Aurora: opera arias

José Cura, tenor and conductor

Aurora, opera arias (original texts)

1- Canción a la Bandera / 3'14''

Excerpt from Intermezzo Epico

Aurora (1907) by Hector Panizza (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1875 / Milano, Italy, 1967)

World première in Spanish, 9 of July, 1945, Teatro Colón

2- Svanir le voci! ... Meco all' altar di Venere... Me protegge, me difende

(Recitativo e cavatina di Pollione) Scena II, atto I / 8'15''

Norma, composed in1831 by Vincenzo Bellini (Catania, Italy, 1801 / Puteaux, France, 1835)

World Première 26 of December, 1831, Teatro Alla Scala di Milano

3- Ah si, ben dite... Tutto parea sorridere

(Recitativo ed aria di Corrado) Scena I, atto I / 7'07''

Il Corsaro (1848) by Giuseppe Verdi (Roncole di Busseto, Italy, 1813 / Milano, Italy, 1901)

World Première, 25 of October, 1848, Teatro Grande di Trieste

4- Oh! fede negar potessi .... Quando le sere al placido

(Scena ed aria di Rodolfo) Finale II, atto II / 5'25''

Luisa Miller (1849) by Giuseppe Verdi (Roncole di Busseto, Italy, 1813 / Milano, Italy, 1901)

World Première, 11 of March, 1851, Teatro La Fenice di Venezia

5- Mi batte il cor ... O Paradis

(Aria di Vasco da Gama) Atto IV / 3'01''

L'Africana (1864) by Giacomo Meyerbeer (Tasdorf, Germany, 1791 / Paris, France, 1864)

World Première, 24 of Apri, 1865, Opera de Paris

6- Giunto sul passo estremo

(Romanza di Faust) Epilogo, atto IV / 3'02''

Mefistofele (1868) by Arrigo Boito (Padova, Italy, 1842 / Milano, Italy, 1918)

World Première, 5 of March, 1868, Teatro Alla Scala di Milano

7- Sia gloria ai canti dei naviganti! ... Cielo e mar

(Recitativo e romanza di Enzo) Atto II / 6'54''

La Gioconda, composed in 1876 by Amilcare Ponchielli (Paterno Fasolaro, Italy, 1834 / Milano, Italy, 1886

World Première, 8 of April, 1876, Teatro Alla Scala di Milano

8- Ed anche Beppe amó

(Aria di Fritz) Scena III, atto III / 3'07''

L'amico Fritz (1891) by Pietro Mascagni (Livorno, Italy, 1863 / Roma, Italy, 1945)

World Première, 31 of October, 1891, Teatro Constanzi di Roma

9- Preludio. Atto II / 4'21''

Siberia (1903) by Umberto Giordano (Foggia, Italy, 1867 / Milano, Italy, 1948)

World Première, 19 of December, 1903, Teatro Alla Scala di Milano

10- Orride steppe

(Aria di Vassili) Atto II / 5'15''

Siberia (1903) by Umberto Giordano (Foggia, Italy, 1867 / Milano, Italy, 1948)

World Première, 19 of December, 1903, Teatro Alla Scala di Milano

11- Intermezzo Epico / 5'44''

Aurora (1907) by Hector Panizza (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1875 / Milano, Italy, 1967)

World Première in Italian, 5 of September, 1908, Teatro Colón

12- Bonus track. Recording Back stage / 4'53''

TOTAL 60'28''

Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra

Producer's Catalogue Number CPV 002

As one can see from the list of the CD and 1rst part of the concert on November 29, 2002 in Vienna, they are very similar, which makes it easier to make a comparison. On the CD Cura conducts it all. In the concert it was Veneri who conducted the arias. And here is the biggest difference, I find José Cura's reading of the score's more romantic, well, I liked his conducting better than Veneri's. Not that I found Veneri lacking in the concert, but when listening to the CD I know who I prefere. Naturally I would have liked very much to hear and see Cura in the flesh singing the arias from Norma, Luisa Miller. L'Amico Fritz and the aria from Siberia. But I guess that Cura had to spare himself afterall he was to conduct the 2nd symphony of Rachmaniov after the interval. In the aria concert I found Cura singing from Macbeth and Mefistofele as the two most beautiful vocal moments. And I enjoyed Cura conducting the Ouverture from I Vespri Siciliani and the Prelude from Siberia.