Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giuseppe Verdi, Kurt Weill
Performer: Sir Thomas Allen, Gwyn Hughes Jones, Claire Rutter, Susan Gritton, Geoffrey Mitchell Choir
Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra
Conductor: David Parry
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Chandos
Catalogue: CHAN3155
Release: 2008
Size: 282 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K620
01. Act I: I’m sure that there could never be
Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro, K492
02. Act I: Here’s an end to your life as a rover
Verdi: Falstaff
03. Act I: I’m dreaming? Or is this true?
Verdi: Don Carlo
04. Act I: Listen! – God who has brought us together
Verdi: Macbeth
05. Act IV: Treachery! – When you are old and full of tears
Mozart: Don Giovanni, K527
06. Act I: Aria: Little lady! Here’s a list I’ve assembled, “Catalogue Aria”
Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro, K492
07. Act I: Bravo, my lord and master – So little master, you’re dressed to go dancing
Verdi: La Traviata
08. Act II: You are Violetta Valery? – I have a daughter sent from God
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K620
09. Act I: A man in search of truth and beauty
Mozart: Don Giovanni, K527
10. Act I: Now that the wine has stopped them from thinking
11. Act II: Come softly to your window
Verdi: Don Carlo
12. Act IV: I’m here, Carlos! – My last day has dawned for ever
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K620
13. Act II: Pa-pa-ge-na
Weill: Knickerbocker Holiday
14. Act I: September Song
Over a long and still flourishing career Sir Thomas Allen has given benchmark performances in several operatic roles of which Mozart and Verdi operas figure strongly. With two spicy exceptions, every item in this programme comes from an opera by Mozart or Verdi. Part of the design of this recital series is to highlight the particular type of voice and explore its repertoire. The works chosen for this disc provide a unique showcase of Sir Thomas Allen’s unique gifts and that of the baritone in general. The Sunday Telegraph wrote of volume one, “How good to have this anthology of Thomas Allen’s versatility in a
wide range of his operatic roles… anyone who cherishes good singing will rejoice in this great baritone’s smooth legato, perfect diction, subtle characterisation and, of course, beautiful and unmistakable voice,” and The Guardian noted “As always, Allen was a supremely intelligent recitalist, matching sound with sense, probing the meaning of a text without fracturing the vocal line.”
As in previous issues, the solos are interspersed with longer excerpts, duets and ensembles, including performances with Susan Gritton and Claire Rutter. With Ford’s monologue in Falstaff, Sir Thomas extends his lyrical voice to encompass the more theatrical style of late Verdi and in the lighter Weill ‘September Song’, he extends it further, albeit in a different direction altogether. Other repertoire includes recitatives and arias from Verdi’s Macbeth and La Traviata, arias from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, and duets from The Magic Flute.