Corelli a Man a Voice: A Man, a Voice (Great Voices 5) (Great Voices)

I will only take issue with a couple of points made in previous reviews. The first dealt with imperfections and annoyances in the live recordings included with this book. The reviewer was bothered by the obvious voice of a prompter feeding the tenor his lines. This was and is a very common practice in major opera houses all over the world. The Metropolitan Opera still uses them to this day. The fact that they were caught on tape only highlights the fact that these were recorded without the benefit of permission. This doesn't bother me, and shouldn't bother anyone else.

The second observation made by another reader is that Corelli lacked subtlety. I would challenge this reader to listen to Mr. Corelli's live recording of Romeo et Juliette in Philadelphia. His italian mannerisms not withstanding, in the aria "ah leve toi soleil" he sang the most exquisite B-flat in the history of opera, bringing this note down to such a diminuendo, it was barely audible...truly breathtaking. Add to that the "e lucevan le stelle" from this very book's recording, and you couldn't possibly accuse him of this "lack" with a straight face.

No, the writing isn't very good. And quite frankly, what was said about it in other reviews is spot on. But you must understand that the hallmark of Mr. Corelli's life outside of the stage is privacy. I wouldn't expect any writer to successfully probe this man's life.

But the wealth of information present in this book's dicography as well as the performance chronography contained within are worth the price of admission alone. Add to that a wonderfully chosen selection of live recordings (even more exciting than his studio ones if you ask me) and you have a resource that no Corelli fan should be without.


What A Mess   January 7, 2000
11 out of 16 found this review helpful

I couldn't agree more with the other customer reviewers of the awe that Corelli inspires in his listeners, and what a disappointment this bio is of the great tenor. I am a magazine editor and book author, and unfortunately often have to edit (or more often reject) inept manuscripts. How did this "author" get into print, or better yet, how did the editors/publishers allow it? As for the included CD, I didn't have a problem with the sound of the prompter; it was a side of opera I have never heard "live." And the singing is great, of course. Corelli was a true artist; there's very little I can add to the other reviews here about that topic. Nevertheless, $ is a little steep for a one-disc opera recital, even by Corelli, since that was all that this package offered that was any good.


Magnificent voice, tortured man   July 16, 2000
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

There's little I can add to the reviews previously given. I also felt that the author spent too much time "explaining" Corelli. How sad I felt for this man who couldn't enjoy the gifts he had been born with. A man who brought so much joy to those of us who heard him and still doubted himself as a performer.

I respect his privacy but would have liked to have known more about his private life, does he have children, being married to a soprano, etc. No one need ask what toll all that stress has taken on him. The last pictures of him in his 70's clearly demonstrate it.

I love the CD despite the prompting heard in the background. That and the picture album are worth the price alone.


More about Corelli!!!   May 11, 2001
7 out of 11 found this review helpful

The book is ok as a source of first information. It is written by someone who definitely loves Corelli. Yet we lack another book about this great singer and personality, more psychologically written. There is the same problem as with everything nowadays:

Really interesting material that is not destined to be bought by a great lot of people but only by "some" interested ones is not sold any more by the great companies (neither by amazon.com!). This concerns good books (eg even the not so famous ones of truly famous authors) or rare recordings (eg Corelli and Tebaldi Met Gala for Rudolf Bing, singing Manon Lescaut...). It just shows that "culture" is constantly diminishing to "mass- and subculture". O tempora...


Corelli fans need more   December 13, 1999
5 out of 9 found this review helpful

We Franco Corelli fans need a good documentary and a well researched biography. This book doesn't provide any satisfaction. The author repeated how great of a tenor he was by using positive only clippings. Don't we already know how great he was? He is the most beloved tenor of the century. It's the opera world's obligation to have a respectable Corelli biography.