Leaving the hype aside, EMI would have been more accurate to entitle this 2-CD ssurvey "Opera Arias by the Young Caballe." In the whole generous 151 min. there are only 6 songs to represent her extensive recital repertoire, and no Zarzuela. For those items you have to go to rCA. Here we get Caballe mostly from the Seventies (1971-79) with bits form the early Eighties.

The reviewers below have given deserved praise to Caballe's abilities as diva. My onw opinion is that she was better on records than in the opera house. She wasn't gifted as an actress and cut a short, wide figure onstage. But as a vocal actress on disc she was very convincing, despite her over-reliance on pathos and delicacy. One longs at times, amid all the beauitful floated notes, for more spine and guts to her heroines. (I find her acclaimed Aida, for example, a one-note portrayal.) Lady Macbeth needs to be more sinister, Elisabetta more tragically enduring.

In all, this two-fer serves as a fine survey of her early career, and for listeners like me, who don't necessarily buy Caballe's complete opera sets, it may be all we need.

This is a great collection of caballe's eternal art.All the songs here have been remastered and sound wonderful.The very best of,contains a nice selection of caballe's greatest verdi singing.Her rendition,heard here,of una macchia e qui tutt'ora(macbeth)is the best one in recorded history.She sings it with such beauty,feeling,and power,not to mention the most ethereal pianissimo high Dflat to ever caress the ear.All of the arias on this disc amply demonstrates her mastery of bel canto, and italian opera for that matter.In signore,ascolta from turandot,another memorable performance from Caballe,she sculpts this aria beautifully like a master craftsman;ending this piece with a ultra high pianissimo bflat,which she holds out all the way to the final bars of the music,for an astounishing 15 seconds.One of the most beautiful notes to ever float from the human throat.Other noticable mentions would be her pace pace mio dio,her ave maria from othello,col sorriso d'innocenza from il pirata,as well as an entire spanish recital(recorded in 1979,in good voice)are all include here;and much more besides.There is also a nice picture of a young, beautiful, and thin Montserrat Caballe on the cover.The cd booklet includes exstensive linear notes and five rare photes of this divine soprano,who has both a heart and voice of pure gold.

I`VE BEEN LOOKING FOR SO LONG THE "PUCCINI ARIAS" ALBUM AND IT`S ALMOST COMPLETE IN THIS COMPILATION. ENJOY THE PURE VOICE OF MONTSERRAT WITH THIS GREAT COLLECTION OF GREAT ARIAS BY VERDI,PUCCINI,BELLINI,ROSSINI,ETC. YOU`LL NEVER REGRET.CLEAR SOUND DIGITALLY REMASTERED.

This two-disc recital draws heavily upon two Caballe recital discs (a Bellini/Verdi recital, and a recital of Puccini arias), with some extra material thrown in. At the end of disc one, there are also some Spanish songs thrown in, a good choice, since Caballe sang these songs extensively in her many recitals.

For Caballe fans that already own the backlist of her recitals, there is not enough here to entice you to buy this new recital, unless you like the unique combination of arias. Tracks 1-5 on disc one are wonderful interpretations by Caballe of Verdian arias. I especially like the one from Macbeth- perfectly executed, with the pianissimi in all the right places. Equally as thrilling is her Tu Che Le Vanita, a dramatic, long aria that shows off the interpretive power she was capable of, when she wasn't in a lazy mood. As for the Ave Maria, I find it curious that they chose to cut the preceding Willow Song. In my mind, you can have a Willow Song on a soprano's recital disc without the Ave Maria, but it seems inappropriate for the reverse to be the case. Personally, I don't think that Caballe has anything on Mirella Freni, who is perhaps the most perfect Desdemona of her era.

I must admit to not having heard Caballe's interpretations of L'Altra Notte and Voi Lo Sapete. To imagine Caballe singing Santuzza really seems like a stretch to me. My favorite Santuzzas are Callas, Bumbry, and Verrett (in that order). Of course, Caballe did sing a lot of roles, and it isn't impossible that she could do justice to the aria, but I just can't imagine it, try as I might. A final selection worth mentioning is the aria from William Tell, from a supreme bel canto recording of Rossini's masterpiece.

Tracks 1-11 on the second disc are culled from her famous Puccini Arias recording, with the exception of In Questa Reggia from Turandot (a role that she would sing very late in her career, as opposed to the more familiar and suitable-for-her-voice role of Liu). What is notable is what didn't make the cut. Listeners will be deprived of her heart-wrenching, powerful interpretation of Sola, Perduta, Abbandonata, with its sinister clarinet obligato. They will also miss out on an enchanting aria from Puccini's little known and rarely staged Le Villi. This is a shame, since the original Puccini Aria disc is currently out of circulation.

The rest of disc two focuses on Bellini, in the form of I Puritani and Il Pirata. Listeners will be treated to both the polacca and the mad scene from Bellini' final opera. Caballe, of course, cannot hold a candle to Joan Sutherland, who was a true coloratura soprano (Caballe was more lyrical), but she isn't bad, either, as Elvira. The Bellini role that would garner her more acclaim was Imogene from Il Pirata. This two-disc recital draws to a close with her divine reading of Imogene's mad scene. This is the stuff of operatic legend.

All in all, minor quibbles aside, this is a great introduction to those not familiar with Caballe's grand art.