Album

Classical Love Songs is a compilation album that delivers exactly what its title implies, and it does so beautifully. It's notable for a number of admirable attributes. Most importantly, the quality of the singing is superlative. Deutsche Grammophon has culled some of the finest vocal performances from its catalog of compete operas and vocal recitals. It's difficult to single out individuals for special praise, since all the tracks feature top-notch singers, most of them recognized superstars, at the top of their game. The sound quality is excellent; all but three of the tracks were recorded digitally, and those are skillfully remastered, so there is never a sense of listening to a historic but sonically inferior performance. The album offers a nice diversity of material; most of the selections come from the standard operatic repertoire, but there is also "One Hand, One Heart" from West Side Story and Martini's eighteenth century song "Plaisir d'amour." There is a good combination of solos and duets. The themes are varied, too; some are conventional love songs to be sung to one's beloved, some are laments of disappointed lovers, some are songs of seduction, and some are contemplative reflections on love. The accompanying booklet clearly identifies the performances from which the excerpts were taken, so listeners looking for more can locate the sources' recordings. The quality of the performances and the high production standards make this an album that should appeal to seasoned opera fans, as well as casual listeners looking for a sampling of romantic vocal music.

© Stephen Eddins, All Music Guide

CD 1
Giacomo Puccini Composer Turandot (opera)...Act 3 Work Vienna State Opera Choir Chorus/Choir, Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Plácido Domingo Tenor, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra
1	2.Nessun dorma	3:24			$0.99
Georges Bizet Composer Carmen (opéra-comique)...Act 1 Work Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Orchestra, Manhattan Opera Chorus Chorus/Choir, Leonard Bernstein Conductor, Marilyn Horne Mezzo-Soprano
2	11b.L'amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habañera)	4:55			$0.99
Giuseppe Verdi Composer Rigoletto (opera)...Act 1 Work Rolando Villazón Tenor, Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Orchestra of Milan Orchestra, Daniele Callegari Conductor
3	3.Sc.1: Questa o quella per me pari sono	1:51			$0.49
Giuseppe Verdi Composer La Traviata (opera)...Act 1 Work Saimir Pirgu Tenor, Mahler Chamber Orchestra Orchestra, Anna Netrebko Soprano, Claudio Abbado Conductor
4	8.È strano!...Ah, fors'è lui; 9.Follie! Delirio vano è questo!...Sempre libera	8:28			$1.49
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K.492 (opera buffa)...Act 2 Work Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Claudio Abbado Conductor, Cecilia Bartoli Mezzo-Soprano
5	4.Canzano: Voi che sapete che cosa è amor	2:26			$0.99
Jean-Paul-Egide Martini Composer Plaisir d'amour, for voice & piano (or orchestra) Work Bryn Terfel Baritone, Barry Wordsworth Conductor, London Symphony Orchestra Orchestra
6	Plaisir d'amour, for voice & piano (or orchestra)	3:39			$0.99
Camille Saint-Saëns Composer Samson et Dalila (opera), Op.47...Act 2 Work SWR Baden-Baden and Freiburg Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Elina Garanca Mezzo-Soprano, Marco Armiliato Conductor
7	9.Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix	5:49			$0.99
Gaetano Donizetti Composer L'elisir d'amore (opera)...Act 2 Work Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti Tenor, James Levine Conductor
8	10.Recit and Aria: Una furtiva lagrima	4:13			$0.99
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Don Giovanni, K.527 (opera buffa)...Act 1 Work Thomas Quasthoff Baritone, Anna Netrebko Soprano, Dresden Staatskapelle Orchestra, Sebastian Weigle Conductor
9	16.Duet: Là ci darem la mano	3:25			$0.99
Georges Bizet Composer Carmen (opéra-comique)...Act 2 Work Jonas Kaufmann Tenor, Leonard Bernstein Conductor, Marco Armiliato Conductor, Prague Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra
10	12.La fleur que tu m'avais jetée (Flower Song)	4:17			$0.99
Leonard Bernstein Composer West Side Story (musical) Work Leonard Bernstein Conductor, Kiri Te Kanawa Soprano, José Carreras Tenor
11	8.One Hand, One Heart	5:40			$0.99
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), K.620 (Singspiel)...Act 1 Work Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Böhm Conductor, Fritz Wunderlich Tenor
12	3a.Tamino's Aria: Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön	4:37			$0.99
Giacomo Puccini Composer Madama Butterfly (opera)...Act 2 Work Giuseppe Sinopoli Conductor, Philharmonia Orchestra of London Orchestra, Mirella Freni Soprano
13	2.Un bel dì verdremo	5:00			$0.99
Giuseppe Verdi Composer Luisa Miller (opera)...Act 2 Work Rolando Villazón Tenor, Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Orchestra of Milan Orchestra, Daniele Callegari Conductor
14	5b.Oh! fede negar potessi; 6.Quando le sere al placido	5:34			$0.99
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K.492 (opera buffa)...Act 4 Work Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Ensemble, Simon Rattle Conductor, Claudio Abbado Conductor, Magdalena Kozena Soprano
15	9.Recitativo: Giunse alfin il momento; 10.Aria: Deh vieni, non tardar, o gioia bella	4:09			$0.99
Franz Lehár Composer Das Land des Lächelns (The Land of Smiles, operetta; revision of 'Die gelbe Jacke')...Act 2 Work Plácido Domingo Tenor, London Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Karl-Heinz Loges Conductor
16	11.Dein ist mein ganzes Herz!	3:32			$0.99
Jacques Offenbach Composer Les contes d'Hoffmann (opera)...Act 4 (performed as Act 3 in some version) Work Edita Gruberová Soprano, Seiji Ozawa Conductor, Claudia Eder Mezzo-Soprano, Orchestre National de France Orchestra, French Radio Choir Chorus/Choir
17	1.Belle nuit, o nuit d'amour ('Barcarolle')	3:49			$0.99