Vissi D'arte

Vissi D'arte

• CABALLE MONTSERRAT
• MUSICA CLASICA
• INTERNATIONAL
• MUSIC

Montserrat Caballé had one of the great voices, tonally radiant and technically amazing, able to spin the most ravishing pianissimos as well as effortless fortissimo high notes. This well-filled two-disc collection includes a good cross-section of her recordings from the 1970s and early 1980s when she was at her peak. That alone should send admirers of great singing into a feeding frenzy. The set’s title selection, "Vissi d’arte" (from Puccini’s <I>Tosca</I>), is done with such tonal beauty and refinement of detail as to silence any criticism about its being too slow. She’s as magnificent in bel canto arias like those from <I>Lucia di Lammermoor</I> and the <I>Norma</I> duets, where she’s Adalgisa to Joan Sutherland’s Norma, as she is in <I>verismo</I> roles from <I>La Gioconda</I> and <I>Andrea Chenier</I>. This set makes a terrific starter pack for those who may not be familiar with Caballé’s art, and it’s a welcome addition to the collections of those who do. <I>--Dan Davis</I>