Sylvia Sass Complete Recitals Released on Decca Eloquence

As part of the Decca Eloquence series of recent vocal releases comes the latest addition which includes the complete Decca recitals of soprano Sylvia Sass from the late 1970s. Previously only available on CD from Japan (Decca did release "Presenting Sylvia Sass Opera's Sensational New Star" as part of its Classic Recital line in 2005) these recordings are welcome treasures to any collection. Note: The series also features a first-time CD release of Tchaikovsky songs with soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, details can be found here and don't forget to check out the other three discs coming out featuring Peter Pears, Kiri Te Kanawa and Kenneth McKellar by clicking here. Purchase the Sylvia Sass disc by clicking here.

The original LP covers for the recitals on Decca:
Recitals previously only available on Japanese releases:

More information and complete track list after the jump.

Limelight Magazine Picks Their Top 10 Opera Film Selections

Catherine Zeta-Jones look-alike
Sylvia Sass doing Bartók.

Paulo Montoya chooses from a plethora of operatic depictions on celluloid and narrows the best down to the top 10. Directors include such luminaries as Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, Robert Dornhelm, Miklós Szinetár, Gianfranco de Bosio and Götz Friedrich, while some of the greatest opera singers in the last 60 years featured include Mirella Freni, Teresa Stratas, Plácido Domingo, Leonie Rysanek and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. The most recent film on the list is Puccini's La Bohème featuring Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón from 2009. Chances are many of the titles are available on demand through Netflix. Sounds like a good chance to stay inside from the summer heat and see some cinematic excellence. View the full list.

Happy Birthday: Sylvia Sass

"O madre dal cielo" I Lombardi (Verdi)

Sylvia Sass, born July 12, 1951, is an acclaimed Hungarian soprano, particularly associated with Verdi roles. Born in Budapest, Hungary, she studied at Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest with Ferenc Révhegyi. She made her professional debut at the Hungarian State Opera, as Frasquita in Georges Bizet's Carmen, in 1971. The following year, she appeared at the Sofia National Opera, as Violetta in La Traviata, and during the 1974-75 season at the Salzburg Festival singing Mozart in concert. In 1975, she sang at the Scottish Opera, as Desdemona in Verdi's Otello, and in 1976, made her debut at the Royal Opera House in London, in a much acclaimed performance of Giselda in I Lombardi, returning the following

"Ah, dagli scanni eterei...
Perder dunque voi volete"
Stiffelio (Verdi)

season as Violetta. In 1977, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, as Tosca. She also appeared at the Vienna State Opera, the Munich State Opera, the Teatro Municipal de Caracas as Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera, at the opera houses of Cologne, Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, as well as the Paris Opera and the Aix-en-Provence Festival, both as Violetta. In 1978, she made her debut at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, as Puccini's Manon Lescaut, conducted by Georges Prêtre, a performance that was televised live across Europe. Her repertory also included; Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Mimi in La bohème, Judith in Béla Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle, etc., but she was particularly admired in early Verdi operas, especially as Lady Macbeth. A DVD of her masterful 1981 performance of Bluebeard's Castle under Sir Georg Solti is available. Sass has won many awards, the first in 1972

"Dei tuoi figli"
Medea (Cherubini)

when she won first prize at the Kodály Voice Competition. In 1973, she won the Grand Prix as Violetta at the International Opera Competition for Young Singers. In 1974, she won the Silver Medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, in Moscow. She was also made an Honored Artist of Hungary, in 1977. Her exceptional vocal and dramatic talent prompted some to hail her as the second Maria Callas. However, perhaps as a result of having taken on too much too soon, her voice deteriorated early, and by the end of the 1980s, she had all but vanished from the

"Nagy ég, remegek!"
Hunyadi Laszlo (Erkel)

operatic scene. In recent years, she has settled in France, where she keeps busy painting and giving masterclasses. Sass has made several recordings of arias, lieder, and complete operas, notably Bluebeard's Castle and Don Giovanni, both conducted by Georg Solti, Verdi's I Lombardi, Ernani, Attila, Macbeth, Stiffelio, all conducted by Lamberto Gardelli, as well as Cherubini's Medea, again with Gardelli, Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs and Richard Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder. [Source]