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Puccini: La Bohème
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Puccini: Madame Butterfly
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 5 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 17
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 15
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Story4 out of 5 stars 15
Madama Butterfly runs the gamut of operatic emotions. The title heroine has a fragility wonderfully expressed in her entry music, deep sexual instincts as shown in the love duet, and immense tragic stature in her last hours. The fate of Madama Butterfly - married to an American sailor and then abandoned - engages our emotions to a degree equaled by few other opera heroines. The oriental setting and the exquisite orchestral and choral writings are treasured bonuses.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Verdi: Aida
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 9
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9
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Story4 out of 5 stars 9
Ancient Egypt and the war with Ethiopia is the setting for Verdi’s grandest opera. It is the story of the love between Rhadames, the Egyptian general, and Aida, an Ethiopian slave, and the jealousy of Amneris, daughter of the King of Egypt. It was written in 1871 to a commission from the Khedive of Egypt to inaugurate the new opera house in Cairo. Aida generally is considered one of the most spectacular of Verdi’s operas.
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Puccini: Turandot
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 15
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 13
Puccini’s swansong has a claim to being the last great popular opera. Its melodies have enchanted audiences since its posthumous premiere in 1926, two years after Puccini’s death. It involves a chilling story of love and cruelty, an intriguing cast of characters against the exotic backdrop of Imperial China, magnificent choruses and ensembles, and dazzling orchestration in an exotic score that comprises a string of remarkable arias - among which the great tenor aria "Nessun dorma" is the jewel. It is more than Puccini’s last opera: It is the last word, in every sense, on Italian opera.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fire and ice, hope and blood
- By Zaubermond on 12-05-13
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Carmen
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 6 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 12
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 12
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Story4 out of 5 stars 11
Carmen is among the most popular operas for all the obvious reasons: great characters, a gripping story, and fabulous music. But what sets it on a pinnacle is an amazing combination of three factors: a sizzling Gipsy heroine (one of the most psychologically complex and compelling characters in all theatre), great atmosphere (Spain, hot sun, the bull-ring), and the prodigality of melodic invention - one great tune after another, at least a dozen of which are the staples of Madison Avenue and the animated cartoon.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Passion, power, and truth
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Verdi: Rigoletto
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
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Story4 out of 5 stars 10
Rigoletto is simply wonderful entertainment with superb music. It is also much more - a daring (for its time) attack on aristocratic privilege, a tender love story, and an impassioned appeal on behalf of the disadvantaged, all set to music of such wealth and beauty that, with its sister operas La traviata and Il trovatore, it has defined Italian opera for 150 years. Overcoming initial trouble with the censors, Verdi's Rigoletto was a smash hit at its premiere and has not been out of the repertoire since. It’s not hard to see why.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fun intro (or recap) of the opera
- By EmilyK on 05-24-18
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Mozart: Così Fan Tutte
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 18 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10
Così Fan Tutte contains some of Mozart’s most sublime music. On one level, the opera is purely a social anecdote about young people falling in and out of love; but Mozart was a supreme sensualist and a great humanist, and invested the tale with all his understanding of humanity and young love. In this title, David Timson refutes the charge that Mozart squandered his genius on a work full of trivial nonsense and proves this "miraculous yet problematic" opera to be a great work of theatre. To listen to this thought-provoking examination of the characters and the music is both thoroughly enriching and great fun.
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5 out of 5 stars
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especially fun before a performance
- By EmilyK on 03-11-18
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Puccini: Madame Butterfly
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 5 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 17
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 15
Madama Butterfly runs the gamut of operatic emotions. The title heroine has a fragility wonderfully expressed in her entry music, deep sexual instincts as shown in the love duet, and immense tragic stature in her last hours. The fate of Madama Butterfly - married to an American sailor and then abandoned - engages our emotions to a degree equaled by few other opera heroines. The oriental setting and the exquisite orchestral and choral writings are treasured bonuses.
-
5 out of 5 stars
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Let’s get that bread
- By Xavier Boyer on 10-22-18
-
Verdi: Aida
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 9
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 9
Ancient Egypt and the war with Ethiopia is the setting for Verdi’s grandest opera. It is the story of the love between Rhadames, the Egyptian general, and Aida, an Ethiopian slave, and the jealousy of Amneris, daughter of the King of Egypt. It was written in 1871 to a commission from the Khedive of Egypt to inaugurate the new opera house in Cairo. Aida generally is considered one of the most spectacular of Verdi’s operas.
-
Puccini: Turandot
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 13
Puccini’s swansong has a claim to being the last great popular opera. Its melodies have enchanted audiences since its posthumous premiere in 1926, two years after Puccini’s death. It involves a chilling story of love and cruelty, an intriguing cast of characters against the exotic backdrop of Imperial China, magnificent choruses and ensembles, and dazzling orchestration in an exotic score that comprises a string of remarkable arias - among which the great tenor aria "Nessun dorma" is the jewel. It is more than Puccini’s last opera: It is the last word, in every sense, on Italian opera.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fire and ice, hope and blood
- By Zaubermond on 12-05-13
-
Carmen
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 6 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 12
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 12
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 11
Carmen is among the most popular operas for all the obvious reasons: great characters, a gripping story, and fabulous music. But what sets it on a pinnacle is an amazing combination of three factors: a sizzling Gipsy heroine (one of the most psychologically complex and compelling characters in all theatre), great atmosphere (Spain, hot sun, the bull-ring), and the prodigality of melodic invention - one great tune after another, at least a dozen of which are the staples of Madison Avenue and the animated cartoon.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Passion, power, and truth
- By Zaubermond on 12-08-13
-
Verdi: Rigoletto
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 10
Rigoletto is simply wonderful entertainment with superb music. It is also much more - a daring (for its time) attack on aristocratic privilege, a tender love story, and an impassioned appeal on behalf of the disadvantaged, all set to music of such wealth and beauty that, with its sister operas La traviata and Il trovatore, it has defined Italian opera for 150 years. Overcoming initial trouble with the censors, Verdi's Rigoletto was a smash hit at its premiere and has not been out of the repertoire since. It’s not hard to see why.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fun intro (or recap) of the opera
- By EmilyK on 05-24-18
-
Mozart: Così Fan Tutte
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 18 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10
Così Fan Tutte contains some of Mozart’s most sublime music. On one level, the opera is purely a social anecdote about young people falling in and out of love; but Mozart was a supreme sensualist and a great humanist, and invested the tale with all his understanding of humanity and young love. In this title, David Timson refutes the charge that Mozart squandered his genius on a work full of trivial nonsense and proves this "miraculous yet problematic" opera to be a great work of theatre. To listen to this thought-provoking examination of the characters and the music is both thoroughly enriching and great fun.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
especially fun before a performance
- By EmilyK on 03-11-18
-
The Flying Dutchman
- Opera Explained
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 8
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 8
The Flying Dutchman is the perfect opera with which to approach the operatic mountain that is Richard Wagner. It is short, has a great story (the legend of the Dutch captain doomed to sail forever unless redeemed through love), and the striking score has many pre-echoes of Wagner's later great music dramas. It contains wonderful tunes in its arias, ensembles, and big choruses, and the orchestral writing - from the gale that blows out of the Overture to the final theme of "Redemption through Love" - will "blow you away".
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4 out of 5 stars
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An introduction to Wagner
- By Zaubermond on 02-06-13
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Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 8
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
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Story4 out of 5 stars 6
Many opera-lovers would name The Marriage of Figaro as their favorite opera. It appeals to the most intellectual listener, but also to music-lovers seeking great melodies and ensembles (while it remains accessible through its fascinating plot and memorable characters) and to those seeking only entertainment. One of three operas by Mozart to libretti by Lorenzo da Ponte, it represents one of the pinnacles not just of operatic but of human achievement.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Not the audio that it promised.
- By Chelsea on 01-22-16
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Pelleas et Melisande
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 18 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 11
Dating from the last decade of the 19th century, Pelléas et Mélisande points the way into the 20th century. The score is hauntingly beautiful, but there is more to the work than shifting panels of elusive, impressionistic sound. Debussy retains the text of Maeterlinck’s play, and the linguistic subtleties of the French text are matched perfectly by the musical detail. Taking a little time to explore the romantic, elusive world of this opera is particularly rewarding.
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The Barber of Seville
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 11
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
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Story4 out of 5 stars 10
The Barber of Seville is Rossini’s most popular opera. Its effervescent overture (written originally for another work!) presents a perfect platform for the amusing plot in which the barber, Figaro, stage-manages a romance between Count Almaviva and Rosina, and puts to flight the old suitor, Dr Bartolo. "Largo al Factotum" is one of the most popular arias in opera - nearly 200 years after its first performance it is still one of the great show-stoppers.
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Cavalleria Rusticana
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 16 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 6
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6
Cavalleria rusticana is the short opera that has all the elements of a grand opera compressed into a single highly dramatic time span. The story of love, lust, blood-feud, and betrayal played out against the pageantry of the Easter celebrations in a Sicilian village delivers an emotional wallop because of the youthful vigor and musical wealth of its great score which includes the glorious "Easter Hymn" and the deeply moving "Intermezzo". Mascagni was never to repeat his youthful success but this brief work is enough to ensure his immortality.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Enjoy the opera as it was meant to be
- By Essam on 04-05-15
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La Traviata
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 5 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 18
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
La Traviata owes its enduring popularity to a superb story of young love and fatal sacrifice, set to music by Italy’s master melodist at the peak of his powers. Interest and poignancy are added by the fact that this is a true story - the baritone ‘heavy’ is Alexander Dumas who wrote The Count of Monte Cristo. But it is the central figure, the heroine Violetta, the archetypal ‘whore with the heart of gold’ who dominates the piece. It is her opera and we love her for it.
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5 out of 5 stars
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interesting and educational look at the opera
- By EmilyK on 11-23-18
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Leoncavallo: Pagliacci
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 1 min
- Original Recording
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 4
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4
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Story4 out of 5 stars 4
Pagliacci may be the most completely compelling short opera in the repertory and owes much of its impact to a brilliant story based, it is said, on true life and told through the device of a play-within-a-play. The action is set in Calabria in the deep south of Italy where the jealousies and illicit passions of a troupe of strolling actors precisely intersect with the play they are performing - to both touching and tragic effect.
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Verdi: Falstaff
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 18 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 3
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 3
Verdi’s Falstaff repays careful study with real pleasure. It is opera’s happiest irony that the great Italian master should cap a career - distinguished for its blood-and-thunder tragic masterpieces - with the greatest comic opera in the Italian repertory. The genius of Shakespeare is harnessed (in a miracle of compression) by master-librettist Boito to give the 80-year-old Verdi a superb libretto, on which he lavished more wonderful tunes than most composers manage in a lifetime.
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Mozart: The Magic Flute
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 10 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 16
The Magic Flute almost defines a masterpiece, because it can be enjoyed on every level. It is a superb fairy story, complete with dragons, demons, a handsome prince, and a lovely maiden seriously in need of rescue; it is a political satire, social commentary, and psychological drama; it is full of tunes from the playful to the heart-stopping, jolly songs, and deeply spiritual outpourings. It is, in short, "Mozart" - and there is no greater compliment than that.
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2 out of 5 stars
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The sublime and the ridiculous
- By Zaubermond on 04-19-13
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Don Giovanni
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 9
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9
Don Giovanni has long been regarded as Mozart’s supreme theatrical achievement. The subject seems unpromising - the last day in the life of the notorious womanizer Don Juan - but the skill of the librettist allied to the genius of Mozart at the very peak of his powers has created a work which is not only highly entertaining but reflects an incredible understanding of the human condition.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Very short introductions to specific operas!
- By Doggy Bird on 02-09-14
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Die Fledermaus
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 6
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 6
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 6
Die Fledermaus is one of the few operatic works to which the phrase "never a dull moment" can be truthfully applied. From the explosive opening of the famous overture - reminiscent of a volley of champagne corks - through the surging energy of the "Fledermaus Waltz" and the many comic numbers, of which the accelerando trio is the finest, up to such huge concerted numbers as the "Duidu" finale to Act II, this is an operetta which almost incarnates nostalgia. Thomson Smillie and David Timson infuse their exploration of Die Fledermaus with as much life as the operetta itself.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Revenge of the bat
- By Zaubermond on 12-08-13
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Tristan und Isolde
- By: Christopher Cook
- Narrated by: Christopher Cook
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 15
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 14
Tristan und Isolde centres around two lovers who dream of romantic love and yearn for oblivion. No composer had written such a work before. Turning his back on traditional tonality, Wagner changed the course of Western music with Tristan und Isolde. But there’s also fact behind the fiction: while he wrote his opera Wagner was in love with another’s man’s wife, Mathilde Wesendonk. So Tristan and Isolde are also Richard and Mathilde.
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5 out of 5 stars
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To this loveliest of all dreams...
- By Zaubermond on 03-30-13
Editorial Reviews
One of the most popular operas to ever be written, La Bohème combines high-spirited antics with one of the most tender and romantic scenes ever performed onstage. Through narrator David Timson's graceful performance, Thomson Smillie outlines the background to the opera, explaining how Puccini created its exquisite moments of beauty, expertly treading the fine line between romance and sentimentality. Listeners approaching La Bohème as novices will find themselves experiencing a moment of frisson when Mimì and Rodolfo meet for the first time.
Publisher's Summary
La Bohème is one of the three operas - the others are Carmen and Aida - believed to be the most popular ever written. In the case of La Bohème the reason is that it virtually defines the term "romantic". The poignant story of Mimì and Rodolfo is told in music of such tender beauty, allied, as always, to Puccini’s intuition of what works in the theatre. The result is an opera that readily appeals to our emotions and senses.
"Che gelida manina - Your tiny hand is frozen..." The moment when Mimì and Rodolfo meet and first touch is one of the very great moments of opera - created by the master hand of Giacomo Puccini, who unerringly trod the fine line between romance and sentimentality.
Thomson Smillie outlines the background to the opera, explaining how painstakingly the composer worked to achieve this effect. An absorbing introduction both for those approaching La Bohème for the first time and for those wanting to know a bit more than just the big arias.
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4 out of 5 stars
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars11
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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