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Whistle Stopper - Menotti: Amahl and the Night Visitors
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List Price: $9.98
Our Price: $3.84
Your Save: $ 6.14 ( 62% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: RCA
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0078635648522
Format: Cast Recording
Label: RCA
Manufacturer: RCA
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: RCA
Release Date: 1990-10-25
Studio: RCA
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: As beautiful as I remember
Comment: This was a holiday staple in our house when I was growing up, and dated though it may be, this CD sounds better than the LP we had. It's an exquisite work of art.
Customer Rating:
Summary: excellent quality
Comment: the cd has a very good audio quality, and for people that want to here the opera for practicing, this is a good product to buy.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Comment: Nothing else puts me in the Christmas spirit like listening to Menotti's tale of Amahl and the Night Visitors. The music is absolutely enchanting.
Customer Rating:
Summary: a voice teacher and early music fan
Comment: VIBRANT VOICES-WHIMSICAL WOODWINDS-TUNEFUL MELODIES AND A MIRACLE TOO!!!
From the first reedy sound of the oboe mimicking the shepherd pipes to the first vocal notes by Rosemary Kuhlman (Amahl's mother) calling for Amahl to come inside, to Amahl's crystal clear boy soprano (Chet Allen)response, we are drawn into the musical story of a little crippled boy and his own personal miracle.
If no one had heard of Gian Carol Menotti prior to this work, as of Christmas Eve, 1951, most of the country became aware of him. He had, in fact written several successful operas before this one, but the medium of television really was a great boost to the success of Amahl.
I have mentioned already the two main leads, but the other four singers fulfilled their specific roles in a very skillful manner. I particularly liked the voice of Andrew McKinley, tenor, who really projected the part of a rather silly and far-out slightly deaf Kaspar wonderfully well! The Chorus of Shepherds and Villagers sang the very attractive choral music in an up-beat manner and the Orchestra handled the accompaniment, which for the woodwinds was rather difficult, perfecto! While Menotti supervised all of the proceedings, Thomas Schippers pulled it all gloriously together. This is a landmark recording, and certainly a collectible.
Customer Rating:
Summary: My favorite Christmas music
Comment: Having seen the original TV production of Amahl as a kid, I have very fond and tender memories of this story, and I find the music to be absolutely delightful - profound but in a very accessible and somewhat playful way. This recording brings back the spirit of Christmas to me instantly!
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Editorial Reviews:
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Back in the days when the forces that controlled television actually cared about art, it was perfectly normal to see original plays and live musical performances right in your living room. In 1950, Menotti was commissioned to write an opera for television, and on Christmas Eve, 1951, Amahl and the Night Visitors was performed by the NBC Television Theater. This recording, under the composer's personal direction, was made a few days later, and it remains the definitive version, even though the sound is very dated and rough in places. This story of a poor shepherd boy's encounter with three kings and the miraculous healing of his crippled leg when he offers his crutch as a gift has captured audiences around the world ever since its premiere. Its charming mix of tuneful melody, dancing rhythms, delightful choruses, humor and poignancy, and an English text makes this work immediately accessible to audiences of all ages and musical tastes. --David Vernier
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