Question for Italian Opera buffs

I have some compilation cds I like; they're older now so you will find other formats, I think.

One is Amore II, Great Italian Love Arias

Well, I can't find Amore I, but you can probably look it up.

There are undoubtedly other such compilations out there..

As it sounds like you're not familiar with Italian opera, I'll just suggest some standards that you might have heard and which would be appropriate to the occasion:

The Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni



The Brindisi ("Libiamo") from La Traviata by Verdi



"Si, mi chiamano Mimi" from La Boheme by Puccini



"Nessun dorma" from Turandot by Puccini



The "Humming Chorus" from Madama Butterfly by Puccini



"O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi by Puccini



"Celeste Aida" from Aida by Verdi



"Una furtiva lagrima" from L'elisir d'Amore by Donizetti



"Caro nome" from Rigoletto by Verdi



"Voi che sapete" from Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart



"La ci darem la mano" from Don Giovanni by Mozart

I own this one, osso. I love it. These are top notch performances.


This is the listing on that CD

Track Listings
1. O Mio Babbino Caro (From Gianni Schicchi) - Kiri Te Kanawa
2. Chi Il Bel Sogno Di Doretta (From La Rondine) - Kiri Te Kanawa
3. Quando M'en Vo' Soletta (From La Boheme) - Kiri Te Kanawa
4. Che Gelida Manina (From La Boheme) - Luciano Pavarotii
5. Mi Chiamano Mimi (From La Boheme) - Eva Marton
6. Donde Lieta Usci (From La Boheme) - Eva Marton
7. Recondita Armonia (From Tosca) - Richard Tucker
8. Vissi D'arte (From Tosca) - Kiri Te Kanawa
9. E Lucevan Le Stelle (From Tosca) - Richard Tucker
10. Un Bel Di Vedremo (From Madama Butterfly) - Kiri Te Kanawa
11. Addio, Fiorito Asil (From Madama Butterfly) - Richard Tucker
12. Tu, Tu, Piccolo Iddio (From Madama Butterfly) - Eva Marton
13. Tu, Che Di Gel Sei Cinta (From Turandot) - Eva Marton
14. Ch'ella Mi Creda Libero (From La Fanciulla Del West) - Richard Tucker
15. Il Lamento Di Federico (From L'Arlesiana) - Richard Tucker
16. La Donna E Mobile (From Rigoletto) - Luciano Pavarotti
17. Vesti La Giubba (From Pagliacci) - Luciano Pavarotti
18. Caro Nome Che Il Mio Cor (From Rigoletto) - Ileana Cotrubas
19. Amor Ti Vieta (From Fedora) - Luciano Pavarotti
20. Celeste Aida (From Aida) - Richard Tucker
21. Una Furtiva Lagrime (From L'Elisir D'amore) (Mono) - Richard Tucker
22. Ah! Si Ben Mio (From Il Trovatore) (Mono) - Richard Tucker
23. M'appari (From Martha) - Richard Tucker

You must have this one.

I'm not sure, from the info on Amazon, if both CDs have the same track listings. They appear to, which seems weird.

I think the Amore CD would be appropriate at a wedding reception--it's a great selection and it's available on Amazon..

Probably the only aria to avoid at such an occasion would be the mad scene from Lucia Di Lammermoor--it's delivered by the title character, right after she has killed her new husband on their wedding night.

Thanks for the backup, I wasn't up to posting all about it at the time.

And now I'm sleepy too. I'll list what I hear domani.
She says, dramatically..

Here's the amazon link with the titles and the samples for Amore II...

http://www.amazon.com/Amore-Great-Italian-Love-Arias/dp/B00004C4MX

I haven't cross checked yet, too many windows open on my computer, but at first glance, different from Amore (I). Back in a bit.

Edit - lots are the same, lots are different, at second glance, my eyes crossing..

I've never sampled cd's (etc.) so have no opinion on that. Instead I used to listen to the go-to guy at my record/cd store.. He was so good. I had a thread about him at some point.

Here's that thread, about Leon Berliner, wonderful person.

http://able2know.org/topic/229401-1

Is this party for the young couple? have you passed this musical idea past them? I would definitely recommend discussing this with them before proceeding.

There are three young (28 - 35) women in my work circle getting married this year. I can tell you that opera music being played at ANY event related to their wedding would not be acceptable to 2 of them. The 3rd wouldn't like it, but would be ok with it as long as someone else is paying for the entire event.

You're right, that's important. I can see a mix of music going better, given a variety of attending party folk. I like italian singer songwriters too (I learned a lot about that at a2k, as it happens), but a diet of that could drive people over the bend too.

Quite right. Just because someone is Italian doesn't mean they like Italian opera. I'm sure there are lots of Italians who hate it.

Furthermore, if the future daughter-in-law really knows opera, she might be appalled at a set list that contains nothing but the kind of standards that she has heard hundreds of times. If she was from the UK, for instance, I can imagine a better choice than playing the biggest hits of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

If you do decide to go with it, this is from an opera by an Austrian, but the libretto is in Italian. My personal opinion is that it is the best operatic duet going:

We talk, but we have our poster missing in action..