Product description

The "Pearl Fishers" Duet

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Average customer rating: 4.5

Binding : Audio CD
EAN : 0078635779929
Label : RCA
Manufacturer : RCA
Publisher : RCA
Release date : 1990-10-25
Title : The "Pearl Fishers" Duet
Studio : RCA
MPN : 7799
Number of discs : 1

Editorial reviews

Amazon.com
This disc is essential for Jussi Bjoerling fans--doesn't that include almost everyone?--and for anyone who wants a distinctive sampling from recorded opera's most eloquent age. Best are Bjoerling's duets with baritone Robert Merrill--especially the classic "Au fond du temple saint" from The Pearl Fishers--and the scene with Renata Tebaldi, "Signore, ascolta; non piangere, Liu," from Turandot. Although the sound is variable--and sometimes disappointingly, annoyingly glitch-ridden in these recordings made between 1950 and 1959--the voice, the style, and the passion of the inimitable Bjoerling more than make up for it. --David Vernier

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2007-11-17 rating:

Glad I have this
To enjoy the artistry of great tenors, I really prefer collections of arias only. If I want scenes, I want the entire opera, to which I listen while following a libretto, since my exposure to opera has been primarily audio rather than visual. So, I would not have purchased this cd for myself. But I received it as a gift for becoming a member of the local PBS station.
I am glad I have it; and I give it a 5 star rating.
Bjoerling's is, of course, the voice that stands out (or is that my favoritism showing?). The duets with Robert Merrill, especially "The Pearl Fishers" and "La Boheme," marvelously portray the compatibility of the two voices. The remaining selections illustrate Bjoerling's ability to project himself into the character he is portraying.
If you enjoy opera, and especially if you enjoy a great tenor like Bjoerling, get this cd. You, too, will be glad you have it.

review by: date: 2006-12-29 rating:

Superb singing by my favorite tenor
I can hardly tell you how much I loved this CD when musicologist David St. George gave
gave me a copy of it. Each time I hear the CD, Bjoerling's singing astounds me, because
depsite his age, he was in excellent voice when he recorded the "Pearl Fishers Duet."
My only complaint about Bjoerling is that a year before my birth, he died. :)

review by: date: 2006-10-23 rating:

exceptional recording of Bizet, Verdi and Puccini
The beautiful main duet from Bizet's "The Pearlfishers" ("Au fond du temple saint") is the centerpiece of this disc, that also features pieces from "Aida", "Tosca", "Turandot" and "Otello", amongst others by Puccini and Verdi.

Legendary opera stars Robert Merrill, Zinka Milanov, Licia Albanese and Renata Tebaldi have the kind of voices that one rarely hears these days in opera. It's such a pleasure to know that these singers have received immortality thanks to CD reissues like this one. As other reviewers have noted, these recordings have great historical value but don't expect miracles with the overall sound quality.

[RCA/BMG Classics GD87799]

review by: date: 2006-08-22 rating:

The Kiss of Jussi
Bjoerling never misses his pitch, never struggles with any note in his repertoire, never runs out of breath, and most importantly, never fails to makes any note perfectly beautiful. Bjoerling's supporting cast are immortalized by their association with this incomparable singer. Every track in this album is historically as well as artistically precious.

review by: date: 2006-06-04 rating:

Notes on a classic
I'm prompted to comment only because a reviewer below offers no criticism of this famous duets recording exceept for the Manon Lescaut excerpt with Licia Albanese. As it happens, the only weakness in the cuts with Bjorling and Merrill is the workaday conducting by Renato Cellini (and the boxy sound that deserves the same miraculous remastering BMG has recently given to Toscanini). The Met was a singers' house and often fell short on conducting, saddling Golden Age voices with less than stellar maestros like Cillini, Fausto Cleva, and Leinsdorf (who actually does a very good job, for him, in Turandot, Bjorling's last opera recording before he died).

But the RCA Manon Lescaut from Rome was a wonderful exception. It is arguably the most satisfying collaboration in Bjorling's career, thanks to Jonel Perlea and the inspired Licia Albanese. Others might argue for the Aida with Milanov or the famous La Boheme with de los Angeles under Beecham. But for me the dramatic intensity of this Manon Lescaut is unparalleled. It's true that Albanese doesn't sound like a lush, full-voiced Puccini soprano, but she inhabits the role of Manon with astonishing realism and passion.

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