording of Anna Bolena, but this is the first time the old LPs have been made collectively available on CD in remastered format. The box includes facsimiles of the original lengthy liner notes (with astute background, commentary, and translations--full libretti included--by William Ashbrook)

Product details

Release Date:: 2000-11-07
Publication Date:: 2000-11-07
Publisher:: Deutsche Grammophon
GPSR Manufacturer Reference:: [email protected]

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