Luisi: Verdi – Jerusalem (3 CD box set, APE)

Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 3 CD box set
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: Philips
Size: 753 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

Disc: 1
01. Act 1: Introduction
02. Act 1: Non, Ce Bruit, Ce N’est Rien
03. Act 1: Adieu, Mon Bien-Aim? … Adieu, Je Pars, H?l?ne
04. Act 1: Ave Maria
05. Act 1: Le Lever Du Soleil
06. Act 1: Enfin Voici Le Jour Propice
07. Act 1: Avant Que Nous Partions Pour La Croisade Sainte
08. Act 1: Je Tremble Encore
09. Act 1: ? Vous, Comte, Jusqu’au Tr?pas
10. Act 1: Cit? Du Seigneur !
11. Act 1: Viens ! ? P?cheut Rebelle
12. Act 1: Oh ! Dans L’ombre, Dans Le Myst?re
13. Act 1: Je T’attendais
14. Act 1: Fier Soldat De La Croisade
15. Act 1: Ah ! Viens, D?mon, Espirit Du Mal
16. Act 1: Mais Quel Tumulte !

Disc: 2
01. Act 2, Scene 1: Gr?ce ! Mon Dieu !
02. Act 2, Scene 1: ? Jour Fatal ! ? Crime !
03. Act 2, Scene 1: Du Secours ! ? Mon Dieu, Faut-Il Mourir Ainsi !
04. Act 2, Scene 1: Loin Des Croises, Supr?me !
05. Act 2, Scene 1: Quelle Ivresse ! Bonheur Supr?me !
06. Act 2, Scene 1: ? Mon Dieu ! ? Mon Dieu, Vois Notre Mis?re !
07. Act 2, Scene 1: Ecoutez ! Ce Sont Eux !… Marche
08. Act 2, Scene 1: Dieu Soit Lou? ! Du Fer D;un Assassin…
09. Act 2, Scene 1: Le Seigneur Nous Promet La Victoire
10. Act 2, Scene 2: L’?mir Aupr?s De Lui M’appelle
11. Act 2, Scene 2: Je Veux Encore Entendre Ta Voix
12. Act 2, Scene 2: Prisonnier Dans Ramla
13. Act 2, Scene 2: Dans La Honte Et L?pouvante
14. Act 2, Scene 2: Une Pens?e Am?re Me Rappell Mon P?re
15. Act 2, Scene 2: Aux Armes !

Disc: 3
01. Act 3, Scene 1: ? Belle Captive
02. Act 3, Scene 1: Andante
03. Act 3, Scene 1: Allegro
04. Act 3, Scene 1: Allegro/Scherzando – Allegro
05. Act 3, Scene 1: Galop
06. Act 3, Scene 1: Allegro Moderato Assai
07. Act 3, Scene 1: Allegro Non Troppo
08. Act 3, Scene 1: Tempo Di Valzer
09. Act 3, Scene 1: Allegro Vivace
10. Act 3, Scene 1: Andante
11. Act 3, Scene 1: Scherzando
12. Act 3, Scene 1: Allegro Moderato
13. Act 3, Scene 1: Allegro
14. Act 3, Scene 1: Allegro
15. Act 3, Scene 1: Les Chr?tiens ! Ils Sont L? !
16. Act 3, Scene 1: Que M’importe La Vie
17. Act 3, Scene 2: Marche Fun?bre
18. Act 3, Scene 2: Barons Et Chevaliers, Devant Vous Je Proteste
19. Act 3, Scene 2: ? Mes Amis, Mes Fr?res D’armes
20. Act 4, Scene 1: Qu’on Ex?cute La Sentence
21. Act 4, Scene 1: Voici De Josaphat La Lugubre Vall?e
22. Act 4, Scene 1: Saint Ermite, C’est Vous !
23. Act 4, Scene 1: C’est Lui !
24. Act 4, Scene 1: Dieu Nous S?pare, H?l?ne
25. Act 4, Scene 1: La Bataille
26. Act 4, Scene 2: La Bataille Est Gagn?e !

Jerusalem, opera
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
with Simon Edwards, Roberto Scandiuzzi, Philippe Rouillon, Marina Meshcheriakova
Conducted by Fabio Luisi

Pure bliss

I finally ordered this opera after years of intending to buy it. I have complete recordings of all of Verdi’s other 29 works, and of course the Requiem as well. Of course I have several different versions of the major works, so the collection is fairly extensive. I had ordered Jerusalem through Fishpond quite a long time ago but something happened with the supplier and it never arrived. So I decided to order it from Amazon, and was not actually expecting to be overly impressed by it. I had not read any of the reviews here in advance. I was utterly knocked out by the beauty of the opera. As a reworking of the earlier I Lombardi I did not expect it to be quite as impressive or original as it sounds. From my reading, Verdi himself said the re-working is so extensive the new incarnation of the old is “almost unrecognisable.” I should have had more faith in Verdi. I know from his extensive amendments to Simone Boccanegra that when he re-vamps an opera he does a real thorough job of it. Jerusalem is astoundingly beautiful. One reviewer here, I notice, criticises the French pronunciation of the artists. Minor problem, I find, when the singing is so lovely and the music heavenly. I am transported listening to this lovely recording. I was rather disappointed to find no libretto with the CD, which seems to be the case with so many now. It’s very disappointing and I will try to find a libretto somwhere that I can copy to accompany my CDS. But I miss the old days of boxed sets and a thick book with several language translations and pictures of the artists and conductor. Sigh. But at least my Verdi Operas are now, finally, complete.