Julia Varady - Puccini Arias - Orfeo: C323941A - download

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A lovely and somewhat surprising record by the most fascinating and patrician lyric soprano of the present age: 'surprising' because, though Varady is associated closely enough with Verdi, the... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

Catalogue No: C323941A
Label: Orfeo
Length: 50 minutes

Puccini: La rondine, SC 83

Work length3:10

$1.00

$1.30

Julia Varady
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Marcello Viotti

Chi il bel sogno di Doretta

Track length3:10

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$1.30

Puccini: La bohème, SC 67 (Excerpts)

Work length7:46

$2.00

$2.60

Julia Varady
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Marcello Viotti

Sì, mi chiamano Mimì

Track length4:48

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$1.30

D'onde lieta uscì

Track length2:58

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$1.30

Excerpt, Puccini: Gianni Schicchi

Work length2:14

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Julia Varady
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Marcello Viotti

Oh! Mio babbino caro

Track length2:14

$1.00

$1.30

Puccini: Manon Lescaut, SC 64 (Excerpts)

Work length7:38

$2.00

$2.60

Julia Varady
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Marcello Viotti

In quelle trine morbide

Track length2:31

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Sola, perduta, abbandonata

Track length5:07

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Puccini: Suor Angelica, SC 87

Work length5:11

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Julia Varady
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Marcello Viotti

Senza mamma, o bimbo

Track length5:11

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Puccini: Tosca, SC 69

Work length3:34

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Julia Varady
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Marcello Viotti

Vissi d'arte

Track length3:34

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Puccini: Madama Butterfly, SC 74 (Excerpts)

Work length9:58

$3.00

$3.90

Julia Varady
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Marcello Viotti

Un bel dì vedremo

Track length4:14

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Che tua madre

Track length3:39

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Tu? Tu? Piccolo iddio

Track length2:05

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Puccini: Turandot, SC 91 (Excerpts)

Work length10:54

$3.00

$3.90

Julia Varady
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Marcello Viotti

Signore, ascolta

Track length2:23

$1.00

$1.30

Tu che di gel sei cinta

Track length2:21

$1.00

$1.30

In questa reggia

Track length6:10

$1.00

$1.30

Reviews
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Reviews

2010

A lovely and somewhat surprising record by the most fascinating and patrician lyric soprano of the present age: 'surprising' because, though Varady is associated closely enough with Verdi, the Puccini connection is less readily made, 'lovely' because the voice is still so pure, the style so musical and the response so intelligent, immediate and full-hearted. She adjusts wonderfully well to the Italian idiom, lightening the vowels, freeing the upper range, allowing more portamento than she would probably do in other music, yet employing in its use the finest technical skill and artistic judgement.
Her singing of Magda's song in La rondine opens the record and introduces a singer who sounds (give or take a little) half her actual age: Varady's début dates back to 1962. In Mimì's narrative she sings with so fine a perception of the character – the hesitancies, the joy in 'mi piaccion quelle cose' – that Schwarzkopf's exquisite recording comes to mind, just as, from time to time, and especially in the Madama Butterfly excerpts, the finely concentrated, tragic restraint of Meta Seinemeyer is recalled. It's good to hear, too, how sensitively Varady differentiates between characters, Manon Lescaut having that essential degree of additional sophistication in tone and manner. What runs as a thread through all these characterisations is a feeling for their dignity. Mimì doesn't simper. Sister Angelica doesn't sob. Lauretta has resolution in her pleading.
Butterfly, Liù and Tosca are what they should be: women whose pathos lies not in their weakness but in a passionate, single-minded fidelity. That leaves Turandot, which is a mistake.
That is, she's outside the singer's scope and should remain so: it isn't merely a matter of vocal thrust, weight and stamina, but also of voicecharacter, although the performance of her aria has clear merits. None of which should deter purchase; overall this is singing to treasure.

Julia Varady - Puccini Arias

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