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

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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''

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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

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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
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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

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
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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
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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

Giuseppe Verdi: I Masnadieri (Bayer)

Artists
Massimiliano: Carlo Colombara
Carlo: Mario Malagnini
Francesco: Renato Bruson
Amalia: Martile Rowland
Arminio: Thierry Migliorini
Moser: Mikhail Lanskoy
Rolla: Thierry Migliorini
Conductor: Wolfgang Gönnenwein


Key Facts:
Number of Discs: 2
Recording date: 8 March 1995

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REVIEWS

“A good, young Italian bass, Carlo Colombara, brought some vocal refinement to the smaller role of the brothers' father”.
Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph

Giuseppe Verdi: Il Trovatore (Decca)

Artists:

Andrea Bocelli: Manrico
Veronica Villaroel: Leonora
Elena Zaremba: Azucena
Carlo Guelfi: Il conte di Luna
Carlo Colombara: Ferrando
Maria Gracia Calderone: Ines
Salvatore Bonaffini: Ruiz
Salvatore Todaro: Un vecchio zingaro

Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Massimo Bellini di Catania
Conductor: Steven Mercurio

Key Facts:
Length: 139 min.
Nº of discs: 2
Label: Decca

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REVIEWS

“Carlo Colombara sings Ferrando's music with energy and round tone”
Robert Levine, Classic Today

“Carlo Colombara acquit himself admirably in his part. [He] has an imposing, dark voice and does all right until he, like other Ferrandos, can’t quite handle the final few pages of the scene, which Verdi, unfortunately, has marked “Allegro assai agitato”.
James Miller, FANFARE

“Carlo Colombara [Ferrando] is one of the most interesting basses. He starts the opera as to the manner born, few better on disc”
Gramophone

“Auch Carlo Colombara weiß als Ferrando, vor allem stimmlich zu überzeugen. Sein voluminöser Bass erklingt durchdringend über dem Orchester, auch wenn es gelegentliche Abstimmungsprobleme zwischen Sänger und Orchester zu bemerken gibt”.
Klassik.com

Giuseppe Verdi: Jérusalem (TDK)

Artists:

Ivan Momirov: Gaston
Veronica Villarroel: Hélène
Federica Bragaglia: Isaure
Alain Fondary: Le Comte de Toulouse
Carlo Colombara: Roger
Carlo di Cristoforo: Adhémar de Monteuil

Coro e Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice
Conductor: Michel Plasson
Stage director: Piergiorgio Gay

Key Facts:
Length: 166 min.
Label: TDK
Recording date: November, 2000

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REVIEWS
“Carlo Colombara reléve le défi d’un personnage déchiré, qui par détermination décuple ses efforts pour retrouver l’humanité que sa jalousie première, avait écartée… Pour les solistes, notre enthousiasme s’émousse, sauf pour le Roger de Carlo Colombara dont la tenue de rôle au fur et à mesure du spectacle se bonifie de scène en scène”.
ClassicNews.com

“The most convincing singer is bass Carlo Colombara as the real murderer, Roger”
Review Focus

“The older generation does better, with Carlo Colombara vigorous and committed as the near-brother-killer-turned-hermit Roger”
BBC Music Magazine

“As the guilt-ridden Roger, the most interesting character in Jerusalem, Carlo Colomban sings with his customary authority”.
Gramophone

Giuseppe Verdi: The Very Best of Verdi (Naxos)

Tracklist
La forza del destino
Overture (Hungarian State Opera Orchestra/Morandi)
Pace, pace, mio dio (Gauci; Belgian Radio and Television Philharmonic Orchestra/Rahbari)
Solenne in quest’ora (Aragall; Tumagian; Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Rahbari)

Nabucco
Va, pensiero (Slovak Philharmonic Chorus, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Dohnanyi)

Ernani
Surte e la notte…Ernani, involami (Mescheriakova; Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Halasz)

Macbeth
Patria oppressa! (Slovak Philharmonic Chorus, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Dohnanyi)

Luisa Miller
Quando le sere al placido (Giordani; Catania Teatro Massimo Bellini Orchestra/Mercurio)

Rigoletto
Questa o quella; La donna e mobile; Pari siamo!; Cortigiani, vil razza dannata; Gualtier Malde … Caro nome (Ramiro; Tumagian; Ferrarini; Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Rahbari)

Il Trovatore
Vedi, le fosche notturne; Il balen; Ah! Si, ben mio; Di quella pira; D’amor sull’ali rosee vane (Servile; Frusoni; Longhi; Budapest Festival Chorus, Hungarian State Opera Orchestra/Humburg)

Un ballo in maschera
Di tu se fedele (Harper; Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Halasz)

Messa da Requiem
Dies irae; Tuba mirum; Ingemisco (Filipova; Scalchi; Hernandez; Carlo Colombara; Hungarian State Opera Chorus, Hungarian State Opera Orchestra/Morandi)

La Traviata
Libiamo, ne’lieti calici; Sempre libera; Lunge da lei per me; Di Provenza il mar (Krause; Ramiro; Tichy; Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Rahbari)

Don Carlo
E lui! Desso l’Infante! … Dio, che nell’alma infondere (Aragall; Tumagian; Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Rahbari)

Aida
Se quell guerrier io fossi! … Celeste Aida; Ritorna vincitor … I sacri nomi di padre; Gloria all’Egitto; Grand March; Ballet Music (Dragoni; Johannson; Ireland National Symphony Orchestra/Saccani)

Otello
Fuoco di gioia (Slovak Philharmonic Chorus, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Dohnanyi)
Mia madre aveva una povera ancella …Piangea cantando … Ave Maria (Gauci; Belgian Radio and Television Philharmonic Orchestra/Rahbari)

Falstaff
Ehi paggio! … L’onore! Ladri (Trimarchi; Hungarian State Opera Orchestra/Humburg)

Artists:
Conductors: Oliver Dohnanyi, Michael Halasz, Will Humburg, Steven Mercurio, Pier Giorgio Morandi, Alexander Rahbari, Ricco Saccani.
Orchestras: Belgian Radio and Television Philharmonic Orchestra; Catania Teatro Massimo Bellini Orchestra; Hungarian State Opera Orchestra; Ireland National Symphony Orchestra; Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra

Artists: Jaume Aragall, Carlo Colombara, Maria Dragoni, Alida Ferrarini, Elena Filipova, Maurizio Frusoni, Miriam Gauci, Marcello Giordani, Thomas Harper, Cesar Hernandez, Kristjan Johannson, Monika Krause, Daniela Longhi, Marina Mescheriakova, Yordy Ramiro, Gloria Scalchi, Roberto Servile, Georg Tichy, Domenico Trimarchi, Eduard Tumagian, Marian Vach.

Key Facts:
Label: NAXOS
Duration: 77:44 + 76:40
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REVIEWS
“Impressive, steady and sonorous is, on the other hand, Carlo Colombara, whose Tuba mirum from Requiem (CD2 tr.2) recalls Ezio Pinza”.
Göran Forsling, Music Web

Giuseppe Verdi: Nabucco (Decca)

Artists

Leo Nucci (Nabucco)
Maria Guleghina (Abigaille)
Carlo Colombara (Zaccaria)

Orchestra & Chorus of the Arena di Verona Daniel Oren (conductor)

Key Facts

Filmed in High-Definition Widescreen. Includes 'Making of' documentary as an extra and English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Chinese subtitles.
Duration: 154 mins
Nº of disc: 1 Disc
Format: NTSC DVD
Audio Selection: LPCM Stereo / DTS 5.1 Surround

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REVIEWS

“Très crédible dans son rôle…Carlo Colombara (Zaccaria) ne manque pas de voix non plus”.
Jean-Charles Goldstuck, ResMusic.com

“Best of the principals is Carlo Colombara’s Zaccaria, who delivers big and authoritative singing”.
George Hall, BBC Music Magazine

“Carlo Colombara's Zaccaria is robust and of vibrant colour”.
Fabio Zannoni, Il Giornale della Musica

“…al costat del gran Zaccaria que és Carlo Colombara”.
Jaume Radigales, Dietari Operistic

“La basse Carlo Colombara est un Zaccaria tout àfait correct”.
Audrey Vasselin, ClassiqueInfoDisque.com

“The High Priest, Zaccaria, the third major character, has one of the great bass roles in the Verdi repertoire: finely sung here by Carlo Colombara, firm, sonorous and noble in bearing”.
John Steane, Music Web