Various - 20 years on the Opera stage - Orbelian, Constantine

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Marcelo Alvarez gave his usual passionate and thrilling performance ... taking advantage of his beautiful voice by phrasing the musical lines with elegance.' - Ingrid Haas This review excerpt, covering a recent Metropolitan Opera performance, is entirely typical of the acclaim that Alvarez - one of the supreme tenors of our time - consistently inspires in his many appearances worldwide. We at Delos offer this album as a richly deserved tribute to a legendary artist, now celebrating his twentieth year of distinguished operatic achievement.In this sterling collection of arias from mostly 'Verismo' operas, Alvarez delivers electrifying accounts of both popular and lesser-known selections by masters like Puccini, Leoncavallo, Giordano, Mascagni and Massenet. You will also hear - possibly for the first time - a fascinating array of choice rarities by Verismo-era composers (Gomes, Cilea, Zandonai, and Halevy) who were prominent in their day, but whose music has since fallen into comparative neglect. Maestro Constantine Orbelian - leading the St Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra - provides skillful and sensitive support.