# BEL CANTO. Arias list. Best composer, arias, operas, singers?



## Hesoos (Jun 9, 2012)

Do you like Bel canto? 
I tried to make a short list about the best Bel canto’s arias (and some choruses). In this list there are only arias from Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti, the great Bel canto composers. 

Do you agree with the list? Is there missing some of the great arias? What are yor favorite arias? What are your favorite operas? Who is the best composer from Bel canto? What are your favorite Bel Canto’s singers? What operas do you recommend?

ROSSINI:

1813 TANCREDI Di tanti palpiti 
1813 ITALIANA languir per una bella
cruda sorte
1814 TURCO2 Non si da follia maggiore
1816 BARBIERIEcco ridente in cielo
Largo al factotum
Una voce poco fa
La calunnia è un venticello
A un dottor della mia sorte
cessa di piu resistere
1816 GAZZETTA co sta grazia sta portata 
1816 OTELLO Assisa a pie d'un salice
1817 CENERENTOLA Una volta c'era un re
Sì, ritrovarla io giuro, aria di Ramiro
1817 GAZZA LADRA Bravo, ma quel piacer che adesso
Accusata di furto
1818 MOSE Mi manca la voce
Dal tuo stellato soglio
1819 ERMIONE Sul lido di Agamennone
Sei vendicata
1823 SEMIRAMIDE ah dove il cimento
Bel raggio lusinghier
1829 GUGLIELMO TELL Selva opaca
Resta immobile
O muto asil del pianto

BELLINI:

1830 I CAPULETI E I MONTECCHI E serbato a questo acciaro
Se Romeo t’uccise un figlio 
1831 NORMA casta diva
guerra guerra
deh non volerli vittime
1831 SONNAMBULA prendi l'anel ti dono 
a non credea mirarti
a non giunge 
1835 PURITANI A te, o cara 
Son vergin vezzosa 
Qui la voce sua soave 
Vieni fra queste braccia
credeasi misera

DONIZETTI:

1830 ANNA BOLENA Al dolce guidami 
Coppia iniqua
1831 L'ELISIR D’AMORE Quanto è bella, quanto è cara!
Come Paride vezzoso
Chiedi all'aura lusinghiera duetto
Una furtiva lagrima
prendi per me sei libero
1833 LUCREZIA BORGIA Com’e bello
T'amo qual ama un angelo
Il segreto per essere felici 
1835 MARIA STUARDA Ah! Quando All'ara Scorgemi
Era D'amor L'immagine''
Deh! L'accogli'' - ''Morta Al Mondo
1835 LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Regnava nel silenzio
Oh, giusto cielo!...Il dolce suono
Fra poco a me ricovero
1837 ROBERTO DEVEREUX vivi ingrato 
quel sangue versato 
1840 FILLE DU REGIMENT. Le camarade est amoureux
Par le rang et l’opulence, Salut a la France
1840 LA FAVORITA Una vergine, un angel
Vieni Amor a piedi tuoi
1842 LINDA DI CHAMOUNIX Oh luce di quest'anima 
1843 DON PASQUALE Cercheró lontana terra
Com'è gentil la notte a mezzo aprile
Tornami a dir che m'ami


My favorite arias are Cruda sorte, Una voce poco fa, Assisa a pie d’un salice, Dal tuo stellato soglio, ah dove il cimento, selva opaca, prendi l’anel ti dono, casta diva, a te o cara, una furtiva lagrima, prendi per me sei libero, com’e bello, fra poco a me ricovero, una vergine un angel, cercherò lontana terra. 
My favorite operas: L’italiana in Algieri, Semiramide, Guglielmo Tell, Norma, I puritani, L’elisir d’amore and Lucia di Lammermoor.
My favorite singers: Kraus (The very best!!), Pavarotti, Merritt, Aragall, Carreras, Bruson, Sutherland, Caballé, Horne, Larmore...


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

Sort of off-topic, but related, I wanted to post my favorite explanation of Bel canto (although it is a bit of a non-explanation, I still like it):

Part 1:





Part 2:


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

OMG you left out Comte Ory completely! Have you never listened to it? It's pan galactic gargle blaster ... get the Glyndebourne version with Marc Laho, Jane Shaulis and Annick Massis, you won't regret it ... and you have to have Viaggio a Reims as well although they have much of the same music, just because the sextet in Viaggio a Reims is not duplicated in Ory unfortunately.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

guythegreg said:


> just because the sextet in Viaggio a Reims is not duplicated in Ory unfortunately.


and because _medaglie incomparabili _is so funny if sung by the right person.


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## Hesoos (Jun 9, 2012)

guythegreg said:


> OMG you left out Comte Ory completely! Have you never listened to it? It's pan galactic gargle blaster ... get the Glyndebourne version with Marc Laho, Jane Shaulis and Annick Massis, you won't regret it ... and you have to have Viaggio a Reims as well although they have much of the same music, just because the sextet in Viaggio a Reims is not duplicated in Ory unfortunately.


I haven't listened to Viaggio a Reims and to Comte Ory yet... Thank you for your recommandations Guythegreg, I write them in my wish list,hehe!

In my Rossini's list are too: Zelmira, Elisabetta, Armida and L'assedio di Corinto. I've listened to La scala di seta and l'occasione fa il ladro, but in my opinion in these operas there are no great arias. By the way, L'occasione fa il ladro is a very funny opera, and the storm scene is almost the same as in Il barbiere di Siviglia. 
Between the operas by Donizetti I could recommend Il diluvio universale, a strange opera but very nice, the preghiera "oh Dio di pietà" are similar as Mose's "Dal tuo stellato soglio" by Rossini (these songs remember me the beginnig of Samson and Dalila by Saint-Saens), and the aria "Dio tremendo onnipossente" is good as well, remmarkable the final scene with the tremendous storm.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini = Bel Canto . Verisimo opera = Can Belto .


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## MattExcell (Jun 15, 2011)

I love bel canto and have a whole youtube list of all my favourite extracts: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A01C9EBEF335ECC&feature=mh_lolz

Nearly 200 tracks and still going - I notice that there are some in your list that I have yet to get to, but what can you expect? Donizetti alone wrote over 70 operas, there's so much material to get through.

Does anyone else consider Meyerbeer as a bel canto master, by the way? I have seen some material bracketing him with the other three, but I'm not super familiar with his work.


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

MattExcell said:


> Does anyone else consider Meyerbeer as a bel canto master, by the way? I have seen some material bracketing him with the other three, but I'm not super familiar with his work.


Meyebeer is often called the love-child of Rossini and Wagner, but I'm not sure. Don't we usually keep the French out of these things?


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

Aksel said:


> Meyebeer is often called the love-child of Rossini and Wagner, but I'm not sure. Don't we usually keep the French out of these things?


When I think of Meyerbeer, I think more of grand opera than bel canto.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

superhorn said:


> Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini = Bel Canto . Verisimo opera = Can Belto .


The old ones are the best ones,eh?


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

This is the third time this subject has appeared in the last year.But I'll repeat what I said last time there is no such thing as a bel canto opera,bel canto is a way of singing,the operas of Rossini and Donizetti are examples of florid singing.
"Bel canto is a mellifluos type of singing aimed at an agreeable,well rounded tone ,an even scale from top to bottom,an unbroken legato,a nicety of intonation,an eloquence of phrase and cadence,a purity of vowels,an avoidance of shouting,nasality,harsh or open sounds,disjointed registers,undue vehemence or any other evidence of vulgarity or bad or negligent schooling."
Henry Pleasants, "The Great Singers".
Joan Sutherland and Montserrat Caballe are examples of bel canto type singers.
But presumably any opera even Wagner can be sung in a bel canto way.
One of the best examples that I have is John McCormack singing 'De miei bollenti spiriti' from "La Traviata".
As far as Meyerbeer is concerned,you can hear one of the greatest bel canto singers ,Margarethe Siems,singing 'O beau pays' from "Les "Huguenots" in German--- but you can't have everything! 1910 recording.


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