Welcome to Carlo Colombara's SHOP

Here you can find the discography of the Italian bass Carlo Colombara, and the links to buy his CDs and DVDs.
Have a look at our Special Offer section to find signed pictures, personalized gifts and much more!

Carlo Colombara: The art of the bass (NAXOS)



Described as “the great Verdian bass” (Le Figaro) and a “Mefistofele who stood out over all the others” (Der Neue Merker), Carlo Colombara brings some of the most famous bass rôles to life in this wide-ranging programme. Emotions range from the pride of Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen, through the terrors of Verdi’s Attila, to the tender recollections of Rachmaninov’s Aleko. Mephistopheles strides powerfully through both Gounod and Boito’s operas, and Rossini’s comic wit contrasts with the darkness of Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov.

Key Facts
Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: PCM Stereo 2.0Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English and original languages (French, Italian, Russian)
Running time: 68 minsNo. of DVDs: 1

Tracklist
1. Giuseppe Verdi: Don Carlo, Act III: Ella giammai m’amò
2. Giuseppe Verdi: Simon Boccanegra, Prologue: Il lacerato spirito
3. Giuseppe Verdi: Nabucco, Act II: Tu sul labrro de’ veggenti fulminasti, o sommo Iddio
4. Giuseppe Verdi: Attila, Act I: Mentre gonfiarsi l’anima parea


5. Georges Bizet: Carmen, Act II: Votre toast, je peux vous le render
6. Gioachino Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia, Act II: La calunnia è un venticello
7. Charles Gounod: Faust, Act IV: Vous faites l’endormie
8. Arrigo Boito: Mefistofele, Act II: Ecco il mondo
9. Sergei Rachmaninov: Aleko: Aleko’s Cavatina
10. Modest Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov, Act IV: Proshchái moy syn*


Sofia National Opera Chorus
Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, György G. Ráth,conductor
Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Ghiaurov,conductor
Prague Tchaikovsky Orchestra, Fabrizio Milani,conductor

Messa da Requiem (Signum Classics)

Tracklist
Messa da Requiem
01 Requiem
02 Dies irae
03 Offertorium
04 Sanctus
05 Agnus Dei
06 Lux æterna
07 Libera me

Artists

Carlo Colombara, bass
Veronica Simeoni, mezzo-soprano
Carmen Giannattasio, soprano
Alexander Timchenko, tenor

St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Mikhailovsky Theatre Chorus
Yuri Temirkanov, conductor

You can buy it here

Messa da Requiem (Hänssler)


Tracklist
Messa da Requiem
01 Requiem
02 Dies irae
03 Offertorium
04 Sanctus
05 Agnus Dei
06 Lux æterna
07 Libera me

Artists

Luba Orgonásova, soprano
Anke Vondung, mezzo-soprano
Alfred Kim, tenor
Carlo Colombara, bajo

Gächinger Kantorei
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR
Helmuth Rilling, director

Key Facts:
2 CD - DDD - 77'18''

You can buy it here

Daemons & Angels (Kicco Music)

Tracklist

Giuseppe Verdi - NABUCCO
Act 1 "Gli arredi festivi. ..Sperate, o figli!...Come notte a sol fulgente"
Act 3 "Oh chi piange? .. Del futuro nel bujo discerno"

Giuseppe Verdi - SIMON BOCCANEGRA
Prologo "A te l'estremo addio... ll lacerato spirito"

Jacques Fromental Halévy - LA JUIVE
Act 1 "Si la rigueur et la vengeance"

Charles Gounod - FAUST
Act 2 "Le veau d'or est toujour debout!"

Georges Bizet - CARMEN
Act 2 "Vivat! vivat le Torero! Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre"

Modest Mussorgsky / Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - BORIS GODUNOV
Prologue - Coronation scene
Act 2 Boris’ Monologue
Act4 Death of Boris

Artists:

Carlo Colombara, bass
Sofia Metropolitan - Golden Voices
Sofia Bardarska - Chorus Master
Bulgarian National Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Vladimir Ghiaurov

Key Facts:
Nº of disc: 1

You can buy it here

Musica Proibita (Bongiovanni)

Trackslist

Tosti:
A' vucchella
Sogno
Non t'amo più
Ideale
La serenata
L' ultima canzone

Denza:
Occhi di fata

Rotoli:
Mia sposa sarà la mia bandiera

de Curtis:
Non ti scordar di me
Ti voglio tanto bene
Tu ca nun chiagne

Gastaldon:
Musica proibita

di Capua:
I' te vurria vasa'

Cardillo:
Core 'ngrato

Tagliaferri:
Picatore 'e Pusilleco

Fusco:
Dicitencello vuje

Rodgers:
Some enchanted evening

Schönberg:
Bring him home

Mancini:
Moon River

Dummy:
Deep River (Spiritual)

Kern:
Old man River

Artists:

Carlo Colombara, bass
Richard Barker, piano
Fabrizio Milani, piano

Key Facts:
Duration: 71 mins
Nº of disc: 1
You can buy it here

Reviews:

“Colombara präsentiert sich in exzellenter stimmlicher Verfassung: Samtig und kernig zugleich das Timbre, rund und voll die Tongebung, ebenmäßig das Vibrato. Und nicht nur das. Colombara demonstriert auch ein gesangstechnisches Können, das unter Bässen seines schweren Stimmkalibers eher selten enzutreffen ist, vor allem eine gekonnte Beherrschung der Mezzavoce, die sich sanft ins Ohr schmeichelt und doch zugleich klangvoll und tragfähig bleibt. Erstaunlich auch seine subtile und geschmeidige Stimmführung bei geringen dynamischen Graden. Unter den sechzehn dargebotenen italienischen Canzonen dominiert der Großmeister dieses Genres, Paolo Tosti, mit sechs Titeln, darunter Evergreens wie Ideale, A vucchella und L’ultima canzone. Den Abschluss bilden, gleichsam als Zugaben, einige Stücke aus den Musicals South Pacific, Les Misérables und Showboat sowie der Film-Song Moon River und das Spiritual Deep River. Colombara knüpft hier an die Tradition an, die bedeutende italienische Bässe wie Ezio Pinza und Cesare Siepi mit erfolgreichen Broadway-Auftritten begründet haben”.
Walter Fritz, Klassik Heute

Opera Arias (Bongiovanni)

Performer: Carlo Colombara (Bass), Alejandro Escobar (Tenor)

Tracklist
1. Don Carlos: Ella giammai m'amò...Dormirò sol sul manto mio regal by Giuseppe Verdi
2. Attila: Oltre a quel limite t'attendo by Giuseppe Verdi
3. I vespri siciliani: O tu, Palermo by Giuseppe Verdi
4. Macbeth: Come dal ciel precipita by Giuseppe Verdi
5. Ernani: Infelice! e tu credevi...Infin che un brando vindice by Giuseppe Verdi
6. Nabucco: Vieni, o Levita...Tu sul labbro by Giuseppe Verdi
7. Faust: Vous qui faites l'endormie "Serenade" by Charles Gounod
8. Mefistofele: Ecco il mondo by Arrigo Boito
9. Aleko: The moon is high in the sky "Aleko's Cavatina" by Sergei Rachmaninov

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi, Charles Gounod, Arrigo Boito, Sergei Rachmaninov
Conductor: Gyorgy G. Rath
Swiss Italian Orchestra


Key Facts:
Label: Bongiovanni
Recording date: 29 June,2004
You can buy it here

REVIEWS
“In this debut recital, Carlo Colombara reveals a rich, resonant basso cantate. He also exhibits great technical ability and a command of communicating the text of the arias. In the aria from Don Carlo, he is especially fine in his ability to express the anger of the character, and then in “Dormirò sol nel manto mi regal” his use of a mezza voce piano is effective in making the listener feel that he is dreaming. He is quite effective in the lyrical section of the Attila aria, and shows that he has the technique to produce a stirring cabaletta. The same ability is demonstrated in the aria and cabaletta from Ernani. If I have one reservation, it is in the Faust aria. Although his command of French is good, his laughs are somewhat overdone and melodramatic. He also demonstrates an ability to command the Russian language and style in the aria from Aleko. In the last century, native-born Italian singers dominated the opera world. But that period has gone into a decline. Colombara is one of the few world-class Italian singers of today. The sound is excellent; notes and texts and translations are supplied. György G. Rath provides excellent support. Highly recommended”.
Bob Rose, Fanfare

“Da quasi 20 anni Colombara è attivo sui palcoscenici di tutto il mondo, riscuotendo ovunque un lusinghiero successo che premia l’applicazione e la serietà dimostrate sia nella scelta del repertorio, sia la bellezza del mezzo vocale propriamente detto...la cantabilità e la relativa chiarezza dell’ordito rimandano più facilmente a Pinza o al primo Raimondi, rispetto al quale ultimo vanta una più profonda estensione del registro grave. Il disco è globalmente simpatico...il bravo basso bolognese ha dalla sua una comunicativa molto accattivante, altra qualità che lo accomuna al Ruggero Raimondi degli Anni Settanta, all’epoca cantante di non comuni mezzi se non vocali, sicuramente espressivi. Tutti i brani proposti sono cantati veramente bene, con una linea vocale facile, fluida, ben appoggiata sul fiato, ottimamente emessa. La cavata, se vogliamo, manca un po’ dell’ampleur che caratterizzava altri grandi bassi del passato, ma non è un gran peccato, specie scegliendo la linea interpretativa più adeguata ai mezzi a disposizione...Attila vive di un fuoco interiore divorante che...risulta quanto mai evidente: credo che oggi come oggi sia veramente difficile proporne un altro interprete di tale violenza espressiva unita ad una linea di canto così efficace nell’evitare i facili scadimenti nella volgarità...Procida è ormai un cavallo di battaglia di Colombara...La relativa tetragonia psicologica del rivoluzionario palermitano si stempera in un canto ricco di rimpianti e di dolcezze, cui non nuocerebbe qualche nuance espressiva in più per riscattare la convenzionalità in cui lo immerge la scrittura verdiana. Il brano del Macbeth è molto bello nel dipanarsi della linea vocale, non disgiunta da accenti di reale efficacia teatrale. Il vecchio Silva è un po’ troppo giovanile per i miei gusti, mentre – curiosamente, date le caratteristiche vocali di Colombara – il brano di Zaccaria è una delle cose più belle di questo dischetto, in un canto raccolto e a fior di labbra ricco di serena e pensosa ieraticità, resa in modo veramente autorevole. Con i due diavolacci arriviamo al meglio della proposta...La cavatina di Aleko è invece un vero capolavoro: cantata splendidamente, con una messa di voce non immemore di celeberrimi esempi del passato (fra i quali non esiterei a citare anche lo Chaliapin delle incisioni isolate e il Petrov dell’integrale) che lascia presupporre un possibile sviluppo della carriera di Colombara verso i grandi ruoli russi”.
Pietro Bagnoli, Operaclick

The international operatic scene has not, in recent times, been so flush with bass voices of true calibre that it should do anything but celebrate the artistry of Carlo Colombara, who has all the virtues to encompass the leading roles in the operas of Verdi and many other composers. As is self-evident throughout this strenuous programme, he possesses a voice of the appropriate strength and range for ali the arias he attempts. To that basic attribute he adds innate muscianship, a true line, fine breathcontrol and, possibly most important of all, an ability to place words on his capacious tone and give them the meaning needed to convey character. In all these respects he recalls such eminent predecessors as Ezio Pinza, Tancredi Pasero, Boris Christoff, Nicolai Ghiaurov and Samuel Ramey...Ali his qualities are immediately on display in his comprehensively characterised account of Philip II's world-weary monologue from Don Carlo. In the recitative he evinces the weight of sorrow the aging monarch feels, then in the cantilena he suggests the ruler's sorrow and loneliness. Yet all the emotion is kept well within the bounds of the bounds of a strict style. Among the gallery of bass roles Verdi created in his so-called "galley" years, the bluff Attila, the haunted, elderly Silva (Ernani) and the noble Zaccaria (Nabucco) stand out. To each he gave a special trait of character, and Colombara finds the right voice for each. In the piece from Attila, note the splendid attack in the recitative and the powerful delivery of the cabaletta (both verses). Colombara's Silva is as anguished a figure as his Phlilip II, and he finds the right inward tone to portray his hurt feel ings. Zaccaria's thoughts as he prays for the gifts of prophecy are no less admirably enacted. Banquo's doleful aria from Macbeth shows an advance in Verdi's writing for the bass voice: Colombara conveys all its sense of foreboding. From the later I Vespri Siciliani, we hear the solemn Procida's grateful thoughts at his homecoming to his native Sicily. Verdi writes far him one of his great, noble songs; Colombara responds with steady (as always), noble sounds of his own. As with all these Verdian extracts, the effortless, even emission of tone can be taken for granted, something all too rare today. There is also that rewarding sense that all of the parts have been sung and developed on stage. The two very different Mephistos created by Gounod and, later, Boito find Colombara, who has taken both roles on stage, easily differentiating between the sinister, insinuating yet elegant creature of Gounod's imagining and the more extrovert character of Boito's. Both pieces are sung with a predictable feeling for specific character revealed in subtle gradations of tone. The Russian language seems to present no problems to Colombara, whose accentuation of the text is just as vivid as it is in Italian. Although an early work, Rachmaninov's short opera foretells much of the mature composer, particularly in the cavatina for the eponymous anti-hero recorded here. It was great favourite with Chaliapin (who recorded it three times), but Colombara need fear no comparison with his distinguished predecessor in the way he draws the best from this elegiac piece, one that looks forward to many of Rachmaninov's Romances. Here, once again, Colombara creates atmosphere and character without the help of stage effects. Altogether this is a rewarding showcase from a highly individuai singer, one whose appealing voice and innate musicianship are very much enhanced by an intelligent mind. Reliability is here married to vocal inspiration in a very satisfying way.
Alan Blyth, 2003 ©Bongiovanni

RENCONTRES, Mélodies Françaises (Dynamic)

Rencontres è una rassegna di canzoni d’arte francesi, da Fauré a Ibert, ed offre una vasta gamma di emozioni e stili compositivi...Il timbro vocale scuro, la straordinaria cultura canora e una notevole facilità di coloratura di Carlo Colombara ne fanno uno dei più apprezzati cantanti nel registro di basso. I critici di tutto il mondo non mancano di esaltarne la poliedricità stilistica e le grandi doti interpretative, grazie alle quali Colombara può passare dalla prepotente autorevolezza dei padri e dei monarchi verdiani alle filigrane del belcanto italiano. (© Dynamic)

Track List
01 Automne op. 18 n. 3 (Gabriel Fauré)
02 Rencontre (Poème d’un jour op. 112 - Gabriel Fauré)
03 Toujours (Poème d’un jour op. 112 - Gabriel Fauré)
04 Adieu (Poème d’un jour op. 112 - Gabriel Fauré)
05 Chanson du pêcheur op. 4 n.1 (Gabriel Fauré)
06 Les berceaux op. 23 n.1 (Gabriel Fauré)
07 L’heure exquise (Reynaldo Hahn)
08 L’absent (Chansons grises - Charles Gounod)
09 L’invitation au voyage (Henri Duparc)
10 Le manoir de Rosamonde (Henri Duparc)
11 La vie antérieure (Henri Duparc)
12 Phidylé (Henri Duparc)
13 Voyage (Francis Poulenc)
14 La grenouillière op. 5 (Francis Poulenc)
15 Chanson du départ de D. Quichotte (Chansons de Don Quichotte - Jacques Ibert)
16 Chanson à Dulcinée (Chansons de Don Quichotte - Jacques Ibert)
17 Chanson du Duc (Chansons de Don Quichotte - Jacques Ibert)
18 Chanson de la mort de D. Quichotte (Chansons de Don Quichotte - Jacques Ibert)
19 Chanson romanesque (Don Quichotte à Dulcinée - Maurice Ravel)
20 Chanson épique (Don Quichotte à Dulcinée - Maurice Ravel)
21 Chanson à boire (Don Quichotte à Dulcinée - Maurice Ravel)

Artists
Carlo Colombara (bass)
Rani Calderon (piano)
Label: Dynamic

Price: 15, 60 €
You can buy it here

REVIEWS

“La bella voce di Colombara, morbida e pastosa grazie alla buona tecnica d’emissione posta a governarla, è ideale: Colombara ricorda [Gérard Souzay] nella calda comunicativa dell’accento e nella malinconica dolcezza sensuale con cui inflette l’aristocratica linea melodica di brani tra i più belli dell’intera letteratura musicale europea”.
Classic Voice

“Colombara coglie le parole chiave, la tinta di ciascuna mélodie conferendo quindi la lettura più appropriata. Addirittura splendida l’interpretazione disincantata, quasi blasée, de “L’heure exquise” di Reynaldo Hahn, mentre la resa dei quattro brani di Duparc,è caratterizzata da belle idee interpretative".
Nicola Cattò, Musica

“Un Colombara notevolmente ispirato e in grande forma vocale. Un CD non banale, senza dubbio utile, tecnicamente ben realizzato, ottimamente cantato e altrettanto magistralmente suonato, che si ascolta con grande piacere… più e più volte”.
Danilo Boaretto, Operaclick

“En esta selección de bien conocidas canciones muestra la homogeneidad de sus registros y la identificación con el personaje, aportando un tono varonil que casa perfectamente con lo demandado por los compositores. Es de agradecer que una voz de bajo, tan poco abundantes en el circuito del recital de lied dominado por barítonos, tenores y voces femeninas, de tan buen dominio técnico y expresivo nos regale este disco”.
Ritmo

“Colombara sortea el desafío con previsible suntuosidad sonora y muestra el dominio sobre la lengua y la variedad estilística que el menú escogido demanda. Es introspectivo en Fauré, recorre con individualidad las páginas de Duparc, desfallece en voluptuoso decadentismo con Hahn, despliega su lirismo en Gounod, cambia de registro retórico con Poulenc y llega, por fin, a las obras de Ibert y Ravel que exigen un personaie: Don Quiiote. Este encuentro con el baio peninsular será para casi todos una sorpresa mis que agradable y, en el panorama de la canción de cámara, un jalón personal que, seguramente, animará a otros solistas de su tesitura a imitar la excelencia del trabajo cumplido”.
Blas Matamoro, Diverdi

“Carlo Colombara ha ido consolidando su fama en España gracias a su gran vocación operística. El teatro le encanta, y así lo demuestra este bajo que no renuncia a la tradición interpretativa pero que va más allá en sus actuaciones buscando un sonido atractivo y envolvente. Un fraseo conmovedor, suficiente registro grave y una buena dosis de ex - presividad caracterizan este disco que sin duda contentará a los amantes del género y a los seguidores de este bajo enamorado de España”.
Laura Byron, Ópera Actual

“Bolognese bass Carlo Colombara brings much of the right technical and vocal equipment to this French recital. His resonant, medium-weight basso cantante is anchored in a solid legato. His command of register balances allows him a dynamic give-and-take that colors the music and text expressively, especially in the Fauré selections. His firm rhythmic address keeps the phrases moving with purpose. And his handling of the French is mostly conscientious. He doesn't Italianize the language, and nearly everything is intelligible. There are lovely things in nearly every number ".
Stephen Francis Vasta, Opera News

“Many of these [songs] are filled with exquisite fragrances that can only be caught in the singers’ equivalent of water-colour painting. He sings softly, nuanced and with fine attention to the texts – delivered in good French. Hahn’s L’heure exquise is finely shaded, the two Poulenc songs intimate and atmospheric. Throughout the programme he shows deep commitment and an understanding of the texts”.
Göran Forsling, Music Web

Giuseppe Verdi: Nabucco (TDK/ BRILLIANT CLASSICS)


Artists:
Renato Bruson: Nabucco
Lauren Flanigan: Abigaille
Carlo Colombara: Zaccaria
Monica Bacelli: Fenena
Maurizio Frusoni: Ismaele
Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro San Carlo
Conductor: Paolo Carignani
Director: Fabio Sparvoli

Key Facts:
Lenght: 132 minutes
Recording date:1997
You can buy it here

REVIEWS

“Colombara is a substantial find with his clear, resonant bass”
Michael Richter, Opera Japonica

“Carlo Colombara makes an impact. Authoritative of voice and imposing in demeanour, he display a smooth legato and an even range (including a firm high E natural)”.
Colin Clarke, Music Web


Giuseppe Verdi: Messa da Requiem, Quattro pezzi sacri (Naxos)

Artists:

Elena Filipova: soprano
Gloria Scalchi: mezzo-soprano
César Hernández: tenor
Carlo Colombar: bass

Hungarian State Opera Choir/Anikó Katona
Hungarian State Opera Orchestra/Pier Giorgio Morandi

Naxos 8.550944-5
You can buy it here

Giuseppe Verdi: Messa da Requiem (RCA)

Artists:
Carol Vaness: (soprano)
Florence Quivar: (mezzosoprano)
Dennis O’Neill: (tenor)
Carlo Colombara: (bass)

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
Conductor: Colin Davis

Key Facts:
Length: 85 min.
Nº of discs: 2
Label: RCA Victor Red Seal

REVIEWS

“Carlo Colombara, the young Italian bass, is agreeably direct in voice and style”
BBC Music Magazine