Album

With the fine job that Beverly Sills has done navigating the treacherous waters of Fine Arts administration and as a gracious host on American public television, it is easy to forget that Sills was once the most popular operatic soprano in the United States. This is partly complicated in that, to date, "Bubbles" (as she is affectionately nicknamed) has not been particularly well served on CD. In recent years, that has begun to change, but mostly through the return of complete opera sets in which she sang. For those who mainly have a general interest in Sills' singing and personality, precious little has been made available. The Art of Beverly Sills comes through Deutsche Grammophon, but the recordings used are drawn from material made by the long-defunct ABC Records concern in the late '60s and early '70s. This was Sills' prime period; she never sounded better on record than for ABC. The repertoire here features light opera, such as is expected from "Bubbles," but there is also more serious fare, such as excerpts from Mignon, I Puritani, Die tote Stadt, and a Richard Strauss Lied. No matter what the assignment is, Sills is exceptional in all of it. Of particular interest is an aria taken from a 1959 MGM recording of Douglas Moore's opera The Ballad of Baby Doe. Fans of Sills will surely want this, and for those who know her only from her work on public TV, they may be delighted to learn what a fine singer she was from this collection. In any event, The Art of Beverly Sills is certainly most welcome, as Sills was one great opera singer whose career many can remember on a first-hand basis.

© Uncle Dave Lewis, All Music Guide

CD 1 of 2
Ambroise Thomas Composer Raymond (opera) Work Recorded 1969 Beverly Sills Soprano, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus Chorus/Choir, Sir Charles Mackerras Conductor
1	Oui pour ce soir je suis reine des fées...Je suis Titania la blonde	6:06			$0.99
Jules Massenet Composer Manon (opera)...Act 2 Work Recorded 1970 Beverly Sills Soprano, Julius Rudel Conductor, New Philharmonia Orchestra Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus Chorus/Choir
2	8.Allons! Il le faut! Pour lui-même!; 9.Adieu, notre petit table	4:42			$0.99
Jules Massenet Composer Manon (opera)...Act 3 Work Recorded 1970 Beverly Sills Soprano, Julius Rudel Conductor, Michel Trempont Voice, New Philharmonia Orchestra Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus Chorus/Choir
3	7.Je marche sur tous les chemins; 8.Gavotte. Obéissons quand leur voix appelle	7:37			$1.49
Gustave Charpentier Composer Louise, opera Work Recorded 1969 Beverly Sills Soprano, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras Conductor
4	Act 3. Aria: Depuis le jour	5:36			$0.99
Gaetano Donizetti Composer Linda di Chamounix (opera)...Acts 1 Work Recorded 1968 Beverly Sills Soprano, Jussi Jalas Conductor, Vienna Volksoper Orchestra Orchestra
5	6.Ah! Tardai troppo... O luce di quest'anima	6:28			$0.99
Gaetano Donizetti Composer Lucia di Lammermoor (opera)...Act 1 Work Recorded 1970 Beverly Sills Soprano, Thomas Schippers Conductor, London Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Patricia Kern Voice
6	6.Regnava nel silenzio; 7.Quando rapito in estasi	9:21			$1.49
Vincenzo Bellini Composer I Puritani (opera seria)...Act 3 Work Recorded 1973 11:43 Beverly Sills Soprano, Julius Rudel Conductor, London Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Nicolai Gedda Tenor
7	5.Finì...me lassa!; 6.Ch'ei provò	7:04			$1.49
8	7.Vieni fra queste braccia	4:39			$0.99
Gaetano Donizetti Composer Roberto Devereux (Il Conte di Essex; opera)...Act 1 Work Recorded 1969 Beverly Sills Soprano, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras Conductor
9	5.L'amor suo mi fe' beata	3:59			$0.99
Gaetano Donizetti Composer Maria Stuarda (opera) Work Recorded 1971 Beverly Sills Soprano, John Alldis Choir Chorus/Choir, London Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Aldo Ceccato Conductor, Patricia Kern Voice
10	O nube	7:55			$1.49
Gaetano Donizetti Composer Anna Bolena (opera)...Act 2 Work Recorded 1972 Beverly Sills Soprano, John Alldis Choir Chorus/Choir, Julius Rudel Conductor, Stuart Burrows Voice, London Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Patricia Kern Voice, Robert Lloyd Voice
11	20.Scene 3: Cielo, a' miei lunghi spasimi; 21.Scene 3: Coppia iniqua, l'estrema vendetta	7:38			$1.49
CD 2 of 2
Jacques Offenbach Composer Les contes d'Hoffmann (opera)...Act 2 Work Recorded 1972 Beverly Sills Soprano, John Alldis Choir Chorus/Choir, Julius Rudel Conductor, London Symphony Orchestra Orchestra
1	9.Les oiseaux dans la charmille (The Doll's Song)	5:17			$0.99
Jacques Offenbach Composer Les contes d'Hoffmann (opera)...Act 3 (performed as Act 4 in some versions) Work Recorded 1972 Beverly Sills Soprano, John Alldis Choir Chorus/Choir, Julius Rudel Conductor, London Symphony Orchestra Orchestra
2	1.Elle a fui, la tourterelle	4:32			$0.99
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Zaide (Das Serail), K.344 (Singspiel)...Act 1 Work Recorded 1970 Beverly Sills Soprano, London Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Aldo Ceccato Conductor
3	3.Aria: Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben	8:08			$1.49
Richard Heuberger Composer Der Opernball, operetta Work Recorded 1971 Beverly Sills Soprano, Julius Rudel Conductor, London Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra
4	Im Chambre séparée	4:27			$0.99
Franz Lehár Composer Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow, operetta) Work Recorded 1971 Beverly Sills Soprano, Julius Rudel Conductor, London Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra
5	Vilja-Lied	7:20			$1.49
Douglas S. Moore Composer The Ballad of Baby Doe, opera in 2 acts Work Recorded 1959 Beverly Sills Soprano, New York City Opera Orchestra Orchestra, Emerson Buckley Conductor
6	Gold is a fine thing	3:15			$0.99
Erich Wolfgang Korngold Composer Die tote Stadt (The Dead City; opera), Op.12...Act 1 Work Recorded 1971 Beverly Sills Soprano, Julius Rudel Conductor, London Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra
7	6.Glück, das mir verblieb (Marietta's Lied)	7:58			$1.49
Richard Strauss Composer Daphne, Op.82, TrV272 (bucolic tragedy) Work Recorded 1970 Beverly Sills Soprano, London Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Aldo Ceccato Conductor
8	17.Unheilvolle Daphne; 18.Was erblicke ich?; 19.Daphnes Verwandlung; 20.Mondlichtmusik	18:18			$2.99
Richard Strauss Composer 6 Lieder aus Lotosblätter, Op.19, TrV152 Work Recorded 1970 Beverly Sills Soprano, London Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Aldo Ceccato Conductor
9	2.Breit' uber mein Haupt dien schwarzes Haar	2:45			$0.99