The Great Recordings

Disc 1
1	I Puritani, opera: Son ve
2	I Capuleti e i Montecchi,
3	Norma, opera: Mira, o Nor
4	Attila, opera: Santo di p
5	Il barbiere di Siviglia (
6	Roberto Devereux (Il Cont
7	Roberto Devereux (Il Cont
8	Vorrei spiegarvi, o Dio,
9	Amor ("An dem Feuer sass
Disc 2
1	Die Entführung aus dem Se
2	La Traviata, opera: È str
3	La Traviata, opera: Ah, f
4	La Traviata, opera: Folli
5	La Traviata, opera: Sempr
6	Manon, opera in 5 acts: C
7	Manon, opera in 5 acts: T
8	Manon, opera in 5 acts: N
9	Robert le diable, grand o
10	Les contes d'Hoffmann, op
11	Les contes d'Hoffmann, op
12	Giuditta, opera in 5 acts
13	Wien, du Stadt meiner Trä
14	The Ballad of Baby Doe, o
The Great Recordings
1.	I Puritani, opera: Son vergin vezzosa 5:57
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Performed by Richard van Allan, Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Heather Begg, Nicolai Gedda, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Plishka and Beverly Sills
	Conducted by Julius Rudel
2.	I Capuleti e i Montecchi, opera: Eccomi... Oh! quante volte 9:45
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Performed by Vienna Volksoper Orchestra and Beverly Sills
	Conducted by Jussi Jalas
3.	Norma, opera: Mira, o Norma 8:35
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Conducted by James Levine
	Performed by Philharmonia Orchestra, Beverly Sills and Shirley Verrett
4.	Attila, opera: Santo di patria... Allor che i forti corrono... Da 7:12
	Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
	Conducted by Aldo Ceccato
	Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra, Beverly Sills and Members of the Ambrosian Opera Chorus
5.	Il barbière di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), opera: Contro un cor che accende amore 7:38
	Composed by Gioachino Rossini
	Performed by Nicolai Gedda, London Symphony Orchestra and Beverly Sills
	Conducted by James Levine
6.	Roberto Devereux (Il Conte di Essex), opera: Che m'apporti? 3:29
	Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
	Performed by Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Peter Glossop, Kenneth MacDonald, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Beverly Sills and Beverly Wolff
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
7.	Roberto Devereux (Il Conte di Essex), opera: Quel sangue varsato al cielo s'innalza 5:33
	Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
	Performed by Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Peter Glossop, Kenneth MacDonald, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Beverly Sills and Beverly Wolff
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
8.	Vorrei spiegarvi, o Dio, aria for soprano & orchestra, K. 418 7:25
	Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
	Conducted by Aldo Ceccato
	Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra and Beverly Sills
9.	Amor ("An dem Feuer sass das Kind Amor"), song for voice & piano (or orchestra), Op. 68/5 (TrV 235/5) 2:51
	Composed by Richard Strauss
	Conducted by Aldo Ceccato
	Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra and Beverly Sills
10.	Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: Martern aller Arten 8:12
	Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
	Conducted by Aldo Ceccato
	Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra and Beverly Sills
11.	La Traviata, opera: È strano! È strano! 1:37
	Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
	Conducted by Aldo Ceccato
	Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Beverly Sills
12.	La Traviata, opera: Ah, fors'è lui 5:50
	Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
	Conducted by Aldo Ceccato
	Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Beverly Sills
13.	La Traviata, opera: Follie! Follie! 1:15
	Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
	Conducted by Aldo Ceccato
	Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Beverly Sills
14.	La Traviata, opera: Sempre libera 3:53
	Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
	Conducted by Aldo Ceccato
	Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Beverly Sills
15.	Manon, comic opera in 5 acts: Ces murs silencieux - Pardonnez-moi, Dieu de toute 2:35
	Composed by Jules Massenet
	Performed by Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra and Beverly Sills
	Conducted by Julius Rudel
16.	Manon, comic opera in 5 acts: Toi! Vous! - Oui! Je fus cruelle et coupable! 4:13
	Composed by Jules Massenet
	Performed by Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Nicolai Gedda, Philharmonia Orchestra and Beverly Sills
	Conducted by Julius Rudel
17.	Manon, comic opera in 5 acts: N'est-ce plus ma main? 4:35
	Composed by Jules Massenet
	Performed by Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Nicolai Gedda, Philharmonia Orchestra and Beverly Sills
	Conducted by Julius Rudel
18.	Robert le diable, grand opera in 5 acts: Robert, toi que j'aime 7:11
	Composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer
	Conducted by Charles Mackerras
	Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Beverly Sills
19.	Les contes d'Hoffmann, opera in 4 acts: Tu ne chanteras plus? 4:59
	Composed by Jacques Offenbach
	Performed by Patricia Kern, London Symphony Orchestra, Beverly Sills and Norman Treigle
	Conducted by Julius Rudel
20.	Les contes d'Hoffmann, opera in 4 acts: Chère enfant que j'appelle 4:08
	Composed by Jacques Offenbach
	Performed by Patricia Kern, London Symphony Orchestra, Beverly Sills and Norman Treigle
	Conducted by Julius Rudel
21.	Giuditta, opera in 5 acts: Meine Lippen, die küssen so heiß 5:22
	Composed by Franz Lehár
	Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra and Beverly Sills
	Conducted by Julius Rudel
22.	Wien, du Stadt meiner Träume ("Wien, Wien, nur du allein") 5:09
	Composed by Rudolf Sieczynski
	Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra and Beverly Sills
	Conducted by Julius Rudel
23.	The Ballad of Baby Doe, opera in 2 acts: Always through the changing 4:16
	Composed by Douglas S. Moore
	Conducted by Emerson Buckley
	Performed by New York City Opera Orchestra and Beverly Sills

All Music Guide

Exactly as the title implies, Beverly Sills: The Great Recordings is a well-produced document of one of America's most famous sopranos, and most vibrant musical personalities. It is beautifully mastered and nicely packaged, and it captures Sills at the top of her game, as she was in the late '60s and '70s. Anchored by excerpts from her two best-loved roles, Violetta in Verdi's "La Traviata" and Massenet's "Manon," but unfortunately only including one excerpt from her famous Donizetti "Three Queens" series (arguably her best achievement), this two-disc collection covers an impressive range of selections: staple works by Mozart, Bellini, Rossini, and Meyerbeer, some lighter selections from Offenbach and Lehár, and Moore's "The Ballad of Baby Doe." The last was one of Sills' signatures, and will probably always be identified with her. The visceral energy that made her coloratura voice sound bigger than it was, the improbably sparkling high notes, and the go-for-broke musicality that characterized her best singing take center stage in nearly every selection, and provide a convincing argument for Sills as one of the last century's great singers. Allen Schrott

New York Times

Vocal buffs looking for a representative Beverly Sills collection will want the Deutsche Grammophon set for its smart selection of songs and arias by Mozart, Strauss and Bellini, especially a glorious aria from Bellini's "Capuleti e i Montecchi," and two extended excerpts from Massenet's "Manon," one of Ms. Sills's signature roles. Anthony Tommasini

BBC Music Magazine

An enjoyable collection of bel canto standards. Michael Scott Rohan