Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
At first glance, Between Friends looks like a crossover album -- Ramón Vargas' attempt at the "Tenor and Friends" formula made successful by Luciano Pavarotti. But it is actually a straightforward collection of operatic duets and ensembles, all of which revolve around or celebrate the concept of friendship. This theme allows for the inclusion of some well-worn favorites, like "Au fond du temple saint" from The Pearl Fishers and "O Mimi, tu più non torni" from La bohème, but also some less frequently excerpted numbers, like the Nemorino/Dulcamara duet from Act I of L'elisir d'amore, and "All'idea di quell metallo" from The Barber of Seville. In the end, it is an enjoyable album that seems fresher than most because it departs from the usual excerpt fare of arias and love duets. Vargas shows admirable stylistic versatility by skipping happily from Rossini to Verdi to Puccini and back again, all the while maintaining an appealing youthfulness of sound. The fact that he has sung most (if not all) of this repertoire on-stage lends additional credibility to his performances. Among his seven collaborators on the album, Leo Nucci, Vesselina Kasarova, and Vassily Gerello stand out as especially good. The sound is generally good, though at times the vocal balances -- both between voices and orchestra and between the voices individually -- sound unnaturally adjusted. Vjekoslav Sutej and the Orchestra Sinfonia di Milano Giuseppe Verdi do a nice job of balancing the demands of the relatively intimate recording space with the need to maintain the dramatic sweep and dynamic range of the music.
© TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr124,99/month
Ettore Stratta, Producer - Georges Bizet, Composer - Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Performer - Ramón Vargas, Tenor - Roberto Brenna, Recording Engineer - Vassily Gerello, Baritone - Vjekoslav Sutej, Conductor
(P) 2003 BMG Music
Barbara Lavarian, Soprano - Ettore Stratta, Producer - Gioacchino Rossini, Composer - Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Performer - Ramón Vargas, Tenor - Roberto Brenna, Recording Engineer - Vesselina Kasarova, Mezzo-Soprano - Vjekoslav Sutej, Conductor
(P) 2003 BMG Music
Ettore Stratta, Producer - Gaetano Donizetti, Composer - Leo Nucci, Baritone - Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Performer - Ramón Vargas, Tenor - Roberto Brenna, Recording Engineer - Vjekoslav Sutej, Conductor
(P) 2003 BMG Music
Ettore Stratta, Producer - Giuseppe Verdi, Composer - Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Performer - Ramón Vargas, Tenor - Roberto Brenna, Recording Engineer - Vassily Gerello, Baritone - Vjekoslav Sutej, Conductor
(P) 2003 BMG Music
Ettore Stratta, Producer - Giuseppe Verdi, Composer - Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Performer - Ramón Vargas, Tenor - Roberto Brenna, Recording Engineer - Roberto Frontali, Baritone - Vjekoslav Sutej, Conductor
(P) 2003 BMG Music
Ettore Stratta, Producer - Giacomo Puccini, Composer - Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Performer - Ramón Vargas, Tenor - Roberto Brenna, Recording Engineer - Roberto Frontali, Baritone - Vjekoslav Sutej, Conductor
(P) 2003 BMG Music
Ettore Stratta, Producer - Gioacchino Rossini, Composer - Manuel Lanza, Baritone - Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Performer - Ramón Vargas, Tenor - Roberto Brenna, Recording Engineer - Vjekoslav Sutej, Conductor
(P) 2003 BMG Music
Alberto Rota, Bass Vocal - Davide Baronchelli, Bass Vocal - Emidio Guidotti, Bass Vocal - Ettore Stratta, Producer - Giuseppe Verdi, Composer - Miriam Gauci, Soprano - Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Performer - Ramón Vargas, Tenor - Roberto Brenna, Recording Engineer - Vjekoslav Sutej, Conductor
(P) 2003 BMG Music
Album review
At first glance, Between Friends looks like a crossover album -- Ramón Vargas' attempt at the "Tenor and Friends" formula made successful by Luciano Pavarotti. But it is actually a straightforward collection of operatic duets and ensembles, all of which revolve around or celebrate the concept of friendship. This theme allows for the inclusion of some well-worn favorites, like "Au fond du temple saint" from The Pearl Fishers and "O Mimi, tu più non torni" from La bohème, but also some less frequently excerpted numbers, like the Nemorino/Dulcamara duet from Act I of L'elisir d'amore, and "All'idea di quell metallo" from The Barber of Seville. In the end, it is an enjoyable album that seems fresher than most because it departs from the usual excerpt fare of arias and love duets. Vargas shows admirable stylistic versatility by skipping happily from Rossini to Verdi to Puccini and back again, all the while maintaining an appealing youthfulness of sound. The fact that he has sung most (if not all) of this repertoire on-stage lends additional credibility to his performances. Among his seven collaborators on the album, Leo Nucci, Vesselina Kasarova, and Vassily Gerello stand out as especially good. The sound is generally good, though at times the vocal balances -- both between voices and orchestra and between the voices individually -- sound unnaturally adjusted. Vjekoslav Sutej and the Orchestra Sinfonia di Milano Giuseppe Verdi do a nice job of balancing the demands of the relatively intimate recording space with the need to maintain the dramatic sweep and dynamic range of the music.
© TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 8 track(s)
- Total length: 00:56:02
- Main artists: Ramón Vargas
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: RCA Red Seal
- Genre: Classical
(P) 2004 BMG Music
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.