Track Listing

1. Torna A Surriento
2. Passione
3. Maria, Mari'
4. Core 'Ngrato
5. Parlami D'amore, Mariu
6. Non Ti Scordar Di Me
7. 'O Sole Mio
8. A Marechiare
9. Voce'e Notte
10. Dicitencello Vuie
11. Comme Facette Mammeta?
12. Musica Proibita
13. 'A Vucchella
14. Canta Pe' Me!
15. Fenesta Ca Lucive
16. Santa Lucia
17. 'O Surdato 'Nnamurato

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #122616 in Music
• Released on: 2001-11-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds
• Running time: 58 minutes

Customer Reviews

bravo bravissimo !
One usually hears these songs sung by tenors, and it's a wonderful change to hear them in Hvorostovsky's dark honey velvet baritone, bringing a new dimension to this well loved and often played music. His Italian is flawless and there's an emotion to his interpretation that's genuine and moving.

The booklet insert (which includes all the lyrics and side by side English translations), says: "With a voice of burnished beauty, warm and liquid in tone, and a superb capacity for eloquent phrasing, and stunning, long-spun phrases, Hvorostovsky is a natural for this repertoire". Well said...I think this phenomenal singer is perhaps the finest voice in opera today, and this CD adds another facet to his extraordinary talent.

The Philharmonia of Russia led by Constantine Orbelian has just the right light touch and I find the balance between the orchestra and singer well placed. This is a marvelous addition to my Dmitri collection, and one I'm sure I'll be listening to often.

Tenor territory, but excellent all the same
The big problem with Neapolitan song recitals (Torna a Surrento, etc.) is usually the documentation. Maybe it's the record companies being snooty about populist composers, or maybe the difficulties of Neapolitan dialect (i.e. O sole mio is Il sole mio in standard Italian) but the classic recitals by Di Stefano and Caruso are invariably provided note, text and translation-less. Exceptions to this are Disc 10 of Decca's Pavarotti Edition, the Daniela del Monaco recital on Opus 111, and this baritonal offering from Hvorostovsky.

To be honest for Italian flavour one would probably go for a native speaker, but Hvorostovsky does sound very convincing here - as much as in his Arie Antiche recital with Marriner - and he certainly won't disappoint his fans. If you really want to hear Hvorostovsky in idiomatic and populist mode though, try his smoky Russian saloon recital 'I met you my love' (also with Orbelian, also on Delos, also with texts and translations).