» Souvenirs (Deluxe Edition)

Souvenirs (Deluxe Edition) Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Glorious music
Comment: Beautiful from start to finish. As if the voice was not enough joy, there is a poster, dvd and booklet. Great value and total pleasure.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Netrebko at her best
Comment: So far (sure it will be more and more) this is the best Netrebko collection. What a beautiful voice and dignifying performances (the rest of the singer too). It is hard to pick a favorite selection and, at the end, it unnecessary: from Kálmán to Arditi deserve to be heard once and once. Superb.
Deluxe Edition worth the price and, for a fan, the DVD and the rest of stuff is more than a bonus.
A must, again.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Voice of many colors
Comment: Netrebko, glamour, publicity and hype notwithstanding, continues to develop and mature as a vocal artist, reaching new interpretive heights-like in the Russian Album- in non-standard operatic repertoire. The voice is luscious, and the top notes (Depuis Le Jour and Pie Jesu) are clean and effortless, with a totally controlled breathing technique. Her low range has expanded, while maintains nobility and depth. Some sopranos'-no names please!- low tessitura is either inaudible, flat or vulgar. Some question the "slavic" color of Netrebko's voice. I personally love it. It gives the voice certain degree of darkness that translates into passion and introspectiveness. The companion DVD is fan to watch, too. The set is highly recommended, if you aren't in the mood to listen to structured operatic CDs.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Beautiful souvenirs of triumphs past and present, and yet to come
Comment: Let me join the rave reviews! Beyond all the hype, Anna Netrebko never ceases to amaze! After her Covent Garden Traviata which left seasoned critics weak at the knees, and her superlative Vienna and Berlin Manon, it was difficult to know where she would turn to achieve new heights of excellence. But she totally blows us away with this incursion into Lieder and operetta. Anna's voice, now having reached the brilliance of maturity, shines brighter in its power, purity and beauty than the diamonds and other gems she often wears. The album excels through its impressive variety, from superlative renderings of Strauss, Lehar and Offenbach to lesser knowns like Guastavino and Giménez, and a heartrendingly beautiful Pie Jesu (Sir Andrew, you can feel duly honoured!) and of course a worthy representation of the Slavic world with Dvorak (my personal favourite) and Rimsky Korsakov. One reviewer speaks of Anna's and Angela Gheorghiu's Slavic style as a limitation to be overcome. Since these are my two favourite sopranos, I cannot share his opinion! Yet Anna is never just Slavic in style: for instance, her renderings of Kálmán and Lehár strike a truly Hungarian accent which few other singers have achieved. And she sings very credibly in ten different languages. It should also be stressed that, beyond Anna's mastery, this album is also a collective effort: full credit should be given to conductor Emmanuel Villaume for his orchestrations, Anna's voice coach Elena Matuskovskaia (she deserves a medal), boy soprano Andrew Swait and stunning mezzo soprano Elina Garana, as well as others who contributed their talents to this jewel of a cd. You do not have to own a crystal ball to predict its massive success! Souvenirs? For Anna this is an album of pearls of her past which she offers to us listeners as jewels of the present. Having followed all of Anna's career, this album also speaks to me of the future. Elina confesses that she is truly excited about her future projects with Anna. This listener too!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: what a beautiful souvenir
Comment: Anna has given us another gift and I am ecstatic. The music is wonderful, the orchestra is spot-on, and Garanca's mezzo only adds to the beauty of this recording. The special edition comes with a bonus dvd, postcards and a beautiful poster- Happy Holidays indeed.

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